Originally Posted by
Delfin 
I try to maintain a healthy fear (not a paralyzing one) of alcohol. I don't want to get all relaxed about it because I have some time after my belt, or get lulled into thinking I'm "cured". When I read about people with years of sobriety relapsing and never coming back from it, it sends shivers down my back. Don't want that to be me.
Delfin
It is not a bad idea to get right alongside these folks and ask them what it was they did or where not doing that caused their failure, then maybe you can avoid the same mistake.
I am always interested in this and have asked a lot of folks over the years. Meetings dont seem to be a common theme. Some stopped meetings, others didn't. The ones that stopped meetings did so mostly because it was adrag, they weren't getting anything out of it.
But if you look a little deeper you might find steps and actively working with others are the common missing ingredients.
As early as page 14, Ebby warns Bill that faith without works is dead, and without works we will not survive the certain trials and low spost ahead. He tells Bill up front that life is not going to be a bed of roses and he best prepare for that through self sacrifice and service to others.
My self and anonther member of our group had similar (tragic) events happen in our lives. We had both been sober a long time. It never occured to me to drink, but my friend got loaded the day the news broke.
A couple of years later, I looked back to try and find the reason, and the only difference between us was that I was sponsoring a couple of guys and active in a home group, just in a modest way as I had a lot on my plate, and my friend was doing neither. BTW, my friend did get back from that relapse and is now pretty active.
Ebby was right on the money.