Sober Thursday 02/18/2016

I have bitched and complained for about a week now, and it is over. I have done what I could about getting my job secured and have passed my test, so now I should be offered my job. That is how it oges right? Well these days it is hard to concieve that a future employee should have to spill out so much personal information to get a low paying job. This is the American way now. You have to prove you have no criminal background , pass drug test, prove that your a USA citizen, prove that you are mentally stable. Does this sounf more communistic than anything?

Well after a few days of putting my whole life out there in cyber space for a job, I am now awaiting an answer to if and when I start. I will post of course when I get this phone call, in which I expect ina  day or so. I have spent about 100.00 of my own money in getting a low paying job. The expense were for Dr. leters and gas to and from each place I had to visit, and the time it toook for a physuical and one more Dr letter tsaying I am fit. Ridiculous is what I say. But these are the tims in America. The home of the free, once they know for sure you are a USA citizen. I am white and have Indian in my blood, and I am sober from illlegal drugs and alcohol that should be enough. However, the insurance companies and goverment want to make sure you are really allowed to work here.

I heard on the news about several thousand immigrant workers in the USA are getting refunds this year? How? I know they have families and they are illegal to work here so how do they get SOcial Security numbers to file taxes. There is something wrong with our system of course we all know this.

Well, staying sober through the last few months has not been hard but I have been bored. I have learned to keep a blog up so I can look back when Im 60 or so and say Hey I made it through this and that. That is what this blog is. It is an autobiography of my life and being sober through the easy and tough times. I am not going through as tough a time as most might be. If you decide to get sober just remeber that your problems will still be out there , it is how you handle yourslef during these problems is what will make you or break you. Keep the faith and GOd will come through , just not on your time..

Got a Job - But!!!

Well I have passed a pre-employment background for a company in Midland Texas. However , now after taking a drug test that should be illegal to have to take. Meaning they were unsantiary where I went to and they found out that I possibly might have Diabetes. I have been checked and I am borderline Diabetic , but the dr. that did my physical wanted further information on my glucose level from my own Dr. So this puts me in a time situation with this company and also I thought it was really no ones business about being a Bi -Polar or Diabetic. However it seems like all information is to be released to this company I willl be working for. The Americans With Disability site says it is no ones business, but my own. So where do you draw the line at. You cannot tell a Dr. they are wrong, you could take them to court but I dont have the money , and it would be tied up in litigation for years.
We have no privacy , I have a clean background but now my health is being questioned. If iits not one thing it is another. I be damn I beeen sober almost 8 years and the companies you work for these days think they need all this information on your life, that is really none of thier business. It seems like the American with Disablitlies article is non-existent for some of us. I eveen had to fill out with my application if I thought I was Mentally stabel and not Bi-Polar or had some other impairment. None of us are perfect and this job is far from perfect. It is a low balling job but it pays well, with not good reviews. I guess I will have to play the game, but I am watering down my urine just like faking a drug test so I have no Glucose in my system if it is checked again. I need the work. I know my Dr will probably do a Glucose check and I am watching my foods and drinking a ton of water. I know how to fake a drug test and this is no different. I just got a call from this comapny wanting to know what is taking so long. Shit , this life we live in is a whirlwind..Chris

Sobriety Even in The Hardest Times

Letly, I have been searching for that perfect job. I have a few money making platforms I am using right now. However, I need the Insurance and Benefits of a good company to work for.I have been unemployed, so to speak for about six months, and where I live in West Texas its is hard to find any job. The jobs that are left in the area , do not even pay you enough to pay bills or eat with. These are hard times for everyone. The cutbacks from the oil industry suprise me how many people in my town are still out driving around and making ends meet. There have been thousands of people who have left this town due to the non-drilling activity. There are apartments that a re cheap again, groceries are still high and Doctors are very high.

I guess what I am trying to say is even if I wanted to start drinking again , it would be foolish as most of my money would go to beer. I don't even know what a 6 pack cost but I am sure I could eat on this money for a few days. When you quit drinking you think of these normal things, on how you can stretch your money out. God knowa I am trying and he has not given up on me. He pushes me out of bed daily to go through the jobs and send out resumes  so I can further escalate my non- working condition. I pray everyday for something to come through. For every one resume I send out there are hundreds like me. Some with further education than I have and aftere talking to some of the managers hiring in the area, most people are wanting oil field type money for these jobs. This is not happening though and the hiring managers will not hire someone at 20..00 and hour when they know they can get someone to work for 9 or 10 and hour. How do you live on that kind of money without going bankrupt?

Welll , i hope i don't have to find this out. Right now I am staying sober and working the program on a daily basis, and trying to figure clues as to get around this town with the money I have.It is a game that is no fun. Moving may be the answer , but being at the age I am , may not provide an answer to my job situation. I wonder how many people are going through the job task I am. I am luckily , siingle and have a house that is paid for and , I have a sober life with money in the bank, just not that much. So I very well may be doing better than those out seeking employment than I think.

Oh well, this is a blog about how my life is progressing , and even with the low times as right now with employment, it could be worse. It makes a man feel less than a man when he is unemployed. Hopefully things are about to change. Chris

Social Sobriety - Get a Hobby!!

There is nothing worse than sitting on your ass passing the time away hoping for something to heppen. Belive me, I have been doing this for a while and getting fat and out of shape. I do things, but they all involve no exercise. I found out today just cleaning out my garage that i was winded and sore and tired out really quickly. I decided I was not going to quit , so I finished a project that was long over due.
It is easy to sit and get on a pity potty , cause like I said I have been there and hopefully this new experience has taught me to at least walk my dog every day

, and go a little more further each day. It is good to get sore and lose weight. A hobby of mine is painting and photography and flying drones. I noticed I was getting winded from just being in my living room flying these little drones in the main living room and this is not good.
Staying sober and healthy go hand in hand, I know this might sound stupid but activity does make you feel better after you have done it. I feel 100 % better now and I am tired enough to rest on the couch. I feel no guilt and I feel revived just from doing an activity one time.
I am going to practice this everyday to see how I lose weight and if my mood improves. I have a feeling this will help maybe one or two of you also.. Have a great weekend..Chris

When you Sponsor a Crazy Person

I have had the luck of sponsoring a few men in my AA group and one stands out as just plain insane. My job as a sponsor is to help those in need of staying away from drinking and to help them with the steps. That is all. I don't try to get involved with their personal lives nor do I want to get involved with them in their personal lives.Help is what a sponsor does, but there is a point where you have to shut people up that are not even trying to work the AA program and text you every 5 minutes and they  talk about their life and work, and really I don't give a shit about the bullshit.Maybe I am being a little harsh but there are those that use sponsors as a means of a counselor and that I am not.
SO when you sponsor a crazy person that phones you all the time or text you about stufff that has no bearing on AA. You have to let them go. I have held on to this one person, and finally said I can't help you. He was driving me crazy with texting 20-30 text a day.I stopped answering them,a dn felt guilty until I finally put my foot down and said ,"Hey if you want help with the steps and AA, Call me and do not text me".

It is needed to be stern on occasions and you and i are only human. We are not guidance counselors, we are just people with a little bit of knowledge of how to stay sober. Do not use a cponsor for things that are ordinary day to day talking. Sure if you have a problem then use a cponsor, but we don't have all the answers. Ask them to get another sponsor to help. You can only do so much to help someone that is not even interested in practicing the 12 steps of AA. In fact you should stop if the conversation is not directly related to AA. Just my opinion on sponsoring certain people. Chris

Uber gone in Midland, Texas- a Danger for Midlanders

As a Uber driver in Midland, Texas I can inform you that we kept quite a bit of drunks off the road in this county.On February 2, 2016 , Uber pulled out of Midland, Texas due to the way Midland City Council had tried to arrange an ordinance to fit Midland, Texas. This evidently did not work , and who is to blame? Seeing that Uber had established a agreement with most of the citizens of Midland County , I would have to say it was both the City of Midland City Council and Uber. Midland City Council wanted their way and Uber already had their way of running this service in many of the places of the world.It's a shame cause now their will be more DWI accidents and deaths due to not having Uber in town.

Why does the public drink themselves into oblivion? Well, partially there are a lot of drugs in this town and drinking is a pastime with a majority of locals.Yes , we have treatment centers in the area and they are packed.We have several AA groups and they are packed also with people that are court ordered and those whom want sobriety from their own experience of drinking too much.

Remember alcoholics have a disease and it is alcohol that is the drink that makes us want more. The more we drink the more satisfied we are.

Honestly Uber leaving , does not bother me. They kept cutting wages for drivers and I was getting sick and tired of the drunks I picked up nightly, and sometimes during the day. However it laid off about 100 drivers in a area where there is no work .People needed their Uber driving jobs and the goverment stepped in and made it impossible for Uber to operate under these conditions.What a shame, please be careful driving in this town, even more cautoius than before, because these people will still go out and get drunk but they have no alternative now for a sober driver to get them home.

Living Sober through The Rough Times

We all have times in our lives that are tough to get by. It could be a money situation that we may need, or added expenses that we did not plan on. There are a multitude of reasons to take another drink, we can think of these all the time if our head is not straight on. However , we know drinking will not solve our problems, as we have already learned this the hard way. Drinking just makes us feel sorry for ourselves, and makes others rude towards us. This is not acceptable nor is it a good idea to get out of place when your life is out of line.
What to do? Pray the third step prayer and go through the day and someone will realize that you are having a difficult time, if not , talk to an AA member about your situation and how its just eating at you and your sobriety. This always seems to help. Then think about the obsession and what it means to stay sober even through the rough of times. Prayer goes a long way but action has to take place also. So putting a plan of action and doing the unpleasant task that you may have to do, regardless of the outcome, it will usually be positive, when you think negative about the rough times you may be going through.

Believe me, I have had rough times and still going through them, day by day. I just try to not think about them and keep pushing onward , and forward thinking is good. Do not think about the past as it is gone, nor of the future, think of today what you can do to get thee negative feelings out of your system.Put a smile on your face this morning and go forward toward the day, you are alive an the only thing you crave is oxygen and there is plenty of this, thanks to God. So we have what we need , just maybe not what we want right now. But persistence will prevail if you work on this within yourself and with working with others. God Bless..

Social Sobriety and what AA is Not!

AA is a word for alcoholics anonymous, which is  a group of people from all walks of life. There are homeless, lawyers, executives, fast food workers,and everyday people. They come to AA to learn how to live life sober. Most are sober when they come, but there are times when one is not sober and they are welcome to come in as well. Our mission is not of a cult  or religious one. We strive to help the other alcoholic who still surfers from the disease of alcoholism. Yes, it is a disease that some people with a chemical makeup cannot control , even the first drink. They continue drinking until they pass out or black out. That is the extreme , there are also people that just cannot control thier drinking and need help , moral help in stopping. This is what AA is. A place to stop and get your senses straight just for one hour at a time. The goal is to treat the drinking alcoholic for 24 hours of sobriety if they come into a meeting and really want the help.
However , one must ask for help. Without asking, you will go un-noticed and possibly be passed by the crowd in AA. There is nothing like making a fool of your self in AA. Some of us have come to AA meetings just after having drank alcohol, and sat through meetings and then were directed as to what we could do to stay sober for 24 hours, and some are refered to treatment centers , and there is money in some groups that will help with your expenses to get this help.

So AA is a caring group of spiritual people that each speak and discuss thier week or life and try to find some type of relief. Come in and join us, even if you are curious. We will not ask anything from you , and you do not even have to talk. Just come to listen to former alcoholics to seee if maybe you are one..Have a great Day!!Chris

PS. La Hacienda will have Chris Raymer speaking this May in Hunt, County in Kerrville, Texas for their alumni meeting..Please come to listen to this man. He is pasionate about what he speaks and very good at what he says!!

How To Be a Sponsor in Social Sobeirty

In AA there are people with lengths of sobriety, it could be 6 months or longer , and if you work the steps you should of gotten to twelve on the list. Now I say you should of, meaning that you thoroughly worked each and every step and have a concept of the program and how sponsoring works . You should have a sponsor already also before sponsoring, but these are not rules, just suggestions.
What does a sponsor do? They are a person that you can call on during the day and night when you have problems or just feel uneasy with a living situation. They are not your last answe, they will give answers that are AA driven , and for your sobriety. Most sponsors turn into lifelong friends, but there are a few new comers out there, that abuse the policy. A good sponsor will sit down and go over the Big Book with you and help you understand what you son't understand in the books of AA. If they don't have the answer, they will find it. They are not saints or anyone that is higher up in a AA group. These sponsors are friends of the program wiling to help others to stay sober. Like the buddy system.
They are helpers in living life to its fullest for the person that might need help puling away from a liquor store and telling their them to throw the drink out. These are rare things that happen but they do happen.They do not lend money or provide shelter but they might have ideas as to where one can go if the alcoholic is homeless.
In sponsoring you can run across a group of real interesting good and bad people. I have met both in sponsoring and have let go of two of them because they were whiners and did not want help. They wanted answers to things I had no idea about. They wanted money, and when one comes into AA sometimes there is no money in your pocket and it is ok to help someone with cash, but you have to put a stop on this. Anyway , if your a sponsor you are working the program as it is written and it does help one to do this activity. I highly suggest you sponsor someone that needs this. Have a nice day!

Social Sobriety and Giving Back

One part of AA is the giving back what you have been given from the program of AA. This can be done a several of ways. Do service work ,which means chairing meetings and cleaning up the building after a large gathering of people. So instead of just getting up and leaving to go to your car, you might ask the chair person if there is something you can do to give back what was kindly given to you for your sobriety. Yes, they will look at you in a strange way, but be surprised that you even offered, as most of us after a meeting will just throw our cups away and then casually walk out of the building . Then the person that has the key to the door has to do the cleanup of the room so the next group that comes in will have a orderly room to conduct meetings.

I know , you probably are not the type of person that would do such a  thing, but recently I did this and made a few new friends that I have more in common with. In AA we talk about the steps and staying sober. After AA we talk like regular people and if you need a job or seek a sponsor this is a perfect time in which to ask other members about such things.

Service wrok can entitle many aspects of what you can do to give back , but also giving of money to help operate the expenses is another way of tithing. I feeel like when I give money I am saying thank you for the group counseling and paying a small fee for helping me stay sober just makes since. No one will ask you to put money in the basket that is passed around just before a meeting is about to close. This is the 7th Tradition in which we accept no outside operating expenses and are in no debt to anyone but ourselves. So you see your home AA group is self supporting in how it is run, and if you don't like how it is run you can attend meetings once a month and make suggestions and if they are voted on and agreed then they will make adjustments to how the money is spent on a monthly or yearly basis.

AA programs have been know to use this money to sponsor people to go to quarterly mega-meetings in other towns, if you need the money. They also have used the money to send people to Treatment centers, so we graciously give back what is given to us.This is unlike any meeting you will ever come to, where things are given to you to help you with keeping your life intact. This is what happens when you do service work is you give back and in return , something always good comes back to you. It is the way a church is run in a way, but I don't know what churches do with their money. Give back today to someone less fortunate than you and live life sober today!!

Sobriety, The Reason to Get Sober Today in 2016

There are a multitude of reasons that starting a new year , in that starting a new life can be obtained today. Sobriety is the key focus of what you have set out to achieve and ready to start with a fresh attitude towards the world and yourself. Make a determined effort to go to a AA meeting today and meet one person, even if it is to say ,"Hello". This will start your journey into a new world where all things are possible . A new beginning to a hopeless end with drinking.

Go to just one AA meeting today, and they have these meetings all over your city if you live in a large metropolitan area. You just might make a difference in someone else life. You might see a co-worker or an attorney that you have known, but do not feeel ashamed, as they are there for the same reason you are there, to stay sober for just today and find materials to help you stay sober. Find a sponsor in this meeting, they will usually point people out that can sponsor a recovering alcoholic. Yes, that would be you, but you have to take the first step into this building to start your day off on the right foot.

The possibilities are endless what you can accomplish by going to this first AA meeting. Here are a few that may happen to you. You go and then come home and tell your spouse or child that you went to AA and they just might put a smile on their face. Once you have left you now how an idea that there are many people from homeless persons to doctors that are attending these meetings, alcohol has no discrimination on whom the disease chooses. This may shock you at the knowledge or stories that you hear , casue they may sound like yourself talking while in this meeting. I am sure you will find something familiar with going to this AA meeting.

If you leave and think you still are not an alcoholic , then go and keep drinking and in the back of your mind you will always know there is a place for you at alcoholics anonymous if you so need this in your life. You may not be alcoholic, I beg of you to please ask in a meeting what a alcoholic is? They will give you an answer that might fit you or may not. We are not a glum lot of people, we are happy and sometimes sad. We are a group of survivors from this disease. You may try another group to see if they are more on your level, almost all groups are the same but some are smaller and others larger. Take the leap of faith and at least find out if you really have a problem or if it is someone else just saying you have a problem. Get it out of your voice and head to do something today!! Thank You

God This Morning and Sobriety

It is July 24th 2014 and a Thursday where I live. It will be Thursday alll day long. What does God have in store for me today? I started my day as usual with reading the Bible and then the Big Book of AA. I had my coffee and Coke and now I am ready to conquer my day.

This is the usual way I wake up with prayer in the shower and reading when I have time. I always wake up earlier then I need to now for a reason. I am not sure what that reason is? I feel drowsie early in the morning and it's hard to wke my ass out of bed, but once I get going it seems to just flow. I have a schedule I adhere to everyday. When I was drinking I had no schedule.

In the morning when I drank beer the night before I would be trying to think of excuses for not going to work and lost many jobs this way.I have had several jobs and so be it. Now, sober and clear headed these feelings of trying to get out of work do not hit my mind, it is how to get going and get ready for the day..It's a 360 degree way of living for me.

There is an AA meeting at 7 am and I think I will try to hit that sometime, that means waking up even earlier and being ready to be at work on time. So , this is an idea. You see, AA is spiritual and these meetings are spiritual. SO It is like going to church without a bunch of
hypocrites. I know that does not sound correct, but i suppose church is just not for me. The sprirt of God is what I live for on a daily basis, not the Church. The meaning that the church coveys is good I am sure, but the spirituality is not there for me.God is fine with that in my mind, a church is where a group of people get together and worship God , well I do this in AA. So what is the difference, except the Holiness of stained glass windows and an expensive organ that anyone can play in my eyes. I am a musician so I see the organ most churches have and if you hit one note on the thing it sounds magnificent.

There are those of you who do not agree with me and that is fine, this blog is for me not you. I write down how I feel right now this minute and if you care to read than fine. Maybe it will give someone an insight of an recovered alcoholic and how sick he is and has been. I am fine and spirituality wise I am sane and in God's prayer.Have a good Thursday as I am sure I will learn some lessons today as I always do everyday in my new life...God Bless You all...Chris

Sobriety and Growing Stronger Each Day

I grow stronger each and every day of my sobriety. Do you understand what I am saying? I feel like I am growing each day with new challenges and opportunities in my life that I never had to deal with in life. This is truly a blessing in disguise for me. Today is Friday July 18th,2014 and it is 7:26 AM and I have been up since 6 Am. The funny part about this day  is I wake up so damn early and only to read my Big Book and the Bible , so as to start my day off in the right direction. It just feels good. I like feeling good about myself and others. If this is how I must do this , then so be it.I have been doing this for almost five of the last six years and it has meaning in my life.

Christopher Hyer@ Church in Odessa, Texas

Each day I grow stronger with knowledge of people and how they perceive me and how I perceive them. It is knowledge that brings strength to an individual or at least me. I want to know about things I do not already know. In my line of work, the variety of it keeps me interested. I do not do the same thing over and over. I fix MFP printers and Production Copiers for a living and they can be very confusing on how they operate sometimes, and then there are the God times. Where I don't know anything about what I am doing and I push the right switch or pull out paper from a place it should not be and the machine starts working. That is God doing for me what I could not do for myself. Do I pray for this while I am working, your darn right I do.

I pray constantly while I am driving or listening to music, while on my way to a job or just when I feel like I need God into my life right now. I just say prayers in my head while I steer to the next job that God will be with me and imagine him sitting next to me as we are are brothers going to work. Try this and see how it feels, imagine God being with you and your the only one that knows about God watching over your shoulder while driving or working, it's amazing to me how more confident I am when I do this. I am never alone.

God is our creator and we are his children and once you accept this into your life, you will be lost. I use to be called a lost soul by a young lady I met in Austin during my drinking years. I never really understood her, but now I do. I had lost my true self in my illusions of what I was or doing with my life. No place or situation that I changed could get me in touch with myself and my soul. I had grown up  in a Methodist church and feared God more than anything until I became open to him as I am now. Open your heart up to God and see what miracles can happen to you today!! God Bless...

Living Sober, Completely

In waking up daily , we get on our knees and pray to God. This is a ritual of sort that must take place in order to complete your day. It is for me , that is. I always say about an hour of prayers before the start of the day. You must live sober completly or you will fail. This includes practicing the AA steps daily in my life and attending an AA meeting if needed for that day. What does an AA meeting do for you ? Well there are others there that ask themselves the same question, its the fellowship of others who have recovered or the ones who are wanting to try recovery, because it is the one way that works.

Three Days Grace Concert, Midland, Texas ( Beer Fest)

It's not just going to meetings that will keep one sober, it is interacting with others in the fellowship and seeing how there lives have changed and how your life has changed. It is a good reminder of where you are going and where you came from. Is it needed daily, well for some it is. I got to three meetings a week. I have a schedule of which meetings I go to and which ones I don't. If it has substance and I get something out of it I attend. Living sober completely means action takes place instead of words. You may hear words at a meeting but without action , one is stale. You will find that you grow along spiritual lines that are clean and good for yourself. They will effect your lifestyle and your personality in a positive manner. You will always hear yourself at an AA meeting from others that speak.

There is the real life of going out and practicing the steps of helping other recovering alcoholics which is needed in order to stay sober. It is sometimes hard to get these to call you. I have found this out by handing out my phone number to many newcomers and only to not get one call. The deal is I am avaiable if they need me. That is sometimes all we can do. Make your self able to take a call and let the drinker you are there for them. The rest is up to them. You , however are practicing
the twelve steps of alcoholics anonymous when you try to help. That is all that is asked.

I recently went to a rock concert in Midland, Texas and beer was being sold out at this venue and there were a lot of drunks and at the end of the concert there were police officers waiting at the door to make sure one was sober. Thank God I was only drinking 3 dollar bottles of water, as I was not even looked upon these officers. They had a group of about 20 ready to go to jail for public intoxication. What a deal , huh. I was blessed this night , but I had no plans of drinking anyway, if this would of been a few years back , I too would be joining this group.

So good comes from not drinking, even if only for yourself. You are responsible now, and with the number of DWI cases in court in my little town, I do not want to spend one night in jail. This is my insurance, AA, and it should be yours. Have a great day and God Bless. Chris

Chris Raymer and AA Speakers

There are a lot of circuit AA speakers who fly all around the world, helping those that need guidance with the disease of alcoholism. Chris Raymer of Hunt, Texas is one of these guys. He is sometimes called the "One eyed bandit" joyfully so. He is on a mission, and his mission includes all those affected with alcohol in one way or another. When I was in treatment at La Hacienda this man spoke to us everyday. I was in such a daze that I only was able to conceive some of his message. He is very out there and out spoken , he gets his point across. He has the idea that we are not doing enough as a whole in helping the newcomer beat his addiction. He will tell you that AA in some cities will not even crack open a Big Book in their meetings, and he is right. The AA and the group as a whole should use this material , because it works. He has been to so many places and witness too many deaths in his lifetime of sobriety.

Chris R. story is not the typical one. His indeed is different as we all are. He did not recover from this disease this last time at a alcohol and drug treatment facility. He went to an AA meeting in Lewisville, Texas on his last draw with drugs and drinking. He really wanted what these people in AA had, and made the effort. He was taken in by some old timers at the AA club and put to work on the steps immediately. Those who wanted Chris to stay sober knew just what to do to give him a chance in sobriety, because all had failed in what Chris tried. He was willing to do what it took, reluctantly at first, yet building a foundation that he lives by today.

Focusing on the 12th step and helping other alcoholics maintain their sobriety is a passion for this man. It should be the passion of all of us. However, we have fallin short and expect the newcomer to take for his own. This is not how AA was intended and Chris will speak about this. There are some in AA whom disagree with Chris on several issues, and this is true with anyone that has knowledge of his sorroundings. Chris is hyper and full of passion for the recovered AA person and those coming new into the program. Here is a sound clip of one of his recent speaches he has given. You can find these by searching out his name in google.com. Christopher

Writing a Journal to Stay Sober

Personally , I think that if a person keeps a blog or journal, that he or she will develop into a better person. I know this blog serves as my journal and even though you may not agree with what I have to say, it is very important to keep writing for me. I might just tough a nerve out there in cyberland and help someone that has had problems like I have had with staying dober or just wondering what it is like. There are millions of drinkers who drink because of the efeect it does to them. These are the alcoholics in our world. Those who drink for the taste and not the effects are probably not one of us.

There is a stigma about alcoholics in the world , that we are a bunch of bums, that just sit around and somehow stay sober. Well, some of these folks could be right. However , there are many of us who are Doctors , Lawyers, and politicians, including manual labor folks. We are not a glum lot we are many and could be your next door neighbor. When sober, we are usually clean, respectful people in our society that make a difference to our community. AA not be associated with any particular sex, or race and we are one as a group of people. We strive for staying sober on a daily level, and most will not have the urge to drink if only folowing a few simple steps and getting a sponsor. It is that easy, putting it into action seems to be the problem with some folks who cannot or will not give themselves to this simple program.

Back to writing about your day and experiences. It is good to look back and see how far you have come, or if you had a slip to reflect on why you might of decided to start drinking. It will help you be yourself and help with daily communication with other folks. There are days I just don't want to write anything, and those are the days I write a lot. I must have something on my mind that is bothering me, plus when I look back over the past few months I can see growth in myself. This is good to see some type of growth when you feel like you have exhausted all means of your life at times.

Today start a blogger account and help others recover like I have and its been a little bit over 4 years now, and the obsession to drink to feel good has left me. It had to or I would be dead. This is only for me, your situation may be different. I have to stay busy everyday and even if I do not have a job to go to, I still am doing something constructive, or I get bored and the same old feelings come back. That is when action has to take place and this is a learned response now. We take daily inventory of our lives first thing in the morning , trying to get things right with God and pray all throughout the day to stay sober. It is a new way to live and with so many going back to drinking after trying to stop , you must do something different to make it sober in life today....Hope this helps...Christopher

What usually happens? The show doesn’t come off very well.

The show for me is every day living and working . SOmetimes it does not go very well and that is when I need the strength of God to help me through. I pray in the mornings and read the Big Book beofre work. I ask for his forgiveness, and that I may make it through another day. This is not hard to do , and I pray that my prayers will come to light. So far so good. I am new at my company and I have a lot to learn, I am very tired this morning and would rather stay home. This is my old sick thinking is what I have. I pray for God to lift my sprits and to guide me through today. I pray for my family that they may have a pleasant day. I pray, and pray and pray.

I believe you cannot pray enough, as my prayers tend to come true. I am a hard headed individual that wants to learn what I am doing and it is hard work this time. There is no easy solution. I want to fit in and become a part of something and I am trying to hard , maybe. I will ask God to guide me through today and give me strength as I go through today. You might need to do this also. Prayer really helps and to stay sober a spiritual relationship with God is needed. I think I have this. I hope you have a good day and I pray that all my readers have a good day as well. Christopher

Rarely have we seen a person fail !!!

The rest of this passage

By Chris Hyer 2013

is very well known. We try to not take that first drink and we try to make amends while in the program of AA. We try all the time not to step on others toes. Yes, as Alcoholics we try!! Thats all we can do is try to succees in what we are attempting to do. Whether it be work or quitting a drug or drink, we at least give it full effort to try and make use of ourselves. If we don't we have already failed. So trying is number one if you ask me for this program. Try to be the person you want to be and you will be that person.

This is Wed, and halfway through the week ,What can you try to do today that you have not done yet. Something that bothers you makes for good practice. That way you willl have God behind you and you will not fail. Ask God for his help today to try new things out. Ask him to hold you and guide you through the light of the day and the darkness of the night. Try Try Try!!!!God Bless.. Christopher

Updates to Blog For Sobriety

Since I am recovering from the Dentist, I have decided to make use of this blog as it tends to be growing in numbers around the world. This blog now has a translator, because of the Russian community that is present on this blog. I welcome the Russian Alcoholic and all others from around the world to explore my daily routines and rituals, if you will. This blog is for alcoholics and thos whom might be interested in what alcoholisim is. I put my personal accounts or journal into this and sometimes I just put plain facts from other sites to help those of us that need this.

Interesting !! Chris Hyer 2013

I will say this , if an alcoholic , you should build your own blog or be writing about your our story in a personal journal, that way you can see how you have been doing . I have found this to be quite an experience and I see how I have grown from hating AA to loving it. I am a proud recovering or recovered person from drinking alcohol and smoking . I write to inform the masses and myself how far I have come and how this program of rigorous honesty, works with the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. I am sorry to say that the only way to stay sober is to work the steps and work them with a sponsor and attend a few AA meetings every now and then or everyday. Whatever works for you. We are all different, when I mention a higher power , I speak of God and this might throw a whole lot of people off. I am a Ch
ristian though and I have come to believe that God has lifted me and my spirits high and ahs given me the power to pass what I know on to people.

I am in no way an authoritative person,, that thinks my ways work for you. I am just one in a million that try's to adhere to this program the best I can. I have thrown some advertising on here to make use of other ideas. Scientist are always looking for ways to beat this disease and therefor if any of these ads helps you in any way , then so be it. I get help from meditation and reading the Big Book of AA, there are those of you that seek another direction beside AA, I say good luck. I have not found any other way and one must work a 12 step program to stay sober, this is fact. There are no magic pills or words , but there is the spirit of God that can be had from this program and working the steps is the way in finding that spiritual aspect that you will have to have. I am just one example of what God has done for my life with a little bit over 4 years of sobriety, each day is a miracle , that I don't use or drink. I thank God for the family I have , and the way my friends look upon me now. My son is closer to me than ever and loves me. These are the rewards for doing this simple , program. You cannot buy this program or love from an individual, I have tried. I have tried everything your little head is thinking, and I have fallin many times back into the darkness of the insanity. Please comment and leave your testimony if you feel like it. We are not a glum lot , we all need to be loved, and this is good. Christopher

Friday 07/19/2013 God Grant Me Serenity!!

I am between jobs right now, and though I have secured one starting this coming Monday . I have had dead spots in the day where I have to sit down and just wonder what to do next. I have found that writing has helped in my boredom. I write this blog almost daily and most of those that read this blog are from Russia. I think that is cool, and I hope they get something out of this blog, in fact I write in this for serenity and to help other alcoholics . That is my hope at least , yet it is a journal of my life also. A way for me to reflect upon the days and look forward to the next day. I suggest you start a blog and just start writing what comes from your heart.

Serenity By Chris Hyer 2013

Even the pain of daily living can be too much for some of us. If we work these steps , though, we will find that there are things that need to be done. In the cities there are marathon AA meetings and I wish I lived where these happened. I do not and have to wait usually for 8pm meetings and though I find it difficult to go to these meetings. I do. It helps to be in a room of other people that go to AA, you will feel the spirituality in the room , and once someone starts to talk , you can tell the ones , that really work this program . It really works. You have to work it though, it is not a difficult task, but one we need to live by. Daily living includes using the 12 st
eps of AA in our daily living just to live one day at a time, if not one hour...

I have lost the desire for drink, and this in itself is a miracle. I do have times when I smell wine or beer and think about it, but for only a few seconds, then the obsession goes away. I have well completed step one to its fullest potential. You can also get to this point. It will no longer haunt you to be around those that are drinking and going into a convenience store to buy whatever and seeing a fellow buy a suitcase of beer is normal. You may think about this for a moment, but God takes the feeling away from you almost instantly and you go about your day.

God grant me the serenity, and he does this everyday. I have not had a bad day since being sober for almost 5 years. It does work the program and people from AA make this possible with the help of your higher power. God is my higher power and I seek him now as I pass this message to other people that may find this helpful in their lives. We are not a glum lot, we a re happy that we do not have hangovers this morning, and are fairly stable in our heads as to what needs to be done for this day. God Bless and have a good weekend... Come Back....CHristopher