It has been a difficult 2 weeks here in Indianapolis. It's race time here and nothing but party, party, party. Every other commerical on TV is an alcohol ad. Race time for me has always been party, party, party. There's Fast Friday, Carb Day and of course the Indy 500.
Why am I so happy then? It's simple - AA has saved my life. I'm a babe in sobriety - just about 5 months. But it's been enough time that I'm able to utilize the tools to stay sober. I've had thoughts of drinking - lots of thoughts - but the fact is I am SO much happier sober.
So thank you to AA and to all of you here on this message board. Your ESH is inspiring to me.
Thank YOU Fallon ,for your message of hope ,as we change our attitudes and behaviors(progression ,not perfection)and start living 'this new way of life"freedom ,happiness and joy becomes more the norm then the devastation of active addiction .We will have times of pain and struggle,but we no longer have to pick up over the trials, in fact we learn they bring us endurance and continued strength.I still party like crazy but it doesnt include any mind altering ,mood changing substance ,especially King Alcohol!!.The illness is cunning ,baffling and insidious and will always lurk,waiting patiently to refund our misery, WE have found a better way!! :)
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Selfishness-self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
Those two weeks must have seemed like an eternity, especially with all that fanfare surrounding the "Indy 500". Those advertisements are a constant reminder of "why" I don't drink, and rightfully so. They conjure up images of good times and great friends, but what they fail to visualize is the impact prolonged drinking has on everyone, especially the alcoholic and their families. There is a price we pay, which any recovering alcoholic can testify too and the cost to all parties invovled could be unimaginable. Imagine...the reaction of any family member whose loved one has just died because of excessive drinking? How would the ad companies write a script for that? They can't. You can't glorify drinking and act responsibly at the same time. You don't have to worry about that -Fallon, not for today. Not only did you persevere through this ordeal but also had the sense to look beyond that meaningless garble on TV and did so by refocusing your attention on a true blessing instead; the gift of continuous sobriety and the gratitude that follows, one day at a time. Great job...Fallon
~God bless~
-- Edited by Mr_David on Monday 30th of May 2011 03:17:47 AM
Thanks all! Mr. David - you hit the nail on the head. I seemed to be mourning the loss of alcohol in my life, and I'm sure TV ads played a huge part of it. How many alcohol commercials have you seen where someone is sitting in the dark in the corner drinking while their family is cowering in another room?? I LOVE my sober life and I don't want anything to ruin it. A drink is just not worth it. Edit: MANY drinks isn't worth it....because I never stopped at just one.
So I listened to the race on the radio while I power washed the patio. Then I watched to news where I heard that there was a shooting, pedestrians hit and many arrests. Guess what?? They all involved alcohol. I then said a prayer to God (my HP) and thanked him for walking with me during this weekend, keeping me sober, safe and serene.
Fallon -- thanks for these posts, just what I needed to hear right now...love your attitude of gratitude and the quality of your sobriety is obviously great. :)
Love you and Mr David's talk about booze commercials -- it's true, they never do show the reality of drinking. Where I live, there's lots of whimsical Stella Artois ads, kind of saying if you drink Stella, you'll have that whimsical life too. That was not my experience. But without AA, my head would tell me that maybe if I'm careful, I can drink Stella and this time, somehow, I won't wind up pissing on the hotel carpet or on the bed, but I'll have what they show in the ads.
Funny how pissing on the hotel carpet is not something they show in the ads either. ;)
Thanks for the gratitude post. It is my fav meeting topic. I have had many things going on but I am grateful I dont have to drink today and I have an awesome AA support system in my town. I like to focus on the simple things in life. I understand making a gratitude list but right now my focus is on working the program and knowing Gods strength in helping me staying sober for just today. Allie
