keithj

I don't blame you for being scared, RacerX. That fear can be useful, though, when one feels like balking. There are a couple of threats in the Big Book to keep us motivated. 'Best reason first. We may not overcome drinking if we skip this vital step' in 5th Step directions. 'Remember it was agreed to in the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol' in 9th Step directions. And a few harsh death threats when talking about resentment and fear.

I'm not a big fan of fear based sobriety, and I find, thankfully, I don't have to base my sobriety on that. I do, however, have a lot of respect for the cunning baffling powerful nature of my alcoholism.

My experience was a year or two of not being able to stay sober. I went from doctors to counselors to treatment to rehab to AA without working the Steps. I don't know if I'd call that time serial relapsing or inability to get sober.

When I surrendered to the simple program and took the Steps to the best of my ability, that insane cycle stopped. I do the same things I learned to do when getting sober, following the principles of the Steps in my life, and I've stayed sober continuously for a few years now. I have a very high expectation that if I continue to do those same things, I can expect the same results.