observer

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for that idea. I love it. Being an observer might

make the meetings more tolerable. This might be fun until I figure

out what to do about my forced attendance.

[Guest guest]

Tell me about it. If I had 's attitude about what to do from

the start I would have been much happier in the rewms. As it was

somone spoke about snorting into a styro cup which I thought of quite

a bit will waiting for meetings to end. Usually with a smile on my

face.

Having been forced to attend myself I can relate.

Good luck.

>

>

> Thank you so much for that idea. I love it. Being an observer

might

> make the meetings more tolerable. This might be fun until I figure

> out what to do about my forced attendance.

[Guest guest]

:

> Tell me about it. If I had 's attitude about what to do from

> the start I would have been much happier in the rewms. As it was

> somone spoke about snorting into a styro cup which I thought of quite

> a bit will waiting for meetings to end. Usually with a smile on my

> face.

It took me a long time to develop that attitude. It wasn't until the

last time I was coerced -- 'bout three years ago -- that I really

got the hang of the necessary attitude. I also wish that I

had had it from the beginning. Perhaps the programming

wouldn't have " taken " and I could have gone on to lead a

normal life instead of futzing around on and off for the

past 12 years.

How well I remember craving a drink after those inane and dull

meetings. It was quite a few years ago, but the memory lives.

Since most people start drinking more after joining AA,

one wonders why the courts keep forcing people into

the nasty experience.

During that last round, my boyfriend volunteered to go with me

to a meeting because he was curious. Some of my remarks,

in particular about the chanting, had made him wonder just

what the heck was going on in those rooms. And after he

had gone and been amazed to find that it was actually an

entire religion, he came back another time because " No

one should have to go through that alone. " It was discussing

the meetings and the dogma with him which led me to

regard myself as an observer rather than as a participant.

On a more current note, I'm doing remarkably well at shaking

off the programming. Today I briefly pondered having a drink

with lunch, but I really didn't want one and so didn't have one.

Simple, really. :-)

In spite of AA's bullshit, I'm perfectly free to drink alcohol

if I want to. And I'm also free *not* to drink if I want to.

I'll probably continue abstaining for a while longer, but

I'll also probably drink alcohol socially eventually. And

that's OK.