I’m not sure what I felt on the way there, a little nervous, a little deflated as I was admitting I had been wrong for years.
I don’t remember much about my first meeting. I got there after the start so I remember the person who spoke to me outside for a few minutes to tell me how it ran. I can remember the person chairing the meeting. I can remember being surprised to hear several stories similar to my own, up till then I had thought that I was “unique”. Everything was a bit of a blur but the oen piece of advice i still remember was someone saying i should surrender and admit that the bookies had beaten me. Strangely up until then I always thought that I would beat the bookies!
I think the biggest thing I got from my first meeting was hope, I looked around the room and saw lots of people just like me. A lot of them were no longer gambling so I now knew that it was possible, up until then I hadn’t thought that. If they could do it then so could I.
I hope you get to that meeting Happy, then get to the next one. However you feel after your first meeting I’d recommend getting to at least six before making your mind up whether that particular meeting is for you. As others have said, a closer meeting would be easier to get to, it is what it says on the tin – anonymous. Anyone you see there or who sees you there will be in exactly the same position as you are – a compulsive gambler using support.