Hey all, decided to start a thread about this, not to boast, but to show my gratitude to my higher power and the power the AA fellowship, which means you guys.
As some of you may have read, I was in Amsterdam on the weekend with the family.
I was there to do the Amsterdam marathon.
And I finished it!!!!
Just over a couple of years ago, I was probably about 40 pounds overweight and couldn't run for more than two minutes without stopping. My ENTIRE life was about how soon I could get to the pub and drink Stella and then apologising to my wife and to everyone else the next morning for being drunk the night before. I would start a million things and drop a million things. The ONLY thing I could stick with was drinking Stella.
Doing a marathon is something that would have been absolutely impossible without AA. I guess that I want to share on this b/c I hope that it will show to newcomers the power of AA and how much it can transform our lives.
And I hope that it will serve as a reminder to *me* to keep coming back, because it works if I work it.
Congrats Steve! Sounds like there is a lot of spiritual and metaphoric value in what you accomplished. Compare the feeling of when you hit bottom and had to go to rehab with the feeling of crossing that finish line in the marathon. Quite a difference huh? Just remember when you feel down that this is the difference between you sober and you drunk. You kept trudging ahead, running fast, sometimes maybe slower, but never giving up in the marathon and that is exactly what I believe you will do in AA. Proud of your accomplishment.
Mark
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
WOW fantastic, both you guys have managed to get me reaching for the tissues with your recent posts!!! I know what you mean about feeing you're boasting when you talk of what you're doing, I still sometimes feel like that too, but we HAVE TO share these things, how else will we help newcomers to see that there very much IS a life after booze?? and a damn sight better life than anything I had ever known, that's for sure.
It's a pleasure and a privilege to be trudging this road with all of you here. Thank you for helping to do something I cannot do on my own.
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Serenity is Wanting what you have, not having what you want
Always remember non-alcoholic beers are for NON-ALCOHOLICS
Thanks guys for these shares. Yep, there's no comparison between my pre-AA life and today. I really mean it when I say that doing the marathon is the result of my Higher Power and AA and, I will say, this board.
The Friday before the race on Sunday, I had, as you will know a HALT moment. AA gave the me the tools to recognise and deal with the HALT. This board gave me the ability to share on that HALT.
Reality is, without AA and this board, I would have that Heinken...and you can imagine, that that marathon would not have featured in my Sunday.
@Bikerbill -- I tried running across Fleet Street yesterday to avoid a taxi: my legs were powerless! You could definitely run for the bus faster than me right now!
