The Benefits of Going to Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings: My Story Part I

The Use Of alcohol
With alcohol use so prevalent in todays society, we are constantly surrounded with signs telling us that it is normal and enjoyable to drink alcohol. Unfortunately, for some of us; this can mean a long path down a dark and dreary road of misery and addiction.

Alcoholic Thinking

Of course, if you tell a practicing alcoholic that they are an alcoholic; they will certainly always deny it. For us alcoholics, denial is part of the game we play with ourselves. We want everyone around us to know that we are normal in every way, and that also includes the way we drink alcohol.

The Roads Of Alcoholism

My own alcoholic thinking led me down many roads. At first I just wanted to drink to relax. Then, I wanted to drink to forget. Then, I wanted to drink to get drunk. Then, I wanted to drink to black out and not remember what I did to make an ass out of myself the night before. Well, maybe not the last one but, with us alcoholics; if we don't stop drinking, that is eventually what happens to us.

My Alcoholic Journey

My own alcoholic thinking had me drinking beer at first. Then, when I found out about hard liquor; I figured why waste the time with beer. I figured the faster I could get drunk, the better. And if I got drunk faster, I could save money; that's the way us alcoholics think. My drink of choice became the Elecric Ice Tea because it had lots of alcohol in it. Unfortunately, it carried many side effects for me which always resulted in me getting kicked out of the establishment that I was in. Somehow, I always wound up making an ass out of myself and never remembering it because I was a blackout drunk. Although, the hangovers were horrid and I had a best friend that I hated called the porcelain princess that I wound up regurgitating my guts into, often.

Welcome To AA

Now, my own drinking career led me to Alcoholics Anonymous twice. The first time I went into AA, it was after 8 years of drinking. I was told by a roommate that I had to either stop drinking or find a new roof over my head. So, I chose to stop drinking. The first time I got sober, life got a lot better after I stopped drinking. I got married and had a child. Life seemed to be going all right. I was still going to AA meetings every day.

Relapse

Then something happened. My wife at the time wanted me to come straight home after work; so that we could save some money from having to pay the babysitter. The decision wasn't very logical because we were only being charged $2 an hour for babysitting because she was our next door neighbor. So, I stopped going to AA meetings. It was during this time that I relapsed and started drinking again.

Only us alcoholics know

My wife at the time was a person who drank regularly, considered a normy. She didn't understand AA or alcoholism; although she's a nurse by profession. After a while, she was like,"do you still have to go to those meetings all the time?" Nobody knows but us alcoholics what the benefits of going to meetings and working the steps really are.

Knowledge Is Power

When I first started going to AA meetings, I learned that I was not alone in my problems. I also learned that other people had the same problems with drinking as I had. Some people can drink but, I'm definitely one of the people who can't.

Things That I've Learned

In AA, I've learned to laugh at life and appreciate sober people. I've also learned how much I can relate to other people around me. For a long time I felt like I was alone in what I had experienced with alcohol; but, as I sit in AA meetings and listen to people's stories, I'm able to laugh with these people at the insanity of it all because they are people, just like me.
For a long time, I thought I had to hide my alcoholic experiences because I was ashamed of what I had done. But, as I sit and listen in meetings I hear all of the similarities in people's stories, with my own. I find that when I do share some of my own experiences, people aren't shocked and they don't tell me that I'm disgusting and they don't tell me to leave the room.

The Humor

Often times, they can see the humor in it before I do. And when they start laughing at something that I said, that makes me start laughing. When they can see the humor in it, it makes me see the humor in it too.
You see, us folks in AA, us alcoholics; we can all relate to each others insanity because we have been through it all before.
There isn't much that can really shock us in AA.

The AA Experience

I don't think there is anything that can shock us in AA.
My experience in AA has been that people speak the truth and what comes from there heart. I guess that's why AA is still around.
So, if you're a newbie to AA or think you might have a drinking problem, try going to an AA meeting because you might wind up having a good time, without alcohol. Imagine that...