goodnsober

I am coming up to my one year SD in AA. I have had a slip in that year with drugs. I have practiced the AA way, and feel great about not drinking. If I have would have went back to my old ways of drinking......I might not even be here to type this. I am proud of my upcoming one year sobriety. Am looking for input about getting my one year chip? I could have drank any of these days in the past year....but knew not to. Now with my hard work and perseverance I have made it almost one full year with no booze!!! I think I have have done well and knowing that I was dually addicted proud of the sober time. Now looking forward to the clean time as well. But need input of taking my one year AA chip.

sugarbear1

This may be better in the 12 step forum on alcoholism.

langkah

Wouldn't it be easier to have a sobriety date, and celebrate that? You could of course have an alcohol-free date as well as different pot, meth, x, and coke clean dates, but that would mean eating a lot of cakes. Then you could have an OA date too.

If you head south you and go on a toot you could then have a bunch of US dates to celebrate as well as all your normal Canadian dates.

One guy I heard about talked about having 89 days but got wasted for 4 days that week, so in his mind he now has 85 days.

Or, maybe this whole thing is not about days or dates at all, but about something else yet to be discovered in your journey?

DayTrader

You can get a 10 year coin if you want one.

You can drink today and get a 20 year chip if you tell em you deserve one.

For me, I try to remember that warning in "How it Works" that reminds me success in the AA program involves honesty. We all have our own perceptions of what honesty means to us and I'm not God so I can't tell you what honesty means to you and how it applies in this situation.

Considering you're in AA then I'd advise you to do what we do.......apply the principles of the steps to our reality, to the situations in life that come up, and seek the truth with the help and guidance of the HP of our choosing. So, along those lines, I try to identify if I'm trying to manage something.....if I'm trying to impress MY WILL upon a situation or whether I'm accepting my true place and roll and trusting God. Am I doing what I WANT or what the God of my understanding wants? Am I seeking out a better relationship with this HP who's help I need so much and, as a thank-you, am I trying to live my life as He would want me to?

CAN you? sure. SHOULD you? - thats up to you, your conscience, your sponsor, and your HP to sort out. I marked YES because you can..... should you....that's the question......and it's tough questions like that I've found the best answers to in prayer.

Leemzer

I agree here. The choice is ultimately yours....but you are asking, so apparently there is some conflict going on. And guilt. If not getting that chip means that you are forever going to feel like this year of alcohol sobriety is going to be taken from you, then take the chip. But alcohol is a drug too. And drugs are of course drugs. Would I take the chip? I don't know. I do know this: all of this is a process. If I ever slip up, which I hope I do not EVER, then I will still think of March 26, 2012 as my sober date, but will think of that relapse date also....just as I still consider it a huge accomplishment that I went from january 5, 2010 to Thanksgiving Day 2010 without a drink...the difference for me is I CONTINUED to drink from Thanksgiving 2010 up until 12 days ago.......but if I had only slipped once, I don't know I would have the strength in my heart to go back to Day 1 and start all over......But, as this wise soul above said, it is truly up to you. If it causes immense psychic conflict that your "whole year" of sobriety from alcohol was ruined by just one slip-up, then the ultimate decision is yours. A date only has the meaning we attach to it....and must live with whatever attachments we have associated with it....but be careful not to just be ruled by dates alone....in the big scheme of things you have accomplished A LOT in a year to have only had one slip up and not to have had a drink at all..........I guess what I am saying is: What does the slip-up really mean to you? It is obviously very important in some way or it would not be weighing heavily on your conscience.

onlythetruth

This is a great reason not to put a lot of stock in "chips". Who cares about a chip? Has your life improved since you gave up the alcohol? If yes, then celebrate your accomplishment. The chip is not the accomplishment.

Sapling

Some people in AA really care about getting a chip.....I've watched some hopeless guy come into the rooms and struggle to make it 30 days and get a thirty day chip....And just keep staring at it for the entire meeting....I don't see anything wrong with that. Something as simple as that can mean a lot to somebody. It did for him.

onlythetruth

Nothing is wrong with that....but it's causing a problem for the OP, who is worried enough about the chip that his (or her) recognition of his (or her) accomplishment is in jeopardy.

So to him (or her), I say: who cares about a chip? If a year without alcohol is meaningful to you, celebrate it!

Sapling

Gotcha OTT...That chip...I wouldn't take it.

stairs

IMO, getting a chip is fun! Everybody's clapping, people hug you or shake your hand, and the bigger the meeting the better! It's a positive affirmation of continuous sobriety.

miamifella

onlythetruth--I think the chip is forcing the crisis for goodnsober, making him really question what it means to be sober.

That is a good thing. I do not think that it is a problem at all. He is using the chip to really examine his own values. He is using it to challenge his beliefs.

The outcome of that can not be bad, whatever he decides.

onlythetruth

Good point, miamifella.

Thinking things through and reflecting on your own values is, indeed, a good thing.

sober4metoday

All you did was replace alcohol with drugs when you were weak. I think you're being disingenuous to the program but more importantly to yourself. Congrats on one year alcohol free though - that's awesome. Having one year sober is next!

Mark75

Hmm, chips, coins, whatever.

I don't have any past my one year date, I didn't order one or have one presented, though I am 3.5 years without drink or drug. At this time in my journey, they are not that important to me. I can get one whenever I want to, just order one up, but for some reason I don't. Maybe there will come a time when I will feel differently.

I sometimes wonder why I don't care that much about having one. Maybe I lack humility, seriously, it sounds counterintuitive to say that, but like it has been said, the coin has meaning, or not, to the individual. Or maybe I see them as superficial, in the same category as all those slogans and stuff. I don't really know and I am comfortable with not knowing.

There are three sides to the triangle .... Recovery, Unity, Service. It's there, on the coin... Are you recovered 1 year? Do you feel unified with the other AAs? Do you provide service... anything, talk to a newcomer, share your experience, make coffee?

Your call. Not mine or anybody else's here.

hardy

First I am not involved with AA or NA so my opinion doesn't hold much weight. I think people are being hard on you and not letting you be proud that you've managed to stay away from alcohol. In a perfect world, you would stop alcohol and drugs and I'm sure that is your goal. Sometimes it seems to me that some people on here that have at least a few years of sobriety, tend to be harsh if others haven't gotten there yet. That's my perception so think of it what you will. I understand why you want that chip and I think you deserve it but I think you should be honest with your group. That way you can feel good about making it a year but not feeling like your hiding things fro your group. If they don't think you should get your chip then I'd listen to what they tell you. When you have so many things you know you need to overcome, it's okay to celebrate one success at a time. If you let others tell you that your not doing it right or how they want you to do it, you will think you aren't making progress. I'm not saying to keep using drugs, but I am happy you are doing well at least with alcohol. Why not start day one without drugs on your year alcohol date and then next year you can decide if you want the one year or two year chip.

Lily

I dunno.....I myself am an addict alcoholic and I would never feel okay w/ getting a chip if I got high. See, the fact that we pick up is deeper than just picking up....do we know how to live w/out holding resentments? Are we being honest in all our affairs? How about criticism, self pity, intolerance, jealousy, anger and fear? These are the character defects we need to be working on improving not just staying clean and sober.

blessings, Lily

keepfinding2

Not sure what the all mighty rule is here. All prescriptions are ok and AA is about alcohol. I'd say you could do crack and still pick up your chip because you didn't drink, but that whole overlap seems like a grey area.

Spawn

What does your conscience say?

Firehazard

My answer is a definate NO on the chip but a personal congrats on the year alcohol free. What answer has your sponsor given you?

goodnsober

Wow thanks for all the insight!!! I have been honest with my group said that I have used. I just know that it was a hard road to get to the one year no drinking.