The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
I attended my first open AA meeting with my son on Sunday morning while the two of us shared a mother/son weekend at the beach. It was a very good meeting and I felt very welcomed. The leader came up to me outside of the meeting and thanked me for coming to support my son. She said that she wished more A's had that support.
One thing that struck me was something that a young lady said:
"It is not our fault that we are alcoholics but it is our responsibility"
Dear Gailey, I agree with you that it says it all in a nutshell!
Your son is lucky to have you there, and you are a lucky mother to know that he is at least willing to walk into AA to address the problem. You are both way ahead of the game compared to so many others.
I am so glad you had a great meeting together. I myself really love open AA meetings and go to one each week. It was so helpful to me to hear individual journies and discoveries from each and every member on their road to recovery.
Great quote I am writing it down!!! So glad you had such a great experience with your son!!
Hugs to you, P ;)
__________________
Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman.- Maya Angelo
That is wonderful! Your son is very blessed to have you. I love AA meetings as well. I attend open AA meetings regularly. It opens up my mind and it gives me insight about this disease. Good for you and all the best to your son.
So glad you got to go to an open AA meeting! Those are my very favorite meetings. I didn't come into the program with compassion for alcoholics. I thought they were just selfish and self centered people that did whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, and didn't care at all about who they hurt. Open AA meetings showed me how very wrong I was.
I guess I better get to an open AA meeting. I still struggle with this concept of alcoholism being a disease for my AFiance. While I am compassionate most of the time and understand it in general terms, sometimes my brain gets in the way and I think to myself that he should "get over it, get over himself, if you don't want to drink, then DON'T! Plain and simple."
I agree with the quote. I view alcoholism like any other chronic health problem and AA keeps it in remission (if worked appropriately).
NovSun, I can identify with your thoughts to a degree. I get frustrated in AA meetings sometimes and wonder why some people relapse and make the program so complicated. I also wonder why some people are so damn proud (or whatever) that they wont even try AA (yet they will put themselves and loved ones through hell with no problem).
BUT...when I really think back, there was a period of several months where I knew I was an alcoholic, I knew I needed to stop, and I just couldn't. That period was sheer hell and that was my bottom. For some that period is longer than others. All I know is that for me, when I really really decided I was done and alcohol had beat me up enough, I went to AA so emotionally raw and rebuilt myself from that point forward. I had to learn entirely new ways of coping with emotions, feelings, the thoughts that would run through my head, face regrets and the damage I'd caused.... It's a lot to start the journey in sobriety.
All efforts to just "go on the wagon" for a true alcoholic will fail. Just like nobody in Alanon is going to change until they really admit powerlessness over others' drinking. The alcoholic will not achieve lasting sobriety until he or she comes into the program so fully ready to surrender to the fact that alcohol has been our master and whooped us to the point of physical, spiritual, and mental defeat. The big book claims a drastic psychic shift is needed to stay sober. That is what it took for me.
