What obsticals have you overcame in Soberity?
Life doesn't get all rosy after we get sober, the thing is I don't have to drink over my problems like I did before. Myself in the year and half I have been clean and sober I have been through a bankruptcy, repoed truck, layed off of job, and I was locked up in my first month of being sober. But through the program of AA I have not taken a drink and I have not had a compulsion to drink. Now I have a new job where I make over$10,000 more, I have a new car, and I just bought a house with my sweetheart. If I would have brokedown and drank at the first sign of trouble I wouldn't be here today, it only gets better. I look forward to you sharing with me your experinces.
John Edited by: John Dis at: 11/1/00 12:44:40 pm
You're right John, things aren't always rosy after getting sober---but before sobriety, EVERYTHING was an obstacle for me. Living day-to-day seemed a crisis as I didn't have the tools I needed to cope.
Since I got sober 7 years ago, I divorced after 26 years of marriage, moved from my home-town of 44 years, became physically disabled, re-married 7 months ago and now my new husband has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I can't imagine the shape I'd be in now if I was still drinking --- I'd undoubtedly be dead. But even with this horrible situation with my husband, I've not once been tempted to take a drink and I owe it all to my Higher Power, AA and the wonderful home group I've been blessed with. My husband is also in recovery (11 years sober), and even with his diagnosis he maintains a spirituality and serenity that I hope to achieve in time. I learn from him everyday, and also from you people in AA. Thanks for the topic John. Peace, Lee
Kokomoro
Unregistered User
(11/3/00 8:24 pm) Reply
Obsticles in Sobriety
I first came to AA in 1986 and lived in a tiny, awful trailer that I still owed $3,000 to my mother on. I got fired from my job after making amends by admitting I'd stolen from their store. I eventually went on to get my Real Estate License, then my paralegal degree and moved to a larger city and the best job in my life! I also drank again at 6 years dry, and lost that job a year and a half later.
Six and a half more years of drinking found me back in AA in November 1998. A week after getting back, I asked my husband of 3 years for a divorce. Those first year "rules" didn't apply to me, right? After all, I'd been here before! He granted me the divorce and drove me from CA to FL in April '99. In July '99, I asked for another chance & he came back for me! We remarried in July of this year.
Late last month, we began to learn that he may have lung cancer, for which he just underwent a biopsy today, in fact. So, I could really relate to Lee's post, even though my hubby's not in AA and still likes his wine and Scotch and beer! (Oh, my! LOL!)
I have faced many things in my different times of sobriety, but nothing ever this difficult or important. I now know at a deep level what it means to be a needed partner to someone, which is amazing when you consider that I am not a mother, never married until I met this man, and then I married him twice! Once at 40 1/2 and again at almost 46!
I'm also physically disabled, so cannot simply go back to work to help out with things if he becomes unable to. Am I going to drink over any of this? I hope not, and if I continue doing all the things I do each day, I don't think it will be possible.
The main difference in today's sobriety and my former sobriety is service work. That has been the spiritual divining rod in my life. I never cared for other people in my life before and this feeling I have of genuine concern for the lives of others, and the lack of concern I have about my own wants and needs, tells me this Step business really works on us, if we let it!
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