Thoughts On Sharing At Meetings

Now it is suggested that we share in a general way, and we share what it was like what happened and what it’s like now. There are a few reasons that we share in a general way, firstly a meeting is not the proper venue for doing a fifth step. Secondly it is for your own protection, yes it is said “what is said here let it stay here” and for most this is the practice, however let’s be honest, meetings are full of “sick people” and more so human beings. Some human beings and “sick individuals” have been known to gossip and/or share things they have heard. So to get specific and detailed about certain issues you would rather not have public knowledge do not share it in a somewhat public venue, that is what sponsors, your support system, recovery coaches and counsellors are for. Unless you have dealt with it and do not care if it comes back to you and would not cause you or OTHERS pain and/or harm. Thirdly some issues and topics can be offensive and/or uncomfortable for others and bring up issues they are not prepared to deal with along with this is some issues and/or topics from our lives are not appropriate to be shared in a meeting.
I guess in all reality, these are a couple of my pet peeves at meetings. Are two particular kinds of sharing that I have run into at meetings. These are drunkalogues and/or drugalogues and the whiners. And yes I suppose I am judging however I refer you to my post of judging. I have never understood the ones who share their complete drinking and/or drugging careers and then end with then I find the fellowship and everything is great now. I have asked a couple and they have told me that they were “qualifying themselves,” I guess I was mistaken, I was sure the literature said” I was a member when I said I was a member”, I knew nothing about qualifiers for the fellowship, I thought they for competitions. Geez maybe I’m not a member because I never went to any qualifiers. Ah but I digress, I was taught we vaguely talk about our using history add maybe an example or two of my using, move on to finding recovery and part of the processes again with possible examples and finish with the changes that recovery has created in my life. I mean I understand we share about some of our drinking/drugging career that the newcomer can relate and feel they are ion the right place. However sharing mostly on my drinking and/or drugging can possibly trigger the newcomer. I also don’t see the change and/or recovery allure. If anything I don’t think the newcomer, I know I didn’t need to learn how to drink and/or use, we already know that. What they and I needed to learn was how not to. And then there are the constant whiners or as I like to call them; the drama Queens and Kings. You know the type I’m sure you’ve run into them as well. The ones that always seem to have a problem, and/or issue, with people places and things, always something. They are always sharing on one problem or another and never anything about the solution or even what they are doing to deal with it, just the issue. It not that I don’t understand we all encounter life problems, and issues that affect our sobriety, sanity and/or quality of life. Yet from those who work a program of recovery. I hear the issue/difficulty and the principles, step and/or processes they are using to deal with the issue, and possibly the difficulties they are having applying these to the issue or the difficulty in finding a resolution.

Remember God does not create garbage