AA in May

[Solitaire]

Hello friends,
A tough week: buried my nephew last week. My mom (91) fell Friday night, she is in ICU, not well....
What amazes me, is that I have not had a single drinking thought!
For that I am grateful!
ODAT
Sol xxx

[DreamThinkDo]

AA in May

Difficult time for you Sol, thinking of you.

Plenty of hugs available in the Army if you want some company! :l:l:l

[retteacher]

AA in May

Sol: Gosh! So sorry about your nephew. I too have a very elderly mother. It can be difficult. I've been through crises sober, & it's so much easier & better sober. I've been through them drunk as well. As I look back I wonder how I got through the crisis while trying to fit in the drinking. Thank God I don't have that problem now.

I haven't been here for a while, as I felt like I was holding this thread together alone. I thank you Sol for starting a May thread.

We had a very contentious business meeting last night. I chaired it & was pretty nervous about it. We all got through it OK though. There will always be bumps in the road, but we don't have to let this cause us to drink. That's life.
Mary

[Solitaire]

AA in May

This AA "thing"....

When I started attending meetings, these clich?s uttered, followed by (what I perceived as patronizing) smirks, really irked me.... Let me see if I can use them in a better way....

"Just don't have the 1st drink" -
Are these guys totally daft? I never got drunk on the 1st drink!!
Well.... I have been doing exactly that for 646 days. Maybe it works?

"Get a sponsor" -
Nike? Marlboro? Budweiser?
I changed from a man to a woman (I am female) after 4 months. Thank God I had her for Step 4!!
If sexcapades were part of you history, same sex is better?!? We are not friends, no CODA, but she plays a crucial role in my recovery!
"Do the work" -
Is this not a place where you sit and chat about your problems? Once a week for an hour?
My healing started in Step 4. Say no more....

I can write pages about this, but, time to get my day started.

My mother looks a bit better, still in ICU.
So, I am not sure what to expect when she comes home: frail, patient, fairly mobile... Time will tell.

Thanks for listening!
Sol xxx

[retteacher]

AA in May

I too hear those messages & more. AA is full of them. It's AA advise put succinctly. The 'first drink' message: When I fantacized about drinking, I'd always think: "I'll just have one." When was one ever enough? Never. However, that was always the starting point for a binge. One drink. So, for me, one drink is one too many. I cannot drink just one. When I see people drinking socially (i.e. one or two drinks in an evening), I know that isn't something I can do. Once I have one drink, I'm off and running.

AA is a program of action. It's not a thinking program. Action is what changes our thinking in AA. It's been pointed out that every one of the steps begins w/a verb...an action word. So, I must do something toward the program each day.

M

[meshellrn]

AA in May

I have to say i recently joined AA. I didnnt want to but with drinking wine every night and no end in sight, i thought is was a good idea. i do like it. I did try to drink a little wine this weekend which, just like they say, one will lead to another and another....... So, i am going to a meeting again tonight and will stick with the AA. As much as i would like to be a Normal drinker, i know i am not.

meshellrn

[Solitaire]

AA in May

Welcome here and to AA.
As you get to know the program better, I believe that you will have the relief that I got.
The Big Book says: our obsession to drink will be lifted.
I have made friends, life is better in all ways
Sol xx

[retteacher]

AA in May

Meshellrn: Hi & Welcome. I too drank wine every night w/the number of drinks escalating. Alcoholism is a progressive disease. We don't have to be homeless, jobless, in jail, etc. to be an alcoholic. I was a "highly functioning" alcoholic. I worked my life around my drinking: however, I was very absent from my relationships. As the drinking & hiding progressed, I became more & more miserable. I hit a bottom which sent me to the hospital for alcohol overdoes. That's when my alcohol abuse came out in the open. I joined AA, because I couldn't stop on my own .

I know now that I cannot have just one. I tried that in 2012 after 3 years of sobriety. It was a humiliating learning experience for me, because within a few days of that first drink, I was engaged in all the alcoholic behaviors (lying, hiding, sneaking drinks, etc.).

I don't want to live that way, so I stay very close to AA. I go to meetings regularly & do service work. I've made friends in AA who help me stay sober. It's a much better life than what I had.

Mary

[meshellrn]

AA in May

Thank you all for the support. I do think AA is a good place to be. Thanks for your encourgement Mary.

[retteacher]

AA in May

I didn't want to go to AA, as I was in denial about my alcoholism. In fact, in the beginning, I didn't even identify as an alcoholic. I just said: "Hi, I'm Mary." After working the steps w/a sponsor, I realized that normal drinkers didn't drink the way I did. They don't:
-Hide their drinking.
-Blackout.
-Pass out.
-Throw up.
-Obsess about when they can have their next drink.
-etc.

It took me a while to realize my alcoholism, as my life wasn't a complete mess. I still had my job, license, family, etc. However, every day my drinking increased. Every day, I planned around my drinking. Every day, I became more & more isolated...even w/people around me.

Good luck. I was told to try 6 meetings before making a decision about whether to be a part of AA or not. I'm glad I kept w/it.

M

[Solitaire]

AA in May

I spoke to 2 newcomers on Monday, I do phone duty on Mondays.
Their hurt, pain, remorse really touched me!

Then I went to a 2nd Thanksgiving of a dear friend of mine: 26yo and 2 years sober!!!
I am so proud of him!

Tonight, Tuesday, I am visiting a group about 20km (12 miles) from home, it is a 27th AA birthday.
Taking a newcomer with me...

I was "away" from my programme for a while with my mom being in hospital, etc. but I am back.
It feels good. It feels solid.

It is my Design for Living!

Sol xxx

[retteacher]

AA in May

It really does feel like a design for living. The steps give me a way of working through the issues of life. It's so wonderful that you have taken on the mantle of guide to the newcomer. Newcomers really need the support when they are just starting out. Good for you.

Heard a great speaker last night. It turns out that he & my son knew each other in high school. They were part of the drinking/drugging crowd. Now, they are both sober. What a wonderful gift!