It is sad for me to hear about people new in sobriety going out. It is even sadder to hear about oldtimers with several years of sobriety who start drinking again. There was a man with over twenty years of sobriety at a meeting. Someone asked him how many years he has. He replied that he only has one and that is "today". That was several months ago and it has stuck in my head that I cannot take my sobriety for granted and have to treat each day as if it is my first. We have a meeting where we break up into groups. One is the beginners' group and there are quite a few oldtimers in it. At first I thought it was strange that they were until some of them said that being in that group and hearing the newcomers shares makes them keep it in their minds about how it was when they first got sober. It is very inspirational to me to be around them.

And thank you, Mike! Your daily posting, like Pappy's, are like my coffee--they get me going.  I always read all the postings on this board....sometimes I don't read them all in the morning, but that o.k., as maybe I need to read them later on in the day for some reason. I drink coffee at different times of the day, too, to feel more alert. And if I am feeling mentally sluggish, this board makes me feel more energized and alert. (As well as the meetings, of course.)

I am so grateful to John for starting this site. I have tried other boards however, feel so much warmth and love here that I "keep coming back".

BTY