Weekly AA Thread - Week of Oct. 19 - 25

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of Oct. 19 - 25

Hello to you to Guitarista!! Love back at ya. I don't know about the "hottie" part at my age, but I'm working at it. 29 one more time :H (in my dreams!) I was just telling Beatle that for whatever reason, the arm flab disappeared pretty quickly for me. Wish I could say the same for the flabs oops I mean abs and the cottage cheese places on the lower half.

DG

[caysea]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of Oct. 19 - 25

Hi All
This is a daily read for me. Just wanted to say great job DG.


Stay Healthy and Keep Fighting
AF 5-16-08

[peacenik]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of Oct. 19 - 25

you hit the nail on the head dg...its my fear!

[Winefree]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of Oct. 19 - 25

Happy Sunday all. DG what a great story. So proud of you and that great accomplishment. It takes a lot to give back like that. I can't imagine how you are afraid of relationships. You do such a great job here checking in with everyone on this site and others and truly make me feel special when you do that. You can gush as much as you want, you deserve it.
You and Mary are great with acknowledging everyone that "stops" by on this thread and shares their recovery experiences.

This afternoons meeting was from Living Sober, chapter 3, which spoke to One Day at a Time, actually, keeping to to 24 hours, or breaking it down hour by hour. Basically whatever it takes to keep from picking up the drink. I know early in my sobriety there were times I did just that. Hour by hour to make it through the evening and get over that craving. I am so thankful now that some time has past, that I don't have to do the hour by hour anymore. My higher power is helping to make this a bit easier each 24 hours. But I know I have to keep my guard up and not get complacent.

Again, great job DG.

Winefree

[Cinders]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of Oct. 19 - 25

Hello all,

DG. Great post. I, too, have stashed away pain meds and benzos, etc, to "keep on hand" for when it got to be too much and I just couldn't take it anymore.

I was telling my sponsor tonight that during the BB meeting, everyone was sharing how they had no choice but to try the Steps because they didn't want to die. In my case, it is the other way around, really. I am doing the Steps and working the program because I want to learn how to want to live.

I have avoided suicide purely because I knew how it would affect my girl. Isn't that odd? I wonder if she has any idea?

In the last few days of sobriety, really honestly jumping into the program and working with a good sponsor, I have hope. Real hope.

If I can live life on life's terms AND learn to be happy in my sobriety, then I do want to live.

I will definitely work for that!!

Thank you for your post and I am so happy that your first meeting as speaker went so well and with so many caring people around you.

I have become very close with the people in my home group. It is so nice to get a hug just because someone is glad to see you. I am extremely lucky, like you are, to be surrounded by caring people.

Love,
Cindi

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of Oct. 19 - 25

Morning all. Peace and WF and Cindi - what great topics we have going on here. Relationships, fears, desire (or not) to live. What makes life worth living.

WF you raise an interesting point about relationships here at MWO. I read your post before I left for my usual Monday early morning AA meeting in my sponsors town - so had some drive time to think about it. I love MWO and MWO is such a huge part of my life and sobriety. I know I could not have strung together any sober time alone, because I tried and tried and made promises to myself and did all that stuff that most of us do, and still couldn't stay sober for even a full day until after I came here. So I love MWO and cannot envision it NOT being part of my sober life.

But relationships here are not the same as the relationships in face to face life. There is still a distance, both literally and figuratively, that allows me to keep control of how near, and yet so far I am with people.

What occurred to me today is that for many many years, so much of my relating to people was defined by alcohol. Drinking together was a main focus if not THE focus of most of my friendships. I really wasn't interested in friendships with people where there was no drinking going on, because drinking was really *my* highest priority. So I wasn't TRULY interested in other people. Just in drinking, and if they wanted to drink WITH me, on my terms, then that was OK. We're friends. My relationships were about using peopel and being used and alcohol was in the middle of it.

So my growth in human relations is way behind where I should be at this stage of my life. I realize that my lack of skill at saying yes or no appropriately and comfortably is just one of the many relationship skills that I lack or am weak in.

I'm quite sure this is something that many acloholics have in common. So the good news to me is that I can probably learn some valuable skills with the help of AA friends and maybe grow in the area of real friendships and relationships. Something a little more than "arms length" where I tend to like to keep things.

WF, Boy what a great topic from the Living Sober book. I need to add that book to my collection I think! I am really happy for you that you are reaching that point where it's not such a struggle to get through this thing hour by hour. What a relief! You are right about getting complacent. Balance is key I guess. I was listening to a speaker CD this weekend and he touched on that topic. He called it the "sober muscle." As we are sober longer, the sober muscle gets stronger. But the sober muscle can get weak if we don't keep exercising it with the appropriate activities that are proven to work. I thought that was an interesting analogy! You are doing great and I'm SO happy for you.

Cindi, I am really glad that you never used your stash. I can totally relate to the crazy thinking that causes us to collect a stash and seriously think about using it. I am really really happy for you that you have a strong sponsor and that you are diving in. I'll tell you what - these AA people keep my mind so busy on personal growth related issues (the zillions of them!!) that I don't have enough brain cells left for much stinkin' drinkin' thinkin'.

Good to see you Caysea as always!! I love your strength and determination and your no BS posts. This battle is not for pussies, that's for sure!

I think I should offer to start picking Sister up on Mondays for this 5AM meeting. She doesn't live far from the meeting place. Up to this point, I haven't offered due to my selfish thinking along the lines of "I already have to get up at 3AM to make this 5AM meeting - somebody local should offer to pick her up." But she is not supposed to drive in the dark due to some eye problems. She does anyway but has trouble seeing where to stop when she parks in front of the building. We have been joking based on her getting really close to the door that pretty soon it will be a drive in meeting. But today, she pulled so close that someone inside could not push the door open. So it's not funny any more.

The message seems loud and clear that it's time for me to start giving, even when it's not completely and totally convenient for moi.

Strength and hope (and growth!!) to all today,

DG

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of Oct. 19 - 25

Greetings from Lincoln Nebraska,
Great job DG, you make my heart (and/or soul?) warm. I knew you'd do well as a speaker. Any WOW, the fellowship of AA is amazing. The support among members is so cool. I went to meeting Saturday in Arlington, TX (home) to celebrate the birthday of a group that started in 1967. It was cool to hear the stories of how groups splinter off and get started with " a resentment and a coffee pot", but then the resentments seem to fade away and just have another group to attend.

I plan on making a meeting or too here and will report to y'all. Right now I'm working on my 4th step sex stuff...YIKES....but got to finish it all by Friday.
Love and Peace,
Phil.

Oh..Cindi, great to see you here and sounding good. take care of yourself.