Can this be TRUE? a Harley support group!!

[Rodney]

Hello,
ya know about 32 years ago I took my first drink of beer, it was just the thing to do. I worked at a body / bike shop in a small town. Late 70's, bikers, bike shop guess you can see where this it going! A few beers was the light stuff there was so much other crap to be had at the time I am really surprised I lived to see 21 let alone 50.
I was usually the young guy when ever we went on runs and the parties that lasted for days, my buddies and some of the older patch holders kept me alive by teaching me what to drink and what to stay away from at the parties. You would never know what may be put in a bottle of whiskey or wine
The thing is I was never taught anything about quitting and now as Hank Jr. sings All my rowdy friends have settled down. {mostly their dead}.
I have always:
drank and rode.
drank and worked on the bike.
drank and did what ever had to do with my Harley.
This is my problem now: I am needing to quit the drinking part of the biking I so enjoy {enjoy the riding the drinking is just habit I guess}

How do you do it?

Just about every one that I ride with drinks and the runs still revolves around drinking.
When I ride I feel I am expected to drink so I do even though I don't really want to after the first one my will power is GONE. The old saying ones to many and 12 ain't enough - thats me

did I ask how you do IT??

see you around maybe?
old habits are hard to kick.

want to take a look at my ShovelHead

[best]

Wow nice job on the bike. I like the color as well.

How did you do it?

One part at a time yes?

How do we find the sober life?

By not picking up that first beer...one day at a time.

When I pick up that first one...one is to much... it leads to the second one and yes 12 is not enough.
There are sober rider clubs all around. There are groups of sober bikers in my area that just hang out at the beach in the summer. They sit around and talk, go for rides, or if asked...share what they know with a willingness to help any one who asks.
AA meetings are a great place to find added support, fellowship, and answers from as well.

[best]

Originally Posted by Rodney

You would never know what may be put in a bottle of whiskey or wine

I never put thought to that and now I think I may better understand a few things more. Beach Boys, summer of 72 concert at Foxboro stadium. That evening cured me of ever wanting to touch drugs for the rest of my life.

[Rodney]

Thanks for the reply best.
what does the term "DRY" mean that I have seen on some posts?
same as sober?
I have owned the shovel for 29 years now and this is my 3 or 4th rebuild can pretty much do it in my sleep. This is hopefully getting close to the last rebuild since I finally go the stroker wheels I have wanted for years.

[best]

Different people may tell you different things but dry and sober to me mean this...
Dry = No alcohol intake but still have my same crappy attitude I had while drinking.
Sober = Dry along with learning as I change my crappy attitude and become a more productive member of society. A learning of how to enjoy life and treat others correctly.

Some of us may have more work needed then others in the At-it-tude department and on how we treat others but we can all learn and grow from where we are none the less.

[best]

Rodney

As you look around, you will see we have a nice collection of scooter tramps here. I believe the count is 9 of us met up last year at a state campground in Indiana. We came from all over to meet up in one location. A great group they are. I am sure you will find them that way as well. This year maybe more of us may meet up.

[Hurricane]

Nice bike
Wellcome, and hope you stick around.

[toad]

Hey Rodney, welcome to the forum. Really a nice looking bike, and all the work recorded. I enjoyed what you have shared.

About the drinking, if you're ready to stop, AA can help. I ran from AA for years, and when I was finally defeated by booze and dope, AA was there to help me rebuild.

Don't drink.
Go to meetings.
Read the book.
Get a sponsor.
Work the steps.

[TonyB]

Rod,
Welcome to SR. Man, you are as far left coast as I am right. That's the great thing about this site.
I would like to add to what Best and Toad said. If it wasn't for AA, I would be in a pine box or who knows where I would have ended up.
The best advice I can give is meetings, meetings, meetings...
I hope this link helps.
Alcoholics Anonymous Oregon Area 58

I would also like to add this, because you mentioned "patch holders". I have some 1% friends that are also sober. It ain't easy by any means, but I know it can be done.
Keep coming back. It really works...

[TonyB]

By the way... Nice scoot!! I enjoyed all the pics.
Nice cars too!!
TB

[Rarly Harley]

Originally Posted by Rodney

How do you do it? want to take a look at my ShovelHead

Welcome Rodney, always great to have another rider backed into the curb for a chin-wag. Awesome ride Bro... You have found a great resource in this forum, if you want to learn how to live and ride sober. I too, came from the same lifestyle as you described. I ran with a 1% club too. I joined A.A. in 1990 and I'm enjoying my life now, far more than I ever dreamed possible. I've had three different rides since I sobered up and I currently ride a 2002 FLHTC. Back in the day, I rode a 1972 shovel, apehangers & all. Every last one of the crew from back then is dead except one, and he is dry, not sober, so we don't hang...BTW: Dry means not drinking, but being the same unhappy, miserable SOB you were when drinking. I owe all the good things in my life to A.A. Rodney. If you want to get sober and stay sober, I suggest you start hitting some meetings in your area and check us out.

[Rodney]

Thanks guys.
heres my new bike. and 02 Deuce:




I can already tell you guys are really going to help! just not being alone is worth more than I can describe.

[The_Hammer]

You're far from alone...and guess what? We go on sober runs! No sh!t. My first year was a real whiteknuckler, all I did was go to meetins, keep my sponsor (another scooter tramp with 27 years sober now) up all night talkin me outta blowin my 1 month 2 months and so on of sobriety. Like brother Rarly, I ran with and patched with a 1% club.
I gotta sweet ol lady that puts up with all my stuff, supports me all the time. I believe in something other than the club and a bottle of scotch or gr. of coke or scag.
Listen to those brothers up above, I know most of em personally, don't drink just fer today. Get yer @ss to a meetin of Alcoholics Anonymous, you'll find scooter folk there too. Get a sponsor to talk to. Hang out around here and lighten yer load. We'll be here.

[BillJ]

Originally Posted by Rodney

Thanks for the reply best.
what does the term "DRY" mean that I have seen on some posts?
same as sober?
I have owned the shovel for 29 years now and this is my 3 or 4th rebuild can pretty much do it in my sleep. This is hopefully getting close to the last rebuild since I finally go the stroker wheels I have wanted for years.

I've had my shovel for 29 years, too. Just celebrated our anniversary on April 11th. Gotta love 'em!



Best described the difference between "dry" and "sober" very well. If I'm dry, it means I'm just denying myself my drug of choice, and not replacing it with anything worthwhile. If I'm sober, I no longer desire alcohol because it's been replaced by a new, fuller, more wonderful life than I could ever imagine.

I found my sobriety in AA. It's been working for me for more than 30 years, one day at a time.

Not to say life's perfect. In sobriety I've been bankrupt, divorced, ripped off, and lost people near and dear to me. Most recently, I suffered life-altering injuries in a work accident. What's new and different is that I didn't drink over any of that. In AA I was given tools to cope with those real-life events, and keep my usually insane reactions to a minimum.

Nothing in my drinking life compares to what I've found in AA.

[Rodney]

Nice looking rigid Bill thats quite a seat you have.
thanks for the reply.

[BillJ]

Originally Posted by BillJ

In AA I was given tools to cope with those real-life events, and keep my usually insane reactions to a minimum.

Speakin' of real life and insane reactions: on another thread I mentioned that I'd sold an old motorcycle to a guy who told us he was going to restore it.

I found the bike on eBay this morning, and saw he'd ended the auction early. I assumed he'd sold the bike locally, and was outraged and enraged that the guy lied to me. Never mind all the folks I've lied to in my life. How dare this joker lie to me? My mind immediately went to violence and mass destruction, and how many different ways I could ruin this guy's life.

Instead, I e-mailed him, and told him that, while I had no problem with him making money on our deal, I objected to his dishonesty. He just wrote back to tell me that (as he'd predicted when we met) his wife flipped when he brought the bike home. He listed it at a ridiculously high price to keep the peace while he worked on sweet-talking the bike to her. She finally relented, and he de-listed the bike this morning.

Boy, I would've felt silly if I'd gone over there to lay waste to his entire homestead, only to find my old motorcycle in the ashes!

So, it seems we get better, but not well. Dig?

[BillJ]

Originally Posted by Rodney

Nice looking rigid Bill thats quite a seat you have.
thanks for the reply.

Yeah, it's goofy-lookin', but my back's so messed up from my accident that I can't ride the frame-mounted butt-bucket anymore. That pogo-stick saddle should protect my spine from potholes and speed-bumps, and the backrest should ease the strain on my back muscles from sitting upright with no windshield.

If that backrest works the way I hope it will, I'm going to upholster the wood part, and paint the metal black. It'll still be goofy-lookin', but slightly less so.

[Rodney]

I didn't say it was goofy!
my buddy dean has a seat just about like that on has Electra glide minus the back rest he made the seat from an old tractor seat.

[BillJ]

You don't have to say it! I already know it!

The seat itself is actually genuine HD - a leather police saddle without the decorative skirt most civilian models sport - and I got it brand-new from the stealership late last year. It has a -25 part number!!! Given how quickly they're obsoleting new stuff these days, it's downright mind-boggling that they're still making a seat after 83 years!

That ol' boy's comfy, too!

[Rodney]

It does look comfy
I have the BIG seat for my 68 FLH but don't plan on using it.
that is amazing the dealer had that seat for your ride.

[Fulldresser4]

Welcome Rodney, you will learn alot here...these people are the cat's meow!!

[The_Hammer]

I'll try to get a pic of Mertyl on here.