Weekly AA Thread - May 4 through May 10

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - May 4 through May 10

CS: Hitting bottom means a person is ready to admit defeat in trying to control or drink in mod & finally admitting to being an alcoholic. Sometimes an event will cause a person to hit bottom. Such events would include:
-DUI
-Losing one's family, job, &/or money
-etc.

The more catastrophic the event, the lower the person's bottom is. A person may have to get several DUI's & lose his/her license before admitting. Another might only get one DUI...that person would have a higher bottom. My bottom was when I passed out & was taken to the hospital. After that I admitted I was an alcoholic, couldn't control my drinking, & joined AA. Some people in AA might say I had a high bottom, because that's all the consequences I had. It felt like a low bottom to me though. It was humiliating.

I hope I've explained it.

Mary

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - May 4 through May 10

Hello everyone! Mary that was a good description of "bottom" I think. I didn't have a Single Event type of bottom...more a final disgust with what my life had become as long as alcohol was in it, and that "surrendur" to the knowledge that I simply can't control my drinking at all, ever. I used to think of "real" alcoholics on the "bottom" as people who had lost everything and were living under a bridge in a Whirlpool or Frigidaire box. Peeing on themselves and begging for change to buy some really cheap and disgusting booze.

Then I realized that the ONLY thing standing between me and my own Whirlpool box was just a little more time. My husband would not have tolerated my drinking forever. My ability to stay gainfully employed at my drinking levels was seriously tested at my last corporate job. After a few years of drinking at home whenever I wanted, I'm not so sure if Mr. D had kicked me out of here, if I would have done so well at getting / holding a job. For me alcoholism was a steady road to hell and the only question was how far down the road I was willing to go before putting a stop to it.

Anyway, yesterday was my sponsor's 4 year anniversary. That seems like such short term sobriety at AA. It was nice to be there when she got her 4 year coin. The guy chairing the meeting who gave her coin to her told a nice story - It was my sponsor who gave him his Big Book that he still carries with him today. It's amazing how these people help each other. There are similarities to they way support can work on the internet like here, and there are differences - that direct human contact.

I will be going to a late afternoon meeting today since I have to go to University of Chicago for that nuclear radio blah blah whatever test on this parathyroid. I was already warned it will be a long day of waiting around so I've got my AA step work stuff ready to go. And a novel.

DG

[Popeye]

Weekly AA Thread - May 4 through May 10

Hitting Bottom.
An interesting theme.
I didn't have a problem with admitting to myself that I'm an alcoholic. There was no denial on my part and I didn't really care. Drink took away all my self respect and any ambition I might have had. I didn't care less what anybody else thought about me and it was only when I realised how far down I had got in my own estimation that I knew I had to get cleaned up.
AA helps a great deal and I look forward to my meetings now. There are some lovely people there and the sense of fellowship is a strong one.