Meetings ~

Many Meetings, Many Chances!!! Meeting Makers Make it!!!

Just a couple of typical AA saying regarding meetings. I am positive that there are more, but those two I can remember. And I have to say with the oh so vast wisdom I have accumulated over the past 3 1/2 years that it seems to be truth.

My pondering of today is about what type of meetings should you go to? What counts as a meeting? I consider my Sunday mornings chatting w/ my buddy who is sober 20 years as a mini meeting. That time, anywhere from five minutes to twenty, starts my week of right. But, is it a meeting?

I go to a step meeting once a week, and a beginners / discussion meeting one a week. I speak at a de-tox every other week. I go to old timer meetings, young people meetings, and just plain open meetings. I have meetings online, in e-mail, and over the phone.

Someone today planted this seed, with a few 24hrs turned into years under his belt, he informed me that open meetings were pretty well useless to him and anyone else. Now I did not really give it to much of a thought coming from this particular person at the time, but I did start pondering .....

And ultimately I have to disagree. Although I think it IS very important to go to a mix of meetings, my time going to open meetings is not a waste for a couple of reasons. One of those reasons is part of why AA works. If I don't go to the open meetings, and others with some time be it years or decades, who is going to be there to show the newcomer that it works? If I am not in my seat, that newcomer just sees a chair. For that reason alone it is vital to go to meetings.

The other reason is pure selfish on my part. No, I don't really need to listen to drunkalogs. The stories that got people here will not keep me here. That being said, some of those stories do set a great example of the YETS should I pick up. So I get to hear what not to do, but more important I hear what TO DO!! and it always seems to be the same thing ~ GO TO MEETINGS.

My "goal" is still to be the type of person who is known as someone who kept going to meetings. To be a good example of that. 'Cause I want to make it, and meeting makers make it!!