First, ask yourself a question. What does your sobriety really mean to you? Staying sober means EVERYTHING to me! I was mentally, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupt when I came into the AA Program. I saw others in the program who had been as miserable and desperate as I had been. They now were Happy, Joyous, and Free! And Sober!
I quickly became willing to go to ANY lengths to get the program. So, finally began the process of really working it to the best of my ability in ALL of my affairs, I discovered that I was becoming an entirely different person. One who loved, was loved, cared, interested in so much, and not hurting a soul. And, as time went on, this was only the beginning. This was a great start to being sober!
EVERYTHING that I have today I owe to the program of AA, including breathing in followed by out. I have children that no longer fear me, actually love me openly. Their children, our grandchildren, love me unconditionally! A wife that has never seen me drink. She has given me a family life that I never had, even as a child. A clear mind that seems to have the right answer to most problems, no matter how complicated. If I wake up in the middle of the night it is to go to the bathroom, not because I am bothered by anything. All because i am sober!
I text our children, grandchildren and some friends and other relatives weekly to let them know that they are being thought of. And have for a few years and get responses from most of them. On the rare occasion that I am late sending the weekly text, some even contact me to see if all is well. WOW! Once, an employee stopped by our home asking if I were all right. I asked why he was asking. He responded that whenever I was asked how I was doing I usually said that I was too blessed to be stressed or similar. On this particular day, I had merely said that I was OK or something similar. This beautiful experience would have never happened without my working the AA Program 24/7/365. When in the madness, there were some that wished that I had never even been in their lives at all.
How do I remain sober? By realizing that sobriety is much more than not picking up that first drink. AA is a 12 Step Program. Only the first half of the first step even mentions alcohol. The other 11 ½ are all about our thinking. Change our thinking, change our lives. Knowing this and doing this are two separate items. You must begin with stopping drinking or drugging. Then, by using the other 11 ½ steps, stay stopped. Work your program 24/7/365. Start out the day asking your Higher Power for guidance in the day. Humbly say the shortened version of the 3rd Step, “God help me.” Then, step aside and let Him! Work your way through the steps one at a time. I strongly suggest doing them in order.
You may balk by thinking that one must be thinking and saying AA and Spirituality all the time to work the program 24/7/365. Don’t! Just do the next right thing. How do we know if it is right? When you are working your program and asking your Higher Power for help on a regular basis, if it feels right, IT IS RIGHT! That is a promise!
My sobriety means everything to me. Without it, I am the same person I was when entering the program, a walking dead man. I am alive and, as long as I continue working my program to the best of my ability, I intend on staying that way. How did I get my sobriety and how do I plan on keeping it? By working my program to the best of my ability, not only during meetings but also in my everyday affairs 24/7/365. AA introduced me to my Higher Power, who I now call God. To disagree with a popular phrase. God is not my copilot. He is my pilot and, as long as I remember this and act accordingly, I will be able to continue to meet with you and others like you in AA. And, most assuredly, I will continue being too blessed to be stressed.
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More can be found on our other pages. We have an AA Zoom meeting, blogs, and a podcast. Also our Facebook page. They are updated regularly. We hope that you will join us on these sites. And please comment so that we can share with each other our experiences, strengths, and hopes. The Zoom meeting is every Monday through Friday, 3:00 PM EST. Meeting ID is 6035280704. Password 399778. It is simple to locate the blogs and Facebook pages. Just search @Spiritualityandrecovery. For the podcast, search Spotify.com for Spiritualityandrecovery. On iPhone say “Hey Siri, Play the podcast Spiritualityandrecovery.” Or, on Android “Hey, Google. Play the Jim Boylan podcast.”
