We are what we are...

"We have seen the truth demonstrated again and again: 'Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.' Commencing to drink after a period of sobriety, we are in a short time as bad as ever."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 33

My God is this ever true!!! In the basements of the alcoholic/addicts mind is a thought that someday we would be able to drink or use again without the hassle of getting hooked again. Maybe after a time of sobriety, or abstinence, we could use again in only small, controlled amounts. BUT IT IS A LIE!!! We are what we are - alcoholics and/or addicts!!! There is NO halfway, no controlling it, no 'just this one time...'. If we use, we are toast once again! So why even think about it? Why torment yourself and wonder if one day you could ever go back to being like everyone else (people who seem to be able to do it responsibly).
You are what you are - a person who cannot, will not use alcohol or drugs ever again - it really is that simple!

The only choices...

"...with us, to drink is to die."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~

I know - without a doubt - that if I were to start drinking and using again I will die! I have been to that edge 3 times already and am absolutely positive that if I were to get there again it would be the end of me. Now, if that is not incentive to remain clean and sober, then I do not know what is. Those times I did to back to using and drinking, I returned to a full-blown alcoholic/addict state in record time. After the first time it does not take long to get back where you left off. Live or die, I choose to live and therefore I abstain.

It just can't go on forever...

"To be gravely affected, one does not necessarily have to drink along time nor take the quantities some of us have. This is particularly true of women. Potential female alcoholics often turn into the real thing and are gone beyond recall in a few years."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 33~

For me it was 25 years of drinking and drugging, all the while thinking I was invincible and would live forever. Oh sure, I did have a couple of times where I quit drinking and using for a short time, but always came back with a vengeance. So much so, that I risked loosing family, friends, career, and my life several times. Had I known then what I know now, I could have saved myself all those years that I now consider wasted. Never be afraid to get help long before you are so far gone that you get left alone, scared, and sick.

Miracles happen every day...

"The age of miracles is still with us. Our own recovery proves that!"
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pg. 153~

Every day I thank GOD for His love, blessings, mercy, grace, and forgiveness! I truly was a hopeless case, so tangled up in lies, deception, shame, and pain that I couldn't even care about myself. One day, about 2 months before I got clean and sober, God spoke clearly to me while I sat in my own hopelessness and loneliness - He said "Don't worry Glenn, everything will be alright." At that time I was again at death's door, a physical and emotional wreck. I did not care if I lived or died prior to hearing those words. GOD in all of His power, grace, mercy, and forgiveness pulled me up and out of the self-imposed pit of quicksand I was sinking in and saved me. Miracles do happen - I am one...

It doesn't matter where you are...

"We meet frequently so that newcomers may find the fellowship they seek." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 15~

Just about no matter where you are you can find a meeting almost any time of the day on any day. There are very few excuses good enough to keep you from getting to a meeting, regardless if it is your first one or your 1000th. We realize that we need to be available when someone decides to finally change their life from eminent death to renewed life. It doesn't matter who you are or where you are at in life, when you are ready, we are there. If by chance there is not a meeting starting when you are ready, we are always available in an emergency. Hot-lines, call- lists, hospitals, or a friend can get you in touch with someone who cares and understands.

Seeing is believing...

"When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, Page 52~

Regardless of the type of program you end up staying with, it is important to meet regularly with with others who are in recovery for your type of addiction. In the beginning it is best to meet several times a week for added strength and encouragement. Just seeing those who are successful in recovery is enough reason to be there yourself, it gives you the hope and the promise that things will all work out for good if you stick with it. I know we are an odd lot, especially when you first start going to meetings, but we all mean well and know exactly where you are or have been. The longer to meet with us, the more you will come to like, enjoy, and trust us. We only mean well, we just have a weird way of showing it - but we want to help you. Helping you also helps us get stronger and more recovered ourselves. So do it for you, and us.

You know, so tell them...share your story

"Cling to the thought that, in God's hands, the dark past is the greatest possession you have; the key to life and happiness for others. With it you can avert death and misery for them." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 124~

No one knows what the Hell of addiction is really like except for one who has been there. Though you may not specifically what their other problems are, we know what is at the bottom of it all - that dark, lonely, painful, shameful place. Share your story, share it often with others who are in recovery or wanting to be, for they need to know they are not alone, that there is hope, and that there is a promise for a new life if they stay in our midst...