By:
On:
In: Daily Life, Journey, Meetings
With: 2 Comments

This is my story as I told it last night at my home group for the first time since getting sober.   God I ask that you go before me tonight and show us the way of patience, tolerance, kindness and love.   It was a dark and stormy night. Just kidding!  I heard long ago that line was the most popular opening line in literature.  So I just had to use it! Seriously though, my sobriety date this time, and hopefully the last time, is September 1, 2017.  For that I am eternally grateful. It was a long and circuitous path to get where

By:
On:
In: Daily Life, Daily Reflections, Letters
With: 1 Comment

Dear Victoria, Today, you turn 23 years old. You have reached a major pinnacle in your life, but it has only just begun. I eagerly wait with anticipation to see what your life has in store for you. Of all the things I am capable of giving you today, I feel my words are the most valuable and I wish someone had shared these thoughts with me when I was your age. These are exciting times for you: finishing college, starting a career, dating, marriage, having kids. The possibilities are endless. But, I’m not going to lie. At times, life is going to get rough.

By:
On:
In: Daily Life, Journey, Meetings
With: 2 Comments

I am a firm believer in AA and what it can do for a person.  I have been in and out of the rooms of AA for the last 10 years.  I never really wanted to be there or had any intentions of putting in the effort required to accomplish sobriety.  There were times I showed up at meetings after drinking on the way there and times I stopped on the way home afterwards.  Because of that, among many other reasons which I have detailed in other posts, it has taken me 10 years to maintain any sense of sobriety.  As of this writing, I

By:
On:
In: Daily Life, Journey, Music
With: 9 Comments

I have always liked this song.  Hearing it again for the first time in sobriety, really changes the meaning for me.  During the holidays, it is the time to Paint the Town Beige!  Perfect example of this in my life came Saturday night.  After church we went to a Christmas party with our gym at a local restaurant.  They messed up the reservations so the tables weren’t ready when we got there.  So of course everyone was gathered around the bar.  No issues there.  I got my glass of water and stood around talking.  Everyone started migrating over to bar tables while we were waiting

By:
On:
In: Daily Life, Meetings
With: 0 Comments

We had a really good meeting this morning.  The topic was how to handle the holidays.  The person who brought up the topic has had multiple relapses during this time period.  He has been sober for multiple years now.  Like me, he is always wanting to learn new ways at maintaining his sobriety.  I personally didn’t have much to offer since this is basically my first Christmas season in sobriety.  I believe I am in a good place mentally and spiritually right now.  The Christmas season has never been a huge drinking time for me.  There were a few where that wasn’t the case.  The

By:
On:
In: Daily Life, Journey, Meetings
With: 1 Comment

What a great and momentous day for me.  90 days of continuous sobriety.  I picked up my coin at the noon meeting today.  My sponsor was there to give it to me.  Our topic today was just as appropriate.  “Why are the steps suggested?”  I know for me, they are not a suggestion.  They are mandatory and required for me to get and stay sober.  For the last 8 years I did treat them as a suggestion.  Which means I either didn’t do them or if I did, I did them half ass.  And I can tell you first hand, half measures get me nothing

By:
On:
In: Daily Life, Daily Reflections, Journey
With: 1 Comment

I know, I know.  I am running behind this week on posting.  It has been a busy 7 or 8 days since my last post.  With Thanksgiving and all that goes with it, I was pretty busy.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I spent all day Wednesday cooking and prepping for Thursday so we could spend as much time as possible with family.  It was tiring, but so worth it.  The only people who weren’t here were my daughter (working – damn early black Friday) and my parents (who probably wouldn’t have came anyway).  We had my Father/Mother in law, my two married step-daughters and

By:
On:
In: Daily Life
With: 0 Comments

It has been a good couple of days and I have a lot to be grateful for.  There are the obvious things; my wife, my sobriety, my family (both AA and normal).  Then there are the not so obvious or little things that happen from time to time.  Things like spending time with my kids and grandkids and not thinking about when or how I can find or sneak a drink.  Also there is the complete lack of stress at home when my wife and I have to go separate ways from time to time.  Normally this would have been met with agitation and apprehension

By:
On:
In: Daily Life, Meetings
With: 0 Comments

I try to find something inspirational every day.  It can come from many different places.  My bible, my wife, my church, TV/Radio and especially my AA meetings.  The last couple of days the topic in my meetings has centered on Step 11, which states: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” I am just now starting Step 4 in my journey this time around.  As of today, I have 75 days sober.  Needless to say, I am no where close

By:
On:
In: Daily Life, Meetings
With: 0 Comments

Today’s meeting was very good.  One of my fellow alcoholics, who has about 2 weeks less than I do, asked the room “What Keeps You Sober?”.  I have worried about him.  I have known him for about 2 years.  We attend the same church and have attended an addiction life group together as well.  He went to rehab for 2 months and then had a slip after he got home.  It happens to the best of us!  I did the same thing the first time I went to rehab.  The important thing is that he came back to the group.  We talk on a regular