Tag Archives: Sprituality

Staying Sober Today

Complacency

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I would like to revisit the topic of Complacency. For 14 + years of sobriety I followed a morning prayer and meditation to the tee. My prayer would always be for happiness, health, safety and security for family members and friends. My morning prayer would be done in a very quiet place. I would address all immediate family members in-depth with solitary prayers for each. I would also say general prayer for those family members whom I regularly do not have  contact with  on a frequent basis.  I find myself falling into  the realm of complacency, Instead of taking the time to sit in a quiet place for prayer I often do it while on the go. I have found myself shortening prayer for my convenience. Some might argue that some form of prayer is better than none but I feel it requires more attention than I am giving it. After all, for myself, that only amounts to about thirty minutes every morning. I want to get back to this and perhaps this revelation of my complacency will help me return to  my previous  contact with God and prayers for all in my life. I do feel a conscience contact with God throughout the day regarding prayer and direction so that, I believe , is good.

In addition, for the past 14+ years I had been reading meditation and reflection books every morning. This only consists of prayer and meditation for the day. A whopping three pages to read. Well, yesterday after an absence in reading I picked up my books, or shell of books with crumpled and withering  pages and duct tape holding the binding in place, and did some reading. To my  dismay I found that the last time I read was  back in May. That was quite a few months to lapse in my daily meditative reading. I can only explain this as a form of complacency regarding the topics of this discussion. I am not happy that I had a lapse in judgment but am glad that God reminded me of its importance as a daily part  of my life with regards to staying sober.

I am happy that I have gotten back on track and had t divine intervention making it possible to do so.  Had it not been realized then I could have treading on a dangerous path toward losing the protection of sobriety.  By the  grace of God I have recovered my commitment to daily prayer and meditation.

It works for me and so I must tread forward.

Complacency also came in the form of my willingness to help other suffering alcoholics and those in early recovery. It was not but several months ago this summer that I contacted several drug and alcohol treatment centers in my area, I was asking for an invitation, on a voluntary basis, to share my story with their patients. Of the emails that I sent out I got a positive response from one such treatment facility. It turns out that my email was received  and read by some of the directors of the program. I initially had offered to come by once a month. Upon a meeting with  them I was asked if I was available to share my story on a weekly basis. I agreed to do so and I was informed that I would be contacted by Human Services to cover some paperwork regarding confidentiality and such. I never was contacted and I did not follow-up. I believe to be in the state I was in this Summer with regards to being complacent. I am saddened by my choice to not follow-up on such a great opportunity. I strongly feel, after gone through the full cycle of addiction and recovery,that my story may be able to create hope for some individuals in early recovery.  The bottom line is that fear and complacency consumed me and for that I am disappointed in myself. Perhaps this realization too will help me to pass along ” a message” of hope. I pray daily for the courage to do so.

I am going to make a pledge to try to help others. I may have an opportunity to share my story in the coming weeks and I hope I have the courage to do so. Other than my book, I have never presented to a live audience. If Ican be so confident to say  that it is a shame. I have heard speakers in the past and they made a difference in my recovery, no matter how small, I pray that this opportunity comes again and that I may speak from the heart.

I hope my revelation of complacency shows, that no matter what your program is or length of sobriety, how easy it is to fall into a detrimental rut if you will. Thank your for reading and please feel free to comment on this topics or any others on this website. May God continue to intervene, so that I recognize  complacency, and   stay on track toward a positive recovery program., May God bless you as he has me.

God

On The Fence

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Some time ago before I got and stayed sober, I was sitting in on a session at rehab discussing the first step of Alcoholics Anonymous. The gentleman, who I grew fondly of and respect very much, was discussing the “Sunlight of the Spirit” and how important it was to be a part of that realm, if you will. The conversation, in summary, was that if an active alcoholic wants to stop drinking he must allow God in his life. Now I suppose one could argue that a person could drink and still have God in their life. There are probably arguments for both sides. At the time I was on the “other side of the fence, away from having God in my life

The purpose of this reflection, more importantly, is to show in some detail, my state of mind before sobriety. I recall raising my hand to be allowed to comment on the subject of “Sunlight of the Spirit”. This action was not like me at all. I usually hid in the back of the room in silence, with no opinion one way or the other, as I had lived my entire life. Something that day had me in the middle of the room, with over approximately 100 other patients in attendance.

I now believe it to be divine intervention. When called upon by the counselor, who incidentally volunteered at the rehab and was a world acclaimed speaker on the topic of Alcoholism, I indicated I was “on the fence” in terms of drinking and wanting to stop drinking. I mentioned that I believed in God but that I was not sure he was the path to me getting and staying sober. After making my comment, the counselor, in a very direct and matter of factly tone, indicated that it would be best to get on the side of the Spirit, less die an alcoholic death. I did not immediately accept this direction, but the seed was plated for the second time in my life.

You see I had been at a previous rehab some two years prior where a volunteer speaker stated, “I had better find god or else,” referring to acquiring sobriety. I recall thinking to myself , who does this person think they are making such a statement. The gentleman, 80 plus years old and a recovered alcoholic, sporting dark died black hair, kindly asked at the end of the discussion to for us to comment on the topic. I recall commenting, “stop preaching”, on the comment card. The following week this gentleman was the guest speaker again. He started the meeting by saying that in over 40 years of speaking he had never received such a comment. I remembered he apologized for his comments about inflicting the belief that God was the most important avenue towards acquiring sobriety. I could tell he was deeply hurt that someone would think that of him. I ducked my head, and with a cocky smile, as a fellow rehabber stared back at me. You see, most everyone there, over 50 patients, knew I had made the comment as I had spent the week spreading my opinion stating, “who does this man think he his imposing God on me”. Well today, I still regret that comment and the effect it had on him. He was just trying to help, and I made a fool of myself. He may no longer be around, but I wish I could apologize to him. I know it was God who is responsible for me getting sober and staying sober. I do believe God had me in those meetings with both the gentlemen speakers so that the seed was planted to believe and trust him, referring to believing in God.

So, I guess the main point I am making is that there are many persons who have gone before me in sobriety who know that God is responsible for the miracle of getting one sober. I believe he just does it when you are ready. For me that meant heavy drinking and destruction for two more years. I am eternally grateful to have God in my life today and would like to express the highest amount of gratitude toward those men who impacted my life, even though t I did not know it or would accept it at that time I was an active alcoholic.

I hope that the statement “You had better find God or else” plants the seed that only with God can you get and stay sober. This is my strong conviction today and I am eternally grateful that God put those men in my life, even though I had no respect for them at the time. Thank you, God. May you be blessed with the gift of sobriety as well.

Staying Sober Today

My Alcoholic Years: Part 5 of 5

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The Sober years for me can only be a blessing from God. After 23 years of suffering and attempting to get sober, God saw it fit to grant me a new lease on life. I do not feel like I deserve it but I do give thanks everyday for it.

There  have been many great things happen in my life that sobriety has given to me. I could create a very long list but I will summarize and point out some wonderful highlights.

The first being accepting and grateful of God in my life. Conscience contact on a throughout the day allows me to make a promise that I will make the effort and do the work required to stay sober for the day and 24 hours ahead. Secondly, has been my opportunity to make genuine amends to family members. For the most part my amends were accepted and some were not. I can only pray that those persons I hurt can be healed in the future. My children have said things are good between us but I wonder if my absences in their lives growing up has really been healed. I can only pray and do right by them now and ahead.

Many more great things have happened. My grandchildren have been born and by the grace of God have never had to seen me take a drink.  I am married to a wonderful woman. I am no longer suffering and had the tattoo, bearing thses  letters, S U F F E R  I N G, that were inked on my forearm, covered up.  In addition I was able to change my way of thinking and the people and places I hung around. Just t name a few.

I do feel obligated to mention some hardships that have occurred during sobriety. There was difficulty trying to pick up the pieces and move forward in early sobriety; i.e. loss of employment, home and money to name a few. Insignificant in many ways but still were an important means of daily survival.  There have been loss of close family members and those  lost to the powerful grip of addiction.

Many more good things and bad have occurred but I understand that is part of life. One day I to will be gone of this earth but for now I am trying very hard to be a good person. I pray that I can leave that legacy. I also pray that this website and first book written can have an impact on the lives of those suffering as well as those in recovery and who have recovered from the disease of alcoholism.

With regards to my past alcoholic past, ” I don’t have to live that way anymore” and I am eternally grateful for that. I pray that you no longer have to live that way either. May God bless you on your journey of sobriety.

This completes the 5 part  series on “My Alcoholic Years” and I hope it has given some insight on my struggles and how ones life can truly be changed by God as well as lot of good people along the way.

Please feel free to comment on this post or any that I have written on. With your participation we may be able to save lives. Who knows there may be people out there we have helped and don’t even know it. Lets pray that it may be true. God bless you.

Staying Sober Today

My Alcoholic Years: Part 4 of 5

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In this series I would like to share what finally happened as a result of 23 years of destructive drinking. Simply put, I was beat. It seemed like alcohol had won the battle and I was doomed for a slow death.

I recall laying in a hospital bed of a mental institution I was admitted to after a suicide attempt . I had been there before so I was all to familiar with my surroundings. Earlier in the day my counselor informed me that I had exhausted my options in terms of treatment there and at previous rehab facilities I had been admitted to. They had informed him that I was not welcome back because of my lack of following the program and of my distracting behavior there with counselors and patients alike. So with all that said I lay on that bed counting ceiling tiles all afternoon wondering what was to become of me. Scared to death, is all I could describe my feelings as.

The next day a blessing would come my way. The counselor found a rehab in a small North Texas town. Apparently he convinced my insurance company to cover yet another stay at rehab. Upon hearing the news I was relieved of my fear. I did not know it at the time but Devine Intervention was picking me up from despair. By this blessing I began to surrender to the fact that perhaps I could go to this facility and stop drinking. to be honest I was looking for a quick fix. I would soon learn the commitment and work it would take to  begin the road of sobriety.

I attended the program from the start. I had previously allowed the facility to pick me up and transport me to the rehab facility. Previous stays would find me taking my own vehicle in case I had to bail, so to speak , to find my next drink.

Well as fate would have it I fell into the program and followed all instructions. I began to learn more about myself and felt there was a glimmer of hope for recovery from alcoholism. It was there that I met a wonderful counselor who would change my life and way of thinking. I am forever in debt for her participation in my recovery. I truly believe she was a gift from heaven. At the same time another patient there had befriended me and we went to the program together. We shared the ups and downs of our stay there. I could not of done it without his friendship. We stay in touched and have both  been recovered from alcoholism for some years now.

Upon my release after some 35 days I was fortunate to attend an outpatient treatment for the next six weeks. All was not great though as I was surrounded by temptation to drink as I was now exposed to it at what seemed at every turn, I wanted sobriety so bad but was weary. I recall stating to a counselor there that if I could not stay sober this would be my last attempt. I stated I would accept a slow death rather that participate in more recovery attempts. It was other alcoholics there who encouraged me to think otherwise as so it worked. It was Devine Intervention all along.

That is what happened in terms of my beginning years of sobriety. I would participate in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous for several years and a good foundation for recovery was put in place.

By the grace of God I was able to get sober and so far after 15 years stay sober. It has taken a lot of work and conscience contact throughout the day with God. It began with the acceptance that God would get me through the good and bad times and then grew into daily communication with him. God, family and a lot of good people along the way have been my saviors. I am eternally grateful.

In the next and final part of the series I will discuss the beauty of sobriety as well as some of my struggles.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to comment on this topic and others. It may help save the life of one of our struggling brothers out there still bound by the chains of addiction. May God bless you and those still suffering.

My Alcoholic Chronicle: Part 1

My Alcoholic Years: Series 1 of 5

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These next five posts, over the coming days and weeks, will be a series of  abbreviated  chronicles of my alcoholic life, how I got sober and how I am staying sober some 14 1/2 years later. They will be titled to corresponding segments of my life– childhood years, school years, heavy drinking, early recovery and present sobriety years .

Before beginning I would like to apologize for not contributing to this site in some time. It should be a reminder to  me that complacency  is so easy to take over. I am just glad I can recognize that and try to get back into some action of recovery.

The Childhood Years:

One thing that I have learned over time with  the benefit of some personal counseling and a few years of sobriety is that, as a small child, referring to my preteen years, I really had no control over my living environment or some horrible events that occurred. Where some children may have the ability to change their environment I lacked the courage to do so.  In any case my experiences where as they were.

I lived with an alcoholic father in my youth and watched him drink to the point of utter illness until he would have to be hospitalized. He binge drank  that way numerous times per year. I can recall having to find someone to get him alcohol when he was incapacitated. I was taught early on that sudden  withdrawal from alcohol could kill you. This terrified me as a child. My mother, who was divorced from my father was usually my savior in these times once I informed her my father was drinking again. Other times I just rode out the events of my fathers binge. I was young and afraid. You might ask what my mother was doing to allow me to live with my father under those conditions. At that time she had remarried and lived with an alcoholic herself with that household being detrimental as well. In any case I managed to get by.

I would just describe myself as a very timid and shy child on the outside when in actuality I was screaming in fear on the inside.

I started drinking at the age of 14. I will discuss this more in the next series titled the School Years. I just wanted to mention that to let you know that in early childhood I had not begun yet.

Thank you for reading today. Please feel free to comment on this post and share your experiences in order for the suffering alcoholics out there reading may realize that many of us may have shared similar events in our lives. As always feel free to also comment on any past post made on this site. Together let’s make a difference. God Bless You.

 

You Can Do It

You Can Do It

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Many resolutions have been made in this New Year. Some going strong and others falling short. That’s ok.  because a new resolution can be started every new day. Say to yourself, I want to stop drinking  today. It can be done and you deserve it. If you are a suffering alcoholic who desperately wants to stop drinking I would like to share my struggles and the avenues to recovery that have helped me get sober and stay that way over the past 14 years.

I drank for 23 years and the all of that time I made bad choice after bad choice. I had wanted to get sober back in 1991 but did not. I knew my life was out of control by age 24 and I needed help. I checked into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center but I  discharged myself the following day. That would be a pattern I  would follow in the years to come. Little did I know how the effects of drinking would negatively affect my life over the next 13 years.  It was the years of 2001-2003 that desperation settled in as I neared death from the affects of alcoholism.

I would like to briefly share my path that  got me sober and has helped me stay that way. It was always a dream as far back I can remember as an active alcoholic to stop drinking. As I posted before I longed for the day when I could say ” No thanks” or ” I don’t drink” with regards to being offered a drink.

From 2001 to 2003 I checked myself into 7 impatient rehabs and 5 outpatient rehabs. As I mentioned my pattern was to stay a short while and then to bail only to find myself buried in the bottle again.  These were rough times but it paid off when I stayed the full term at my final impatient rehab in 2003. There I made an honest effort to get and stay sober. I would meet a wonderful counselor who would change my life. What a blessing. My wish for you is that you never stop seeking assistance from rehab center until an impact be made upon you.

After rehab I attended Alcoholics Anonymous. as suggested, often attending two meetings a day . All I can say is try a meeting:  listen to others in the same boat as us. It helped me relate to others were sharing. I had to attend different meetings until I found one in which I could relate to the fellow alcoholics and get a positive message of hope from attending. All I can say is try it as it worked for me.

During this time I also sought medical attention for mental illness from a psychiatrist and found medication that assisted me . If you feel it may help you than go for it. Please do anything you have to do.  I also saw a physcotherapist who I could discuss what was going on in my life as well as sharing how was doing and feeling on a weekly basis.  You see I was desperate to stay sober. I knew going back to drinking would mean a certain death.

Some say that seeking Clergy for assistance in staying sober was helpful. I did not initially do that but later in sobriety I would attend church which gave me positive reinforcement and continued hope that everything was going to be ok.

Without the support of my family I may not have made it. They took me in, , during early recovery when I had nowhere to go and many of my family members would accept my amends when it was time for me to do so. Not all, but some. I had to  slowly try to gain their trust through my actions. I found that it worked for me and since have developed strong relationships with the family that I once abandoned during my active drinking years. Just another blessing.

Reading meditation books on a daily basis gave me a message of strength and hope that I could stay sober. I have read these books until the cover has worm off. and the pages have worn and crimpled It may work for you as well.

Lastly, and most important for me, was my renewed faith in God and daily prayer. You see,  for years I hated God for the allowing me to live the way I was living. It wasn’t until I got sober that  I realized God never abandoned me and I pray every day that I can be forgiven for my past actions in life. Daily prayer at beginning of my day as well as throughout has been of utmost importance for me. I t allows me to seek advice from God in order to use good judgement.  Most of my prayers get answered. Sometimes I like the answers to my prayers and sometimes they may go unanswered but rest assured I know it is what God determines what is best for me. and sometimes It gives me a feeling of a connection with God that I hope anyone can experience. I think this can be so for anyone.

Through these avenues I was able to get and stay sober to date. My wish in briefly sharing what I did to get sober may assist you. It is never to late to start your day over and make a resolution to seek a new way of life. The struggle for me was the most difficult of my life but I am grateful that God, Family and a lot of good people who never gave up on me.  Many good events have occurred in my life of sobriety as well as many bad events. As I have posted in prior blogs is that my way of thinking has changed and as a result I have not had to take a drink over the events in the last 14 years. My wish is that we never have to drink again and fall into the pit of despair. if you will

Thank your for reading this today and I hope it may offer an ounce of hope. I know you can get sober and find a life of peace. You are worth it and deserve it. Please fell free to share your struggles, life changing events and feelings or opinions of what I have shared in this blog today. It may make a difference in the life of a suffering alcoholic. I pray that it does. God Bless You!

 

 

 

Staying Sober Today

Daily Resolutions

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It’s the last day of the calendar year 2017 and many things have impacted my life. Some events not so good and others for the better. This past year has had visits with distant family and unfortunate deaths of close family members and friends. As I have often reiterated in previous posts, I did not have to take a drink over the good or the bad times. It’s by the Grace of God and  for that I am grateful.

As I reflect over the past year, and of my sober years previous, I have indeed seen growth in myself. I have been able to improve my conscience contact with God throughout the day with increased prayer. What a wonderful feeling to be able to reach out at anytime, no matter what is going on, and take just a minute to express thanks or ask for guidance over any particular issue at the time. This is a very strong force in my life now. Now as a newly sober person some 15 years ago I was not even close to having this relationship with God. It took time and dedication in prayer, I believe, to get where I am at mentally and spiritually these days. I know if it worked for me and  it can also happen for any alcoholic whether suffering, in early recovery or having been recovered from alcoholism.

Now there have been many instances over the past year that I needed improvement over. My personal relationships with family and friends could have been better and have occurred more often. I know that I have neglected some people and have distanced myself from others. This indeed is a character defect as they say. The acknowledgement of this however is positive. As a recovered alcoholic I should be “giving” in more of my actions than just seeing what is in it for me. I am going to work on being more emotionally available for some and give my utmost self to family and friends. I want to know that in some small way I am making a difference in someone’s life. I will make these resolutions on a daily basis in the coming year. I have heard it said and I think it is important to mention that for this alcoholic every day can be a new year’s day. You see I always have the opportunity to better myself the next day. Amends may have to be made and good living can be improved. So, for myself, I will not make a new year’s resolution based on the calendar year but rather make a new resolution every new day of the year. I  live one day at a time so it would not make sense for me to over extend  my abilities to be a good person by proclaiming unrealistic expectations for myself. My hope is that all alcoholics can live one day at a time and find their opportunities to be a better person. By the Grace of God I am willing and will try to do so for myself and people around me. It never hurts to be a good person to stranger or those that cross our paths from time to time as well. That will be my resolution for today.

I pray for those are suffering this holiday season. My wish is that they may find God and meet a lot of good people who may assist them in getting and staying sober. I am proof as well as all the other once suffering alcoholics who have now found a new way of living and thinking. What a blessing. For those suffering now it will take the hardest  work of your life, but you can do it. You are worth it. May God place sobriety into your life to.

Thank you for reading this post. Please feel to join in with your comments or life experience.  I believe it t could help save someones life. God bless you!

 

 

 

Staying Sober Today

Power of the Disease of Alcoholism

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October 31, 2017, ironically Halloween Day,  marked another year of sobriety for me. The monster inside me is still gratefully held prisoner by the Grace of God and my desire to remain sober. I don’t share this a celebratory event but rather a reminder that sobriety is  fragile and that any moment, without God, family and good friends it can fall prey to the monster just waiting to be released. My personal opinion, and that which I have heard said, is that if I relapsed into drinking again I would surely revert to the end stages of alcoholism I left behind. For myself, that meant I would be right back to where I left off drinking and to the horrible existence of a dying alcoholic. In addition to the mental obsession associated with drinking and the physical deterioration of my physical body would come my suicidal obsession. I vividly recall in detail the events of past attempts to kill myself. You see, I believe that I didn’t really want to die but I just could not see an end to the self-torture I was putting my mind through. A place I do not wish anybody to be in. As it is referred to as the” jumping off place” as written in the book of Alcoholics Anonymous. This state is where a suffering alcoholic cannot imagine living life with alcohol  any longer as well as not being to live with it anymore . Continuing on would lead to death, whether quickly or slowly, as has been proven by the many who did not survive the horrible disease of alcoholism. That’s right, for those not aware . Alcoholism is a Disease as proclaimed by the American Medical Association over 60 years ago. As it is described as a Disease of the Mind, Body and Spirit. For me that meant living with the 24/7 mental obsession of obtaining, planning and drinking alcohol to a state of drunkenness and blackouts every single day. It meant poisoning my body and suffering grave physical consequences, and most importantly shutting off God from my life. During my drinking days that meant not being able to stand an ounce of my being and a deep hatred for God for allowing me to live that way. Those days, even though I believed in God, my only wish was that God would allow me to die, every single day. I profanely cursed God every time I awoke each day for not allowing me to be dead. You see, I blamed everyone and everything for my  alcoholic existence. Today, after 14 years of sobriety, I have been blessed with another chance at life. The obsession to drink has been removed. My physical body has healed and I am no longer angry with God. Gratefully, my belief in God and continual communication through prayer, is the most important part of my life theses days. Without my regained faith I believe I would surely would be dead.  Once again, I share my thoughts with you today, not to celebrate but rather to show how fragile sobriety is. We must protect it at all cost, less we return toward certain death.

Lastly, I would like to share a dream that I had during my active alcoholism. You see I had wanted to become sober dating back to 1991. That is when my life had completely unraveled and my downward spiral of turmoil in my life increased. For the next 13 years of active drinking I always had a dream. That was to get sober and change my way of living. I longed for the day when I could, when offered a drink, say that ” I don’t drink anymore” or more simply “No thank you”. Gratefully, by the Grace of God, my dream has come true. I become more increasingly grateful for my sobriety and remarkable changes in my life, however I will never forget the life I left behind and how if not arrested could I would surely and quickly return to such and existence. Thank you so much, God. You see, ” I don’t have to live that way anymore” KN

In closing today,  I believe God can be, if is not already, the savior on your road to recovery and sobriety. May God bless you on your journey.

Please share any comments on this topic or any I have written in the past months. Together we may be able to assist and or save lives trapped in the depths of active alcoholism.

 

 

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.