seeing another thread made me realize

[tkdan]

There is another thread here about going into bar in sobriety and it made me realize something. Last night I was with a group of eight adults at a sportsbar/restaurant having dinner. We were amost ready to leave when I realized that only me and one other person were not drinknig. There was a time when I thought if I were to stay sober I would never be able to be around people drinking. Last night was another reminder of the miracle of AA. It was another situation of God doing for me what I could never do for myself.

[gravity]

We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.

This is one of my favorite parts of the Big Book. It is one of the first "promises" I was granted.

Last Saturday, around midnight, I found myself sitting in a coffee shop with my sister. We had just attended an AC/DC concert (41,000 people) are were waiting for the traffic to die down.

I had just spent the previous four hours surrounded by people - many drinking, some drunk. Many of my friends & relatives were also at the concert and they were drinking.

I tried to explain to my sister (she is not an alcoholic) what an amazing gift it is for me to be able to be surrounded by alcohol, talk to drunk (and excited) people, and even have beer spilled on me & yet not be the least bit tempted to drink.

It never used to be like that.

It still amazes me.


One day at a time. Thanks God.


BB quote from the 1st ed. of the BB.