Hi. My Name is......

justanobserver said:

(standing up)

Hi, my name is Norm and I am a recovering alcoholic/addict. Havent spoke for a bit and had some thoughts runnin around the hamster cage in my mind.

Just sittin here perusing the threads and posts, thinking and re-thinking a lot of things, pondering a lot and wondering even more, from where I want to go and be to questioning acceptance by others. As I grow in my sobriety, I am viewing life thru clean and sober eyes and the reality can be scary at times since I am not hiding behind a substance. It forces me to deal with that which I would drink away to forget the horrors that I once lived not all that long ago and to accept that not everything bad that I have gone thru is my fault or that I am responsible.

To find the balance to where I can take responsibility for my own actions and to learn and to not blame myself for things that I had no control over, can be challenging. Things in my past I am still sorting thru to find the answers so I will not repeat them in my future. Things in my present I am sifting thru constantly, gaging what is good and what is not and what is neutral, who are true friends, who are not, who are the ones that look thru/past/around but dont/dont want to see you because your not like them - these things I deal with in my present - to keep only that which is good.

Getting clean and sober I think is the hardest initial step in road of recovery but many a time I think the daily maintenance of daily personal inventory and staying sober is even harder.

And to do all this while being sober! Time to time, that old voice whispers in my ear how it is so easy to just drink it away, or to smoke it away, and let the troubles just go bye.

Sometimes for me just trying to grow in sobriety is the hardest step I have taken. And to accept all that I am learning, seeing, pondering.

and with that;

Hi, my name is Norm and I am a recovering alcoholic and addict. I am in my first 2 yrs. thank you. (and I sit back down)

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bluesbob said:

Hi, I'm bluesbob.

I've been sober since July 15, 1995.

I don't post here often, I mainly just read.

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newcreature said:

I wrote this tonight and thought I would share it. Easy does it!!!!

"Condition"

All that I was has everything to do with where I am today.

All that I am depends upon my focus.

All that I can be is nothing more than I am at this moment.

By: Elaine Mc.

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Lion of God said:

Slogans are handy at times, like:

This too shall pass.
One day at a time.
Let go let God

Challenging times are good for us believe it or not. They give us confidence that we can make it through the rough times without having to resort to our old ways.

Please don't neglect the meetings WTB, especially as life gets busier. The busier it gets the more important it becomes to do a morning meditation and get to regular meetings even if it is at the expense of neglecting family life for now. Could you please expand on this. If a person has non drinking friends that want me to succeed, recovered alcohlics with 10 years or more, and don't go out where I would be tempted...and maybe hit a meeting a week...is this not enough?

Triggers will come at the most unexpected times. Be on your guard for them and recognize them for what they are and please don't hurt yourself by dwelling on your past life with the booze and pills. They only make the craving worse. Don't these just come at random times thru out ones life? Even if one does not dwell on them?


ps- If you need a phone you can download and install Skype set up a free account and it will allow you to make free calls across North America to landlines and cellphones until the end of the year. It requires a headset and highspeed internet. I've been using it for a couple of months now and it works great and I haven't paid out a cent or even given them a credit card number or cash.

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justanobserver said:

(standing up)

Hi, my name is Norm and I am a recovering alcoholic/addict. Havent spoke for a bit and had some thoughts runnin around the hamster cage in my mind.

Just sittin here perusing the threads and posts, thinking and re-thinking a lot of things, pondering a lot and wondering even more, from where I want to go and be to questioning acceptance by others. As I grow in my sobriety, I am viewing life thru clean and sober eyes and the reality can be scary at times since I am not hiding behind a substance. It forces me to deal with that which I would drink away to forget the horrors that I once lived not all that long ago and to accept that not everything bad that I have gone thru is my fault or that I am responsible.

To find the balance to where I can take responsibility for my own actions and to learn and to not blame myself for things that I had no control over, can be challenging. Things in my past I am still sorting thru to find the answers so I will not repeat them in my future. Things in my present I am sifting thru constantly, gaging what is good and what is not and what is neutral, who are true friends, who are not, who are the ones that look thru/past/around but dont/dont want to see you because your not like them - these things I deal with in my present - to keep only that which is good.

Getting clean and sober I think is the hardest initial step in road of recovery but many a time I think the daily maintenance of daily personal inventory and staying sober is even harder.

And to do all this while being sober! Time to time, that old voice whispers in my ear how it is so easy to just drink it away, or to smoke it away, and let the troubles just go bye.

Sometimes for me just trying to grow in sobriety is the hardest step I have taken. And to accept all that I am learning, seeing, pondering.

and with that;

Hi, my name is Norm and I am a recovering alcoholic and addict. I am in my first 2 yrs. thank you. (and I sit back down)

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WantToBe said:

Could you please expand on this. If a person has non drinking friends that want me to succeed, recovered alcohlics with 10 years or more, and don't go out where I would be tempted...and maybe hit a meeting a week...is this not enough?

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Don't these just come at random times thru out ones life? Even if one does not dwell on them?

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Lion of God said:

Ok Wendy, I'm going to assume you are being facetious here.
If a sponsee were to put something like that out to me my response would be: If your spouse and childeren weren't enough motivation to keep you sober in the past, what makes you think non-drinking friends or a recovered alcoholic will be? Alcoholics only have a chance when they want to stay sober for themselves.
No, I'm not trying to be facetious. Maybe I'm looking for excuses as to why I haven't been attending meetings recently.
I haven't thought of it as you typed above before.
You are right...those people did not keep me sober.
More times then not ... some of them were triggers, or at least their actions or lack of them were.
maybe hit a meeting per week? A sponsee who is not 3 months sober and hasn't yet worked the Steps Do you mean all the steps? would be looking for a new sponsor since to me that would be a serious lack of commitment to staying sober. Just too much heartache and wasted time when someone is not committed to working the program in a meaningful way. We get out of it what we put into it. Maybe it sounds like "works" but that has been the experience of myself and many others I know.
This would only be the case if the sponsee chose to attend once a week in spite of having the time and oppurtunity to go more often.

I think you once said...even if I'm tired...I should go. I have felt totally exhausted since starting back to work full time. I get up at 5:30am and am asleep, in bed by 9:00pm.

Maybe I am just sicker than most but even after over 12 years, I only subsist on one meeting per week.

Is there really one sicker than the other with this disease? (sorry for asking, but what does subsist mean?)



Thru out one's life? Not when God removes the obsession to drink and even if it does it is as a result of a trigger. Dwelling on drinking and drugging purposely, sets alcoholics up for a relapse.

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justanobserver said:

You are such a silly goose! The purpose of this thread is for anyone to ask, speak, talk about their addiciton to alcohol and for others to encourage, support, help, advise. You got questions? ask them. You got a comment? say it. Everyone here cares and is here to help one another. I know I am always in need of help and support and every hug, comment of encouragement, word of advise, etc is accepted with appreciation and always thought about.

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justanobserver said:

Hey to all. Just checking in and posting a howdies.

this week has been tough - quit smoking (well, trying to quit smoking) as well as dealing with a jerk at work and drug dealing neighbors that think the neighborhood oughta listen to rap music at 2 am (not just this week but week after week after week after...) and the police do not have a music/noise law/ordnance on the books to enforce. most they can do is "ask" the neighbors to turn it down but they cannot enforce it. go figger.

lets see, where did I put that Serenity Prayer again?????

looks thru the files on the hard drive.....

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mustang_94 said:

Hey everybody -- Jim, Alcoholic -- I have been sober 21 yrs. as of 9-15-06. Been going thru some tough times emotionally - deaths in the family- but I don't feel like drinking. Just in search of fellowship. Hang in there - when you feel like you're slipping, just tie a knot in your rope and come back here.

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