New to the boards and AA/sobriety
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: California
Posts: 4
New to the boards and AA/sobriety
Greetings everyone!
My name is Duane and I have 14 days sober today!
I have been a daily drinker after 4 for the last 20 years of my life. I had tried to quit on my own many times in the last 10 years and managed to "white knuckle" anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks before I fell. I turned to AA because I needed to try something different.
I have been to 16 meetings in 14 days. I have what I consider my home meeting at 7 am every morning with a great group of people. I show up, listen, interact, stay after and help clean up. I have a Sponser that I secured at my first meeting and I am starting on step 4 at the moment with journaling.
I was told about these forums by someone in my home meeting this morning and I am stoked to find you all. I am having my second full hip replacement Oct 7 and I will not be able to make meetings for at least 2-4 weeks. I will be able to walk with a cane a couple weeks after, it's just sitting in those chairs that may present some difficulties.
Anyway, I wanted introduce myself before I subscribed to the Sept 2013 thread and the under a year thread. I look forward to furthering my recovery with ever more support outside of my home meetings!
Thanks,
Duane
My name is Duane and I have 14 days sober today!
I have been a daily drinker after 4 for the last 20 years of my life. I had tried to quit on my own many times in the last 10 years and managed to "white knuckle" anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks before I fell. I turned to AA because I needed to try something different.
I have been to 16 meetings in 14 days. I have what I consider my home meeting at 7 am every morning with a great group of people. I show up, listen, interact, stay after and help clean up. I have a Sponser that I secured at my first meeting and I am starting on step 4 at the moment with journaling.
I was told about these forums by someone in my home meeting this morning and I am stoked to find you all. I am having my second full hip replacement Oct 7 and I will not be able to make meetings for at least 2-4 weeks. I will be able to walk with a cane a couple weeks after, it's just sitting in those chairs that may present some difficulties.
Anyway, I wanted introduce myself before I subscribed to the Sept 2013 thread and the under a year thread. I look forward to furthering my recovery with ever more support outside of my home meetings!
Thanks,
Duane
Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Probably my living room. Maybe my bedroom if I'm feeling lazy
Posts: 1,085
Welcome, Egotrip!
Great job throwing yourself into the program. It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Are you actually on step 4 with your sponsor or are you just getting a bit ahead? If it's the former and you've already done the first 3 steps, good for you. If not, no need to get ahead of yourself. Obviously there is no set time to complete each step. Some people breeze through them. I didn't finish my fourth until this past Thursday (I have 6 months on the 28th). My fourth took me 1.5 months to get everything down on paper. Just don't forget steps 1, 2 and 3! So very important.
You make me miss my 7:15am daily meeting. It was my home group for the first couple of months until my work schedule got in the way. I really need to get back there soon.
Congrats on your 14 days!
Great job throwing yourself into the program. It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Are you actually on step 4 with your sponsor or are you just getting a bit ahead? If it's the former and you've already done the first 3 steps, good for you. If not, no need to get ahead of yourself. Obviously there is no set time to complete each step. Some people breeze through them. I didn't finish my fourth until this past Thursday (I have 6 months on the 28th). My fourth took me 1.5 months to get everything down on paper. Just don't forget steps 1, 2 and 3! So very important.
You make me miss my 7:15am daily meeting. It was my home group for the first couple of months until my work schedule got in the way. I really need to get back there soon.
Congrats on your 14 days!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: California
Posts: 4
Thanks everyone for the welcome.
@ digdug. I totally agree with you on not rushing. I have been asked to write as much as I can about fear, anger and resentment by my sponsor as well as reading in the big book. I will have a long six week recovery from surgery and I believe my sponsor is trying to prepare me for the few weeks I will be away from meetings as it is a big concern of mine. I am not a pill popper, but I will be taking some pretty heavy meds for my pain management after surgery. My last hip replacement in April I got off the meds after 5 days, which was followed by 4 nights of sweats getting that crap out if my system. I don't want to start substituting that for alcohol and I don't want to go back out. I have a supportive wife of 7 years and an amazing 6 year old daughter that I would do anything for.
I was not and am not an all day drinker, I have a cycle of not drinking for 2-6 weeks. Then the drinking slowly creeps back in until I have driven home blacked out after work. Then the cycle starts all over again. I am tired of it and I am sooo thankful that I have not killed someone driving home. So alcohol has messed my life up over and over again for the last 20 years, has it ruined my marriage or taken away my house? Not yet and I don't plan on letting it because it was starting to snowball more and more. I am already blaming my hip replacements partially on alcohol, that's all it's gonna get.
I have been reading a lot on here and there is tons of great info available. I am looking forward to being In the community.
Thanks,
Duane
@ digdug. I totally agree with you on not rushing. I have been asked to write as much as I can about fear, anger and resentment by my sponsor as well as reading in the big book. I will have a long six week recovery from surgery and I believe my sponsor is trying to prepare me for the few weeks I will be away from meetings as it is a big concern of mine. I am not a pill popper, but I will be taking some pretty heavy meds for my pain management after surgery. My last hip replacement in April I got off the meds after 5 days, which was followed by 4 nights of sweats getting that crap out if my system. I don't want to start substituting that for alcohol and I don't want to go back out. I have a supportive wife of 7 years and an amazing 6 year old daughter that I would do anything for.
I was not and am not an all day drinker, I have a cycle of not drinking for 2-6 weeks. Then the drinking slowly creeps back in until I have driven home blacked out after work. Then the cycle starts all over again. I am tired of it and I am sooo thankful that I have not killed someone driving home. So alcohol has messed my life up over and over again for the last 20 years, has it ruined my marriage or taken away my house? Not yet and I don't plan on letting it because it was starting to snowball more and more. I am already blaming my hip replacements partially on alcohol, that's all it's gonna get.
I have been reading a lot on here and there is tons of great info available. I am looking forward to being In the community.
Thanks,
Duane
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: California
Posts: 4
Thanks you everyone! Another day, another meeting, feeling pretty good today!
There is an older gentleman at my morning meetings that I have been really drawn too, we talk after every meeting. I am thinking about seeing if he wants to sponsor me because I have not been to sure about my current one. I think this guy would be a way better fit. Is it too early to switch? I kinda click with my sponsor now but he doesn't even live in the same town. He is just in town working and living in his camper, half the time I call he is out of cell range in the canyons.
There is an older gentleman at my morning meetings that I have been really drawn too, we talk after every meeting. I am thinking about seeing if he wants to sponsor me because I have not been to sure about my current one. I think this guy would be a way better fit. Is it too early to switch? I kinda click with my sponsor now but he doesn't even live in the same town. He is just in town working and living in his camper, half the time I call he is out of cell range in the canyons.
Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Probably my living room. Maybe my bedroom if I'm feeling lazy
Posts: 1,085
Never to early to switch.
Sometimes it's good to have a sponsor who lives where you do so you can meet in person on a regular basis.
But remember that sponsors are there at our beckon call. My sponsor doesn't pick up half the time I call him. He has a life too. But I have other people to call too.
Sometimes it's good to have a sponsor who lives where you do so you can meet in person on a regular basis.
But remember that sponsors are there at our beckon call. My sponsor doesn't pick up half the time I call him. He has a life too. But I have other people to call too.
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