When I was a newcomer I was met with a warmth and an understanding by those who were strangers to me at my first meetings. This took away that awful awkward feeling I had that followed me into the rooms and replaced it with a confidence that I was doing the right thing for myself by being there. I've never been one who likes to see any newcomer treated with harshness or instructions about what they can and can not do. This takes away from the chance to see myself as I was with that sense of not knowing what's going on and searching for something. There's never any need to be intolerant of anything a newcomer may do that may disrupt a meeting. Like the rest of us they have something to offer if we can just be open to what that might be without any fear. We all have something to offer and can benefit from each other that's the beauty of recovery. There is no ranking in recovery, we just try to help each other as best as we can.