Yes, it does work...

I will have been drug and alcohol free for 4 years next month. I must say they have been some of the most peaceful and nonconfrontational years of my life. Even recently when I had to go in for a much needed surgery and the analgesic support afterwords, which was only for a couple of days. I did have a complication a week later with a huge blood clot in my leg which also put me down for a couple of weeks. That was 3 weeks total from the time I actually had surgery in mid December until after the first week of Jan. After getting back to work for a mere 2 weeks I developed a rather serious form of pnuemonia and has laid up another 2 weeks. Today was my first day back a work and happy to say throughout all of the pain, suffering, debilitation, and loneliness, I have not drank and only used minimal pain meds after the surgery. I stuck with the system, kept in contact with my sponser and higher power. This system works, you just have to have enough faith and perserverance.

The day finally came...

"I knew from that moment that I had an alcoholic mind. I saw that will power and self-knowledge would not help in those strange mental blank spots. I had never been able to understand people who said that a problem had them hopelessly defeated. I knew then. It was a crushing blow."~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 42~

When I finally came to realize the sorry truth that I WAS an alcoholic and addict, that I was whooped, I was so far gone that I had few friends and cared for very little. That day, without delay, I mustered up the courage some how to call the rehab facility my psychiatrist seemed to always have a room ready for me at, and told them I was coming. I call my brother who took me without question to the place. When I got there, the last call I made as a free man was to my wife telling here I had to check myself in for help. I had finally had enough of the loneliness, shame, anger, fear, and worry. I was 46 then, I will be 50 in 3 weeks. MAN life is so good now!

The ugly truth about alcoholism/addiction...

"Some drinkers have excuses with which they are satisfied part of the time. But in their hearts they really do not know why they do it. Once this malady has a real hold, they are a baffled lot. There is the obsession that somehow, someday, they will beat the game. But they often suspect they are down for the count." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg. 23~

By the time you realize you are truly hooked it is already way too late for a simple solution. You are already so far in over your head that there are few ways out. If nothing is done about it, there is always jail/prison, insanity, or death. But, if you really want to stop, you are going to have to go down the rocky, difficult, long road to recovery. Luckily, there are many along the way who can , and will, help you. You just have to let them and know that God (your higher power) is always with you.

I am back and fired up now...

So sorry for I have been spotty on posting because I have been working on completing my MBA. Now that it is finished, I can get back to the things that really matter.
Come back and visit often, leave a reply, suggestion, and/or comment; all are welcome.
Be grateful everyday, be there for someone, and pass it on...

Sure, maybe you can do it alone, but...

"It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85~

Oh yes, there are some (few) who find a way to stop drinking by themselves, but they usually miss out on the best part of recovery. The best parts are the being around others in recovery who really know what you are/have gone through; and the most important part is the spiritual support you have with your higher power. Without the added power, many of us would never have made it through the quitting times. God/Jesus whispered into my ear(mind) one day that "everything was going to be alright". I could never have gone through it without the support of a group or the support from Heaven. I thank God every day for the strength to make it without another drop/pill/needle/line/puff! I am most confident that the day I forget about Jesus/God and what they did for/to me is the day I relapse and throw it all away and die in pain, shame, and loneliness.

Resentment destroys us...

"Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 64~

The deeper meaning in this statement is that, resentment affects not only the active alcoholic but also, and probably more importantly - the recovering alcoholic! SO much changes in a recovering alcoholic's life that may not seem fair, right, or just that something like resentment of almost any kind can lead to a relapse of some degree. Resentment that your old friends can still drink, the new friends who do not drink are always happy, worrying more about money problems, lack of trust, stereotyping, and so much more seem to plague us, especially in early recovery, it is no wonder relapse is so common. GET ABOVE ALL OF THAT RESENTMENT, all of this is just a natural part of getting clean and sober and all the more reason to hang around with fellow AA's. They know and are more sensitive to what you are going through.

At least once a day...

"Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn't be shy on this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85

This is our connection to God and the remembrance of where we never want to back to, on an at least once daily (preferably more frequently) occurrence. Always be grateful and humbled by the Grace of God for you still being here, functional and whole. The best times are upon waking or before turning in at the end of your day, but it is best to be grateful whenever good things happen or points you in the right direction instead of into harms way. It doesn't have to be a long, drawn out affair, simply be thankful for the chance(s) you have been given.