Tag Archives: alcoholism

Be Willing

Be Willing

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In my previous post “Passing Judgement,” I spoke of a person who is suffering from alcoholism, and unfortunately is spiraling downhill.  A very vigorous effort was made to assist this person in choosing to get into a rehab facility.

Unfortunately this person was not ready for treatment. This just goes to reaffirm that not every alcoholic can be helped until then,  no matter how hard an effort is made by those wanting help them.

Now in my previous post I spoke of my realization, with my wife’s necessary intervention, that I should go to any lengths an always be willing to try to help any suffering alcoholic wanting sobriety.

Well in this case, for the time being, the disease is ahead. In the future , when this person has hit their rock bottom and is truly honest about wanting to get clean, I will be willing to assist and hopefully the tables will change.

However it does not make it any easier to feel like I failed at helping this person. I have learned that not every alcoholic can be helped but  perhaps I planted a seed in their mind. That is what happened in my recovery process. As bad as I wanted sobriety the disease was sabotaging all my efforts to get and stay sober. When I finally hit my rock bottom I was ready and I recalled all of the times people planted seeds in my mind, with regards to getting and staying clean.

I have also learned that trying to help an alcoholic, whether successful or not, there lies an undeniable truth that the process helped me stay sober another day. It also reminded me to playback in my mind how poorly I made decisions when I was at my farthest progression of the disease. I have learned  that by playing back the experiences you had as an alcoholic during your final days should be a strong deterrent against wanting to live that way again. These days, after 13 years of sobriety, I rarely think about the good old days of drinking but if they crop up in my mind I am quick, with prayer, to play back the bad times in my life and tell myself, “I don’t have to live that way anymore”

So only time will tell if this person chooses recovery. My wish is that it happens and that I am there then,  and  available for countless others if they seek my help in finding a path  to a life of sobriety.

Thanks for reading and feel free to make any comments. Feel free to join our group by clicking the link on the homepage . You will only receive an email when a new post or comment is made.

May God bless all those suffering and those in recovery.

Forgiveness and Gifts

The Beauty of Forgiveness

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A new year is underway and I believe it will provide many gifts as long as I stay sober. The greatest gift is that from God. I know that he will protect me from temptation to drink if I honestly seek it and commune with him on a daily basis.  By God’s Will and his Grace I look forward to the beauty that may lie ahead.

I would like to share some of my greatest gifts that sobriety has offered. Over the last 13 years I have been able to make amends to many people I  had harmed as a result of my reckless and irresponsible behaviors of the past. It is a wonderful feeling to have gained the trust of my family again.  I try very hard to honor commitments and I fray away from lying or making excuses.  What a horrible way that way was to live as I recall my past behaviors while drinking.

A beautiful gift is that my grandchildren have never had to see me take a drink. God willing they will never have to. I do hope that my children never have to experience that again as well. I recall my stomach turning and twisting every time I saw my father start drinking again when I was a child. He did his best to raise me even though he to suffered from the Disease of Alcoholism. This last sentence is good to remember and reminds me to talk to my children and really find out how they felt seeing me drink on a daily basis. I have made amends to them but I don’t think I ever really sat down and discussed their feelings about my drinking years. I will make this a point to do in person the next time I see them. So you see, there are many ways to look at gifts of sobriety and the chance to get to talk to them face to face is a blessing for me.

There have been many other beautiful gifts that sobriety has yielded, like a wonderful marriage to my beautiful, caring and understanding wife. I am no longer as selfish as I once was  and see the future as an opportunity to try to impact and help as many lives ( both suffering alcoholics and others) as God allows.

The greatest gift is my relationship with God. I feel he has forgiven me for my past behaviors and loves me unconditionally. In previous posts I described how I used to be angry every morning because he didn’t take my life overnight because of my daily abusive behavior when I was actively drinking. I am very grateful that I don’t have to live that way anymore. He has given me good health and a new found desire to live a long life.

These are just a few of the greatest rewards I have received over the years of sobriety and they far surpass any material gifts. Material gifts are nice but do not compare to spiritual gifts that have come my way.

Thanks for reading. I invite you to share your wonderful gifts you have received and pass on this website to others who may need help getting sober or while in recovery. God Bless you all.

 

The Wasted Years - I don't have to live that way anymore

24 Hours at a Time

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A new year is about to begin and many resolutions will be made. As far as my sobriety goes I care to just look at it one day at a time. I feel with prayer and conscious contact during the day with God, and by his grace, I can stay sober  for the day. I have heard it said that since ones future is uncertain, it makes sense to commit to staying sober for a 24 hour period rather than overwhelming  oneself’s  with thoughts the future. This helps me to stay focused on the gift of sobriety as my number one daily resolution. I may make some resolutions or set goals for the new year but they will take a back seat in my effort to remain clean and sober. Over the last 13 years this approach has worked for me and other recovered alcoholics as I have heard. Please join me and countless others in making a daily resolution to stay sober. I feel it will be the best resolution of all.

To those still suffering from the disease of alcoholism and desperately want to get and stay sober, my wish is that you can find a resource, whether it be Rehabilitation, Alcoholics Anonymous, Clergy , Counseling or a combination of them or any avenue that can get you clean and on your way to a life of joy and happiness, free from the chains of alcoholism that bound you. I am confident you can do it and I pray for all those still suffering.

Thank You for reading and feel free to make and comments, that can help alcoholics trapped in the cycle of addiction, get free. God Bless and have a Happy New Year.

 

Courage and Strength

Being Grateful

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Well, I made it to my 13th year of sobriety on Halloween Day of this year. There lives a monster inside me just waiting for me to return to my old life of active alcoholism.  I ask God on a daily basis to prevent it from ever being  be released . A dear friend also hit his 13th year earlier in October. I say this not to boast as a celebration but rather as hope that anyone can see that achieving sobriety is possible if they truly desire it. In most cases one must  hit their own rock bottom, whatever that may be, in order to want change. With faith in God anything is possible.  Now it will take a lot of work on one’s behalf to get and stay sober but it can be done. It has been proven over and over again by more than a million  persons who have achieved sobriety. There will be many challenges  early on and  perhaps having the urge to take a drink. We must always remember, at it has been said over and over again,  we are all just one drink away from a drunk. I reiterate that asking God to grant you another day of sobriety each morning is strong protection against taking that first drink and always being grateful for that opportunity is important. In previous blogs I have mentioned that I do so by engaging God through prayer and meditation ( for myself that consists of reading from alcohol recovery related books) each morning upon the start of the day. My prayer consists of asking for health, happiness and safety for my friends and family as well as thanking God for my sobriety with special emphasis on being grateful that I was given another chance at life. The gift of sobriety is one I have not right to give back to God. For me it  is my protection against temptation that day. For those in early sobriety I pray that you continue on your path of recovery and find what works for you on a daily basis to protect you over the next 24 hours. Promise yourself that you will do so and if necessary promise yourself that you can stay sober for any amount of time with prayer in between to make it from promise to promise . Do what ever it takes because you are worth it. For those seeking recovery right now I pray that you find God for the strength for begin the journey of sobriety. Be open to reviving spirituality in your life and I know good things will come to you in recovery. You are also worth it. May God bless everyone on their journey.

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts today. Feel free to comment about my blog. My hope is for it to become interactive. I simply want to share my experiences to help other alcoholics and if we all share together that gives the suffering alcoholic and those in recovery the ability to develop a strong arsenal against ever taking another drink. Feel free to comment on any of my previous blog post as well.

 

 

Staying Focused

Regaining Focus

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I have really myself  losing focus, over the past month, on the importance of maintaining my most spiritual  practices; foremost daily prayer and meditation. For nearly 12 3/4 years of sobriety I can confidentially say that I hadn’t missed a day of prayer and meditation. As I have mentioned in previous posts, this is so important in my daily life of sobriety. I looked forward to it every morning by finding a quiet place in my home for deep prayer and reading. It was and will again continue to be my first action of the day. However, this past month I have been very neglectful in this area. I must admit to having missed more than at least five days of prayer over the past month. I have no excuses except to say I have placed other activities first in the beginning my day first.

The primary focus for writing my book, and starting a website with a blog on this site and another, was to reach out to suffering alcoholics to show that there is hope for a better life. Over the last month I have been preoccupied with seeing if I have followers on my sites as well as any comments. I have wondered if my book sales have reached out to suffering alcoholics and their families, or not. I am coming to the realization that I may never know. I feel reaching out to help is my calling and am going to continue my quest. I have to remember not to seek personal recognition for it is not I who am doing all the work. It is God.  I have been back on focus over the last week, with regards to daily prayer, so I do not lose focus on its importance in my life. I thank God for this awakening for it could have been a real endangerment to that which most importantly keeps me sober on a daily basis.  It has been said that ” God is doing for me what I could not do for myself”. I believe this and feel very blessed.

In addition, I will try blog more frequently as my hope  that this site and others will gain followers so that comments/discussions may help a suffering alcoholic seek sober way of life. May God continue to send blessings your way.