Experience, Strength, and Hope
Old & Sober Member of AA
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Nursing Home in Brick, New Jersey
Posts: 5,174
Experience, Strength, and Hope
I looked for a thread that I posted to yesterday, and was sorry to see it closed...although I'm sure the admin must have had a good reason for doing so. I will defer to the experience of that admin with regard to what should (or should not) be continued on this forum.
However, there was one little bit posted by the last person that intrigued me.
The "25 years of experience" referred to was experience in drinking...we all know how that goes. But, this place is called Sober Recovery...so, hopefully we'll share more of our Experience, Strength, and Hope in getting/staying sober...hopefully!
However, there was one little bit posted by the last person that intrigued me.
time of sobriety is not as important as for you to realize you have had a problem for 25 years. 25 years of experience with anything is an astounding qualifier in my book. belief is a hardball, but belief inside a fellowship is bronzed hardball. we must have an open mind, an unjudgemental attitude, and our own definition-- of ourselves. thank you for posting, it is what i was looking for at this site. openness and truth.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Murfreesboro, TN
Posts: 595
Hey Jersey Girl,
Montclair huh? I was born and raised in Cranford. Havent been back since '98 for 30th HS reunion. Still love Cranford and that whole area. New Jersey takes a pretty good beating from the comedians, but if they only knew about anything other than Newark, Jersey City, and Bayone, they'd change their tune.
About you thread, I see you've been sober since '79. For me, it was '86. It's been a very interesting journey for me. I don't need to go into much detail about the experience of drinking. We all have the same story more or less.
What I've found today is that after taking so much from the program in the first few years, I've been able to give back only a small portion. But God has blessed me in so many ways it's hard to write them all down.
I will say that I spent 10 years away from AA. It wasn't so much a conscious decision to stay away, it just seems that life got in the way. Well, you know how it is with untreated alcoholism. Those ten years were the worst years of my life. Four very painful depressive episodes and drowning in fear.
In November of '03 I found myself in tears in my office. Drinking hasn't been an option for me for quite some time. So there I was, in the most painful emotional state I'd ever been in. Luckily I had the sense to call my doc whom I've known for years. Started seeing a psych again, got the meds straightened out. But a thought occured to me that maybe I should start going to meetings again. Well I know darn good and well that I was smart enough to think of that. I know that God was taking pity on me and showing me the way He knew I needed to go.
Here I am, 31/2 years later. As happy as I've ever been. I am trying to be what God and the program of AA intended for me to be...of maximum service to others. My great joy is seeing peoples lives transformed, families restored, and the general progress that's out there, especially here on SR.
Well, that's a little about me. I was at a meeting alst night and happened to hear someone say how good they felt. Then someone else followed up with "This too shall pass." I couldn't help but respond once the meeting started. I tired to remind this person that no...it doesn't have to pass if you don't want it to. Of course there will be days here and there where circumstances aren't the best, but I know for me, that the God of my understanding will let me be as happy as I want for as long as I want.
Yours in sobriety,
Ed
Montclair huh? I was born and raised in Cranford. Havent been back since '98 for 30th HS reunion. Still love Cranford and that whole area. New Jersey takes a pretty good beating from the comedians, but if they only knew about anything other than Newark, Jersey City, and Bayone, they'd change their tune.
About you thread, I see you've been sober since '79. For me, it was '86. It's been a very interesting journey for me. I don't need to go into much detail about the experience of drinking. We all have the same story more or less.
What I've found today is that after taking so much from the program in the first few years, I've been able to give back only a small portion. But God has blessed me in so many ways it's hard to write them all down.
I will say that I spent 10 years away from AA. It wasn't so much a conscious decision to stay away, it just seems that life got in the way. Well, you know how it is with untreated alcoholism. Those ten years were the worst years of my life. Four very painful depressive episodes and drowning in fear.
In November of '03 I found myself in tears in my office. Drinking hasn't been an option for me for quite some time. So there I was, in the most painful emotional state I'd ever been in. Luckily I had the sense to call my doc whom I've known for years. Started seeing a psych again, got the meds straightened out. But a thought occured to me that maybe I should start going to meetings again. Well I know darn good and well that I was smart enough to think of that. I know that God was taking pity on me and showing me the way He knew I needed to go.
Here I am, 31/2 years later. As happy as I've ever been. I am trying to be what God and the program of AA intended for me to be...of maximum service to others. My great joy is seeing peoples lives transformed, families restored, and the general progress that's out there, especially here on SR.
Well, that's a little about me. I was at a meeting alst night and happened to hear someone say how good they felt. Then someone else followed up with "This too shall pass." I couldn't help but respond once the meeting started. I tired to remind this person that no...it doesn't have to pass if you don't want it to. Of course there will be days here and there where circumstances aren't the best, but I know for me, that the God of my understanding will let me be as happy as I want for as long as I want.
Yours in sobriety,
Ed
Old & Sober Member of AA
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Nursing Home in Brick, New Jersey
Posts: 5,174
I've learned many, many useful life-lessons in the rooms of AA...among them to appreciate the good feelings during the good times...because, just as that "nay-sayer" pointed out, the good feelings/times are too often replaced by those annoyingly painful speed-bumps of life.
The most important thing is that we don't give in to temptation or use the bad/sad times as an excuse to drink again...no matter what...and, we can stay sober no matter what.
In very early sobriety, I was in a lot of emotional pain...the break-up of a 25-year marriage...having to get rid of our beautiful house...the brutal rape of my 15 year-old daughter...my two sons slowly becoming alcoholics/addicts. And, I heard someone say, "Pain is optional." I vehemently challenged that notion...how dare anyone imply that I actually chose to be in all this pain!?!
Then, I read in one of my meditation books that, "Pain is inevitable...Suffering is optional." The pain will come and go...it's what I choose to do with it...how I work through it...that will determine how much/how long I will suffer.
I hope this makes as much sense as it did to me, and that it will be helpful to anyone going through a "bad/sad time".
The most important thing is that we don't give in to temptation or use the bad/sad times as an excuse to drink again...no matter what...and, we can stay sober no matter what.
In very early sobriety, I was in a lot of emotional pain...the break-up of a 25-year marriage...having to get rid of our beautiful house...the brutal rape of my 15 year-old daughter...my two sons slowly becoming alcoholics/addicts. And, I heard someone say, "Pain is optional." I vehemently challenged that notion...how dare anyone imply that I actually chose to be in all this pain!?!
Then, I read in one of my meditation books that, "Pain is inevitable...Suffering is optional." The pain will come and go...it's what I choose to do with it...how I work through it...that will determine how much/how long I will suffer.
I hope this makes as much sense as it did to me, and that it will be helpful to anyone going through a "bad/sad time".
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