A.a. Thread

[AnneLine]

Oh Tab.   :hug:   You are fighting a valiant battle, and we are here for you and praying for you.

 

Have you tried seeing if there is a different AA/NA group near you?  Finding the right group can make a big difference.  You need to find one with people who are fighting this in a way that supports you.    Usually there is some kind of a phone number you can call (or spot you can check on the internet) that will tell you about ALL the meetings that are near you... see if there isn't one that is a better fit for you.

 

Or just check in with us sometimes, OK?   Praying for you.

 

 

Josh and Tab, my dad had about 30-40 years of sobriety thru AA before he died.... and I think he had developed an incredible connection with God through his AA fellowship.   He wasn't Catholic, but when the time came to have him buried, I had to contact his Episcopal minister to see if he could be buried from their Church.  The minister looked at the photo and at me  (I had been married the spring before that, and the best picture of my dad was with me in my wedding gown....) and the minister looked at me, and at him, and at the photo again and said, " yes, I DO recognize him... but not because he came to Church much here on Sundays.  I recognize him because he would sit in the back of the Church by the hour during the week days.   I asked him a few times if I could help him, but he said no, he just wanted to sit with God here.  Now.... that was fascinating to me, because I believe he had developed a VERY deep and intimate relationship with God.... but he had no clue he had done this.  He told me he envied my relationship with God, but that the only way he was able to connect with God was through the kind of 1:1 relationship with God/Higher Power that he had learned through AA.   My guess..... he probably was going through some kind of a Dark Night and was much closer to God than he even realized.

 

And so I think it may be with both you, Tab, and with Josh.   And we are so proud of you.   Stay in the battle.   :crusader:   Continue to ride with your King!   :knight:

Edited March 19, 2014 by AnneLine

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

I don't have to battle anneline, i have to surrender that is the whole point of the program, "I can't but God can." Surrender to win, or as Our LORD put it "loose your life to gain it." I will leave the fighting of the demons to the angels.

The 1st step is pretty much that i am powerless and my life has become unmanageable to varying degrees in varying areas, and the one whom has the power to restore me is GOD, i have to surrender and admit i am powerless meaning GOD is all powerful. Something like that anyway.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Tab'le De'Bah-Rye

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

This song goes out to alcohol, drugs, lust and gambling.

 

http://youtu.be/2LE0KpcP05I

[AnneLine]

I don't have to battle anneline, i have to surrender that is the whole point of the program, "I can't but God can." Surrender to win, or as Our LORD put it "loose your life to gain it." I will leave the fighting of the demons to the angels.

The 1st step is pretty much that i am powerless and my life has become unmanageable to varying degrees in varying areas, and the one whom has the power to restore me is GOD, i have to surrender and admit i am powerless meaning GOD is all powerful. Something like that anyway.

 

correction accepted!

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

I have decided that i am not an alcoholic but am a hard drinker and still need to and still desire to give up alcohol meaning i can't drink alcohol. I let the precious blood touch my lips today which i hadn't done since about November last year. My reasoning is that i don't think i have the allergic reaction to alcohol that a.a says alcoholics have whether born with or incurred, like type 1 and type 2 diabetes. I still understand though that i can't have even 1 shot of alcohol nor even a thimble recreationally, that even though i am a hard drinker i must give up any kind of recreational drinking of alcohol because i am in grave danger of becoming an alcoholic of the type 2 variety. And supposedly scientifically the precious blood of Christ still has alcohol content in it, which i'm unsure how they discerned that without desecrating the precious blood, but this is a matter of faith and for me it is the precious blood of Christ and not recreational alcohol, if it even does still have the properties of alcohol and someone didn't lie to me, and i am not an alcoholic. Perhaps someone took it and spat it out in a cup to be examined at a later date, in that spirit it would have stayed alcohol right or returned to it's natural state because of the misintentions of such a person but either way if it does contain the earthly properties of alcohol or not i am not using it recreationally and have not the allergic reaction and too can use mouthwash.

 

I will continue to go to meetings though when i can and when i am tempted to drink alcohol for the only requirement for membership is the desire to not drink alcohol.

 

Are you still going to the occasional meeting Jo$h?

Edited April 13, 2014 by Tab'le De'Bah-Rye

[Guest]

I have 7 months coming up in a few days without consuming any alcohol.......God has completely removed the desire to drink.......Still haven't been to a meeting since the last time I posted I went.......Not thrilled about that but grateful I haven't taken a drink........Only because I'm an idiot who drinks and doest stop......So this the punishment I get.........I would love a beer right now although it's all good and I'm grateful........Good luck to you Tab.......

Edited April 13, 2014 by Guest

[AnneLine]

Hey, Tab and Josh... and anyone else making use of this thread... still praying for you, still hoping all is going well for you!

 

 

[Guest]

Hey appreciate it !!! Thanks for your prayers they have got me this far......Will be 8 months in a couple of weeks....Thought about going to buffalo wild wings to drink today and as soon as the thought entered my mind it was dismissed....Which sucks in a way becuase today would of been a great day to watch basketball and drink beer and eat wings....But it was cool how quickly and easy I was able to dismiss the idea.....In the past before aa that eas impossible.....And i mean literally impossible...God is good...Thanks again for the prayers !

[AnneLine]

:)  Makes me very happy.   :)   :buddies:

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Hey appreciate it !!! Thanks for your prayers they have got me this far......Will be 8 months in a couple of weeks....Thought about going to buffalo wild wings to drink today and as soon as the thought entered my mind it was dismissed....Which smells of elderberries in a way becuase today would of been a great day to watch basketball and drink beer and eat wings....But it was cool how quickly and easy I was able to dismiss the idea.....In the past before aa that eas impossible.....And i mean literally impossible...God is good...Thanks again for the prayers !

 

Can't you just have the wings and watch the basketball. Just leave if the desire to drink becomes to powerful. You could test yourself out with this, or not. Some can still go places where people are consuming alcohol and some can't. I can for now, i drink soft drink,tea,coffee and water and vape, not every week but sometimes don't wan't to test my vest to much, yet. Great places for evangelising prodigal sons and daughters.

 

 I'm pretty much 8mnths sober also(quit date was 22 september 2013) except one dizzy where i had 4 drinks and got really sick because i could smell the croutons on my breath and in the cup and it was putrid and almost made me vomit. I was in a bad circumstance around undesirable people that i didn't really know much and they where getting high, so idiot had to have a little bit of the old red dwarf and got paranoid and thought a few drinks would fix that. S to tha T to tha O. O. P. I. D. Over it now though, 2 months since that happened. Alcohol and drugs where also part of the reason for me fearing death and violence.

 

Keep up the good work Josh in faith, hope and love, god bless you bro and thanks anneline for the support and prayers and thanks all others whom have done the same. God bless you all.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Tab'le De'Bah-Rye

[Guest]

What's up Tab? Yea I still go there all the time....Being around alcohol is no problem anymore for me....I actually went and got wings yesterday and had my usual sprite and water.....Glad you're doing good brother ! Keep it up man...

[Credo in Deum]

This thread is awesome and a great source of encouragement.   With God's grace I've been free from alcohol and drugs for about 3 years now.   I look forward to the day I can say the same for some other addictions I have.  

 

 

[Guest]

3 years is amazing.......Congratulations on that....Did you do aa or on your own ?

[Credo in Deum]

3 years is amazing.......Congratulations on that....Did you do aa or on your own ?

 

I want to say on my own, but none of us ever get 3 years, 8 months, or even 24 hours on our own. I've gotten a lot of support and help from my friends and family.   I've never attended aa, but I have visited other 12 step groups (NA, SA, OA, etc) in the past.  I still struggle with keeping an active presence in them though.  I think it's because I'm an introvert. 

[AnneLine]

You guys make me happy!!!!!!!   :blowkiss:

Edited May 5, 2014 by AnneLine

[Credo in Deum]

I want to share something I've read.  It's helped me a lot.

 

"...The present moment is rich in grace and holds immense reassurance.   This is where God is present.  "I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Matthew 28:20).  God is the eternal present.  Every moment, whatever it brings, is filled with God's presence, rich  with the possibility of communion with God.  We do not commune with God in the past or the future, but by welcoming each instant as the place where he gives himself to us.  We should learn to live in each moment as sufficient to itself for God is there; and if God is there, we lack nothing.  We feel we are missing this or that, simply because we are living in the past or in the future instead of dwelling in each second. Psalm 145 says, "The eyes of all look to thee, and thou givest them their food in due season.  Thou openest thy hand, thou satisfiest the desire of every living thing."

 

There is something very liberating in this understanding of the grace of the present moment.  Even if the whole of our past has been a disaster, even if our future seems like a dead end, NOW we can establish communion with God through an act of faith, trust, and abandonment.  God is eternally present, eternally young, eternally new, and our past and future are his.  He can forgive everything, purify everything, renew everything. "He will renew you in his love"(Zephaniah 3:17). In the present moment, because of his infinitely merciful love, we always have the possibility of starting again, not impeded by the past, or tormented by the future.  The past is in the hands of the Merciful God, who can draw benefit from everything: the future is in the hands of the Providence of God who will never forget us.  Faith keeps us from living as many people do, oppressed by a burdensome past and worrrisome future.  Living in the present permits our hearts to expand."

 

"Interior Freedom" By Fr. Jacques Philippe  (page 82)

 

 

[Guest]

Really feel like having some beers right now...Thought about it earlier and didn't and thinking about it again right now...I will have 8 months in a few days without a drink...But I do way worse things to offend God then drink beers....Hell drinking moderately isn't even a sin...I sorta feel like right now I'm holding out so I can keep increasing the months without a single slip up sorta like I'm playing some video game and trying to get the perfect score...I honestly don't want to give in even though the world won't explode if I go have a beer right now...I will actually enjoy it and thank God for it and will love the feeling it gives after my second beer...I'm an idiot for typing this and romancing the idea right now but I've always been an idiot nothing new...I'm 99% sure im not going to drink tonight becuase this is one area of my life I have actually succeeded in not messing up and giving in...And for some reason God has made it rather easy for me not to give in...Which amazes me because I usually give in on everything else and let God and myself down...So this must be a grace from Him and it's really important I don't drink...Although I give in on other things that are just as important or more important that I shouldnt do...Then the question keeps lingering why not take what I've learned and drink moderately...Only have a few...Even though only having a few isn't likely to happen...But even then I can attempt to walk that tightrope...I can have more then a few...And then stop...Or mabey I cant...Who knows...

Edited May 15, 2014 by Guest

[Guest]

What I do know is if I start drinking again at some point I will become really wasted...Becuase it's fun and I like to get really drunk...I may go out 10 times drinking without getting wasted but on the 11th time I will...There is no doubt about it...And if I'm being completely honest I like that...Because I like to get really drunk...Like I said it's fun...But that "fun" has stole alot away from me and caused me alot of pain...So much pain that I joined aa 8 months ago and asked God to help me give up alcohol for good...And what do you know God gave me what I asked for...And me being the prick I am I want to give drinking another try...Because I can do it better this time...Insanity...

Edited May 15, 2014 by Guest

[AnneLine]

Hang in there, Josh.   Praying for you.    You make the choices, but if you really want to stick with the sobriety plan, find some ways to distract yourself.   You may be right -- it could be OK.... but you need to decide if you want to take the chance.   But we love you, and we are still here for you.....

[Guest]

Thanks...Didn't come close to drinking...It was nice to have this thread to come post in...Thanks for your prayers and support...The desire or thoughts to drink tonight were there out of selfishness and ego...As if I deserve some drinks even though just 8 months ago I completely disrespected a great friend and was a hateful bastard to them with words and actions while wasted drunk...But my twisted mind says it's ok now I've done good and haven't had a sip for 8 months...It's time to reward myself and go drink again...The whole miracle of aa for me is the fact God completely removed the craving for alcohol along with 97 percent of the time the desire as well...And when I have thoughts of drinking now they are simply selfish thoughts about wanting back what God took out of my life for my own good (of course after I asked him to) And when I remember that its for my own benefit and life is better this way it's easy just to shrug my shoulders and say ok your will be done not mine...Now if only I could do that so easily for 8 months with other non beneficial choices in my life...

Edited May 15, 2014 by Guest