old, young, rich, poor, smart, dumb, healthy, ill.
I had all the excuses for not being an alcoholic. After all, weren’t we all shown what an alcoholic is when we watched movies? I lived in a house not under a bridge. I went to college so I was too smart. And the list went on and on.
Oh, but I was one! The insanity of it all was obvious to everyone but me. Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, they were laughing at me not with me. I was being avoided far more than joined with.
But, could I see it? No, I was too wrapped up in surviving myself instead of living with others. Even my own family played 2nd fiddle to my self-absorption.
Was it what I wanted? No! Many who I associated with didn’t even want to be around me. Did I see this? No, because I thought that everyone really liked and wanted to be around me.
The deeper that I got into my alcoholism, the less I even wanted to be around others. This led to complete separation from almost everyone. Everyone but my fellow active alcoholics.
SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO CHANGE ALL OF THIS?
I knew that something had to change but I didn’t know how or what.
This change began to happen during a “chance encounter.” I call it a chance encounter because I was introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous, AA when my 1st wife was 12th Stepped by someone from AA.
I was drunk and sitting at the kitchen table when they arrived wishing to talk with my wife. They quietly talked with her explaining where they had been, where they were now, and how they got there.
They explained their experiences, strengths, and hopes to her, and, for some reason, I just sat there and listened. It didn’t reach my wife but it got my attention like a smack to the side of the head.
They told her of an AA meeting near our home that night and then left. I told her that I would go with her so that she didn’t have to go alone. At the meeting, she couldn’t wait to escape and I couldn’t get enough.
She couldn’t or wouldn’t get any of it and died a painful alcoholic death. I embraced the concept and people of AA and that morning was my last drink. That was September 20, 1976.
I jumped into the program and relatively quickly became happy, joyous, and free.
Was it easy? Not on your life! But I wanted what the people I was meeting had and was willing to go to any lengths to get it. It is a very simple program. Learning it is not brain surgery. Just follow the 12 Steps.
I was even told that I didn’t have to be perfect in using the program, just do my best. It didn’t take long to discover that, when I was working the program to the best of my ability, I was happy.
HAPPY that I could, at last, make decisions that were correct and not made while under the influence of a mind-altering substance.
JOYOUS because I no longer craved a drink at any time.
And all because I was FREE from alcohol.
You can be, too, if you choose to be. Just remember that this is a simple program for complicated folks so don’t push it. Easy does it! If you have a snag, just ask someone who is in the program and doing well.
You can tell if someone is doing well with their program just by listening to and watching them. Are they telling you how great they have it through gritted teeth or do they actually show the joy that they really are? See? Simple! Thank you, God!
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