So, today is 24 days sober for me. Ive read that it is not wise or advisable to make any rash decisions during early sobriety, and I agree. Heres my plight.. I work 2 jobs, and have for a while now in an effort to reduce debt.
My primary goal is to get caught up on student loans so that I can go to grad school and get out of waitressing. I dont mind working, but now that I'm trying to re establish my life around aa, I find that my hours just don't really allow me to go to many meetings( maybe 5 a week if I dbl up a day). I'm not making excuses, some days I work from 6am til 11pm. I wonder if it's worth working myself so hard or am I putting myself in a position to fail in terms of sobriety by not being more involved in aa? What do you guys think?
Do the 5 a week. Try not to beat yourself up, keep reading you AA,make plenty of AA contact with phone calls and coffee chats. Even far better if you can make a commitment say to helping out in some of your meetings. :}
You will only fail if you pick up another drink and if you all putting your heart and soul into all to do with AA you stand a fighting chance that you will not pick up a drink. For so,so,many people to pick up another drink is to die. !
You will be fine it works if you work it and want to work it.
Dean is right about the idle time being something to watch out for. keeping busy is a good thing. just don't stop your meetings, when you don't think you need a meeting, that's when you need one. hugs from jj/sheila
Being a Mom is a 24/7 job. I have tried to use it as an excuse to not writing my 4th step, or going to meetings. Finally, I realized, I must do what I can, with what I have... and that I CAN do what is necessary to stay sober, EXACTLY as it is today. That is sort of along the lines of "God will not give you more than you can handle". Of course, I'm just figuring that out... so I shouldn't be one to say much of anything but... I can say thanks for posting!
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
I agree with Dean and Polly. The only reason to give up the second job is if you feel it is right in your head and heart and you need that for the sake of serenity. If it is truly propelling you to grad school and that is something you deeply want. You can and will stay focused going to 5 meetings a week and keeping in as high a priority as you can and seem to be.
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
I agree with everyone on this one. 5 meetings a week does sound about right to me. The plan seems to be working for you Colleen, so stick with it, okay. You're making new strides anyway dear, so keep up the steady stream of meetings/work and never give up hope. We won't, either should you.
5 is probably enough with all of that work. It's the idle time that gets us, especially when no one's looking.
-- Edited by StPeteDean on Saturday 9th of June 2012 05:44:15 PM
That's why I try to make sure in any down time I have I have something to do, since becoming sober it's been cooking. It takes a lot of time and when preparing food that other people enjoy I get greater joy than any drink could give me.
AA had a 75% success rate in the 1930's with one meeting a week. It is my opinion that it is not the amount of AA meetings a week that keep us sober but how committed we are to staying sober and how diligently we maintain our spiritual condition.
Thanks guys for positive feedback:) I feel like I'm doing well w sobriety..and in terms of working like a lunatic haha hopefully the long term goal and benefit will outweigh the sacrifices:) we shall see!
In the really old days there was only one official meeting a week. But if you read before and after that , you'll se that Bill said hardly a night went by with out them getting together at someones house for fellowship. Its not the amount of meetings, meetings won't keep me sober. Its what I do, in a spiritual way, one day at a time. Meetings are a big part of it though, if I step out of myself and be a part of. There is a line that talks about the end of some of our last days of drinking where it says ( we will wish for the end..... we will know lonely ness such as few do. ) I think alcoholics are the most lonely people around and I think that is true for us drinking or not. Too much time alone with me is not healthy. I know and advocate that we gotta do what we gotta do to get by and make a living, but if AA becomes a place where I just visit I'm heading for trouble. Been there a time or two its not a good place for a self absorbed Allie with a skewed perception of reality to be. When I make my life my primary purpose, my life is hard and full of turmoil. When sobriety is my primary purpose, my life has an even flow.. just saying..
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Since it cost a lot to win, and even more to loose, you and me gotta spend some time just wondering what to choose.
