january161992

what it was like
2nd grade - realized i don't like myself
11th grade - realized that the good things in life do not make it worth living ... the bad things in life i have no defense over.
12th grade - my life was blackness and death

then, after high school i took my first drink

driving up to san francisco, stopping in the middle of the bride and then jumping off is normal and natural thinking for me

see a problem?

clearly the alcohol was/ is not the problem

so stopping drinking was not the solution

spent the 80s isolating by myself trying to medicate and shut off from life

no serious consequences from the drinking - remember the drinking is not the problem!

what happened
at 29 and because of aa's explosive popularity, lots of people around me were getting sober. sobriety was hip slick and cool and i got caught up in it. aa includes lots of meetings girls dances great stories coffee bungee jumping surfing skiing parachuting very active

i joined for the socializing not to get sober!

in my first year all i did was go to meetings, look at the girls and listen to the stories. i did have a pink cloud and just not drinking did work for a while.

at my first year i got thrown into a locked psych ward because remember staying sober was not the solution. while there i got convinced of the unmanageability of my life and i became willing to follow directions.

got a sponsor/ did the 9 steps and got a much better life!


what it's like now
did the 9 steps and i'm still doing 10, 11 and 12 today

married 21 years
great relationship with parents/ siblings
employed at same job 15 years
giant property tax paying homeowner
corvette - always wanted one!

active in service:

secretary a weekly speaker meeting
sponsor guys at weekly salvation army H&I meeting

God bless,
David