Field Guide to Life
Attend a Meeting
There is a story in the Big Book in which a young alcoholic describes how he went from being a top high-school student to an alcoholic in college. One day he was so drunk that he walked through a second-story window, falling headfirst onto the concrete below. He survived the fall, but he was prohibited from completing studies at the school unless he attended regular Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. He reluctantly attended his first meeting where he expected to meet a roomful of losers. Instead, he was welcomed by well-dressed, happy people who greeted him as one of their own. They offered him practical suggestions and listened attentively. Soon his life began to transform.
Action for the Day
Attend a meeting as soon as possible. Before attending your first meeting, did you feel hesitation like the man in the story? Do you feel surprise and relief at finding regular, everyday people at meetings?
Thought for the Day
“Many meetings, many chances; few meetings, few chances; no meetings, no chances.”
Big Book
Read about the story mentioned above in “Window of Opportunity” on page 421.
