We've been having some good meetings here lately.

[Justpat]

Thanks everyone. You helped keep me sober today.

I love this place.


Love you, OB


:loveya:

[KitchenWitch]

1. And you have helped keep me sober today too!

I love you OB!

:loveya:

:grouphug:

[NMDemDist2]

2. indeed we have.

We are a wonderful little group here and it's great to have both our beloved newcomers doing so well and us old farts that make this a magic place.

:grouphug:

[w8liftinglady]

3. you guys all kept me sober last night-it was a tough one.

[Justpat]

4. How's it going today, w8liftinglady?

Hope you are OK.

:hi:

[NMDemDist2]

5. I hope you will go to a meeting

it gives you somewhere to go in the evenings, gives you people to call when you're having a rough time of it.

Glad you held on last night, but please please try to find some folks who can help you get through these first critical days.

:hug:

[Kajsa]

7. One Day at A Time,w8liftinglady.

I'm sorry I missed you last night.
The other great members were here to help
you.
You made it through, and you'll make it
through, again.

You're doing the right thing
and connecting with other alcoholics.

Let us know how you're doing.

:hug:

[Kajsa]

6. Thank you, Old Broad!

Don't forget that you're a big part of why the
meetings are so good.

I agree, we've had some great meetings here, lately.
A number of newcomers have joined us and they are
the lifeblood of our program.

I love this place, too.

:hug: :loveya: :grouphug:

[Justpat]

8. I still love beginners meetings the best..

:loveya:

[NMDemDist2]

9. here in my little town the courts order DWI folks to our meetings

it's not unusual to have 20 people in the meeting and 16 of them have court papers to be signed

the good news is some of them stick around and get sober :bounce:

so I do two of those noon meetings a week to carry the message and one 8AM meeting for my own recovery

it's a great balance and a great way to be of service.

I gotta tell you a story of last week though. As you probably know, I am tending bar at the local Elks and I was chairing the noon meeting last Monday and one of my bar customers came in (on his own, no DWI forcing him)

I spent a few minutes getting him a BB and just talking him down a bit (butterfly nets and 2x4s yanno?? lol)

so Thursday I'm behind the bar and up he comes from the casino. I saw him and wondered if it was gonna be awkward for him. But when he saw he his face just LIT UP! he was so glad to see me, he ordered a drink for his wife and club soda for him and said "So you'll be at the meeting Monday??"

I assured him I would be and he said "Great! I'll see you then"

:rofl:

[Kajsa]

10. How cool is that?

I love it, AZDem!

We're everywhere-:rofl:

:hi: Thanks for sharing this- I'm smiling :hug:

[NMDemDist2]

11. we'll see if he shows eh?

but he sure was glad to see me LOL

[idgiehkt]

12. yes

I love knowing there are clean and sober DU-ers, and I love the fact that this forum is a 'mostly' safe place, even if I have to now use hide thread and ignore because seeing drug paraphenalia in here where my defenses are lowered kind of triggers me a bit.

[Justpat]

13. .

:hug:

love ya, OB

[FloridaJudy]

14. "Ignore" can be your friend

It works if you work it.
I'm glad you're here!
Hugs.

:pals:

[FloridaJudy]

15. Isn't that weird?

How stuff can trigger you because you're not expecting it? I've gotten to the point where the liquor aisle no longer bothers me: I know where it is, and can avoid it if I'm feeling a bit fragile that day when grocery shopping.

But the other day I was shopping and came across a bin of fireworks. I guess the supermarket put them out because of the upcoming July 4. I love fireworks, and began rooting through the bin to see if they had any Ground Bloom Flowers, and came across a bottle of wine some one inexplicably stashed there. Before I knew it, I was thinking "Damn, that looks good". I quickly caught myself, dropped the bottle back in the bin, and backed away fast. As soon as I finished shopping and putting the groceries away, I went to a meeting.

But it was finding that bottle where I least expected it that got through my carefully constructed defenses. I guess I need a reminder now and then that I'm not a Muggle any more.

[idgiehkt]

16. It is strange.

I am rarely triggered anymore, but pot is a big trigger for me. I am always scared if I relapse it will be sideways by taking a joint someone hands me, I've known recovering people with a lot of time that that has happened to. I also have seen one of the worst relapses happen to someone that started with one toke off of a joint, and proceeded onto O.D.'s and a car crash and treatment and all the rest. I'm just grateful I'm not confronted with it much. I think it's because I am not at all social, and drank alone most of the time, and when I *was* social I was always high, and that feeling of being high with the group is the only time I have ever felt truly on the same wavelength with a whole group of people.