Hi. My name is Malcolm, and I'm an alcoholic. I'd like to say hello to each of you all. I'm glad I found an online forum to compliment my meetings. I've attended AA for two years, but never seem to reach more than a couple of weeks sobriety. I look forward to discussing recovery here with you all. Thanks.
Welcome to MIP, Malcolm. Well done for your persistance.. You'll get it! Coming to MIP & sharing with us really will enhance your journey. It certainly does that for me. I'm really glad you've joined us. Great to have you here. Keep coming back! In fellowship, Danielle x
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
Hey Malcolm, Welcome new friend! I hope this does add to your program! You'll find lots of love and support here! Enjoy your day! Lani
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"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. "
Thank you all so much for your warm and encouraging words. You certainly are a welcoming bunch! Much like my experience of any meeting I've ever attended. I got in a very good meeting yesterday, after just coming off a 2 week slip, and like here it helps beyond what words can express. I'm looking forward to a weekend of meetings in my home group, among friends. God bless you all.
Hi Malcom, Nice to make your acquaintance. :) I saw your post over in Happy's thread and was kind of talking to you to.
One Day at a Time. This online stuff is pretty nice. I got in too late to get to a meeting but A couple clicks and I'm here :)
I had a rough hurdle right around two weeks. I started feeling so good that I wanted to drink. I drank for different reasons I guess but around two weeks I wanted to drink cause I felt so good I felt like partying. They explained to me that my body's organ's were coming back online. Organs like my liver and kidneys had been swamped by alcohol and now that most of the poisons left over from burning alcohol were cleaned up and my body was starting to repair itself and heal. 5 days was tough also because my brain cleared and I had the same idea. I can think clearly now, so I can drink!
If this sounds funny its because it is part of the thinking that we call the insanity of alcoholism. Not only are our physical systems overwhelmed and dependent but so much that goes on around us triggers our mind to start thinking about a drink. You've probably heard bout this in meetings about step 2.
All this theory is great but what do we do? If you don't drink, the thought will reced. Many times, if you can just get to to bed sober, the next day the thought will be gone. After you get through some tough days like this the magic of ONE DAY AT A TIME starts to click. To be honest I had a couple times when I had to just hang in their for just one more day. And then one more. The slogan that kept me going was this, "DON'T QUIT FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE MIRACLE HAPPENS." see I never could tell when the obsession would leave. I would pray for it to go away, I'd say the serenity prayer and I'd ask over and over again for help not to drink. God must like surprise cause he would never clue me in exactly when he would answer my prayers. Any minute might be the one where the thought of drinking leaves. :) So don't quit five minutes before the miracle happens. :)
Welcome. I'm sure you've read that It took me a couple of years to get motivated to really work hard on sobriety. I was still very lucky considering that most people lose a lot before they are ready to give themselves completely to this simple program. I'm hoping you'll be like me and get in here before you have to pay too many dues. Here's to you and your sobriety my friend. By the way, I'm about 3/4 Irish myself (last name is Collins)
Thank you Tuggboat, and StPeteDean for your kind words. I was feeling a bit low today. Maybe because I felt at the meeting last night that I would never get there. Get what others had. I felt like I was standing at the base of everest without a clue of how to climb. I just kept staring at the sign that said "This too shall pass", and everything does pass, that I know.
I realized that my last drink on sunday was my last ever. And the thought frightens me. Not the thought of not drinking, but of living. But the fellowship of AA, at home (and now here) are the place I need to be. And I want to be. Because I want to live, not just exist.
I wish everyone here peace, fulfillment and a happy sober life.
Malcolm.
P.S. By the way StPeteDean, it's always great to meet a fellow paddy, even one with a quarter missing! My sister's boyfriend is a Collins, maybe you are long lost cousins.
Thanks Malcom. I'm glad that you're going for it. You're in for one hell of a ride, and I mean that in a fantastic way. It's like knowingly entering a huge castle, thru a very small entrance (that you have crawl through) to a little dark room. At first it feels very cramped and uncomfortable, like you can't breathe (mostly smoking meetings when I got sober lol) and you don't think that you can stay. Then a door opens to a slightly bigger room. This one has a few lights and is warm. Then another door opens, this one has people with smiles on thier face and they are glad to see you.... then years go by and you're still finding more rooms and this castle has no end. The rooms are bigger and brighter, warm and comfortable. Sometimes you see people that you've known from the begining and others times they are people that you've just met but you feel like you've known them all your life. One day you realize that this castle is your home.
btw I'll be in dublin sometime this coming June. I booked a room at the Fitzgerald Castle, is it a nice place
