25 Years Living Life . . .
I am proud to say, that, today, I am a member in good standing of Alcoholics Anonymous and that one day at a time, for 9133 days, I have not found any good reason to take a drink, nor any drug that was not prescribed to me, personally, and used in the manner it was prescribed, in order to change my mood!
It has not always been easy and there were days I seriously contemplated and romanced the idea of what it would be like to have one of those fancy martini’s, flavored vodka or beers that have come about in the past 25 years, but I sat in many meetings where people forgot just how desperate they were when they walked through the doors of whatever 12 Step program they were in and found themselves unable to get sober or clean again, sadly, some died of their disease and several found it easier to end their lives. When I moved to a new place, in a new state, I lost my way, stopped making meetings and over the course of two plus years without making a meeting, felt like death was an option and while I was angry at my God, I realized over time, that I still prayed nightly for him to relieve me of the life he had gifted me with. The realities of addiction are these, jails, institutions and death.
So while I faced temptation at various crossroads, I was granted the Grace of God, a God that I was able to find in the rooms of 12 Step fellowships, who has carried me through many of life’s ups and downs and who I’ve come to count on for mine and other people’s strength. I know today, from experiencing my life this way, that I must remain honest, which is not to say that I am always that way, open-minded, in order to remain teachable and open to new experiences and willing, willing to be there for my fellows, willing to adhere to a set of principles that I can see working in the lives of many I come in contact with on a daily basis. I am grateful that through AA, I was able to find my way out of the darkness and further my journey through having had WLS 4 years and 9 months ago, it was just another component of my addictive nature and one that I still face along with my other addictions. . .
Just for today, I am committed to this, still new, way of living!
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
WOW! What an accomplishment!!! I am so proud of you!! To be sober for 25 years is nothing to sneeze at! You are a true inspiration.
CONGRATLATIONS!!!
Love, Beth
I am happy that you are putting your 25 years of sobriety out there for all to see. My best friend has recently begun an outpatient program at Live and Grin. This is the first time that she has taken such a momentous step to learn about her addiction. There have been long periods of time where she has been sober but she never reached out for help. Now she is learning about her disease/addiction and is on the path to a better life. I thank God that she was finally ready to move on this and hope that I can be a friend to her without being an enabler.
Thank you for all that you give to the AA community and the WLS community. I am a much better person for having you in my life. Just for today I too am committed to living a cleaner life and not using food in an addictive manner.
Congratulations my friend
- sending you a great big hug. Take care. Love, Donna
Thank you for your kind words and that is a really big step your friend has taken and I wish your friend all the joys that living life sober can bring, as well as the knowledge that she is not alone with whatever she needs to deal with going forward.
I hope you have a good trip and look forward to seeing you soon and feel equally blessed to know you and to be able to call you a friend!
Hugs, Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Hugs, Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Hugs, Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
