Day Eight
I think it's time to go to a meeting. I tried a few, many years ago during one of my failed attempts to stop drinking. I wasn't impressed. It seemed like a bunch of weathered people who had destroyed their lives and were just throwing around jargon and telling stories of the glory days. Clearly, I wasn't ready to accept that the point of AA was to fix ME, not them. It was time to take responsibility for my own life and choices. So, I found a meeting nearby, asked my parents to watch the kids and headed out in the early evening.
The meeting was in a local church in one of their side rooms. There were about 12 people in the room, mostly white men and a few women. For the most part, they were all conversing with each other, some joking and laughing, others deep in conversation. Promptly at 7pm, the leader started the meeting and a few members took terms reading the mantras and steps. I just sort of sat stiffly in my corner and listened. Then they went around asking for length of sobriety. When they asked if there were any people there for the first time, I raised my hand. Fuck it, why not? Everyone clapped and the guy giving out chips came over and hugged me and gave me a "24 hour" chip, which is supposed to indicate a willingness to stop drinking for the first 24 hours. I resisted the urge to clarify that I was actually a cool eight days sober and doing just fine, thank you very much.
The topic of the meeting (coincidence?) was early sobriety and choosing a sponsor. A few "old-timers" gave their advice and experience, all using a lot of language that seems to be very specific to AA. But I had decided to go this route and not to discount anything that I could learn from these sober people, so I sat up straight and listened.
After the meeting, a few of the ladies came up and gave me a "Big Book" and wrote their numbers in it. I had no plans of calling them, but I thanked them and appreciated their hospitality. I drove home listening to music and feeling a bit lighter.
The meeting was in a local church in one of their side rooms. There were about 12 people in the room, mostly white men and a few women. For the most part, they were all conversing with each other, some joking and laughing, others deep in conversation. Promptly at 7pm, the leader started the meeting and a few members took terms reading the mantras and steps. I just sort of sat stiffly in my corner and listened. Then they went around asking for length of sobriety. When they asked if there were any people there for the first time, I raised my hand. Fuck it, why not? Everyone clapped and the guy giving out chips came over and hugged me and gave me a "24 hour" chip, which is supposed to indicate a willingness to stop drinking for the first 24 hours. I resisted the urge to clarify that I was actually a cool eight days sober and doing just fine, thank you very much.
The topic of the meeting (coincidence?) was early sobriety and choosing a sponsor. A few "old-timers" gave their advice and experience, all using a lot of language that seems to be very specific to AA. But I had decided to go this route and not to discount anything that I could learn from these sober people, so I sat up straight and listened.
After the meeting, a few of the ladies came up and gave me a "Big Book" and wrote their numbers in it. I had no plans of calling them, but I thanked them and appreciated their hospitality. I drove home listening to music and feeling a bit lighter.
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