Meeting attendance audited?

[Recovering_RN]

I finished my 90/90 and got my attendance sheet signed at every one and now I'm down to 4 meetings per week. But the last few weeks I've skipped two meetings because of family events and I just signed the attendance sheet myself. Now I'm getting nervous and wondering if they'll check signatures? I should have just gone to the meetings! It's not worth this stress of fear of getting kicked out of the program for something so stupid!

My program, TPAPN, only has us documenting our meeting attendance online, we don't turn in the signature sheets, but we're still supposed to get the signatures at every meeting in case they decide to do an audit.

My question is how likely is it that they'll actually request to see the signature sheet?

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

I am in a state where we have to turn in our AA sheets monthly. I know quite a few people who fake many if not all of their signatures and have been doing so for years without getting caught. The chances that someone in the program absolutely knows that Jim C doesn't attend Big Book Thumpers #2 in BF, Nowhere is pretty slim unless they were at that meeting themselves.

Having shared this, I feel compelled to add that while I don't particularly like AA, I go (and get real signatures!) because I lied continuously while I was drinking and thus want to make integrity and honesty a part of my sobriety.

[Flying4th]

I applaud your desire to maintain your integrity and honesty during your recovery. When so many other choose an easier alternative it is very respectable that you are doing the steps like you should.

[SororAKS, ADN, RN]

I have thought about this as well. I also don't care to go to meetings, I still go and still get my signatures. I upload the original monthly as well as documenting online, without fail. I was told in the beginning of my monitoring that the best way to get through it is by doing what is required, flying under the radar, and not giving them any reason to want to scrutinize me more closely.

There will always be the temptation to cut corners, thinking " I won't be caught. " I, as an addict, pushed that to the absolute limits, but what it really boiled down to was I lied to myself. Lies built upon lies, and eventually the house of lies I built crashed in because it was built on a faulty foundational cornerstone.

These days, I've come too far, surmounted too many difficult obstacles and am not willing to push fate again. The first time I did that it didn't work out so well for me. I'm also not going to give any of these folks the opportunity to take anything away.

That's just me and my experience. I never want to go back to that time when I was willing to steal to get the benzodiazepines I was addicted to. It's been several years, but I remember it clearly. I told myself if I ever had the chance to come back and start all over, I'd make sure I built my house better.

I face that choice every day.

[Flying4th]

Well said!

[Omaapecm, ASN, RN]

I have to turn in my attendance sheets every 3 months . I go to NA because I love to go but it wasn't always that way. It took over a year to find a group I was compatible with. It really does make a difference. If you are required to you might as well make it worth it. With that being said I think you are in the clear with missing a couple of meeting but remember that a big part of recovery is being honest with yourself and others. In no way am I saying admit to faking signatures, just saying be careful!

[1sttime]

Anonymous is the key- who are they going to check with? What if you attend an online meeting?

What if you do what I do which is go by the "big book" which says something about a meeting is when two addicts... I get together with my in recovery friends, but not always at an "official" meeting... we discuss our challenges, frustrations, hopes, coping skills, etc..

That counts- but Im surely not getting an "official" signature (whatever that is)

[catmom1, BSN, RN]

Let me once again caution anyone that the honesty of healthy recovery DOES NOT EQUAL spilling your guts to the powers that be.

I did the signature thing three times a week for six years (it took me that long to complete a five year probation because I couldn't find a nursing job).

Believe me, if I were ever to fudge a signature, I would be sure never to disclose it to anyone!

Catmom :paw:

P.S. This brings to mind one of my absolute favorite movie lines from the movie A Few Good Men in which Jack Nicholson's character says: "You can't handle the truth!" So true when it comes to bureaucracies like BON's.

[SororAKS, ADN, RN]

Yes. They are not friends. They are bureaucracies. Bureaucracies designed for one goal: Protection of the public.

[1sttime]

Protection of the public in certain easy to protect cases (i.e. us), there are a lot of practicing nurses and doctors who are violating their practice standards daily and rarely are they disciplined...

Not to say that I didn't need the abrupt intervention...

[Recovering_RN]

Thanks for all the comments. I won't sweat it, but I won't do it again either. I agree I need to get out of the mindset of trying to get away with something. I like the group I attend, I tried 4 different groups before finding this one. I think I'll try setting a more definite schedule instead of just going whenever I feel like it. That works most of the time because I like going, but sometimes things come up so I need to plan better. Leaving myself the weekend to make up for a missed meeting.