Alcoholics Meetings – Communicate With Sober Peers
I had always thought that alcoholics meetings were a waste of time. For I was fond of whiskey then and there were moments when I felt that I could not survive without it, until my heart attack. My doctor strictly forbade alcohol and cigarettes. I felt desolated. One day as I was reading the local newspaper, I came across an announcement of an alcoholics meeting that evening in a locality near where I reside. Since my retirement, I had plenty of time at my disposal and felt that it would not harm me if I just attended it to see what’s happening. If I did not like the proceedings, then I could always excuse myself and walk out.
I entered the room in which about ten chairs were placed in a circle. Few elderly men of about my age were seated and chatting pleasantly. They seemed familiar with one another. When I introduced myself they made me feel welcome. In few minutes, I felt one among them. We then shared our personal experiences of drinking alcohol and how we felt when trying to break the habit. After the meeting I felt happy to have met people who have undergone experiences like mine and who needed help.
Besides local newspapers, area churches and visitor information centers are places to look for listings. The listings are also available in websites of cities and communities. In small towns, the meetings seem to be close-knit and closed to strangers. However, in bigger cities and communities, various alcoholics meetings are held for various subgroups or specialty groups like women, teenagers, smokers, non-smoker’s, gays or lesbians. There are meetings for co-dependent members like the adult children of alcoholics. Such alcoholics meetings are held not only in United States but in other countries also. So if you are traveling abroad, then you could attend the meeting and thus gain friends from around the world. I now looked forward to the next alcoholics meeting.
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