It's with great gratitude, joy, and humility (in that order ) I report that this Saturday is my anniversary.  This Friday, in 1989,  I called up my best friend Steve whom I'd known (and drank with) since I was 16 (29 yo at that time) to ask him to go out drinking with me.   It was a Monday night and he asked me "what's the occasion", and I told him that this was going to be the Last time that I was going to drink.  He laughed hard and said "OOOO-K".  We actually had a great time, I didn't over do it, and woke the next morning feeling good about getting on with my sobriety, which I had been trying and failing at for the last 2 years.   But this time was going to be different as my life and living circumstances had changed.  My x-wife and I had split up for the last time a couple months prior and I knew that I had lost my live in drinking buddy and designated driver.  I was now 100% responsible for myself.  I was finally ready to do whatever it took, follow all the suggestions, get a good sponsor, go to meetings every day for a year or two (turned out to be 3.5 years) and work hard at it.  It became a success and a pleasure, and for the first time in my life, that I could remember, I was proud of myself and my accomplishment (with a lot of help from HP and the fellowship of course).  I just signed up to celebrate, this Saturday, at an AA club (The Blind Pass Group in St. Pete Beach) that is my home group.  I asked my wife to present my token and she's still thinking about it.  The last 3 years, my sponsor (who has one less year than I)  have presented each other at this same meeting, as we have the same anniversary.  This year I wanted to do something different.  It's total mayhem at this club's once a month anniversary meeting in July because about 25-30 will celebrate, and if you have more than a few 24 hours, by the time it gets to be your turn, the meeting is in overtime and people are leaving.  So maybe that's a good way for me to gain humility and keep it in perspective that it's just another day and that we don't ever "Get there".  I'm still recovering 
Thank you so much for my sobriety, this site has been a big part of it this last 3 years.

-- Edited by StPeteDean on Monday 20th of July 2009 01:17:04 PM