Weekly AA Thread - Week of July 6 - 12

[Winefree]

Enjoyed reading today's posts. I'm just chilling tonight. It was a stressful day at work and I think tomorrow is going to be just as bad. Trying to get some peace and serenity, to prepare for it.

Winefree

[Kayla]

Phil, I love hearing about the meetings in other places ... with Aussies in them no less, even in New York!

[cpn1004]

Alcohol...cunning, baffling...you know the rest:
Well I slipped last night. Bought a six pack of Bud and drank it in my room. Fortunately that was it, but here I am back at day one. I hope to find a meeting tonight.
Love and Peace,
Phil

[retteacher]

Phil: I absolutely know what you are saying in your description of AL. Remember the promises of the program: we'll achieve them "sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly." Please do not give up. Always, always have the goal of sobriety. I can't count the number of times I slipped/relapsed. Even when I started in program, I continued to drink for about a month. I think the turning point for me was the working of the steps...especially step 5: admitting it all to another person.

Having said all of the above: I never, ever want to take my sobriety for granted. It is very precious to me. I see now that I cannot enjoy my life w/all its blessing if I am drinking. I will be on my guard until I take my last breath if need be. I don't want to drink again.


Your idea of going to a meeting tonight is a great one. Please let us know if you found one. I hope I'm not over-bearing in saying that if you have the strength to share about your slip, it would probably be a good thing for yourself & everyone else at the meeting. Also, when you get home, see what you can do about finding a person in program to sponsor you. He'll be someone to call when you have those moments when you crave a drink. Pick someone experienced who is not afraid of getting a call in the evening or even in the middle of the night. There are those folks in program who take service work very, very seriously.

I just had a woman AAer friend in for breakfast. We had a rambling talk, much of it AA-oriented. What a wonderful opportunity!

Take care, Mary

PS: Phil, I take a personal interest in you & do not give advice all that freely. Always, tell me if I have stepped on your toes in any way. I can handle it.

[cpn1004]

Mary,
No injured toes here. I ALWAYS appreciate your comments.
Fortunately I at the airport on the way back to Texas. Hopefully will have time for a Thursday night meeting I attend.
Love and Peace,
Phil

[Kayla]

Hi everyone

Had a good meeting y'day and ran into a woman I'd met in detox last year. Three of us went for coffee after the meeting, and exchanged numbers, which is the first time that's happened to me in this town. Was very uplifted by it y'day, but battling depression again for the most part. Things are coming to head with mum in London - next Monday she has to formally accept a long-term placement in the home she's been in for five weeks, and relinquish her council flat of past 37 years. With the loss of that goes my last home in the UK. Lots of strong feelings around it, end of an era. So much of my sense of belonging and identity is tied to the place, despite that my home's now Australia.

Good for you Phil planning on a meeting after your slip. There's a guy in our group who relapsed for years, yet still attended meetings throughout. He's now five years sober. I finally understand what the 'keep coming back' is all about.

Hard to share all these details but know it's important I connect
Best love everyone, Stay well x

[Winefree]

Hi Kayla, Mary and Phil. Good to hear from all of you today. Phil just get right back on track. Follow Mary;s wisdom. Kayla, so sorry about your Mum. It is so hard as they age and things change.
Started at step one with the women;s mtg tonight. A couple of months ago I thought I might be powerless over AL, but not that my life was unmanageable.......well my husband had just walked out...........duh...My counselor had to point that out to me! It's amazing how our alcoholic minds try to fool us and usually do, until we start fighting back.

Great story too from someone who saw someone in the rms walking out of a package store today. She questioned what he was doing. Going fishing, he said. She said what is that? A six pack. She asked if he really needed it and what for. She ended up taking it back from him and bringing it back in the store to get his money back. Came out of the store and gave him the cash. They hugged and he said he was thankful for her being there.
It seems she was running late, had to stop at the bank etc and ended up there later than she would have if the ATM was working. Her thought was the higher power intervened and that;s why she ended up there when she did.
What a great story, don't you think?

Winefree

[Kayla]

WF, I love all these divine intervention stories, and seeing it at work in my own life, when I take the time to look. Hope you're doing okay with respect to your husb. Take care and share as much as you need x

[Doggygirl]

Winefree;660671 wrote: It's amazing how our alcoholic minds try to fool us and usually do, until we start fighting back.

Just catching up and WF, you sure hit the nail on the head with that one. That is precisely why we have to just keep coming back and trying as hard as it takes to finally prevail, and then as Mary pointed out be vigilent to our graves if need be - ever watchful for AL who is patient in addition to cunning, baffling and powerful.

Mary I love all of your advice and I thank you for all that you share here and of course a special thanks for your help with my specific questions. It is obvious from your posts that you have an experienced sponsor who has guided you effectively through the steps you have completed so far. I've been floundering around and it shows! But I'm learning a lot about how things DON'T work and I guess that is knowledge too. Yes, when I'm back in the saddle aka driving and attending meetings again, I definitely have to sort out my own sponsor problem and then forge ahead.

Phil, I am sorry about that 6-pack but very glad to see you right back here and talking about meetings. And a sponsor to call whenever you need to if someone stands out to you back home. It is common to agree to a "temporary" situation so it is more comfortable for either of you to make a change down the road if it doesn't work out. (I do have that "temporary" clause in my own arrangement which I'm sure will make what I have to do easier!) In my short tenure at AA I have heard many, many stories of people on the edge of drinking, and talking of sponsors who in a phone call, talked them down from the cliff. (WF, that is a good story you told about the people at the liquor store!) I'm willing to use every resource that is offered in order to stay sober. I think it's worth it. We can do this Phil. Don't ever give up.

Kayla I can relate to what you say about noticing these little miracles in our own lives if we take the time to look. I turn a blind eye way too often.

I am wobbly today and heading back to bed shortly. But wanted to say hi to my friends and let you know the surgery went fine. Dad's too, although his road to recovery will be a much longer and more painful one than my own (which will be very fast if all goes as expected). I can't thank you guys enough for all of your thoughts and prayers.

I am hoping Mr. D will drive me to the Saturday morning AA meeting I usually attend and I can get a ride back home from there. Only problem is getting Mr. D up that early LOL!

Mean time, I will be continuing the Step 4 work while I'm home bound!

DG

[Winefree]

Just a quick hello to all.
Being AL free is paying off in relation to my marriage. My hubby is moving back home tomorrow so we can start anew. It will be good to have him home after 3 mos.
Now I just need to stay on track and forge ahead to a better life.

Starting out on step 1 and step 2 in the step mtgs yesterday and today. Seems like a good place to be right now.

Winefree