Alcoholism Support Group

AS AN OLD TIMER, I DON'T REALLY CHAIR MEETINGS ANY MORE. THERE COMES A POINT WHEN THE NEWCOMERS MUST STEP UP AND CARRY THE MESSAGE. I PERSONALLY THANK THESE OLD TIMERS FOR BEING THERE FOR ME. IF THEY HADDENT, NO TELLING WHAT KIND OF SOBRIETY I WOULD HAVE. YEA, I DO BELIEVE HE MAY HAVE BEEN RUDE, BUT THE PERSON SHARING WAS INCONSIDERATE AS WELL. THIS PERSON KNEW THE MEETING ENDED IN 1 HOUR. ALSO COULD HAVE STAYED AROUND AFTERWARDS AND TALKED, MAYBE TO AN OLD TIMER!

The person that was speaking had spoken a total of maybe 2 minutes and had been attending here for 1 month and was saying his good byes and thanking people. He was not out of line whatsoever and all of the other people that have been going to AA for many years were outraged at the chair-person's behavior.

I was not going to AA but was an old-timer in alcohol abstinence--22 years and would never have treated anyone that way in or out of AA. If people think that being an old-timer in AA and deciding it's time for newcomers to step up and chair and get rude as a result of what they're thinking, then maybe they should shut up and definitely not chair meetings because it scares the hell out of brand-spankin' new people that come in off of the street.

Dewey wants to chair meetings or at least he acts like he wants to.

Rude is rude, I don't care what evil thoughts are lurking in someone's mind. Dewey should maybe have had some patience since he supposedly has some serenity by now while the guy at least went until it was time for the meeting to actually end.

Okay, now I'm getting messy. I have an excuse though, I'm not considered an old-timer in AA's opinion, I was on a dry-drunk for 22 years.

One summer about a dozen years ago, when an AA oldtimer of my acquaintance had then been sober for 25 years, he decided to cut his own firewood for the coming winter. Now there are always a lot of summer vacationers at our noontime meeting here in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire. Big John would usually arrive ten minutes late, wearing a sweaty old T shirt with holes in it, jeans stained with chainsaw grease, wood chips in his beard and shoulder length hair-- in other words, looking like he had just rolled out of the woods only to refill his jug of moonshine.

He would then noisily pour himself a cup of coffee, grab a folding steel chair, drag it on two legs to the wall, rock back in it and stare despondently at that cup for the next 45 minutes, gingerly taking small sips from time to time. You could feel the combo of pity and indignation oozing out of the visitors, who couldn't imagine why we weren't paying more attention to this poor suffering soul, glancing over at him with kindly concern as they chanted the standard litany of advice to newcomers, and then glaring back at the rest of us with silent, tight-lipped reproach.

Then, when there was only a minute or two left before closing, Big John would raise his hand and start telling a story, usually some hilarious episode from his former career as an addictions counselor in a psychiatric clinic. The crestfallen looks on the faces of those self-appointed Program Illuminati as he popped their balloons of righteous superiority always made it well worth our putting up with the charade one more time.

Some might call that an insult, but I call it ego-deflation at depth.

SOME PEOPLE KNOW NO LIMITS. THERE COMES A POINT WHEN GROWING UP, THAT THE BEST THING ANYONE WHO THINKS THEY ARE RIGHT CAN DO, IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. IT SERVES NO PURPOSE TO CRUCIFY ANYONE. THE POINT BEING, EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION. THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF AA. THERE ARE ALOT OF BEAUTIFUL SOBER PEOPLE ON THIS SITE. UNLESS YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER, WELL THEY SAY ; " YOU CAN'T GIVE AWAY SOMETHING, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE. "

Cappy,

Sometimes I have trouble understanding what you typed.

There were many other people that have many years of sobriety at the noon meetings too and most of them rolled their eyes too, from what I could see.

Dewey was and has been rude quite often but I usually ignore it, today was unusually rude.

"THERE ARE ALOT OF BEAUTIFUL SOBER PEOPLE ON THIS SITE."

Yeah? WTH? *confused*

Being an old-timer in AA, it's beginning to look to me, is a handicap at times and you're making it appear like a hard-ship placed upon someone. If that's the case, resign or just don't offer to chair meetings. Simple.

Mad, just remember some are sicker than others no matter how much time they have in the program.

I know.

And principles before personalities.

I just had to vent today.

Dayum I'll be glad when I can drive again in a little over a week so I can actually live sobriety rather than posting about it on a computer so much.

I only lost my license for a month but it seems like forever.

I'm just bored and I get myself into trouble when I'm bored.

i applaud the "old-timer" sometimes you just got to step off the "path" of acceptance.....i have known many such old timers.......the memories may be blurred, but i fear many don't take to the time to just listen......beyond the stories......i may be be wrong, but i connected .....we are people....life......just keep in mind, sobriety doesn't always come with a christmas card.


no offense.

No offense since I didn't get it. LOL