Posted on 12/11/2004 5:37:20 AM PST by RobFromGa
A wonderful life awaits, replete with ups and downs, the spices which add flavor. May God continue to help you stay sober.
Thank you for this letter.
(Quit 1/1/1989--thanks Bill W. for the tools. Thank You Jesus for everything!)
Powerful example.. Amen.
thanks for the bump.
good quotes! thanks for sharing them.
How so?
Some people are unable to drink a few beers without drinking a case.
Others are unable to drink Friday night at a social gathering and not start drinking Saturday morning when they wake up (and Sunday, Monday,...)
I don't know how or why it is so, but people are different and some very disciplined people are unable to handle alcohol for whatever reason.
For me, I know that I cannot regulate alcohol usage but I can choose not to take the first drink. So that's what I have done. And I will be two years sober on October 8.
Most who have been on this thread are trying to better themselves or help someone they know with an addiction. They are not looking for your sympathy or your understanding, they are looking for solutions and for what worked for others.
Before quitting, I never would have imagined how much better a life with ZERO alcohol would be. Do I ever wish I could drink normally? very occasionally. Do I think that this is possible for me? No. The fact that I would even ask the question or consider it is proof to me of my inability to control alcohol usage.
May God continue to help you stay sober.
I will be TWO in another 9 days! Thanks to everyone who has helped me in my continued sobriety.
thanks for stopping by
You are now on the list. You are welcome for the thread, hope it helped.
I gave up drinking seven years ago. I had just gotten married and was renting a house from my parents. My parents were not pleased with my fiance, and gave me an ultimatum. My father told me to choose between them and her. I chose Mrs. Exile. A few days after the wedding, they told me to pack up and get out. I hit the bottle hard during the move, and on October 31, 1997, I handed my mother the keys to the house and never saw or spoke to them again. I continued to drink pretty heavily until about May of 1998, when my wife told me I needed help. I saw a shrink and got some help with clinical depression. Shortly thereafter I had my last beer. I haven't had a drop of alcohol since, and have no desire to. My life is good. To everyone that has given up the "demon rum," I'd just say, good luck, and it gets easier.
Hello Rob. Glad to hear all is well for you. Not sure if you remember me. Remember the thread, "Judge says alcoholism no disease"? We spoke a bit about the subject.
I'm the guy who probably caused you to pull your hair out. Needless to say, I still believe now the way I did then.
Again, I'm happy you are still well -
Thank you for your post. I also want to share with you a poem that someone had read to me that I like. Its a well known AA poem that you might of already heard.
The Man In the Glass
Author Unknown
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
and the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself and see what that man has to say for it isn't your Father ,Mother or Wife whose judgment upon you must pass...
The fellows verdict that counts most in your life is the one starring back from the glass.
Some people might say your a straight shootin chum and call you a wonderful guy but the man in the mirror says your only a bum if you can't look him straight in the eye he's the fellow to please never mind all the rest for he's with you clear to the end and you've passed your most dangerous test if the man in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years and get pats on your back as you pass but your final reward will be hard ache and tears if you've cheated the man in the glass....
Good to hear it’s going well for you Joe. I don’t know where “I had to quit drinking last year” fits into that hierarchy, but it’s holding strong on this end.
If you don't drink, you don't drink--that puts you in the same place as the rest of us, imo. Life is good!
Thank you for posting the poem.
It is so true for life in general.
Ditto. It's not the easiest road, but well worth it!
Thanks for clearing that up bump! Thank God you weren't around to help me when I quit drinking 14 years ago.
Ping
Congratulations to you. And no.. It is NOT a disease.
Put into terms I think you might understand, convincing alcoholics that alcoholism is not a disease is a classic case of winning the battle, and losing the war. Or as momma used to say, "you can be right, or you can be happy...".
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