Giving it away so I can keep it.

21Nov09

 
It’s what we say about sobriety in the Alcoholics Anonymous program: “You’ve got to give it away to keep it.”
Last month, as I was nearing my one-year anniversary of being sober, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to give away my sobriety. That is, I was able to share my strength, hope and [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  6 Comments
Tags: 12-Step Program, 12th Step, AA, AA chips, AA meeting, AA program, advice, alcohol abuse, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, change, help, life, not drinking, recovery, sober, sobriety, Step 12

A prayer, peace and acceptance.

14Nov09

B.’s father died early yesterday morning.
He’d been in a nursing home for about two years, landing there after a long and – from what I’d heard – often destructive battle with alcoholism and its attendant illnesses.
He died in his sleep, and I think B. had made his peace with him a while back, so I [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  6 Comments
Tags: AA, AA program, acceptance, alcohol abuse, alcoholic, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, death, letting go, life, making peace, Prayer of St. Francis, relationships, service, sobriety, sorrow

Mastering the art of the pause.

20Oct09

Not that long ago, I saw a hummingbird pause.
It wasn’t the one in my picture above, but rather one out in my yard that I didn’t capture with my camera. The tiny bird buzzed over to a tree branch, alighted, and then…stopped. It sat there for at least a minute, perfectly still.
I had never seen [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  7 Comments
Tags: 12-Step Program, AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, change, daily inventory, getting sober, life, pause, sobriety, Step 10

One day of not drinking…times 365.

18Oct09

These days if you’re a writer who wants to get published, here’s one surefire way: choose an activity (the more off-the-wall, the better) and do it for one whole year. Write a blog about it, and then turn that blog into a book — maybe even into a movie.
Recently there’s been a spate of writers [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  11 Comments
Tags: 1-year AA, 12-Step Program, acceptance, alcohol abuse, alcoholics, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, change, getting sober, journey, life, not drinking, not drinking for a year, one year of sobriety, recovery, sober, sobriety, sobriety birthday, staying sober

My last drunk.

13Oct09

A little more than a year ago, I got drunk for the last time.
I didn’t know it was going to be the last time – not that it would have made any difference. I mean, I don’t think I would have drank more or in a different manner or have chosen a different venue or [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  13 Comments
Tags: 12-Step Program, AA, alcohol abuse, alcoholic, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, change, drinking, getting sober, life, not drinking, one day at a time, one year of not drinking, recovery, sober, sobriety, sobriety date, staying sober