Originally Posted by earlyriser

I will be headed to my home group meeting tomorrow am (where I attended my first 2 and 1/2 months ago). Haven't had a drink in that time, and am attending two meetings a week and checking in here every day and evening.
I have a sponsor and have begun working the steps, reading lots of AA literature, and listening to AA speaker podcasts. It is working for me. Somehow I don't feel real qualified yet to give advice - I have had it it in my head I should get past my previous sobriety record of 8 months before I consider myself successful enough to tell someone else what works. But then I see others newly sober, maybe on their nth attempt, and find their advice and insight is very helpful, so I will try to feel freer to share myself.

It's Friday night and I am hosting a dear friend's special needs son. He was my neighbor for years, and his son has been part of our life since he was 14. He is now 22, but still like a 14 year old in many ways. He has numerous issues, having been born to a drug abusing mother, and he endured some unfathomable things while in foster care, including having hot oil thrown at him by a psychotic foster parent. My friend adopted him shortly after this, when he was 4. They moved across the country about a year ago and the son has been very unhappy there, and misses his life here. We arranged a week long stay with us, which included some very tense moments, as he flew here alone, on Delta Airlines, in the midst of the whole computer shutdown they experienced. He is ecstatic to be here, and it is wonderful to see his joy in revisiting his old haunts.
The point of this is that while I may have wanted to help out, if I were drinking I would never put myself out there for this. I'd have been too concerned it might disrupt my drinking and partying, and would have settled for some sympathetic words of BS for my friend, but no real action to be a true helping friend.
But I am sober, and can be totally present for this, thanks to SR, AA and my HP I am reconnecting with. I am so much more useful sober. And I eat a lot more ice cream.