April 17, 2022 Priority: meetings

Recovery
#1

"I initially felt that it would be impossible to attend more than one or two meetings a week. It just wouldn't fit in with my busy schedule. I later learned that my priorities were [180] degrees reversed. It was the everything else that would have to fit into my meeting schedule."

Some of us attended meetings infrequently when we first came to our programs, then wondered why we couldn't stay clean. What we soon learned was that if we wanted to stay clean, we had to make meeting attendance our priority.

So we began again. Following our sponsor's suggestion, we made a commitment to attend ninety meetings in ninety days. We identified ourselves as newcomers for our first thirty days so that others could get to know us. At our sponsor's direction, we stopped talking long enough to learn to listen. We soon began to look forward to meetings. And we began to stay clean.

Today, we attend meetings for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we go to meetings to share our experience, strength, and hope with newer members. Sometimes we go to see our friends. And sometimes we go just because we need a hug. Occasionally we leave a meeting and realize that we haven't really heard a word that's been said-but we still feel better. The atmosphere of love and joy that fills our meetings has kept us clean another day. No matter how hectic our schedule, we make meeting attendance our priority.

Just for Today: In my heart, I know that meetings benefit me in all kinds of ways. Today, I want what's good for me. I will attend a meeting.

4 Likes
#2

Me, too! Have a good meeting! :blush:

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#3

Well said! Amazing sometimes I’m like wow I went to four meetings today? It just happens when you get involved with the fellowship and continue to work the program!

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#4

Great and very important message. Though, as a former active duty military member, there is a reality for some living in recovery that making multiple meetings on a weekly basis is close to impossible. Still, it is possible to stay and live a sober life.

Making meetings for military service members can be especially challenging during a multi-month deployment - especially for those stationed onboard ships and submarines that deploy at sea for many months at a time. Speaking from that experience and frame of reference, lots of reading from my mini-print Big Book and 12 & 12 kept me sober during those tough early days of sobriety. Nowadays there’s also recovery podcasts that can be downloaded and can be listened to in between meetings.

Still, I completely agree with you that when we can, we need to go to meetings (and be present) as much as we can. For me, the gift of desperation for keeping and staying sober means going to meetings, and asking for help from a sponsor, and doing the step work so we can live sober one day at a time. Eventually we can live in recovery through the maintenance steps 10 through 12. Once we are there, we’ll find freedom from addiction, find peace of mind, and we’ll have the tools necessary to keep our spirituality healthy. These actions allow us to share our experiences, strength, and hope at meetings… and it’s through those actions of doing the step work that will help keep us living in sobriety when we cannot make it to meetings.

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#5

Zoom. No excuses in this day and age. Whatever works for you.

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#6

Awesome.

#7

What matters more than your life, right?

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#9

Never been to a bad meeting. Always hear something that helps.

1 Like