Feeling Good, Day 5

[360view]

Hi, I am Bill and I am an Alcoholic. Been drinking for some 26 years now.
I am 46. I come from a family of alcoholics.

Have not gone to a meeting yet. I know I should, but have not really wanted to drink. I know that is not the only time you should go to meetings. I am just happy every morning I wake up feeling good. Got really tried of either being drunk or hung over. I looked forward to happy hour each day to have that first beer to make me feel semi human again.
Of all the problems drinking has caused me, it is the disconnection to source or God that I believe is most damaging.

I have told my drinking buddies that I will no longer be seeing them for a while. That is why I am am glad I found this group yesterday. Dallas and the rest of you are making me aware that I should be going to meetings and doing the steps.

I do want to stay sober and am on step 4.

Thanks for being here. I do believe everything happens for a reason.

Bill

[Dallas]

Hello Bill,

Welcome to the site. Glad you decided to stop by and hang out with us. I hope you find something useful here and that we can be of help to you, as well as you being a help to us, and especially helpful to those who haven't made it far as you have, yet.

Sometimes, a guy or girl with four or five days sober, is able to help another alcoholic more than someone with four or five years sober! So, remember, each day that you are sober you have something worthy and of value to share and to give to someone else.... regardless if it's the alcoholic who is still drinking and desires to stop, or it's a guy or girl with 20 years of sobriety. When you stay sober, it not only helps you, but it's helping someone else.

In a nutshell -- it seems to me that this is the entire concept of how this deal works. We try to help someone else achieve -- what we want to achieve for ourselves. And, when we're trying to help someone else -- the help that we need and want, seems to slip in through the back door and we get what we have been trying to give. It doesn't look like it would work -- trying to give what we want to recieve -- because that concept seems to be backwards to how most of us learned to live our lives. But, it really does work!

Just imagine how awesome it will be to see all those Christmas and Holiday lights, and trees, and smiling faces of kids, and the feeling of warmth, and love and care, with family and friends, at this special time of year -- and to be able to see it and do it sober! To participate and experience with them -- sober.

For me, it has been through A.A., that I've been able to discover and experience the life -- sober -- that I had been looking for in the bottle.

It gets better and better and better and better. And, when it seems as though it isn't getting better -- we can pause and ask ourselves something like "maybe there is a different way to do what I've been trying to do" -- and we make a few changes, and we're back on the path to the good life again.

Glad to have you here, Bill.

Dallas

[360view]

Thanks Dallas. It all makes sense to me.

Now all I need to find are some people to help. I guess other than AA meetings my local churches or community outreach programs would be a good start.

Bill

[Dallas]

You might give that a try. Perhaps they know of another alcoholic who is trying to get sober or stay sober and they can connect the two of you together and you can try helping each other. If it doesn't seem to produce the results that you want, you can always give A.A. a try.

[360view]

No need to reinvent the wheel. 2 million current members is good enough for me.

Just got back from a beginners meeting and poured the left over vodka I had down the sink. I was saving it not to drink but just to prove to myself I was stronger than the alcohol. I decided that was not a good idea.

Especially after answering yes to 16 out of the 20 questions - Are you an alcoholic.

Everyday is getting easier though and good things are happening.

I can switch over to the introduction area if that is where I should be.

Thanks again.

Bill

[GeoffS]

Hi Bill, sounds like you're on the right track.

Sounds like you've begun to get Step 1 sorted out in your head.

Keep going back to meetings, and see if any of it sounds familiar.

Good on you.