meetup options

[Zoe Girl]

I have long thought about actually getting to a meetup group. I am following a knitting/crochet one, a French conversation one on the weekends, and my Buddhist nun posts her things on meetup. So far I have had things to do on the French conversation dates, bummer. I also have a hard time getting anywhere on a week night, but maybe there is a little break on my work load soon.

Here are the ones I am thinking about
* bisexual group, yeah, just thinking
* radical honesty
* empath/sensitive group (I went to one and they were a little new agey but nice people)

[iris lilies]

Our meetup group, bulldogs, moved to Facebook. And then, the Rescue group took it over because rescue is about bulldogs as pets.

The Bulldog breed club here in town, of which I am a membr but never participate, never used
Meet Up or Facebook. They are dying out.,

[Zoe Girl]

groups are hard, our meditation group had no people except the facilitator last week and 7 people yesterday. I do the promotion through FB and a MailChimp newsletter, under a 30% open rate, and still it ebbs and flows. Affiliated groups in our network on the west coast and in New York have regular big crowds. Go figure.

[19Sandy]

Wish we had these in my neck of the woods. I tried to find some - no luck.

[ApatheticNoMore]

* radical honesty

that group I have done. Though not found through meetup (really I think meetup is lame for the most part, just the groups mostly suck so much at least around here, what can I say, I have tried ... And nowdays lots of the groups are trying to make money since they charge a lot now - so it's all paying money for the meetup)

[Ultralight]

bisexual group, yeah, just thinking


Why not go for it?

I have had many great experiences via meet-up. Meet-up is the central way that Atheists manage their social lives and do atheist/secular humanist stuff.

So meet-up is how I organize my atheist canoe trips in the spring and summer. I also use it to go to atheist dinner parties, conversation groups, picnics, game nights, etc. In Columbus, OH there are like 6 atheist meet up groups and if an atheist wanted to they could do something darn near every day -- and I did this on month! It was great!

[Alan]

So meet-up is how I organize my atheist canoe trips in the spring and summer. I also use it to go to atheist dinner parties, conversation groups, picnics, game nights, etc. In Columbus, OH there are like 6 atheist meet up groups and if an atheist wanted to they could do something darn near every day -- and I did this on month! It was great!Gosh, your brand of atheism requires a lot of reinforcement.:~)

[Ultralight]

Gosh, your brand of atheism requires a lot of reinforcement.:~)

What you call enforcement I call socializing. What you call enforcers I call friends. ;)

[Zoe Girl]

You could find a type of meditation group every day in Denver, several varieties in some cases. No different than multiple ways to be atheist or Christian or anything else.

i am also thinking about a meditation center that is run like a co-op, maybe ask for that as my birthday present since I don't want stuff. They have lots of drop-in meditation groups including a Saturday PJ meditation. I know the owner and it is a great place.

[LDAHL]

I think anything that helps people to organize themselves into voluntary groups for some worthy purpose in the real world strengthens our society along the lines de Tocqueville noted. Churches, historical societies, curling clubs, volunteer fire departments, private schools, garden societies, VFW posts, atheist potlucks, whatever.

I believe they increase the number of relationships within communities, and also serve as a bulwark against a sort of atomized society where there is nothing left to organize our culture and education but government.

[Zoe Girl]

I have been reading more on addiction from the perspective of some of the Buddhist teachers I read who work in this area. It seems that a huge factor in addiction is loneliness and isolation. Addicts seem to improve when they are part of a social group like AA or NA, and a lot of that is the connections. We need to rebuild the structure of connection in this modern world where many people do not attend church and a lot of our connection is supported by social media instead of in-person connection. We still need physical contact and mirror neurons to be healthy.

[Ultralight]

I have been reading more on addiction from the perspective of some of the Buddhist teachers I read who work in this area. It seems that a huge factor in addiction is loneliness and isolation. Addicts seem to improve when they are part of a social group like AA or NA, and a lot of that is the connections. We need to rebuild the structure of connection in this modern world where many people do not attend church and a lot of our connection is supported by social media instead of in-person connection. We still need physical contact and mirror neurons to be healthy.

AA has been resoundingly criticized for working like literally 5% of the time.

I encourage you to look into the evidence-based research on addiction.

[ApatheticNoMore]

AA on the other hand is actually probably a way better way to meet people than meetup groups think of the advantages 1) regular rather than sporadic as most meetup groups are, can go every week at the exact same time and place - way convenient compared to getting lost again looking for the latest meetup 2) many to choose from, and sure to find a local one 3) only take an hour or an hour and a 1/2 (meetup meetups can drag on indefinitely) 4) nothing demanded of one 5) ability to talk openly about one's problems (try talking about your problems at most social groups ..).

Eh but I don't have any real addictions for the most part (though hoarding can count!). So mostly don't do that, or meetup really, neither are really my thing.

[Zoe Girl]

The people I know who love AA are kinda obsessive about it, and so I developed an aversion for them really. However the people who are not the cheerleaders and pretty quiet about it. I actually at some of my loneliest times wanted to attend AA just for some place to go. I did go to the family program when my daughter was drinking but it wasn't for me. I didn't have an issue with the codependence, I just wanted to find out how to dispose of the pitiful pot plant she was growing in her bedroom. However anything you say is seen as avoidance and denial in that setting,

[Ultralight]

The people I know who love AA are kinda obsessive about it...

This does not change its abysmal record of actually helping people recover. The research shows that for those it does work for it comes down to social support, that is all.

Are you addicted to something you are trying to kick? Did I miss this?

[iris lilies]

The people I know who love AA are kinda obsessive about it, and so I developed an aversion for them really. However the people who are not the cheerleaders and pretty quiet about it. I actually at some of my loneliest times wanted to attend AA just for some place to go. I did go to the family program when my daughter was drinking but it wasn't for me. I didn't have an issue with the codependence, I just wanted to find out how to dispose of the pitiful pot plant she was growing in her bedroom. However anything you say is seen as avoidance and denial in that setting,

compost it? Cut up into tiny pieces, you would be moving the decmposition process along, and no one woild know what kind of plant it was.

[Zoe Girl]

It was a couple years ago so I put it in a dumpster. I work in the school system and this was before it was legal so I was paranoid to have it on my property. Kinda silly now.

UA, I am not addicted to anything, spent 15 years not drinking at all and the couple times I have tried recently (like once a year) it has made me super sick. Literally all I wanted was a place to go, I just couldn't be dishonest as say I had an addiction.

[Teacher Terry]

I was surprised at how bad the stats are on AA. Yet I know a fair number of people through the years that got and stayed sober with it. Many SW's and substance abuse counselors have went into their professions after getting clean & sober. Their are professional groups so that they don't run into their clients at meetings. MOre people that quit on their own stay sober then with AA. Maybe they are more determined. I know a young man that could not get sober, didn't believe in God but could not do it on his own but he was lonely. Now a year later things are going well but he goes to AA many times a week. I think he needed the support.

[19Sandy]

So do you now have to register at Meetups.com to see anything? Do they charge a fee?

[Zoe Girl]

You do not need to register for using meetup, however if you create a meetup there are fees.

[19Sandy]

So, my computer won't let me stay on the site, keeps closing it, so it must be trying to do something like download.

[greenclaire]

So, my computer won't let me stay on the site, keeps closing it, so it must be trying to do something like download.

It's http://www.meetup.com/ without the s that you originally typed.

[19Sandy]

Can't access it from home at all. I will check at the library and see what happens.