Short term success looks a little different than long term success.
The key to short term success is INTENSITY. The key to long term success is CONSISTENCY.
Short Term Success
I’m also a member of AA and a strong suggestion to newcomers there is they do a 90 in 90 – i.e. attend 90 meetings in 90 days. There are plenty of online meetings available for Depressed Anonymous found at Online Depressed Anonymous Meetings. I attend meetings from the DA group Journeys of Hope and they host 23 meetings weekly (see the link for information).
Say you first join DA at a real low point in your depression. You may be in need of some intensive action on your part so you may need to do a 90 in 90. Only you can make that call. I would suggest you initially commit to a 7 in 7 – just a week where you attend a meeting daily. At the end of those 7 days you can decide to extend it the full 90 days.
Long Term Success
OK you are past the initial crisis of being in the pit of depression. Things are better than they once were. Don’t rest on your laurels. You must maintain your DA sobriety (i.e. sanity).
Suggestions for the long term:
- Determine for yourself the minimum number of DA meetings you are going to go to each week. This must be a distinct number that is achievable. Don’t say “I’ll go to as many meetings as I can”. How will you know that you achieved that?
For me, when I am doing well the commitment is two 12 Step meetings a week (either AA or DA for me). Come hell or high water I will make that number of meetings a week.
If I am off-center or experiencing some real difficulties in my life that minimum grows to four 12 Step meetings weekly. If my ass falls off I’ll put it in a bag and go to a meeting. - At every meeting you go to you need to share. It doesn’t need to be sharing at depth – just claim your seat. Say your name and that you are recovering from depression. If you don’t feel that well say your name and that you are struggling with depression. Never say you suffer from depression because when you say that you SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION.
- Start doing service at the meetings you attend. If an online meeting volunteer to be the timekeeper. Volunteer to read from recovery literature. Volunteer to chair a meeting. If it is a face to face meeting volunteer to be the greeter.
- Get a sponsor and communicate with that sponsor frequently. How frequently you communicate with them is a mutual agreement between you and your sponsor.
- Communicate with other members of DA. Call people on the contact list. Join the DA WhatsApp group and participate in the chat. If you go to a face to face meeting meet for coffee or lunch.
- Work the Steps with your sponsor or co-sponsorship group. You need to look within and participate with others to lock that recovery into your brain.
Achieve your recovery goals whether they are short term or long term.
Yours in recovery, Bill R