complacent in recovery

[dsbfaith]

I have been sober for 21 years,and I am fimding it hard to be involved.I have cut down on meetings,I rarely call my sponsor. But she is there when I call actually she has been able to stay connected. I work in the field of addictions and and I quess I am forgetting to care for myself. Please give me some encouragement to become connected again. :

[sunlight]

Hi dsbfaith,

I'm Sunlight & I'm an alcoholic.

When I joined this forum I was in a slump in my sobriety. You can read about it in the Introductions topic. I learned others were in the same rut & how they got out of it. Also, that it's dangerous to be there! Not just to my sobriety, but to my sanity, spiritual status & enjoyment of life.

I started reading the posts in this forum. There is so much here! This disease we have & all its facets hit me again, hard. And the recovery here & all its beauty got me all charged up again! It made me want to DO something & BE someone who really had something to transmit to others.

Please take a trip through this forum.
For me, it was like being a newcomer again, discovering something new every day & how much other alcoholics have to offer me.

I bet you have a lot to share in meetings being a counselor! I know I'd love to hear your experience, strength & hope.

I'd also love to hear your gardening tips! (I read your profile - I garden too. It's a lot like sobriety to me.)

[Jools]

Hiya Dsbfaith,

Welcome to the forum. I haven't seen you around so I'm assuming you're new. I'm looking forward to getting to know you.

Well, well, well, now THIS is something I have experience with. I had nine yrs sober/dry b4 I went into full blown drinking again. I hated going to meetings and hated the whole principle of working the program too.

What happened for me was....I started going to church and stopped going to meetings. I had "worked" the steps but didn't continue to allow the steps to work in my life. I stopped being in contact with folks in AA who were beneficial in my early days of sobriety.

Whats happening now....

I KNOW I need AA and you folks to keep me sober today and I'll never take that lightly again. The pain while drinking is too great, not to mention the pain and anger AFTER I stopped drinking again. The anger was unbearable and I was absolutely miserable.

I want to be happy. I want to be comfortable in my own skin. I want to live. I want to be of maximum service to God. I can't do these things if I rest on my own laurels.

Sincerely,
Julie

[Dallas]

Hello dsbfaith,

Nice to have you here and welcome to the forum. We've got a great bunch of active sober AAs here that are willing to go to any length you are willing to go to -- to maintain sobriety, to recover, to re-create your life (if you want to), to feel and to be useful to others, to Fellowship, to be friends, to help, console, understand, identify, and to help achieve that state of happy, joyous and free -- as we trudge the Road of Happy Destiny together.

I work in the field of addictions and and I quess I am forgetting to care for myself.

I'm reasonably sure -- that when you were studying for certification -- one of the things that workers in the field of addiction were warned -- was that the reason so many of those workers return to their own addiction is -- they get so busy helping others to recover -- that they forget that they must continue to be active in their own personal recovery and involved with their own personal program of recovery.

You've already made the first Step to making changes by joining with us here in the forum. Getting started at change is always the hardest part of change. You've made your start. I hope that we can inspire and encourage you to continue and to participate with us and to become active again in your local Fellowship, too.

One of the things that has helped me, when I've become complacent, is to read... or hear read, the following, from page 164, Big Book:

"Still you may say: “But I will not have the benefit of
contact with you who write this book.â€

[dsbfaith]

Thank You All for the welcomes. I have resumed reading the 24 hour book ,that was given to me in my first sober shelter . I went to a meeting tonight and the topic was spirituality. It still amazes me how I can take my will back and think I can do this alone. Also thanks for the reminder to pay attention to my wellness in sobriety. Working in a detox I see so many still suffering alcoholics struggeling with thier addictions and denial. Happy Thanksgiving ,I know I have alot to be gratefull for and if I ignore meetings I again become self centered and not gratefull.

[sunlight]

A happy, joyous & free Thanksgiving to you too, dsbfaith!

Glad to hear from you again. Tell us more about yourself on this road to happy destiny.

I remember I wanted to be a social worker & didn't pursue it because I knew I would get too emotionally involved with people.

Where is Southold? East of Northnew? (Shut up, Sunlight! Go to bed.)

[Dallas]

Thanks for checking in dsbfaith.
I was beginning to wonder if we scared you away!

It's great to hear that you are doing better.

As I was reading your message above -- and thinking of the suffering alcoholics in detox -- my mind drifted a little bit, to the still-suffering sober alcoholics that are needlessly still suffering. And, also to the many still-drinking suffering alcoholics -- that have not heard, that we have a Solution.

Dallas

[Jools]

Glad to see ya, DSB!! Keep comin' back, we need ya 'round these parts.

Have a great day!