Before I started my journey with AA I found it very hard to really open up to anyone, literally bottling up my emotions, worries, feelings, and most things I wanted to say to people (and should have), this fed my constant inner dialog with a lot of negativity causing my anxiety and ADHD to get unbearable, so then having the knock on effect of reaching out for any substance that would make it shut up.

Then I plucked up the courage to share my thoughts at one of the AA meetings, and to be truly honest I have no idea what I said but I remember how it made me feel afterwards, almost instantly after my ramble of a share it was as if a 100kg backpack had just been lifted of my shoulders, my head started to feel a tiny bit clearer, and for me the biggest thing was that night when I was lying in bed I wasn’t over thinking what I’d said, how I’d said it, and if anyone had judged me in any way.

I now love sharing (when I need to) because for me it’s like writing it down on a bit of paper, folding the paper into an airplane, and letting the breeze take it away, and as I know from listening to others share it helps some of the fellowship relate and find comfort in knowing they are not the only ones feeling that way.

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A clenched fist held my burdens tight,
A fortress built in lonely night.
Emotions bottled, thoughts astray,
A constant chatter stole the day.

Anxiety's grip, a whirlwind's call,
ADHD's echo in the hall.
Whispers dark, a symphony,
The only solace, drink then misery.

Then came a knock, a hand to lend,
A circle gathered, friend to friend.
With trembling breath, I dared to speak,
A jumbled mess, emotions leak.

But when the words had flown away,
A lightness dawned, a brand new day.
The weight that held me, lifted high,
A hundred kilos to the sky.

No echo chamber filled my head,
No judgment loomed, no words unsaid.
Just quiet peace, a gentle breeze,
Released from self-inflicted seas.

For sharing now, a comfort true,
Like paper planes, emotions flew.
They soar on winds of empathy,
A message clear, "You're not alone, see?"

In shared experience, burdens ease,
A silent strength to find inner peace.
So let us speak, let hearts unfold,
This journey shared, worth more than gold.