Committment to meetings....

[Worm]

This weekend the area I live in took the brunt of TS Fay and all the rain and wind. We ll I leave friday night to go about 15 miles to a speakers meeting, thinking the whole way there may not be anyone there. Well I was amazed at the turnout! I live in a rural area so our meetings are never very large. There were about 20 people there who got to hear a great story.


On Saturday night I left to go to a birthday supper and another speaker at the same group. But alas the weather,mainly the flooded roads did cancel this one. I was able to go to a meeting about 15 miles away though.

I guess I'm sharing this just to say that I saw a love and a committment to this program that I'm not sure you see anywhere else. I know I needed a meeting both nights and am very thankful I found them. Thanks

[Dallas]

Thanks for sharing that awesome experience!!!

For me, my living and my sobriety is pretty much all about my commitments. I love to hear others share about their experiences with their commitments. If I haven't already done so, when I have more time, I'll share about how I'm alive and wasn't shot in the head... all because I kept a commitment.

Dallas

[debvan]

Hi,

Over 14 months ago, I had no idea how important meetings eventually would be. I was leaving rehab and the counselors were insisting 90 meetings-90 days. I was practically laughing in their face, if not at least behind their backs.

I admitted myself in rehab in a large metropolitan city with a population of 445,000 that is approximately 2 hours southwest of my home town. Sure a meeting a day is a piece of cake there. The town I live has a population of 6,000 and the next closest has a population of 8,000. No way was a meeting a day possible.

So existed for about 11 months on 3 meetings a week. Until I had this urge or a need so strong that I started researching meetings in my area. My higher power was telling me it can be done! Listening to God is always a good idea. I found 3 meetings in the closest town south that I mentioned above and the seventh meeting, a Sunday afternoon meeting, I found in a town about 1 hour west of where I live. I have been attending 7 meetings a week ever since.

About 2-3 months ago, a personal crisis at home created such turmoil which even now still exists that without these meetings I am not sure of my sanity and sobriety today. I feel that God had given me the opportunity, the resources, the job and financial ability to pay for the gasoline to attend meetings that assist me in handling this crisis on a daily basis.

Thanks AA for being there. Deb

[GeoffS]

Yes, those of us lucky enough to live in big cities with strong AA do well to remember just how lucky we are having heaps of meetings round the clock.

Still we often hear from newcomers that they were too busy to get to a meeting. People must lead one hell of a life if the cant spend an hour of a day on staying alive.

I admire people greatly who do lots of travelling to get to meetings, and it makes forums such as these very important especially for those who have no regular meetings to go to.

Maybe next time we can't be bothered going to the meeting, we should think of those who would give anything to be able to get there, and then go!

[garden variety]

I'd like to also thank you for an excellent share, Derrick.

I'm one of those fortunate ones who can make about 1100 choices of meetings to go to in this area - both Akron and Cleveland. And I do make a lot of choices and I never worry about getting into a rut or getting bored. I have a committment to my home group, and I have a "running buddy" that drives all over northern Ohio. We go to meets everywhere. He's got 28 years of sobriety, and been living in this area for 15 years - I have almost 10 years - but neither one of us has been to even a small portion of the meetings around here. But we're working on it - Diligently working on it! "You guys really get around" is a chorus line we hear a lot. We're going to shoot for Pittsburg PA in a couple weeks - that's my buddy's home town.

But believe it or not, there are so many alcoholics out here that don't get to meetings and make up excuses like you said. Now if you live in Akron or Cleveland, for God's sake, there is NO EXCUSE for not making a coimmittment to going to meetings. I can take it a step further - if you live in Akron or Cleveland, and you're not having fun going to meetings, there's no excuse - unless of couse you don't want sobriety.

I admire you having the patience to get out there in storms and gloomy weather, and to go miles to find meetings. That is commitment, and I'm glad you're showing us how to do this deal, Derrick. If I was down there in your neck of the woods, I'd be sure to be your "running buddy". I'm just like you, I need to get to meetings regular.

Now I been through some hard weather this way, too. There was a time a few years back when I was broke as heck, didn't have a working car, didn't have insurance, and I didn't even have heat in my house. The winters up this way get pretty bad - and this one winter the temps got below zero a number of times. I went to a meeting a night. It was possible with little money and no vehicle.

I learned a new hobby called "bus watching". That's when you are frozen pretty stiff and not moving all that much, it's 5 or 6PM and it's dark and the snow is blowing, then you "watch" the scheduled bus pass by you and your stop without seeing you. I tell you what, that happened so many times that I made up that name "bus watching" - and when it happened, I laughed about it talking to myself "Yup! Just standing out here in 5 below zero weather watching the buses go by." But that was one winter I'll never forget. I guess I showed myself that I could do this deal like you do, Derrick, with committment. I met a ton of new friends, and always got a ride home.

But the things that grow out of keeping your commitment have to be priceless. It was for me. How about anyone else? Did you get some "coupons" or blessings that directly came from your committment and determination to get to meetings even when it was hard to get to them? I bet many did - please share if you'd like to.

God bless,
Paul