Kyabram Alcoholics Anonymous will be holding its 53rd annual minicon from Friday, January 23 to 25, with meetings happening across Kyabram, Tongala and Tatura.
Among the crowd attending meetings will be Glenn Ferguson, a regular attendee of the Kyabram and Tongala AA meetings, who will be hoping to hear a range of stories at the minicon.
“When we go to a meeting, it’s generally the same 20 or 30 people that all come around — and that’s fine,” he said.
“But it is good when we get a lot of different perspectives come in.”
At the meeting, Mr Ferguson will share his own experiences — wins, losses and battles — with alcohol.
Mr Ferguson has been sober for 14 months, but his journey of recovery has been one that has taken over a decade.
“I first went to a (AA) meeting about 10 years ago — but I wasn’t ready,” he said.
He said he turned to alcohol during overwhelming moments when stress felt unmanageable and his mind couldn’t find peace.
“Then it got to a point where my marriage broke down — an 18-year relationship,” he said.
“My kids were about 14 and 15, but I didn’t know how to engage (with them) without having my wife … until the point where they said they weren’t coming over to the house any more.
“(My children) said this wasn’t me ... and that’s when it hit me — it was time to pick up the pieces.”
After quitting his job and admitting himself to a private rehabilitation facility, he began to do exactly that.
He learned to recognise addiction patterns, understanding that the need for alcohol wasn't the core issue, but rather a symptom of deeper emotional struggles.
After a few months in rehabilitation, he was told he should join AA as an extension of his rehabilitation, which has now completely changed his life.
“I’ve got some peace of mind now,” he said.
“I don’t wake up in fear every morning — I used to wake up, eyes open and think what have I done?
“The shame, the remorse, the guilt, the spending money I shouldn’t be, the takeaway food, the laziness — I was guilty for years, but all of that is cancelled out now.
“I can actually wake up now and breathe.
“I’m honest now, I own everything I have, I’m on top of my bills … my kids are back in my life, and they’ve been able to forgive me.
“It’s given me back a bloody life that I don’t think I’ve ever had since I was probably five years old.”
He will join over 200 participants in sharing their stories at multiple meetings held over the weekend.
There will also be a set of meetings for other groups that branch off AA, such as Al-Anon and Al-Ateen, for the partners and children of AA participants.
Mr Ferguson said these groups provided a safe space for people to share experiences about their partners’ recovery journey and learn practical ways to support both themselves and their loved ones.
He said he was looking forward to meeting everyone at the minicon and was grateful to be a part of such a supportive community that had genuinely saved his life.
Meeting times
The first AA meeting will be held on Friday, January 23 at 7.30pm at the Tongala RSL Hall on Mangan St.
On Saturday, AA meetings will be held throughout the day at Kyabram Community & Learning Centre beginning at 10.30am and running until 8pm.
On Sunday, there will be a spiritual concept meeting at 10am at KCLC, before winding down with a gratitude meeting, with Al-Anon participants, at 1pm.
Al-Anon meetings will be held on Friday at 7.30pm at KCLC, with an adults and children meeting held at 10.30am and 1.30pm on Saturday also at KCLC.
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