TTOSBT

Wow.

I am very involved in AA and we have a pretty tight group of sober woman in my community. There is a woman that has been around for a couple of months. She is a casual friend of mine. I just gave her a 60 day token and I will occasionally give her rides to the meetings as she does not drive.

Last night I was at my sponsor's apartment when we heard a loud crash. We ran outside to the street in front of the complex. There was a car that had side swiped another car, jumped the sidewalk, flattened a tire, shattered their windshield. We ran up and the passenger got out and immediately said he did not know the driver was drinking. There was an open bottle on the backseat.

Well, completely out of it in the front seat was the woman I know that I just gave a 60 day token to. She is now sitting in jail and probably will be for a good long time. She did not have a license as she had already gotten a DUI and she was trying to get custody of her kids back. Now that is gone for the moment.

But for the grace of God, go I......
This was a huge wake up call for me. I know that I am just one drink away from destroying what I have worked so hard to accomplish these last 6 months.

I pray for the alcoholic that still suffers

espresso

"Cunning, Baffling and Powerful"

Dean62

Thank you for keeping me green today.

That was me twice in one month before they put me in jail for six months.

Spiritual fitness gives me a daily reprieve from ever having to go back there again.
:ghug

CarolD

Prayers for her...that this will be her final bottom.

You and the other strong sober women will be
there if she wants to start fresh.

queenteree

I am not an A, I usually post over at F&F cause my husband is one. This really hit home for me, as he was once sober for over 15 years without a single relapse, relapsed several years ago, has been to rehab twice in the past 1 1/2 years and was recently sober for over 4 months after he was days away from death due to complications from alcoholism. I really thought that was his bottom. He has now relapsed for over 2 weeks (was sober 2 days in between in order to go to his court ordered treatment) and just last week almost crashed his car (he was severely intoxicated), and the police gave him a ride home (instead of arresting him). He's still drinking and driving today. I pray for all the alcoholics, not just for the ones that still suffer, but even recovering ones, that God keep you, watch over you and guide you because this truly is the most cunning, baffling and powerful disease I have ever known. God bless you all.

TTOSBT

Thank you so much Queentree for sharing your story.
Wow, I am so sorry for you and your husband both.
That is terrifying and SO good for me to hear!

Astro

Gulp. Wow! Thank you for sharing, it's a sobering (pun intended) reminder of where the disease can take us.

Harley3801

.
Thanks for sharing that, TTOSBT . . . . a frightening reminder that I am only one drink away from a sad, lonely life. I hope your friend finds her way back to sobriety again.

Pelican

Thanks for the share TTOSBT & Queenteree....
powerful message.

I am thankful for my sobriety.
One day at a time.

Tazman53

Thanks for the share TTOSBT, we have a guy in my area that I beleive is in jail for vehicular man slaughter now. He was sober for over 22 years and let go of his program and thought he could drink again. He got 2 DUIs in less then a month and would have had a 3rd, but the cop gave him a break because he totalled his motorcylce and tore himself up pretty bad......... Well not long after that he T-boned a Mother and her young daughter and killed the daughter....... drunk!

Queenteree thank you, you and yours stay in my prayers.

TTOSBT

Wow Taz!
That is certainly sobering. This is one messed up disease, isn't it?
The one thing I get from all these stories is, could I dig a little deeper, could I work a little harder? Relapsing terrifies me. I do believe that I could die from that first drink. When I heard about my friend, I could literally picture myself doing the exact same thing.

So today, I will pray a little harder, do a little more step work than I planned, call another woman in AA in addition to my sponsor and get to a meeting.

Thank you all.

doorknob

That's pretty scary. I'm very lucky to have never hurt anyone or stacked my ride.

Zencat

I hear one can be recovered from alcoholism, but I haven't heard that the recovered are immune from relapse.

TTOSBT

Wow.
Today I went on my first 12 step call, to see this woman in a psychiatric institution.
They deemed her accident a suicide attempt as there were no skid marks and she told them at the scene that she was just "sick of it all". They have her on a 72 hour hold.

So, me and 4 other alcoholics went to see her. She was pretty medicated and I am not sure that we helped but you know what? Now I know why they call this a selfish program. Because I got more out of it than her probably.

Wow. I have seen from which I have come and I never want to go back. We did not discuss details but rather brought the meeting to her. We told her that we would love her until she learned to love herself. We shared our experience, strength and hope. That is all we can do.

I pray for the alcoholic that still suffers, in and out of the rooms.

Tazman53

Being recovered is a daily reprieve given us dependant daily upon our spiritual condition.

Did you do this for yourself or for her?

Yes you may have got more out of it then her at the time, but the act of 12th stepping her was a selfless act, if you were selfish you would have never gone out of your way to 12th step her.

I have heard it said in the rooms that you have to give it away in order to keep it.

You did a selfless act to help your fellow man, as a result you were rewarded.

Did you do this to get a reward? If you did not then you were rewarded for a selfless act.

Pam08

This stuff is so scarey if you really think about it. we are for the rest of our lives living on the edge of a cliff. I see people who go to AA atleast 5 days a week who have 20 plus years sobriety, I was like what the " " at first, but I am now realising how bad this all is and how I am going to have to live the rest ofmy life with AA and this forum. I need to embrace my higher power and pray that I can be saved. I know I am still here for he given me a second chance at life. I just hope I can do my part and stay strong and sober.

TTOSBT

Thanks Taz. Nope, I did this for her, I thought. I was just amazed at how much I ended up getting out of it! I really do love this program.

Boleo

Contrary to popular beliefs, it is not necessary to stay "on the edge of a cliff".

Read this 10th step promise (p. 85) carefully and see if it sounds like a danger zone?

"We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it.
We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected."

Fulldresser4

Boleo....I usually don't get into this kind of discussion, but I respectfully disagree.
In MY opinion, we are all but one drink away from a drunk.

Boleo

Back when I thought the AA program was about psychological tricks and
tips, I agreed with this slogan "I just have to realize that I am one drink away from my next drunk".

Now that I believe it is the spiritual principles learned in the steps that keep me sober, I have changed my slogan to:

"I just have to realize that I am one infinitely powerful God away
from my next drunk"

I know this might sound cocky to some, but for those who believe in
the 10th step promise (page 85 of the Big Book)

"We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality -
safe and protected".