That awkward moment when you walk into your first AA meeting and there's your friend's cool dad who used to give you booze as a teenager. And your first impulse is to go and tell your mom and friends about it.Oh wait... I think that's against the rules.
Before I return to troubleshooting some issues surrounding 12-step, I can remember how I first came into the program, and I was hardly a paragon of virtue, honesty and good intentions, so I can be a bit more generous in my judgment of others.
12 step are not professional programs. They’re a bunch of messed up people trying to help each other. There are no character references at the door. You can’t get kicked out for being a creep or a gossip or an egomaniac because then no one would get sober, because come on now, how perfect were YOU when you first came in? As all 12-step meeting are made of people, there are some that are better to avoid. But there are also some of the most caring and generous people I've ever had the privilege of knowing. It just took me awhile to be available to form those relationships.
There is no welcome package at the door of a 12 step meeting to navigate all the potential social issues, so the responsibility is on the people who have been around for awhile to be guides and supports.
And guess what! I was on another podcast!
https://www.recoveryelevator.com/re-349-the-inner-voice/?fbclid=IwAR3PZTlbDHfVeqAtdcHyD4tcjm-S9KhYNDUfQtGBJJ_Pe0L6dyJrnNDTwJ8
And I'm going to be on this podcast, which I recommend to anyone who resonated with the last episode.
https://beyondbeliefsobriety.com/
Send questions, comments or just say ‘hi’ at
interactivememoir@gmail.com
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Thanks to Bensound.com for the intro and outro music
Here is a list of suicide crisis hotlines by country:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines
Here are links to support groups with an online presence that can be vital in recovery:
For a comprehensive list of 12 Step Meetings:
https://12step.org/social/online-meetings
Smart Recovery:
https://www.smartrecovery.org/community
Refuge Recovery
https://www.refugerecovery.org