24 Hour Club Sign up Sheet Part 45, All Are Welcome!
Glad you joined us and hope you will commit to staying clean and
sober for the next 24 hours. Its the weekend, let's make it one
we can be proud of!
Just post your local time and commit. Please sign in only once
daily on this thread as this is a list to make up our final roster.
Thank You!
Welcome to our Newest Members- Noolan - Sleepless3 - Arbor8 -
ArtK33 - RichPoor - calichris - SoberLeigh - higgins27
Congratulations!!
Noolan 1 week!
George3334 1 week!
Natalie17 1 week!
Stang 2 weeks!
Goldcoastgirl 2 weeks!
Alysheba 2 weeks!
gleefan 3 weeks!
Lucy7777 4 weeks!
Tempebrenn 4 weeks!
gvrecovery 1 month!
LonelyShadow 1 month!
aussieblue 1 month!
Goose1 4 months!
trudgingagain 5 months!
If I missed your special day, please send me your Date of Sobriety. I will
update asap. Also please let me know of any updates or corrections.
Did you slip? You are always welcome here. Just get honest and come back!
You are important to us and many of us have had more than one day one.
Roster will be posted 20 Hours 30 min from now at 10 pm EST USA 3/15.
Today is a special day, yukonm one of our 24 Hour Club Members has
volunteered to share her experience strength and hope and the turning
point which brought her to recovery. Take it away yukonm!
I don't share too many 'war-stories'. I can tell you that I KNOW I am an alcoholic and
addict. I began using substances to alter my moods when I was around 10 years old, it
started with cough syrup.
I was born November 13, 1953 in San Francisco, California. I was a teenager in
the Haight-Ashbury when the hippies came along and the motto was "Sex, Drugs and
Rock & Roll".
So drinking and drugging was accepted as part of the lifestyle back then. It seemed like
almost everybody was partying regardless of social status and I fell in with the party
crowd.
My party lasted much longer than most though. I had my share of incidents......passing
out from an overdose of pills, falling down stairs at a high-school game because I was
drunk. Having my stomach pumped.
I had lost relationships, jobs etc. Was in and out of rehabs but I always managed to
bounce back--only to begin the cycle again. This lasted for about 40 years.
The road to recovery for me started when I got in trouble with the law.
I had many 'close' calls down through the years but had always managed to manipulate
my way out of trouble with little or no consequences.
That is until 2007 when I saw those flashing red lights in my rear view mirror.
I'll spare the sordid details but in general I was caught driving around with a large quantity
of drugs and paraphernalia---so much so that there was no way ANYONE would have
believed it was all for personal use (which it was).
Even though I had never been in any 'real' trouble the DA wanted to 'throw the book' at
me and offered NO deal whatsoever, at first.
Thank God at the time I had enough money to hire a good attorney. (My funds were
later frozen.) I was given a deferred sentence and put on 5 years probation.
I also had to complete a drug and alcohol awareness class, attend 12-step meetings and
submit to random blood tests (which all came out of my pocket) plus pay probation
fines and court costs.
A 'deferred' sentence is different from 'diversion'. I had already plead guilty so any infraction
and I would go STRAIGHT to prison for 10 years.
The positive thing about deferment is that if all the requirements are satisfied, the case
is dropped and does not go on your record. So I was literally SCARED STRAIGHT.
I was willing to do ANYTHING to keep from going to prison. So at first my goal was NOT
to get and stay clean and sober but to avoid incarceration.
What happened is that I paid attention in the drug and awareness classes, I participated
and I learned a lot about alcoholism and addiction. I went to the 12-step meetings with
an open mind and saw people living drink and drug free who seemed happy. I began to
desire that life also.
I embraced the AA fellowship and after resisting the steps I got in enough emotional pain
to give them a try.
Well here I am six and a half years later. I have been clean and sober since Aug 21 2007.
My life is so much better now and although I still am faced with trials from time to time,
I have been given the tools to work through any situation without taking a drink or
drug.
I have an intimate, personal relationship with the "God of my understanding". I have a circle
of friends, both in and out of AA, who are also clean and sober. My life is an open-book,
I hold no more secrets. Sometimes people are surprised when I share with them how
far I have come. Many say it's hard to believe that I was once deep in the throes of
addiction.
I successfully completed all the terms of my deferment in October of 2012 and my money
was reinstated and the case was dropped and I now have a clean record.
Even though we haven't all traveled down the same road, I want you to know that we
are on the same journey. Never EVER give up........
My wish is that something I shared will give someone hope.
Thanks.
_________________________________________________
Thank You yukonm for sharing your story, you are a true inspiration!
*Song For The Day-Whitney Houston- One Moment In Time
( Whitney, we knew your struggle as we have been there,
May You Rest In peace )
If Unable to find this thread in the future, go to Search near top of page and type in Newcomer Daily Support
Threads and click GO. This is part 45!