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Old 05-23-2008, 01:20 PM
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Astro
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Scottsdale, AZ, one big happy dysfunctional family!
Posts: 22,905
Welcome to SR clep, always good to have a new member!

I'm a single father of two kids, ages 10 & 12. I've been sober for just over 3 years thanks to AA and the 12 Steps. I continue to do my best to attend a meeting every day and stay active in recovery.

For me, being a parent comes before everything else, but I have the awareness that without my sobriety I stand to lose it all. Yes, finding a balance is necessary, which is why I have to be willing to do whatever it takes to work a program of recovery. That might mean losing some sleep so that I can attend an early morning or late night meeting. Since I was 5 months sober it's also meant taking my kids to open AA meetings on my custody nights.

My kids just wrapped up their softball and Little League seasons, most nights I wasn't able to stick around for an AA meeting because of games. What I was able to do is run by the Club where my meetings are held and spend 10-15 minutes every day doing service work, emptying the trash and cleaning up the room. That keeps me connected to other people in the Fellowship and also keeps my humility in check.

A typical day for me in recovery starts with prayer, then I read daily meditations before I race out the door to take my children to school. While I'm at work I email and call other people from the program, and I'm blessed to have SR available. After work I head over to a meeting, if I have any time left after that I'm spending it with my children or my GF who also works her own recovery program.

Recovery is hard work, but for every bit of effort I put into it I'm blessed tenfold with the benefits of a clean and sober life. I can make plenty of excuses for not attending meetings or staying focused on my program, or I can suit up, show up, and reap the rewards. Hopefully I'll continue to choose the latter.

Hope that answers your question, I look forward to hearing more from you.
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