Replies

I said, "I believe that I am powerless to "control" (or moderate) my use of alcohol, but that I have total control over whether to let it in my body again. That is a big difference."

You said, "Rob, you're trying to juggle semantics. If you are an alcoholic, you won't have any choice about letting it into your body again, anymore than you have a choice about breathing. Your body will demand it."

I can't prove you are wrong, but I think I can keep from taking the first drink, but I know I can't control the amount after that.

I may be posting a thread in a year saying I was an idiot who thought I could keep from drinking, and if I am proven wrong, I will be the first to admit it.

I appreciate your contributions to this discussion and I certainly respect your opinions and your sobriety.

My hat's off to you, Rob, however you manage it.

We all get to where we are in life by many different roads, and my way of staying sober certainly is not the only way.
Just remember that alcoholism is progressive, and what you can do today you probably won't be able to do in a year or two.

I'm completely comfortable in my sobriety, but I still follow the do's and don'ts I learned in AA.
My sobriety was a gift from God, and I thank Him everyday for that.

Ping. New day, new chance to suit up and show up for life. Any chance this could become a daily thing? There are threads that dicsuss the word of the day for God's sake. Surely this is a worthy use of bandwidth. I've got some ideas for thread topics that could be fun or helpful, but I don't want to hijack your gig.

On the topic of powerlessness, my thinking is more in line with TXcowboy's. My alcoholic self does not like that I've ditched his best friend. He's been quiet for about three years now. Quietly doing pushups that is. Not only am I powerless over how much, when, where, (etc, etc, etc!) I drink if I take a drink, I am powerless over my alcoholic obsession. In a larger sense too, I am powerless over all outcomes in my life - people, places, things and situations. My alcoholic self will use any of these to take me down, and he is patient. To me this is the crystalization of the first step, and deserves much consideration.

In one of your earliest replies in this you thread mentioned developing armor against alcoholism. Early on, I thought similarly, and even used some of the same words. Today, I look at recovery as a process of collecting tools, and an exercise in deepening faith. Thanks again for this thread.