Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

[rebirth]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Gosh how did I miss that!
Congratulations j-vo!!
Way to go! I will treasure my one month coin always. Infact my one month birthday has been the most memorable to me because it was the hardest month in battling with my addiction. I burst into tears when I received that coin...coin of hope.

Thanks for the link Cherbear. Will have a read of it later.

Mary I have the same issue. I also wish I could control everything so that I dont face surprises nor deal with situations that I dont like. I am certainly learning that a successful recovery is about acceptance and change. I will always love the serenity prayer:

God grant us the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Hi everyone!

Rebirth, get thee a sponsor. (not to nag or anything! :H)

I was listening to an awesome speaker today while driving here and there on my errands and appointments. I could identify with so much of what she said! A couple of biggies:

1) Like her, I didn't lose my job, driver's license, home, husband or get DUI's. But I'm still an alcoholic.

2) I went for years and never saw drinking as the problem. I saw drinking as the solution. And when I first hear that around the tables, I truly did not have a clue what people were talking about. Here is how I view that today:

My previous warped thinking:

Problem: I'm stressed out.
Solution: Drink.

Problem: My boss is a jerk.
Solution: Drink.

Problem: My husband pissed me off.
Solution: Drink.

You get the idea. (and of course the solution never worked to solve the problem and then I had the problem of being frustrated and my attempted solution to that was...guess what....drink.)

In reality, here's what was going on:

Problem: Drinks too much. And I mean WAY too much. Every day.
Solution: Don't drink.

Why did it take me 30 years to see that?????

Oh well. I see it today and I suppose that is what matters!!

Gotta get back to work but wanted to say hello. I hope everyone is having a great day.

DG

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Another thing this speaker said that I really liked was:

"AA is not for people who need it. It's for people who want it."

Amen. Back when I needed AA (but didn't want it) it was CERTAINLY NOT for me.

DG

[Cherbear]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

AMEN!!
That says it all!

[rebirth]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Ditto!
Cher I intend to get my broom!

Today I feel so grateful for my HP. I am grateful for my sobriety and I am grateful for the people who help me stay sober.:h

Have a fabulous sober friday all and thank you for your support. x

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

DG: I love hearing stories from people who had similar drinking histories. I too was a "high-bottomed" drunk, although in terms of my spiritual & emotional health, I was pretty low. I love that I want AA. Thank you. Mary

[Cherbear]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Hi everyone,

re;; High bottom drunks.. we talked about that at my women's meeting last night some too!
Helps remind me that I'm NOT A NORMY!!
reasons are so numerous.. one that stuck to me last night was a woman who said.she couldn't imagine ever having dinner without Alcohol and when people drank their wine.. some would make a glass last the whole meal.. imagine that!! never .. I would loath the waitress if she poured more for someone than me!! So grateful that the obsession is slowly lifting.

I'm on day 4 of 7 days working but I will get through it!!

[rebirth]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Morning Cher.
I went to a christening recently and I sat oppposite a lady who ordered a glass of wine with her lunch. She hardly touched it and left half of it behind.Thats a normie!
Mind you I didnt drink during my pregnancy. I stuck to one glass of wine a week and made it last me at least an hour... Mind over matter.

7 days working? What are you doing? I must have missed yoour post on that one?

Have a lovely sober weekend. Its great to be sober on this saturday morning. I was ALWAYS hungover on this day!

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Rebirth, I was always hungover on Saturday too. Every day really, but Fridays and Saturdays were even bigger drinking days than normal. :yuk: Love your attitude of gratitude rebirth. I too am so grateful for this new lease on life.

Cherbear, I appreciate hearing those amazing stories about normies, and how they do things. I NEVER EVER drank like that. Leave half a drink behind? Never. I was the one (disgustingly) trying to sneak drink those drinks that normies left behind. Couldn't stand to see any booze go to waste. I can't believe I never saw it all those years. I too would get antsy if I thought the waitress was going to forget me. At dinner, I would start nervously looking around once my drink was 1/4 gone. I never liked my glass getting empty. I remember many times saying "just bring me 2 - I can see how busy you are and that will save you a trip...." NOT what non-addicted drinkers do.

Mary, it's so funny thinking about "high bottom." I suppose on paper it seems I had a high bottom because of no DUIs, no loss of family, job etc. But I wanted to die. I often want to skip steps and find the "fast track" when doing things. I guess it was that way with my bottom too. Straight off the high dive into the grave is what I wanted to do. Uggh.

I love love love the Hazeldon thought for today:

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

There is no love apart from the deeds of love; no potentiality of love but that which is manifested in loving.
--Jean-Paul Sartre

Newcomer

Sometimes I wonder if I can give or receive love. When I think about my past in active addiction, there was passion and drama, but not a lot of love. There hasn't been much of it in my recovery so far either.

Sponsor

What exactly are we talking about when we talk about love? Many of us - and this was certainly true of me - have used this word primarily to describe a fantasy. We imagined that somewhere there was an ideal person who could meet all our needs and make us whole. Love meant rescue or a problem-free relationship. When we didn't find it, we bewailed our loneliness and bad luck.
Love is not something that is bestowed on us. We can create it, everyday. It grows in each of us as we take actions that affirm our respect and caring for others and ourselves. Love is not limited to romantic encounters, but extends to our daily relationships with other people, including our friends and members of our communities. Love is not in scarce supply. Our acts of kindness and service and our practice of genuine tolerance renew love in the world and in our hearts.

Today, I add to the abundance of many kinds of love in my life.

That part I bolded was me to a T. Fantasy, disappointment, wailing. Repeat. More uggh. I'm just grateful as I can be that I am not living in that particular rut any more.

Have a wonderful day all,

DG

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

I don't know why, but this line from the Big Book has been rolling in my head a lot lately, and just did again. So since I'm already here, I'll share it. Feels like I'm supposed to for some reason.

The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.

DG

[j-vo]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Morning!
Today I head out to my home group meeting. Then I'll officially begin working the beginning steps with my sponsor. On Thursday night, I went to a speaker meeting and at the end of his story, he read this poem. Have a happy weekend all!

The Man in the Glass

Author Unknown


When you get what you want in your struggles for self

And the world makes you king for a day,

Just go to a mirror and look at yourself

And see what that man has to say.


For it isn't your father or mother or wife

Whose judgment upon you must pass,

The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the one staring back from the glass.


Some people might think you're a straight-shooting chum

And call you a wonderful guy.

But the man in the glass says you're only a bum

If you can't look him straight in the eye.


He's the fellow to please, never mind all the rest

For he's with you clear to the end

And you've passed your most dangerous test

If the guy in the glass is your friend.


You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years

And get pats on the back as you pass

But your final reward will be heartache and tears

If you've cheated the man in the glass.










More information about men's issues and the male of today.

Thanks for stopping by

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Cher & DG:

I too love hearing about normal drinkers & us high-bottoms (not that my physical bottom is high anymore):
-I was always looking to refill my glass wo/anybody noticing.
-There were certain tasks I couldn't do unless I was lit: cooking (of course), mowing the lawn, cleaning, & yes, even snow-blowing (thank God no lost fingers &/or toes).
-I hid my drinking.

Normal drinkers:
-Say: "No, I've had enough."
-Leave drinks unfinished...yes, I drank the dregs of peoples' drinks.
-Never think about controlling their drinking.

I just spoke about all this w/an AA friend after the meeting last night. It's so refreshing not to have to worry about when, how, & where I'll get my next drink anymore. It frees my mind of so much of the baggage that was always churning around in there.

Thank God for AA. And that's my final answer.

Mary

PS: DG, I hope Sister is doing OK. The cancer meds are pretty nasty. I hope her body is getting accustomed.

[rebirth]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Good evening Mary, DG, and Cher

I really enjoyed reading everyone's posts today..the poems, the quotes.

I think it is just wonderful that alcohol no longer dictates our weekends. Tomorrow I will be getting up early to do a workout. Then heading to an indoor ballpark with my son. Then bowling later with the family. My sundays are much more active since I stopped drinking. Wow what a change.

My sundays when I drank:
Always started off with a hair of a dog first thing in the morning. Drank half a bottle of wine by lunchtime ( cause I have paced myself!). Go to the park with my son as its close to home and I can walk it. I bring wine in a hipflask so I can drink while watching him play.One hour later go to a nearby pub which conveniently has a playground. Drink slowly all afternoon while watching my son play football with my partner.By sunday night I am usually drunk so I cant cook. Or I do and I burn myself. That was a good sunday. A bad sunday meant lying on the sofa all day because I am very hungover and feel too ill to move ( I still drank though). Mondays I wake up hating myself for another wasted weekend of drinking and not spending any quality time with my son. And the saga repeated itself every weekend

It's strange to write this down. You dont realise the madness till you come out of it.

[rebirth]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

I am also grateful for AA. It gave me the initial tools to stop drinking if I desired and it's there to help me stay stopped.

[Cherbear]

Weekly AA Thread 9/13-9/19

Hey everyone,
I know its Sat night but maybe by the time you guys read this it will Sunday.. I guess it is for Rebirth and I have my 3 month birthday today!!! woo hoo.. I haven't gone that long since I was pregnant 20 years ago.

I am feeling very contented and grateful for AA and you guys!!!

Rebirth I just happened that I have to work that many days in a row because I went to an education course on my days off and I counted that as work for sure and I had to work this weekend.. but before when drinking I would have been a bitch to the max right about now and tonight I just finished walking the dogs in the pouring rain listening to india Arie's "'"there's hope" Love it, She says in the lyrics.. it there's hope.. it doesn't cost a thing to smile and we better thank God for that!!.

Bye for now everyone.