I'm new again! I grew up in and out of rehabs from 13 on and it took 23 years to get it. I'm 36 and an alcoholic. I suffer from an odd malady of allergy in the body and the soul called alcoholism. I finally looked over my life and realized all major issues were due to my alcohol use. The lonely empty pain and darkness that comes with drinking is gone. I didn't drink for years out of fear because it caused bad things to happen. Last year I decided it was time to once again be "cool" get over my fears and start drinking, by the summer I was in two mental institutions.
I have hope now! I have been looking at this forum for a while and realize you are not a glum lot. Thank you for being here and while we are in a cold freeze in this part of CA your post have kept me warm!
I have not been to a meeting this time as of yet. I will go tonight. Thank you again for being here along with the big book my dogs and the 12x12 this week has been full of hope!
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We all drank and know how to do that. It's living sober that I am learning about.
Welcome I too am a newbie and so happy to have found this forum. I have been going to meetings regularly and they have helped me so much. I am 45 days sober and never thought I would make it but I have been doing it one day at a time, one meeting at a time. My life is not perfect but it is better than I can ever remember it while I was drinking.
The people here have been so helpful and informative. If I cannot make a meeting which does not happen often but if I cannot I find myself here. Sometimes just reading. I find that I always read something that helps me. I have learned that the best way to stay sober is to read the book, attend meetings and talking to other alcholics.
I am so happy that you found this forum and please keep coming back you are worth it. I too am a dog lover as you can see from my picture. She is my best friend, she keeps all of my secrets and loves me unconditionally.
Hi Lizmccal, and welcome back! You must be somewhere up here in northern CA too. I'm in the SF bay area. Yeah it's MUCH colder this morning that it has been recently, isn't it? (Although it's still California, so we shouldn't complain too loudly ). Glad to hear you're heading to a meeting tonight. Please come back here later and tell us how it went!
Beautiful.....Hop on board. How does this sound to you?
And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone - even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality - safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is our experience. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.
I found out that all I had to do was honestly work the first 9 steps and continue to live in steps 10, 11 and 12 to make that happen.....Here's a little hope for you....It works. Glad you are here...hang around....You might learn something....And enjoy the meeting tonight...Let us know what you learned there.
Welcome Liz Mc . Yes it truly IS a Soul sickness . I was in a room at 0600 yesterday with 28 recovering alcoholics . Everybody was So alive , wanting to be there to share their Experience , strength & Hope . I thought what a way to start My day , at an Early Bird meeting , it was so vibrant & alive . Hopefully you too will love going to meetings as much as I do ,
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Rick.
@ 37 I was too young & good looking to be an alkie.
still too young , still got th good looks. still n alkie.
Aloha Lizmccal and welcome to the board...we're open 24/7 and we help each other stay sober. I got sober in Central Valley CA., cause that is where HP opened the door for me. I also was a therapist for the ARC of the Valley so I've been in and around and thru and about the program in many and various ways and more and continued on a daily basis (continue) to keep coming back. I'm back home...love it so much more sober...and can even stand the cold 70 degree mornings without whinining and wanting to artifically or chemically warm myself. Let us know how the meeting went. It's good to have you here. ((((hugs))))
Hello Jerry. Funny you posted the central Vally. I'm in The CA Central Vally. Fresno to be exact. I'm greatful I bottomed out here as its cheep to live and I wasn't homeless in the end.
It's been good reading the big book has been a God Send for me. I'm on the 3rd step and digging in deep.
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We all drank and know how to do that. It's living sober that I am learning about.
Welcome Liz! Nice to have you here with us. Hope is definitely a good starting point for recovery. It took me awhile to conclude I was Alcoholic and a while longer to find Hope in The Program. Sounds like you've past through the first 2 steps- continue on...... 10 more to go...... it gets better......... My dog was/still can be my rock. Always there in spirit- unconditionally. I learned you spell dog backwards, you get God!
Great Liz...Central Valley AA was where it started for me. I was so insane and so were they and we did a lot of hand to hand combat early on and yet we hung on with each other. Many of the fellowship would also join me in my sessions as a BHT at the ARC in Community Hospital and we were tightly woven in love an maybe not so much in experiences. We fought for each other as often as we did with each other. My first for real, self identifying meeting was the Friday Night Alano Club and I still love so much their patience with me as I sat in the back of the room, in the dark, all alone (like I use to drink often) and was the last to identify as an alcoholic for them and the first for me and when I thought it impossible for me to say those words, "I'm Jerry F and I am alcoholic" they stopped the meeting and quietly let me come to the honesty of my journey and when I had done that...they calmly continued the meeting. Bless them all I remember them to my Higher Power constantly because in more ways that I can imagine they were family of the spirit. I also learned at the VA alcoholism center on Fresno Street and up and down thru that valley.
I wish you the spirit of recovery of Central Valley Recovery...God's footsteps are all over that deserts sand. (((((hugs)))))
). Glad to hear you're heading to a meeting tonight. Please come back here later and tell us how it went!