Our greatest enemy was alcohol and we have learned to how protect ourselves against it. But we are in constant danger from some of our well-meaning friends. They constantly tell us how wonderful we are in that we have cut out our drinking and, unfortunately, we sometimes believe them to the point where our heads begin to swell.
At that very moment, that very necessary ingredient of sobriety - HUMILITY - goes out the window and sobriety frequently accompanies it.
Helen, Yes, thank you for the reminder. Humility is needed in all my affairs. I remain humble today because my sobriety and recovery is not my doing. My success is due to the grace of God & the power of AA.
Please allow me to remind you that I'm not the author of "The Eye Opener". I'm glad you like the book and it's day by day readings, but the only part I have to play is to transfer what is printed for December 14th to this forum.
I can remember around a year ago, someone at a work party saying to me "Steve, you are the one guy that I just can't imagine drunk. I've never seen you drink."
Being well trained for these occasions by my super-practical sponsor, I replied with the usual "hahaha, well, you wouldn't want to see me drink" etc. but my baby sobriety head of the time was saying "see, it's all just a big mistake. You're not an alkie. Nobody thinks you are. Have one for the road."
It's times like that when I am especially grateful that I have a relationship with God, a program and a sponsor and meetings to go to, all of which wrestle the brain waves back from their trip to Mars. Otherwise, I'd be fooked.
At that very moment, that very necessary ingredient of sobriety - HUMILITY - goes out the window and sobriety frequently accompanies it.
I think more than once I've been very lucky when it comes to sobriety. Many of the factors that can derail early sobriety weren't a problem for me. I didn't have any pressure from friends to drink because I didn't really have any friends. I didn't have even any drinking buddies that I held in high enough esteem to care what they said. I was working a new job at a larger company than I ever worked for before, nobody there was going to take much note of my sobriety or any changes in me since they didn't really know me from my drinking days. I wasn't living with another active alcoholic... well not really, my daughter hadn't really shown her colors just yet.
It was hard enough for me just to keep AA #1 with family and job pressures, in particular a wife who didn't want me to be an alcoholic and would rather I drank but lost weight (suggestion from an oldtimer... just drink whisky and don't eat... LOL). I listened to tales from young people living at home with alcoholic parents, or surrounded by friends and co-workers that could be merciless to someone who doesn't want to go drink with them anymore.
I even work for my long-ago former boss, who probably would have been a thorn in my side in early sobriety as well. Fortunately by the time I went back to work for him, I had some time under my belt and really didn't care what he thought of my lack of drinking.
Yeah, sometimes praise is worse than condemnation. We're used to being put down, defending ourselves, digging in our heels. But if somebody says something nice about us, it either goes to our head, or it just makes the resentment seethe even more... I know the old goody-twoshoes pat-on-the-back, good-doggy bit really used to irritate me. Not so much with drinking but, for instance back in school days if I actually did all my homework for a week, the ensuing expectation-laden praise from parent and teacher alike was usually enough for me to feel queasy, dig in, and be as unproductive as possible for at least an equal amount of time... LOL. It wasn't about pleasing them, or even doing what was best for me, it was about being in control.... and making sure they knew it......
