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Who Answers?15 Reasons to Go to a Meeting Today
According to the Alcoholics Anonymous website, you can go to meetings any time you feel the need to. Returning to meetings after an absence can prevent a relapse. There are many reasons why you should go to a meeting as soon as you notice any of these things.
1. You Find Yourself Craving Drugs or Alcohol
Cravings are a difficult thing to deal with alone. They can surprise you when you least expect them. Most people who experience cravings are close to relapsing back into addiction.
2. You are Romanticizing the Time you Spent Drinking or Using Drugs
If you start to dwell on the time that you spent drinking or using drugs, you might start to think on the good times that you had while you used. Many people forget the problems and just start to remember the good times.
3. You Started Hanging out with your Friends who Use Again
Hanging out with people who use drugs is an excellent way to relapse back into your drug or alcohol use. People who do this find that they start using again quickly if they do not utilize the support structures that they had during meetings.
4. You Find yourself at a Bar or a House Where you Once Used
If you start isolating yourself from loved ones, you are likely to relapse.
If you start going to bars or places where you used to use drugs or alcohol it is definitely time to go to a meeting. The desire to use might be too tempting for you.
5. You are Starting to Overreact to Things that Should be Normal
Irritability and aggression is a sign that you are slipping back into old routines.
6. You are Starting to Isolate yourself
Isolation is a major cause of relapse. A sign that you are starting to isolate yourself is when you start avoiding your friends and family.
7. You are Under a lot of Stress at Home or Work
Stress is another major cause of relapse. If you find yourself under a lot of stress it might be time to go to a meeting.
8. You start to Believe that you can Use Once without Relapsing
One of the common indications of relapse is thinking that you can use just once without going back to the addiction.
9. You Go Back into Denial that you Had a Problem
If you start to believe that you did not have a problem then you might need to attend a meeting and hear the stories again.
10. You Haven’t Been to a Meeting in a While
Sometimes if you haven’t gone to a meeting for a while you might need one as a refresher.
11. Your Start to Fall Back on Behaviors that Prompted your Using
If you notice yourself starting to go back to pre-12 step behaviors, it is time to attend a meeting.
12. You Start Limiting you Options for Not Drinking or Using Drugs
Limiting your options is a major cause of relapse. If you stop doing the things that you did to stop using you might wind up using again.
13. You Start doing Other Compulsive Behaviors such as Smoking Cigarettes
When you start resuming compulsive behaviors, you might want to just check in on a meeting. Many times compulsive behavior can cause relapse.
14. You Find yourself in High Risk Areas such as Bars or Houses that have Drugs
Attending bars or events that allow alcohol and drugs, is a good indication that you need to attend a meeting.
15. You Start to Think you Need to Go to a Meeting
If you start to think you need to go to a meeting chances are you do. You can find one or another form of addiction treatment by calling 1-800-895-1695.