Just Raise Your Hand
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Everyone needs to talk about their problems with someone. If they don’t they are going to suffer from it. Since you are an addict, you will probably start using again. The thing is, you would rather talk to someone that really understands where you are coming from. What better place to do that than at a Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholic Anonymous meeting?
Just raise your hand. It’s what I do at a meeting to get myself to talk. I don’t think about speaking perfectly, having an exciting story or what people will be thinking about when I am speaking. I Just raise my hand and when I’m called on… speak.
Just think of it this way, the main reason you are there is to hear other people speak and to be able to identify yourself with their story or their problems. That is exactly why others are there too. They need you to speak. They need you to share your story with them. Your story is part of their recovery.
Sounds simple right? Wrong. Do you know how many times in one meeting I flip flop about whether or not I’m going to speak. I can’t even keep track it’s so many. Ultimately I’m there to share but something in my head says, no you don’t need to or what you have to say is kind of stupid, your problems aren’t as bad as other people’s. It’s craziness, it really is.
Just raising my hand is something that I am still working on. It’s getting easier and easier for myself and it will for you too if you can just get yourself to do it.
Posts
April 5th, 2007 at 10:20 am
[...] I feel obligated to tell them I messed up. What do they care? But something inside of me made me just raise my hand. Before I knew it I was telling a group of people that I relapsed. As I was looking around the room [...]
April 12th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
[...] isn’t familiar with a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, if you choose to share with the group you raise your hand and then it’s your turn you introduce yourself. I say “hi, my name is blah blah and [...]
April 25th, 2007 at 7:52 am
[...] debate with myself about sharing. What it all really comes down to is forcing myself to just raise my hand. Once I get talking I’m fine. After I’m done talking I’m [...]
August 9th, 2007 at 8:03 am
[...] would try and follow my own advice for sharing at a meeting, just raise your hand. I would get myself to do that and I would bare my soul to strangers. While this did make me feel [...]