Pinkcuda

I have another birthday coming up this month and I have a stack of chips that seem to be just sitting there. The only chip that has any value is the latest one.
I thought about returning them to save the group a few bucks. The group has hundreds of them and plenty of money.
I thought about putting them in a scrapbook with a description of what was happening in my life as well as my sobriety at the time. Mostly they sit on the windowsill in my kitchen and collect dust. I would like to give them some sort of useful purpose whether it be useful to myself or of some help to others. What do you guys do?

tiburon88

I threw them all out because for me, it sets me up to relapse.

Pinkcuda

I wasn't expecting that answer. Why is that?

Jfanagle

I have always given mine to friends who have celebrated that particular milestone. I have always believed that we get more in AA when we give it away. I have always encouraged those to whom I gave the chip to do the same when they see someone reach that same length of sober life.

One side note is that sometimes when I have passed on a "recycled chip" the individual and I have talked about what this point in sobriety was like for me. It promotes the sharing of a common journey that I think AA is all about, at least for me.

Jon

cookconfay

I have so many chips that I could start my own group! No kidding! I keep them in a coffee can. If a new group springs up and is struggling...I can pass them on.....only ones I would pass on are the desire chips. My yearly medallions are what I truly value.

tanyapmc

I am only 7 3/4 months sober (who's counting right?) I have my desire chip, 30 day, 60 day, 90 day and 6 month chip on my keychain. I had a hole put thru them. And I can't wait to get the 9 month chip to add to my collection. I am still new at this and love to see the chips. Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth. Have a good one

cookconfay

Congrats Tanya!!!! One day is a miracle and that's all any of us REALLY have huh?

tiburon88

The reason why pinkcuda is because I have like ten 30 day chips, a bunch of 3 and 6 months and a few 9 month chips. lol I don't count sobriety days anymore because it's not that important. I no longer let AA/NA judge whether or not I've been good or bad. I know, I know it helps many of you stay sober and that's great. However, for me (and some others I've talked to) it is hurtful and shameful.

Kellye C

I have chips for every month of that first year, 1 year, 18 month, 2 year and now 3 year. This topic actually just came up in our group conscience meeting a while back and a chip donation drive was suggested but so far nothing has happened.

I like the idea of passing it along to someone else and sharing where you were at at that point or perhaps passing them along to a sponsee. I haven't had much luck at the sponsoring thing yet so I don't know if I'll ever get that chance to pass my chips along to a sponsee but I think it would be cool.

Currently my first years worth of chips are sitting in a cup in my room. My 9 mo, 1 yr, 18mo, 2 yr, 3yr and desire chip are in my purse. Not sure why.

Take care,
Kellye

Pinkcuda

Sorry to hear that tiburon88. My 6 month chip is a keeper. There is a man in our group that had about a month more than I did. In our box of chips there were several cheap aluminium chips and 1 shiney brass 6 month chip. That person relapsed in his fifth month. I now have his shiney brass chip,and he knows it. He hasn't relapsed since and I haven't either. That 6 month chip is the only one I want. It has special value to me as well as him. We have been friends now for years. Every now and then I let him see it and hold onto it. He says if I relapse, he will too. That way he can fanagle a way to get that chip.
There's also a chip in that box with my name on it. It's a 47 year chip that destined to go to Bob. Bob died on us about 6 monyhs shy and the chip is still there waiting for someone in the group. We know that none of us are going to live that long, but we still joke about it.
For some these are just stupid little tokens of something that normal people take for granted. For some it is a major acomplishment. I have fun with them. Reminding me not to take this sobriety Sh##t too seriously. Once you take something too serious, it's no longer enjoyable. If it's not enjoyable, it's just not worth it. Larrys 6 month chip keeps me smiling.

tiburon88

I see how it helps many people pinkcuda but for those who struggle to maintain sobriety and "go back out" frequently it becomes almost like a sick joke. I just view it as one aspect of the dark side of AA.

Pinkcuda

AA is really sketchy and vague when it comes to how to stay off the booze. They tell all sorts of stories of why you should and what the benefits are. But "How" is a little rougher. I spent a long time sitting on my hands wishing for an easier way, but I didn't find one. I had the support and I had the friends. Unfortunatley, I had the desire to drink too. It get's easier as time goes on. Hang in there, I'm rooting for you!

NOMOMERLOTMAMMA

Tiburon,

I'm really sorry that it seems like you had a bad experience with AA. That sucks. I've found nothing but acceptance in the rooms.

big hugs,

Karen

nandm

Pinkcuda,
My experience with A.A. was totally different than yours. I found the how in the first 164 pages of the book. I followed the suggestions, went to 90 meetings in 90 days, got a sponsor, listened to the similarities, got a home group, and found a support group. I guess I am fortunate that I did not attend the meetings you did. Hope you are having a better experience with A.A. this time.

nandm

I keep my current one handy. I put it in my pocket when I am having a rough time. It helps me keep hope and faith that things will change if I just give it time.

The others, I have given some back to my home group, some I have passed on to friends, and I have given each of my children one.

I have kept my 24 hour chip as I find it the most important one. I keep it on my desk. By keeping it I am reminded that I only have to work on today, I can not change the past, and the future is something that I may not live to see.

SaTiT

i keep some, i give some away.
you know, i can only keep what i have by giving it away.
I polish mine thou, first they got shining becuase I was
rubbing it all the time.
but i got a dremel for X-mas one year.lol

Tazman53

I carry my 24 hour chip in my pocket at all times. Why? Well in reality that is all any of us really has, is the present 24 hours. I also keep it in my pocket because I always try to pay with exact change if possible and who knows, maybe one day I will go to buy a 12 pack..... reach in my pocket for exact change and pull out my 24 hour coin.... it will sure make me think before I buy! The rest of my chips I keep in a drawer at home, but after reading Jons post I am going to start passing my older ones on to my sponsee.

We had a guy last month share that he actually picked up a 24 hour chip after going 5 years without a drink! The reason he did that was he had been on the "Marajuana Maintenance Program" and said he finally woke up and realized as long as he was smoking dope he was not sober, he had to be honest with himself! Oh yea the topic was "Chips & what they mean to you"

Tiburon you said:
AA/NA judges no one........ in reality we judge our selfs, we are our own harshest judge, I judge myself with far stricter standards then I would ever judge some one else. Why? Because I know the whole truth about me.

When I was drinking I used to lie to every one about my drinking, especially my wife, I used to always feel that she was judging me for my lying when in reality I was actually judging myself because I knew the truth....... I was guilty as charged! Once I became totally honest with myself and others I no longer felt that anyone was judging me, because I knew the whole truth, I knew that I was no longer living a lie so I was able to honestly say to myself "I am no longer living a lie, I am actually innocent.... and honest"

My 24 hour chip and every chip I have picked up since mean a lot to me because I know deep inside of me that I honestly earned them and by picking them up I am giving hope to those with less time then me and when they congradulate me on my time I can look them honestly right in the eye and say "Thanks" because I know the truth in my heart resulting in not feeling that any one is judging me.

Pilgrim

I had a chip sent to me by someone in SR. It was a 30 day chip and the fact that she sent it to me meant the world to me and made a special bond between us - from half way round the world. I keep it in my bedside drawer.

Then I found meetings here that give them out. So the next time I got a month, I got another chip. I drank again cos I hadn't done the steps yet. I had it in my purse and someone in a meeting said they just got to a month so I gave it to him. He was over the moon. He stared at it for ages and he was very grateful. He had a little tear in his eye. I think chips are cool.

RufusACanal

I carry a silver half dollar from my birth year as my chip. Those that I received over the years have gone to sponsees and other members on their birthdays. "You can't keep it unless you give it away," my first Sponsor told me can always start at the chip. Who knows where he picked up this jewel of a lesson, but it has helped me in making significant each milestone for my sponsee. There is to me something extremely special in this new life when someone gives their coin as recognition of progress to the new person.

Like Taz, I too carry my chip in my pocket. Franklin's face has damn near been rubbed off as I finger in my pocket through out the day. It is a constant reminder of who I am; not the Half Dollar itself, but the part it plays in my life. This chip represents a myriad assortment of success and failure, ever reminding me that the cost of giving up is too high NOW in this new life.

GrouchoTheCat

I don't carry a chip, I wear a silver ring that has "Unity, Service, Recovery" and the AA symbol ingraved on the inside. I remove it every evening and I put it back on every morning. I think of it as my prayer ring because it reminds me to say my prayers.

It works for me!

Ted