I have been in recovery now since October of 2016. It was March of 2020 when the pandemic hit, and we were forced out of the community centers, churches, recovery centers, and back into our homes. It was shell-shock for many addicts. I, for one, had found solace in the fact that I could go to a different meeting in my city every day, and still have several choices remaining. In one week, that all came crashing down around my well-defined plan and my trusted path in recovery.

One week we were meeting and fellowshipping afterwards for coffee or dinner. The next week we were all looking for a way to recapture the lost community that we took for granted. A few of the physical meetings I went to switched to telemeetings, a few meetings shut their doors, and the rest went to Zoom.

What didn’t work for me? Telemeetings and no meetings. What did work for me? Zoom meetings. An LGBTQ+ group I am in decided to meet multiple times a day. The typical Zoom schedule was seven days a week from 12PM-1PM (lunch) and 8PM-9PM (after dinner), plus, our pre-pandemic meeting day, which was Wednesdays from 7PM-8PM. That schedule soon expanded and added a second Monday meeting from 7PM - 8PM. We all thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship and continued meeting.

Fast forward a year or so, and the fellowship outside of the meetings fell off to nothing. Some people stopped coming to the meetings altogether. In a way, we were isolating inside and outside of the continued support we gave each other. The two Zoom meetings a week have remained strong, but now we are facing the dilemma of Zoom fatigue.

Many members of the fellowship are clamoring to go back to in person meetings. Zoom was a temporary solution, and for some it had no light at the end of the tunnel. Now we are integrating back into the real world trying to return to old meeting locations and finding out that they aren’t available for a multitude of reasons. They don’t have a record of us being at the old locations because everything just existed and records weren’t kept. They have given our time slot or physical space up to another group that beat us back to the location. Some are just changing their model of doing business and not allowing 12-Step programs in their facilities. Then there are the ones that still have not opened backup to the public.

When will we get back to our regularly scheduled channel you ask? I have no freaking idea, but I do know I am ready. I still attend Zoom meetings. It has allowed me to meet people all over the world and learn a lot about myself, my addiction, and, therefore, my recovery. (myself + addiction + learning + application of learning = recovery)

I pledge to return in person and:

• share my wisdom

• support the program

• put forth my failures

• celebrate my success

• surrender

Look forward to seeing you all in person, on Zoom, or where ever we may meet.

Keep coming back!