38 years closer to sobriety

[Pollux]

Dear Friends,
...like every year for years...,

January 7, 1987. My life began to change 38 years ago.
Radically and diametrically.
My entire previous world, my views, beliefs, ideas, etc., which did
not bring a single drop of life-giving juice, but began to require
more and more booze. Many years of suffer, which is surely well known
to many of you. Since such drinking is a kind of "infectious" disease,
it's obvious that many have suffered because of me - family, friends,
acquaintances and strangers.
The drinking finally ended, but the consequences of my "cheerful"
lifestyle remain to this day and will continue to do so for a long time.

A solution?

AA program. Thanks to God, I have been able to consistently, slowly
implement the 12 Steps in my life.
With a great help from my friends........

I shall never be drawn into any controversy regarding the AA program.
Such debates make no sense. My life is ample proof of the absolute value
of the AA program. This is a perfect map showing the path to sobriety.
No map forces you to drive to any destination. If I ever want to reach
such a destination -please - here is the proposal. I am on a great path;
however, I often go wrong, sometimes I stray from the path and tend to
try a different one - but this is the only good one for me. This is what
I have learned over 38 years, and I continue to learn this every day.
What has happened in my life is proof in itself.
I mean, we are a great family that doesn't know a perpetually drunk
leader pretending to be the head of the family.

For now, I am not in paradise, among angels and saints. Nor am I that
saint whom the whole world oppresses. My small and big crises often tear
me apart, directly or by ricochet, hitting my loved ones and those far
away.
Thanks to God, to my friends from AA, the AA program, to the people of
the Church and so-so work on myself, I maintain hope that I am on the
road to sobriety. Without fighting with alcohol, without coercion,
without the slightest compromise with alcohol. My loved ones often
benefit from this as well, hope.

My Wife, who has always been by my side all these 38 years, will
probably be in heaven without any formalities. Why did she marry me in
1988, risking everything?
A guy who spent most of his adult life drinking, ruining his studies,
music career, etc.? Her future husband, a hero and hussar, almost Rambo,
had a shady previous marriage,
alimony, divorce and a little over a year of fragile abstinence under
his belt? No guarantees...
Knowing myself, I would never, under any circumstances, marry someone
like I was at that time.

I have been on the 24-hour absolute abstinence program for
13,880 days...
Thank God, thank AA Fellowship, great thanks to all the people who
contributed to my new life.
I'm staying sober. Better saying - on my way to stay sober.

Gratitude. That's what I feel.

God bless

[badgolferman]

Post by Pollux
I have been on the 24-hour absolute abstinence program for
13,880 days...
Thank God, thank AA Fellowship, great thanks to all the people who
contributed to my new life.
I'm staying sober. Better saying - on my way to stay sober.

Congratulations my friend. I would say Keep Coming Back, but in your
case you've Stayed so that's better.

[Ted H]

On Tue, 7 Jan 2025 21:51:04 +0100,

Post by Pollux
Dear Friends,
...like every year for years...,
January 7, 1987. My life began to change 38 years ago.
Radically and diametrically.

Hi Pollux, great to hear from you, as always. Thanks for your
thoughtful and heartfelt post. I giggled at your description of
"so-so" work at the program--only because I've done the same. :)

[Charlie M. 1958]

Post by Pollux
Dear Friends,
...like every year for years...,
January 7, 1987. My life began to change 38 years ago.
Radically and diametrically.
My entire previous world, my views, beliefs, ideas, etc., which did
not bring a single drop of life-giving juice, but began to require
more and more booze. Many years of suffer, which is surely well known
to many of you. Since such drinking is a kind of "infectious" disease,
it's obvious that many have suffered because of me - family, friends,
acquaintances and strangers.
The drinking finally ended, but the consequences of my "cheerful"
lifestyle remain to this day and will continue to do so for a long time.
A solution?
AA program. Thanks to God, I have been able to consistently, slowly
implement the 12 Steps in my life.
With a great help from my friends........
I shall never be drawn into any controversy regarding the AA program.
Such debates make no sense. My life is ample proof of the absolute value
of the AA program. This is a perfect map showing the path to sobriety.
No map forces you to drive to any destination. If I ever want to reach
such a destination -please - here is the proposal. I am on a great path;
however, I often go wrong, sometimes I stray from the path and tend to
try a different one - but this is the only good one for me. This is what
I have learned over 38 years, and I continue to learn this every day.
What has happened in my life is proof in itself.
I mean, we are a great family that doesn't know a perpetually drunk
leader pretending to be the head of the family.
For now, I am not in paradise, among angels and saints. Nor am I that
saint whom the whole world oppresses. My small and big crises often tear
me apart, directly or by ricochet, hitting my loved ones and those far
away.
Thanks to God, to my friends from AA, the AA program, to the people of
the Church and so-so work on myself, I maintain hope that I am on the
road to sobriety. Without fighting with alcohol, without coercion,
without the slightest compromise with alcohol. My loved ones often
benefit from this as well, hope.
My Wife, who has always been by my side all these 38 years, will
probably be in heaven without any formalities. Why did she marry me in
1988, risking everything?
A guy who spent most of his adult life drinking, ruining his studies,
music career, etc.? Her future husband, a hero and hussar, almost Rambo,
had a shady previous marriage,
alimony, divorce and a little over a year of fragile abstinence under
his belt? No guarantees...
Knowing myself, I would never, under any circumstances, marry someone
like I was at that time.
I have been on the 24-hour absolute abstinence program for
13,880 days...
Thank God, thank AA Fellowship, great thanks to all the people who
contributed to my new life.
I'm staying sober. Better saying - on my way to stay sober.
Gratitude. That's what I feel.
God bless

Confratulations, and thanks for the annual check-in!

[banjo Jon]

Post by Pollux
Dear Friends,
...like every year for years...,
January 7, 1987. My life began to change 38 years ago.
Radically and diametrically.
My entire previous world, my views, beliefs, ideas, etc., which did
not bring a single drop of life-giving juice, but began to require
more and more booze. Many years of suffer, which is surely well known
to many of you. Since such drinking is a kind of "infectious" disease,
it's obvious that many have suffered because of me - family, friends,
acquaintances and strangers.
The drinking finally ended, but the consequences of my "cheerful"
lifestyle remain to this day and will continue to do so for a long time.
A solution?
AA program. Thanks to God, I have been able to consistently, slowly
implement the 12 Steps in my life.
With a great help from my friends........
I shall never be drawn into any controversy regarding the AA program.
Such debates make no sense. My life is ample proof of the absolute value
of the AA program. This is a perfect map showing the path to sobriety.
No map forces you to drive to any destination. If I ever want to reach
such a destination -please - here is the proposal. I am on a great path;
however, I often go wrong, sometimes I stray from the path and tend to
try a different one - but this is the only good one for me. This is what
I have learned over 38 years, and I continue to learn this every day.
What has happened in my life is proof in itself.
I mean, we are a great family that doesn't know a perpetually drunk
leader pretending to be the head of the family.
For now, I am not in paradise, among angels and saints. Nor am I that
saint whom the whole world oppresses. My small and big crises often tear
me apart, directly or by ricochet, hitting my loved ones and those far
away.
Thanks to God, to my friends from AA, the AA program, to the people of
the Church and so-so work on myself, I maintain hope that I am on the
road to sobriety. Without fighting with alcohol, without coercion,
without the slightest compromise with alcohol. My loved ones often
benefit from this as well, hope.
My Wife, who has always been by my side all these 38 years, will
probably be in heaven without any formalities. Why did she marry me in
1988, risking everything?
A guy who spent most of his adult life drinking, ruining his studies,
music career, etc.? Her future husband, a hero and hussar, almost Rambo,
had a shady previous marriage,
alimony, divorce and a little over a year of fragile abstinence under
his belt? No guarantees...
Knowing myself, I would never, under any circumstances, marry someone
like I was at that time.
I have been on the 24-hour absolute abstinence program for
13,880 days...
Thank God, thank AA Fellowship, great thanks to all the people who
contributed to my new life.
I'm staying sober. Better saying - on my way to stay sober.
Gratitude. That's what I feel.
God bless

Congratulations on 38 years!

That's a long haul.