At each meeting I attended and when
I eventually felt like I learned enough
lessons in recovery and AA, I always
begin with introducing myself and say,
Im Sharon and Im an Alcoholic.
Family did an intervention on me yrs
ago back in 8-1990 where they did for
me what I certainly wasn't capable of
doing for my own self. Getting help to
understand my addiction, what it was,
what was causing me to drink and not
being able to control it.
They were able to place me into the
care of those knowledgeable about
addiction and teach me a program
of recovery or plant a seed of this
AA program filled with steps and
principles to incorporate and live
by in my everyday life one day at
a time that I chose not to drink.
In my 28 day rehab experience,
before I was released, it was suggested
for me to ask several people to become
my temporary sponsor. Not permanent,
but temporary till I felt comfortable asking
for one to be permanent.
It scared the heck out of me to walk
up to a stranger and ask, but realized
the lesson asked of me to complete
in order to move forward.
One lady who picked me up to
go outside the facility and drive
us to an AA meeting became the
one who I wanted to pattern my
recovery life after.
Anyway, once I returned home,
to my marriage and children, I
began my new sober life completing
my 6 week outpatient program
and attending many many meetings
because it was the only place I felt
safe and secured amongst others
learning to remain sober each day
and were very similar to me in the
way that we all have a common
problem and would be using the
same solution and program to listen,
learn, absorb and apply in all our
affairs.
It took me along time before I was
able to actually feel comfortable
around all these total strangers,
yet I continued to suit up and show
up because I needed to stay connected
to my recovery lifeline.
I learned a lot from my sponsor in
the way she was very well liked and
accepted amongst her peers, family
and recovery members. It was by her
unselfishness, kindness, committement
to recovery and service work that made
me admire and respect her that I wanted
more than anything.
I learned to bake many wonderful
foods to bring to my many meetings
which folks sooooo enjoyed to go
along with their coffee. It also allowed
me to get out of my selfishness or
selfseeking thoughts or behaviors.
For a long time I repeated this process,
remaining sober but never stayed long
once the meetings were over. I did my
part each day then returned to my family.
So many at these meetings would stand
together before or after meetings to
chit chat but I gathered my belongings
and hurried back to my car filled with
so much anxiety.
So many of these folks were either
career, working folks where as I often
felt like a meer child, and was an at home
mom with nothing in common to speak with
around them, so I left hurriedly.
I went to speaker meetings where
I could just sit and listen. I went to
step and big book studies, passed
sometimes when reading and again
hurried home.
Over time I had acquired some AA recovery
time behind me, relocated, divorced, went
thru many many changes in my life
remaining sober to get me to where
I am today.
This recovery journey didn't happen
over night, yet all these one days at
a time sober has given me more strength,
wisdom and courage to continue living
life accepting people, places and things
just as they are meant to be without
question.
Im not one to have to be in the middle
of everyone in recovery. My recovery
life belongs to me and I live it by following
the steps and all that was taught to me
over the yrs by many of those who learned
themselves how to remain sober each day.
Not all those ive come across in my
life are perfect and neither and I. I
often take what I want or need in life
and recovery that will further me along
in my own journey and leave the rest.
No 2 people work the same exact program
so no one is placed on a pedestal. Folks have
paved the way for me to follow using the AA
program of recovery as well as other means
of a successful recovery program to help.
If you live with kindness, caringness,
understanding, honesty, sobriety
and other awesome qualities in life,
then that is what id want too for myself
even if our paths never cross in person.
