Working, taking care of kids, paying bills, going to doctors and all of the other things involved with daily life can make it difficult to attend meetings. Whether you are court ordered to attend them or do so because they help you stay clean and sober, the following tips will allow you to work the program while working.
Find lunch meetings: If you have a lunch hour, locate a meeting near your job and attend during the day. Even if you usually go to night or weekend meetings, knowing where the lunch meetings are in your area will be great as a fill-in for those weeks that you just cannot fit a meeting in after work.
Work a different shift: Talk to your human resource department or your department manager, (if you are comfortable doing so) and ask if on the days you have meetings, you can work a different shift. For example, instead of working 8-5, maybe you can work 7-4 and make it to the 4:30 meetings. This would give you the time off to attend the meeting of your choice while still allowing you to support yourself and your family.
Adjust your hours: Some supervisors will allow workers to stay 30 minutes late or come in 30 minutes early so they can attend lunch hour meetings. This gives you the time to travel to and from the meeting and stay for the entire hour. It does not cost the company any overtime because you only stay late enough to make up the time you missed in addition to your lunch break.
Get up earlier: Some areas have early morning meetings before regular business hours begin. Getting up an hour early and hitting a meeting before your workday starts, might be perfect for you.
Online meetings: In-person meetings are important. They give you the chance to meet other addicts, locate sponsors, make friends and stay connected to a group. If, however, your work hours interfere with your meeting schedule, you can attend an online meeting to fill the gap until you are off again. Type “online NA meetings” or “online AA meetings” into a search engine to find one that fits your needs.
Find lunch meetings: If you have a lunch hour, locate a meeting near your job and attend during the day. Even if you usually go to night or weekend meetings, knowing where the lunch meetings are in your area will be great as a fill-in for those weeks that you just cannot fit a meeting in after work.
Work a different shift: Talk to your human resource department or your department manager, (if you are comfortable doing so) and ask if on the days you have meetings, you can work a different shift. For example, instead of working 8-5, maybe you can work 7-4 and make it to the 4:30 meetings. This would give you the time off to attend the meeting of your choice while still allowing you to support yourself and your family.
Adjust your hours: Some supervisors will allow workers to stay 30 minutes late or come in 30 minutes early so they can attend lunch hour meetings. This gives you the time to travel to and from the meeting and stay for the entire hour. It does not cost the company any overtime because you only stay late enough to make up the time you missed in addition to your lunch break.
Get up earlier: Some areas have early morning meetings before regular business hours begin. Getting up an hour early and hitting a meeting before your workday starts, might be perfect for you.
Online meetings: In-person meetings are important. They give you the chance to meet other addicts, locate sponsors, make friends and stay connected to a group. If, however, your work hours interfere with your meeting schedule, you can attend an online meeting to fill the gap until you are off again. Type “online NA meetings” or “online AA meetings” into a search engine to find one that fits your needs.
