I got sober about 31 years ago. I went to a detox for a week and then AA Meetings. My room mate at the detox told me he had a vanity plate on his car. jsmith(Not the real name).
In any case,about a month after I got out of the detox I wanted to drink. I wanted to start with a Pina Colada from a Chinese restaurant. I drove to one Chinese restaurant. I didn't go in but I drove to another one about 10 miles away. I didn't go in to that one either. I made this loop back and forth for a couple of hours hoping the desire would leave me.
I was on the highway driving to the restaurant I looked at the car on the left of me as it passed. I read the license plate...Jsmith. I looked at the driver and it was the guy I roomed with at the detox. That bounced me back to reality. The desire for that Pina Colada left me.
My sponsor told me things like that happen in AA. It was almost a mystical thing. The guy lived about 30-40 miles away from the spot I saw him and there was no rational reason for him to be there in my time of crisis.
I just thought I'd share this with you as I've been lurking for some time. Good luck to everyone.
I'd like to share a true story that was told to me. I know the guy who told it wouldn't mind at all if I retell it to other A.A. members, because it helped him believe in Something Greater than himself.
At the time, he was around 8 or 9 months sober and was suddenly hit with an overwhelming urge to drink as he was driving through town in the middle of the afternoon. He says he got "thirsty" so he drove to a nearby bar and walked in with the intention of ordering beers and shots. Besides the bartender, there were only two other guys in this quiet little place. He sat down right in front of the bartender and asked for a drink. The bartender didn't acknowledge him, so he ordered his drink louder this time. The bartender didn't seem to hear him, so he yelled out his order. Still no response. Getting pretty upset, he picked up his money and stomped out the door. He drove a few blocks to another bar and walked right up to this bartender and asked for a drink....but, the man behind the bar didn't appear to notice him there. He followed the bartender down to the other end of the bar as he was cleaning and polishing the counter. Banging on the counter to get his attention, he ordered a drink again, only in a louder voice this time. The bartender didn't even look up. By now, he was really getting teed-off and yelled "This is a bunch of bulls**t". He stormed out and walked across the street to another tavern. The same thing happened in this place too. It was like nobody could see him, or hear him there. He ordered a drink but the bartender looked right past him. When he got back into his car, the urge to drink completely disappeared. He didn't feel like drinking at all. As he drove away, he realized that he had just enough time to make it to his 5:00 o'clock meeting. As soon as he walked in the door, everyone immediately greeted him.
That's the story he tells. That's what he says happened to him. He's still sober today.
Welcome JJ! Glad to have you here with us. There are no coincidences in The Program. I can't explain it, but have seen and heard enough to be a believer. All I have to do is get out of myself and I can see God working in my life. Thanks for the reminder.
The guy lived about 30-40 miles away from the spot I saw him and there was no rational reason for him to be there in my time of crisis.
Of course there was. Welcome to MIP jj...Don't be a lurker. 31 years....Can I ask you how you did it?
Not long after that I heard a guy in a meeting say that if you still want to drink ask your higher power to take the desire to drink away. That night before I went to sleep I did that. I do it again for a few nights and my desire to drink went away. I have no more desire to drink that I have to drink a bottle of ketchup or jump out a window. It just went away. I had stopped liking drinking long before I quit but it was such a big part of my social life I found it difficult to leave it behind. I had to change my friends, where I went and the things I did. It's a lifestyle change. I got into working out, golf ,working hard at my job and reading alot. I like getting up early in the morning, drinking coffee and going to the gym. It sure beat waking up hung over and having a couple of shots of vodka and starting the drunk all over again. Then who knows where I was going to end up. Alcohol put our brains to sleep is another thing I heard in the meetings that was profound to me. We do things when our brain is asleep and we have to deal with it when we wake up. That's not the way I wanted to live.
A few years after I stopped drinking I went out with a few of my old drinking buddies. It was a whole day thing. We went fishing and then we went to the race track. I was the designated driver. We ended up at one of their houses. They called their wives who were worried sick because they knew it was an all day drinking party. Each of my friends told their wives that," it's ok JJ is here". That calmed them down. It felt good because before I quit it was the other way around. If I was there the wives worried more. The new reaction felt good. That's when I knew I had turned things around. It's the little things. But that little thing was big to me because I did not like having a reputation as a drunk. It made me feel bad about myself. I knew I was much more than that. The words,the wisdom and especially the people of AA helped me change all that.
Simple things I heard in the meetings had a profound affect on me.
Yep , I needed something like that in early sobriety .
At my 2nd meeting , met this bloke named Steve , got his ph# , after a week .
asked him to be my sponsor . Yep . He told me "any problems , ring me"
Well , I'm sober 4wks , had left my 'live-in' girlfriend , now my x wife was ringing me at work.
Got home (new apartment) & my head is Exploding .I rang him. He told me what AA Wasn't .
He made me feel like Wanting to drink "I WILL Show him" , as soon as I get off th phone , I'm getting drunk ,
I can see th bar , straight across th road , finished th call , went to cross th road , a bus came along
& stopped at th bus stop . Right in front of me , do I go to th front , no , he might take off , do I go to th back ,
no some cars have stopped in behind th bus to turn . I NEED to cross NOW & the bus is blocking my view of th bar .
In my dilemma - front or back , front or back , get there , Get THERE . You guys know how I would have felt .
While th bus was blocking my view of th bar . I Had Forgot about drinking , and was Thinking about my Need to get
across the road , just to get to the bar . All this happened in about 20 seconds , as 3 people got off the bus , and it
went on it's way . BUT ,it was enough time for me to Change my mind . As the bar reappeared , I realised what had
happened in my Thinking . Then laughed at myself , for - Taking myself So (sillyass ,yeah,that too) serious.
Yep , HP is there , even in a split second , if we can just see it.
That's a great story Zoom! I think AA people are special. We watch over each other. Our higher powers watch over us too if we let them. We hear in the rooms to keep booze out of the house. Keep a distance from the booze. In both our cases if we had booze in the house we would have gotten smashed. Instead things worked things out
Not long after that I heard a guy in a meeting say that if you still want to drink ask your higher power to take the desire to drink away. That night before I went to sleep I did that. I do it again for a few nights and my desire to drink went away.
I wish it had been that simple for me. I had to work for mine. No stepwork involved for you jj?
