"Sober Since I Woke Up This Morning"...

[Noels]

In step 9 the word 'amend' is used. If we 'amend a document' we open it, make some changes, and then re-save it. Amend = change. Step 9 is the final part of the process in changing our relationship to the past; helping us to remain more present in today

If I use the same example with the document in life - I agree, I change the document and save it. BUT then I SEND it to the client - step 9 action. I don't go back and re-open and re-change the document for the rest of my life unless the client wish further changes which is not applicable with step 9 as once we've apologised (amends meaning from google check - compensation for a loss or injury / something done or given by a person to make up for a loss or injury he or she has caused / to try to make a situation better after you have done something wrong) its no longer up to us. From what I remember from BB - most will gladly accept our amends and forgive us but there will be some who will chase us out of their office? (my own words).

Nite nite, chat again tomorrow.

Mwah xxx
Noels

[D'oh]

It is a Wonderful program isn't it!

I was just saying last night. If they suddenly found a way drug or otherwise, that anyone with a Drink problem would never have to take another drink. I would be in a padded cell within a month. Or worse.

Without a way to Live Life, in my skin. I would be locked up or worse. So life happens everyday, before and after Alcohol. Alcohol was but a symptom of my Spiritual, Physical, and Mental Illness.

[ezdzit247]

Here's an excerpt from an article that explores the concept of AA's "one day at a time" philosophy:

"Probably the most obvious and explicit AA mindful practice is the determination to live “one day at a time.” While the bell of mindfulness may call the Buddhist to the living, breathing moment, “one day at a time” reigns the sober alcoholic in to the broader boundaries of a full day, this one. Future-tripping and catastrophizing are short-circuited by: “Wait a minute! What can I do about that today? Have I done it? If the answer is ‘yes’, the rest is irrelevant. If ‘no’, I get to work.” This practice is a simple and powerful way to bring the mind back from the imaginary, high-stress future to its much more manageable present. As to abstaining from alcohol or drugs or any other “fix,” the reminder that one only has to deal with one day of “deprivation” greatly reduces the agonizing specter of life as an endless desert with no oasis. This humble tool of coming back to the present day has kept millions of alcoholics sober. If 10% of the “normies” in the world embraced “one day at a time,” it would likely change the course of history!...." -- "The Mindful Practices of Alcoholics Anonymous" by George DuWors,MSW, LICSW, BCD

Anyone interested in reading the full article can google: "The Mindful Practices of Alcoholics Anonymous" by George DuWors,MSW, LICSW, BCD for the link.

[whipping post]

I like the concept of mindfullness, and try to practice it, but not to avoid a drink. This part of that reading sounds like a prison sentence:

"As to abstaining from alcohol or drugs or any other “fix,” the reminder that one only has to deal with one day of “deprivation” greatly reduces the agonizing specter of life as an endless desert with no oasis. This humble tool of coming back to the present day has kept millions of alcoholics sober"

I may have used that tool early on, but today the thought of going back to drinking and the mental state that I was in would be "deprivation". When I picture a life without ever having a drink again I feel anything but deprived.

[Stepchild]

This part of that reading sounds like a prison sentence:

"As to abstaining from alcohol or drugs or any other “fix,” the reminder that one only has to deal with one day of “deprivation” greatly reduces the agonizing specter of life as an endless desert with no oasis. This humble tool of coming back to the present day has kept millions of alcoholics sober"

Agreed...Where do you find this stuff?

I'm a big fan of the 24 hour plan they offer on pages 86 through 88 of the Big Book...

When we retire at night....

On awakening....

In thinking about our day.....

As we go through the day.....

They don't even mention the word alcohol in there....It's about living.

Why do I use it?

It works - it really does.

We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined.
pg 88

[ezdzit247]

This part of that reading sounds like a prison sentence:

"As to abstaining from alcohol or drugs or any other “fix,” the reminder that one only has to deal with one day of “deprivation” greatly reduces the agonizing specter of life as an endless desert with no oasis. This humble tool of coming back to the present day has kept millions of alcoholics sober"

Agreed...Where do you find this stuff?

LOL.....

This "stuff" has been part of the AA philosophy for over 80 years and can be found in the AA pamphlet entitled "This is AA - An introduction to the AA recovery program". You can be read online here:

http://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/p-1_thisisaa1.pdf.

It's "conference approved literature" and listed as AA pamphlet #1 at the top of the order form most AA meetings use to stock their literature racks.

[Stepchild]

I think these parts of the pamphlet offer more hope to the newcomer.

Will A.A. work for everyone?
The A.A. program of recovery from alcoholism, we believe, will work for almost anyone who has a desire to stop drinking. It may work even for those who feel they are being prodded in the direction of A.A. Many of us made our first contact with A.A. because of social or job pressures. Later, we made our own decision.
We have seen some alcoholics stumble for a while before “getting” the program. We have
seen others who made only token efforts to follow the tested principles through which over a million of us now maintain our sobriety; token efforts are generally not enough.
But, no matter how down-and-out an alcoholic may be, or how high he or she may be on the social and economic scales, we know from experience and observation that A.A. offers a sober way out of the squirrel cage of confused problem drinking. Most of us have found it an easy way.


‘A new dimension’
There was a time when many of us believed that alcohol was the only thing that made life bearable. We could not even dream of a life without drinking. Today, through the A.A. program, we do not feel that we have been deprived of anything. Rather, we have been freed and find that a new dimension has been added to our lives. We have new friends, new horizons, and new attitudes.
After years of despair and frustration, many of us feel that we have really begun to live for the first time. We enjoy sharing that new life with anyone who is still suffering from alcoholism, as we once suffered, and who seeks a way out of the darkness and into the light.

[Noels]

Gooooooood morning beautiful people TGIF

I may have used that tool early on, but today the thought of going back to drinking and the mental state that I was in would be "deprivation". When I picture a life without ever having a drink again I feel anything but deprived.

I agree with this post. However, I remember when I was a newcomer in the rooms of AA. The idea of being sober for 3 months was almost impossible to imagine. So I didn't. I focused on the "one day at a time principle". Luckily someone in the rooms at that time also mentioned " when you stick around and work the 12 step program of recovery you will be amazed to one day realize that "one day at a time 24 hours a day" actually added up and before you open your eyes you will be 12 months sober ". I concentrated on THOSE WORDS in the beginning of the program.

I agree that now, having worked the steps and applying the principles of the steps in my daily life I no longer wake up every morning thinking " its just for today". Simply because the craving has gone and I as well as my outlook and approach to life has changed. I do, however, remember that before THIS changed, there were still times that "going back to" the "one day at a time approach" kept me from picking up that first drink and this is something that I will always remember in the back of my mind. That if it ever get so hard to simply go back to the " one day at a time " approach. Perhaps this approach and memory would have served members with long sobriety dates who relapsed after 10 or 20 years well? This approach also falls under the very favourite quotation " we shall not forget the past nor shall we shut the door on it". Remember the past when you need to but don't live it it anymore?

Another thing to consider is that When I picture a life without ever having a drink again I feel anything but deprived. ONLY WORKS if we continue with spiritual progress.

As I said before, I'm not going to crucify a member for saying he has been sober since this morning although he has been sober for more than 20 years. If that approach has kept him sober for that period of time and makes him smile, why would I interfere?

Love and Light
Noels xxx

[Stepchild]

This approach also falls under the very favourite quotation " we shall not forget the past nor shall we shut the door on it". Remember the past when you need to but don't live it anymore?

That's actually one of the 9th step promises Noels...We don't regret the past because we have faced and rid ourselves of our regrets by working steps four through nine...We've cleared the wreckage. It goes with the promise that comes after.......

No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.

The reason we don't shut the door on it is our past becomes a great asset in helping suffering alcoholics. From page 18...

But the ex-problem drinker who has found this solution, who is properly armed with facts about himself, can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic in a few hours. Until such an understanding is reached, little or nothing can be accomplished.

[Brock]

It's "conference approved literature" and listed as AA pamphlet #1

It's also over 21 pages long, and only one page speaks about this twenty four hour idea, before they start speaking about the steps we do, so we can kick the 24hr daily struggle to the curb.

And I have had to point this out very many times, after the same person that has done so again puts this up, doing so without explaining to the new person that it's a temporary stop gap measure.

I am starting to believe that this member really does struggle day to day, even after very many years of so called sobriety. If that is the case I hope she finds the answer the rest of us have found, and millions more like us. In the meantime if she does have a daily struggle, it is selfish to project this as normal to new people who may read these forums, like I am struggling so you should too.

[whipping post]

Noels,

Your post this morning got me thinking about early sobriety. One of my thoughts before I quit drinking was that the obsession would go on forever and life would be miserable without alcohol. I was absolutely terrified of the prospect of never drinking again. Then when I quit and was using the 24 hour a day tool it was rough. I can remember many nights of getting in bed early to try to go to sleep just to make it all stop. I just wanted that day to be over. When I think about that time it really did feel like a prison sentence. Things started to change when I gave in and started working the steps.

Thank you for that reminder. I shudder just thinking about early sobriety. Have a good day.

[avaneesh912]

I just want to go back to the OP. The title of this topic was "Sober Since I woke up this morning" and then the discussion shifts to mindfulness. I am not sure if the OPs intention was to see if we "not drink one day at a time" or live a spiritual life one day at a time and sobriety is just given.

[avaneesh912]

It's also over 21 pages long, and only one page speaks about this twenty four hour idea, before they start speaking about the steps we do, so we can kick the 24hr daily struggle to the curb.

I not sure if the people who wrote this segment understand the peculiar mental twist. Its like the slogan we see on the silver chip here in the US. "Call your sponsor before you pick up a drink not after" something like that. If its so simple, why are so many people relapsing?

[ezdzit247]

It's also over 21 pages long, and only one page speaks about this twenty four hour idea, before they start speaking about the steps we do, so we can kick the 24hr daily struggle to the curb.

I not sure if the people who wrote this segment understand the peculiar mental twist....?

I'm very confident that all of the AA members who have ever served on any of AA's literature committees understand this and a whole lot more about the BB, AA history, recovery from alcoholism, etc than most AA members and regard their work as a sacred trust rather than an opportunity to grind own an agenda.

A.A. Literature

Literature published by A.A. World Services, Inc. is a resource for the recovering alcoholic and for anyone who wants to find out about Alcoholics Anonymous, its history and how it works. General Service Conference-approved literature reflects the group conscience of the Fellowship of A.A. and includes the book Alcoholics Anonymous (affectionately known by members as the Big Book); Daily Reflections, a compilation of spiritual reflections contributed by members; books written by one of A.A.’s co-founders (such as Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions and As Bill Sees It); and a wide variety of pamphlets and booklets that deal with the Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous: Recovery, Unity and Service. A.A.W.S. publishes literature in three languages, English, Spanish and French, which reflect the three primary languages spoken in the General Service Conference structure of the United States and Canada. We also publish and license translations of the Big Book and other literature in languages and countries around the world, much of which is available in the literature catalog published by A.A. World Services, Inc.

http://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/aa-literature

[avaneesh912]

In the chapter "working with others" they start off with this statement:

Show him the mental twist which leads to the first drink of a spree. We suggest you do this as we have done it in the chapter on alcoholism. If he is alcoholic, he will understand you at once.

He will match you mental inconsistencies with some of his own.

.

Now going back to "More about Alcoholism" they use the man of 30, the car salesman and the accountant story to illustrate this "Peculiar Mental Twist"......

Then he fell victim to a belief which practically every alcoholic has that his long period of sobriety and self-discipline had qualified him to drink as other men.

"Suddenly the thought crossed my mind that

the thought came to mind that it would be nice to have a couple of cocktails with dinner.

Today, we just ask the newcomer to not take a drink no matter what and go to 90 more meetings in 90 days. Imagine the number of seconds in-between for the "queer mental twist to work".