Today, I have a life that a rich man couldn’t buy and a thief couldn’t steal!
The beauty of it all is that, if you want this life too, IT IS YOURS!
I am truly too blessed to be stressed!
Up until my last drink on September 20, 1976, I had been a dead man walking. Just didn’t know enough to lay down. On this date, I was introduced to the Program of Alcoholics’ Anonymous. Just before this date, I had sat on the edge of my bed with my .357 in my mouth, full of dread, misery, guilt, remorse, shame and everything that went along with it. Ready to take my life. I just didn’t have what it took to pull the trigger at that time. To this day, I remember the taste of gun oil just as I remember the smell of a skunk.
At my first AA meetings, I saw many people who I had known while we all were still in the madness together. I was a Detroit copper who had arrested many of them. I had fought with and maybe even stolen from some of them. We had similar life styles.
At the first meeting that I attended at what became my Home Group, a line of about 6 of them approached me. As they got closer, I believed that the brawl was about to begin. I put my back to the wall and said “Ok, let’s get it over with.” They just laughed and said “Just sit down, shut up, and listen.” For some reason, I sat down, shut up and listened. These formerly mean, ugly characters said that they were going to be my sponsors and that I was to just listen to them. These characters saved my life.
I had seen them at meetings laughin’, smokin’, and jokin’ and I wanted the life they had. I was willing to go to any lengths to get what they had. Just didn’t know how to do it. When I told them this, they told me to simply fake it ‘till I made it. So I did! If they did something, I did it. If they said something, I would say it. Soon there was no faking involved. It was as if it were coming from me as original.
They said to get my life back, to work on my gratitude. “Get an attitude of gratitude.” So, of course, I did. Didn’t know what there was to be grateful for at first, but was asked the basics. “Do you have a pulse?” “Are you breathing?” “Can you hear me, see me, and other similars?”
Make a gratitude list. Every day add three things to the list. As time went on then and passes even now, the list just keeps on getting longer. I soon discovered that, when I am counting my blessings, I don’t have time to complain. Life just gets better!
After being in the Program for a few months, I began feeling the super highs and lows and was afraid that this was leading me to another drink. I was advised to go through the 12 Steps to see where I was working the Program wrong. I use it to this day. And, each and every time, I am stopped at the 3rd Step. Sure, I had turned my will and my life over to the care of my Higher Power, whom I now choose to call God. The problems came when I took parts of it back. My mere existence became a life.
Then they gave me a tip that I use to this day. They called it the shortened version of the 3rd Step. When approaching one of life’s crossroads that appear to us while in this human experience, just say “God help me.” Then step aside and let him. It works very well for me.
From this humble beginning filled with basics that others already knew, I am continuing to grow. It really just does get better and better. How?
- Don’t drink.
- Go to meetings.
- Get a sponsor.
There will be more to follow, but this is how I started. This is a very simple program for complicated folks. So please don’t try to complicate it. If you want what so many of us have and are willing to go to any lengths to get it, then COD, Come On Down! Thank you, God!
Please let us know what you think. We can be reached at Spiritualityandrecovery@gmail.com or 810-965-6140 usually within hours and many times instantly.
Join us at our AA Zoom meeting. It is every Monday through Friday, 3:00 PM EST, including holidays. Meeting ID is 6035280704. Password 399778. It is simple to locate the blogs and Facebook pages. Simply search @spiritualityandrecovery For the podcasts, just go to https://anchor.fm/james-b-boylan
