Greetings, I am new to this site, but I have been sober a number of years. I cut my teeth on AA while in treatment. My story is not so remarkable in retrospect, but at the time I was terminally unique. I came by alcoholism quite honestly, another in a long line from each side of my family. Factor in some childhood traumas, shake vigorously, and.....well, I was a real mess. My drinking history includes a couple of DWIs, a suicide attempt, lots of therapy (some better than others), and serious depression. Coming from an old blood/old money family didn't help matters, and in fact it was the source of even more shame: No one seemed to understand why I couldn't pull it together when I had "everything." By the time I hit bottom--my surrender---I was convinced that I could no longer drink. My problem was that I didn't know if I could live sober: I was clueless---and terrified. My introduction to AA was a relief: These steps were the tools I lacked, these people were the friends I had never had. Today I do not consider taking a drink: It simply isn't an option. Today I am successful in a professional job, I have balance in my life, and I hope that I can pass along what I have been given over these years. For the record, I'm still a student of life, too. I enjoy sharing with newcomers, for in giving back I am forced to review my story & my point of view; it becomes a learning experience for me. So that's what I have to share right now. I look forward to getting to know more of you.
-- Edited by StPeteDean on Thursday 11th of February 2010 01:59:27 PM
Welcome to the board Murrill and Hello! And you did a pretty good job of it, abeit we still don't know your name, approx. age, or city of residence, but we'll let you slide on those for awhile , even though that's quite a lot of anonymity for someone that got sober around the same time that I did.
-- Edited by StPeteDean on Thursday 11th of February 2010 09:49:49 AM
Thank you for the welcome, and congratulations on doing something about your drinking at such a young age. I had hints of a problem at your age, but I had a little more research to do. Actually sobered up at age 30, which was young in those days. At first I was pretty angry that I didn't "get" to drink into my 50s before hitting bottom. Later I would become very grateful that I did not have to drink that long. I got sober, learned some tools for living that way, and managed to create a decent life for myself.
Hey again Murrill,thanks for coming in to 'help us remain sober" We have some similar histories and the best part of the history is the sobriety,In Gods grace we moved forward...Great to get to know ya!!! peace..............
__________________
Selfishness-self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
welcome !!! im 51 and came into recovery at 29..canadian eh! lol ...and similar to you except not old money...addiction on both sides of family going back a couple of generations...shocked and horrified some family when i went to AA as they saw it as anouncing to the general public that excessive drinking was ..uh..not good..hehe. my brother is clean now too for 9 years ...yay! what could have been tragic endings have been turned into a very eventful and enlightening journey. blessed be :)
Cindy, Thanks for the reply. Interesting, isn't it, that we didn't mind showing off our drunken selves, but when we want to get sober we don't want anyone to know about it!
Hi Cindy, I'm glad that you're doing a lot of posting in here. It's seem like you were gone for a year or two. It's amazing how many of got sober at 29 (me too) or 30. And if they don't is seems a missed opportunity and wind up drinking for another 10 years and coming in a at 40.
Aloha Murrill and welcome to the board. I relate to your qualifications a bit myself but the "old money" was mostly lost to the disease before I arrived on the planet. I did inherit the desire to drink and paid my own way. Both grandfathers dead at a young age, my father also with alot of family members left walking around in circles trying say the word normal while being unconvinced by behaviors. My family what's left of it don't like the idea of this member also being a member of AA and then I didn't get sober by their opinions...most of which are very entertaining.
I believe that everyone in the program got to the program outside of their own will. I know I did. I have no idea what alcoholism was and it had never been mentioned in my family for the 37 years it took me to arrive. I had no idea my drinking was alcoholic...within my family I drank normally if not better than most so I arrived without any clues as to what the problem was. The only clue I needed was that my HP was working a plan that my HP had generated years before I even embarked upon my own career with booze. Years later however it happened for me was the right and best way and finding that my HP was running the entire show is okay with me also.
I am no longer a sickly shade of bile green and urine yellow. That went away about 5 years after I arrested my drinking. I was thinking way outside of the box that my devout Catholic mother had an affair with an oriental so therefore the skin color. LOL Never told her that part of my story.
I'll be looking forward to more of your ESH and a laugh or two as you continue the banter with Dean. LOL (((((hugs)))))
I swear I was getting dizzy following this thread. Welcome Murril. Just got home from a meeting and decided to check the board. I love this fellowship and the more the merrier!
Hubris - I still don't know what it means, I haven't got a dictionary, I think I know what it means - c'mon, help me out?
Oh Oh, just remembered - Google Is Your Friend - looked it up, it means what I thought. Google says an abundance of overbearing pride - I thought, being a smart arse.....
__________________
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
Hi Murrill, nice to meet you. I have been sober and a member of this board since December 2007. My second attempt at getting sober. I havent been on the board for a long time until last week due to being very poorly.
Look forward to getting to know more about you.
Karen
-- Edited by KLT on Friday 12th of February 2010 05:08:51 AM
Greetings, all, I did not expect such a warm welcome or large response. I appreciate it very much, and I look forward to getting to know you. Fact is that I'm on the shy side, at least in person, and an on-line connection suits me pretty well. Let's enjoy a sober day.
, even though that's quite a lot of anonymity for someone that got sober around the same time that I did. 
