Monday Morning Soberiety and New Job

I start my new job in IT today with a business that is local. I look forward to working outside the house. This is a fortunate position that God has sent my way. I have the jitters a bit this morning but I woke up early and got cleaned up and had enough time to write to this blog. Monday's are usually busy days for most as they set out for the week. I believe that I have found the perfect Christian job , all that work here are Christian and family. They seem to have accepted me and my past alcoholism. I explained to them on my first interview that I was. This is how I am spiritually motivated I said. The man I talked to was impressed, though I was outspoken, it did not hurt my job chance
s. Nor was a drug test even given, I was trusted.

Garden in Midland, Texas 07/21/2013 Chris Hyer

I think working for a Christian company is what God had planned for me, though the work will be difficult, there is training.God does not give us more than what we can handle is what is said, and I believe this and will do my best. I need to calm down and let things be as they are. I slept horribly last night, I guess my first day has made me a bundle of nerves, for I have not been under a employment like this in a while. I was a contractor, and ran the show. I must remeber that I do not run the show, I am an actor for this company and I must slow down and follow their rules. God makes this happen.

I have said my prayers this morning and pray as I do , this makes for a great beginning. I will write at the end of the day to tell how all went. God grant me the serenity to change the things I can the wisdom to know the difference and so on....I have said this prayer possibly 5 times today and the Lords prayer that things work out. I will go forward in pursuit of being productive and knowledgeable this day forward with my life and my work. I dress for the part and look nice and my mind is open for new ideas. I carry with me a cross around my neck in remembrance of Christ and what he has done for me. I wear a ring with a cross , so my fingers will be guided by God. I know this may sound foolish but I believe . I show my belief this way, and flaunt this belief.

Well,have a blessed day and those still drinking , I feel for you and please write and tell me how I could help you via the Internet. I will reply if I can. God Bless. Christopher

Sunday and a Beautiful Day to be Sober

I met a woman last night from CL and she was about my age. We hit it off right from the start aqnd began to talk. She asked about my past , and as honest as I am. She inquired, "You would be hard to be in a committed relationship because what if you decided to drink again?" , Well that stumped me and I said you don't. I can only tel you that I will not in all probability go back to how I was or I will be dead. Shocked , as she seemed to be, I told her I had been as low as I could go this time. I lost my life almost this time when I sobered up, and I will never forget this.

Texarkana, Ark. Chris Hyer 2011

How many of you have had this question brought up to you? It was difficult to swallow at first. Would all women thing the same thing? Do I really care? I would have to  say that I could not give her a good answer. I am not on this earth to please a stranger, I am here to stay sober and productive and make a living. If it comes right down to it , I will never marry again and be just fine. I willl have the same questioned asked, I am sure. It's these little things that can really ruin it for me. I try to adhere to the AA program and some people think your some kind of freak or not good enough for them. They are wrong and there are millions of us in relationships al over the world. We are n
ot a glum lot, we are happy individuals, and God driven. They just don't understand this and so be it.

I start a new job on Monday with a Christian company and I look forward to this new position in life. I look ahead and with a future for my life and it involves no drugs or drinking. It involves doing the best for my employer and staying up with AA at the same time. God will be with me through the day and so I do not worry or concern myself with any outcome. I use to get drunk before I started a new job, and the result was so they could get use to the real me back then. I do not need to do this anymore, I can sleep fine at night and wake up early enough to write on my blog and get to work on time. That is my goal and I pray this works out fine. I know it will. I am in recovery for the rest of my life, and it is ok. Accept me for who I am not and who I am. I am very proud of what I do not do anymore and you should be also. Work the steps at home and at work and pray constnatly with God and all things can be accomplished. Chris

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

To Drink is To DIe

We had to smash the idea that we could drink or it killed us. The Big Book reminds us that controlled drinking was all we wanted to have. We have the disease of alcoholism, and this spiritual malady or "issue man" inside us makes this possible. Inside you may have another drink left in you, don't even think this for a moment. We know to drink is to die. It is our death sentence to take one drink as it tends to lead to another sometimes slowly others it takes just one drink that will lead to another. We have tried all forms of controlled drinking or drugging. Trying it in the morning only or just one in the evening, then to succumb to the fact that we could drink two or more now, back to the races we went, and fell into an insane asylym. Back to treatment or death to most of us.

Hunt , Texas by Christopher Hyer 2013

Please do not believe you can control your drinking, and do not take this test. If you are like myself, it will be the last thing in your mouth, and you will not wake up. This is not living, AA gives us the tools for living and that is with the spritual God in our hearts telling us this drinking has to quit or it will kill us. The obsession to drink may not completly go away , but will if you truly work step one. Step one is the most important step we could have in our hearts and life. We have to believe in a power greater than ourselves, could restore us to sanity and not take that one drink.

God is all powerful, look at your self in the mirror and laugh this morning and this afternoon, soon you will be able to laugh all day long, and without a drink. You are with the spirit of God and he is wonderful and grateful to you for being strong
against the devil. The devil is evident now is he not? You know what to do whne the drink thing comes to your mind, there sits on one side the devil on the other is God's spirit, who do you want on your side.

The God concept is not a new one and if we truly believe he can conquer all our fears if asked. Pray to God and ask him to relieve the pain of drink and give you life today. Look at a child and see his innocence. This is you reflecting back . You are a child of God and this is good. He watches over you if asked. He needs to be asked, though. Faith without works is dead.God respects you as much as you respect him, its a mirroring effect , and it works. Millions of alcoholics and drug addicts have lived this way since being sober, you can too, so can I. God Bless and Keep your head up high, God is riding with you right now. God Bless and have a great day...Christopher07/17/2013

To my Russian Friends on this site

Здравствуйте, мои русские друзья. Я заметил, что вы большой части аудитории на моем блоге. Я хочу, чтобы вы знаете, что в моих молитвах и добро пожаловать на мой сайт в любое время. Я использую translator написать это, чтобы вы. А.А., я считаю, это в вашей стране. Я когда-нибудь хотели бы посетить Россию и встретиться с некоторыми из людей. Я слышал о красоте и я слышу о бедности, которая меня огорчает. Если вы алкоголик, и я могу помочь вам сохранить некотором смысле трезвости в вашей жизни пожалуйста, напишите мне. Пусть Бог благословит и есть великий день!

Over 60 percent of my readers are Russian this is what the above message says: Hello , my Russian friends. I have noticed that you are a large part of the audience on my blog. I want you to know you are in my prayers and welcome to my site at all times. I am using a translator to write this to you. AA ,I believe is in your country. I someday would like to visit Russia and meet some of the people there. I hear of the beauty and I hear of the poverty that saddens me. If you are alcoholic , and I can help you maintain some sence of sobriety in your life please write to me. God Bless and have a great day!!

Good Day- Thy Will Be Done, Not Mine

In a perfect world, my life would go like I see it. I am wrong , in a perfect world my life will go according to how God sees it. What does he see? I look in the mirror and he sees a sober, handsome , individual, that is sober and has his will of God in his mind. Thy will be done, not mine. This is the motto of this day. As I seek employment from different sources, God makes this all possible, where I had no leads a few days ago to having to pick which job best suits me.

Midland Park after rain Christopherhyer2013

God has his ways of telling me what to do. I don't listen at times, and be quite and shut up. I need peacefulness to hear his word to me, and sometimes his word is written in this blog. I read back a few days back and I can't believe I wrote such articles. Some good , others spiritual, and without provocation I adhere to every word I write.

My goal is for the Alcoholic to see what happens when you sober up and live life day to day. 90 days in the program and 90 meetings is great at first , but don't adhere to these if y
ou cannot, you will let yourself down. Meetings will not make you sober, its your oneness with God, that will keep you  straight and in line with the program of AA. I believe this to this day. If not for my spiritual connection with God I would not be writing these everyday.

This is my journal and I highly believe you write one for yourself. A blog is an easy idea, but a notebook with paper will do just fine. In fact this should be a part of your everyday ritual. It will help you see where you are with the steps and how you feel day to day. Today is a new day and tomorrow is the future, what happens today is god send, and the future is known by God and only him. I have to stay in check with this attitude myself, as I try to skip ahead a few days at a time.

We are not a glum lot, we are happy individuals, that God has given us a daily reprieve contigant upon how we manifest ones self with our spiritual being. God is good and he is forever watching over us and giving direction. Try to catch him working in your life today and see the miracles he performs daily in your life as I try. God Bless and have a Good Day! Christopher

All Men Of Faith Have Courage

In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous , it goes into the fact that we seek spiritual guidance is by no means we lack courage. In fact , this principle of spirituality just means ,"all men of faith have courage". Ok, so I might have read this wrong, but you know what I am talking about if you have worked the steps. A spiritual beginning takes place when we complete step 4 and read aloud to our sponsor step 5 and work step 6. This is done in succession and honestly done. You cannot lie to yourself and another human being the resentments you have. It makes no sense to even try. If you want what millions of recovered alcoholics have , this and all steps are done in honest, and thought out time.

Chris Raymer Speaks!!

Work these steps fast and thoroughly so that your road to recovery can lead to step 12 , where you help the newcomer who is clueless as to what AA is all about. We need to help the newcomer come to realize step 1 and get him well off his way onto the other steps as soon as possible for him or her to stay sober for more than one more day. This is possible says ,"Chris Raymer. "Work these steps quickly, there is nowhere in the Big Book of alcoholics anonymous that says we seek 4 months of doing step 4 , this is wrong. it only takes a few days if only hours of rigorous honesty".

I stayed dry for three years of my 4 plus years of sobriety and I am a rarity, most do not last this long without some type of support. I went to AA just in time, and if I had started going like I am now, I would not of had the baffling years of insecurity I have had during those three years. I stayed sober or dry , but no program in place. I had a spiritual connection to God already, but there are many who do not understand this concept. Once the steps are in working order for the newcomer, he can go on about living and working , and staying sober. We have to work on the recovering new comer, he came to these meetings because he either had to ( Court Order) or he is seeking answers. Do not waist your time on those that do not want to work this program, let them go out and try some controlled drinking, and he hopefully will return. He may die, so it is important to try to work with the individual as fast as possible.

Once started this new person will come to know that the obsession to drink will go away after the simple step of quitting that one drink. All miracles start with step one, then one miracle after another will continue to be obtained. It works, it really does, if action is taken. God must be found and a spiritual relief has to be received in order to continue. Pray and pray more. Get on your knees and ask for help, and help will be given. Ask for the next day to be better than the last and it will be . I am working proof of this. Read through my blog and see all the miracles that have happen to just myself. I am just one of millions who have worked and fought this program. Hardhead as I was this deal actually works and keeps you from slipping if practiced. God Bless and have a Great Monday..07/15/2013

William James and AA: The Beginninge of Billl W's Spiritual Malady

In reading and watching a film about Bill Wilson , AA father and founder. William James , a great Philosopher and Writer from the 1800s to his death in 1910 , had a huge impact on the AA program.  Bill w. goes to explain on his last binge when in an asylum for drinking his last time. He discovered a book by ,"William James",. This book would have a sustained impact on Bill , he found a spiritual connection with God after reading this book and stayed sober from then on.

I dare you to read this book, it is called,"Varieties of Religious Experiences" by William James. He was a man who struck head on with the spiritual malady of living. He is why , possibly AA is what it is. A spiritual program based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. His book , is very difficult to read, and the philosophical words and phrases are quite the head on approach that made Bill W. quit drinking.

Bill w. gos on to say he had a spiritual change in his soul and the urge to drink was taken away after reading this book. I believe it is 1100 pages , and very concise on religions and why we experience outward bodies of a spiritual relationship with our higher power. Here are a few quotes from a site called "Brainy Quotes from this man , William James.

Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.

William James 

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
William James 

 The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.
William James

 To change ones life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly.
William James

These are only a few that William James writes about and they are powerful messages for our every day sobriety. These words mixed with a desire to stop drinking and get with the steps are indeed a revolution to take yourself on. The path to sobriety is haveing a spiritual relationship with God, our higher power. It is possible to pray for this relief and it will come onto you. I am one of a million persons that has been blessed with a spiritual change that has effected my life in this world. 

God Bless and have a great weekend. Life is good and Life is what you make out of it. Pray for those times when you are unsure what to do with your life, and a answer will come. This is a promise, that "Thy will be done, Not mine" Christopher07/14/2013 

The First Six Steps to Sobriety

Well its Thursday 07/11/2013 and yesterday I did my 5th and sixth step with my sponsor. It was an emotional meeting of sorts. I did not expect to get this way after I submitted my 5th step to my sponsor. I realize now some of the things that I hold deep down inside me that I take for granted. Love for one is what I have to offer to a lot of people, and peace became upon me as I read to him my resentments. I really did not know I resented so many things and that most were a cause from myself. I will make amends to those that I have hurt this week as well. The faster you work theough these steps and heal your inner soul, the better all this AA stuff is. My sobriety is stronger than ever, my conscios contact with the spiritual world is even more evident since I took these steps.

My C5 Corvette by Christopher Hyer

It seems when you read through the steps , a simple feet indeed once you get past step one. However by working the steps outlined by the Big Book, a spiritual beginning takes place again.Another round of peace came over me, and really it sounds strange, but I felt good about how my life was heading. If this is all it takes to stay sober and feel good about life, Is it not worth the risk of doing? I think it is, and being a sceptic for so long about AA and what happens in this group, it seems to be doing me a lot of good for my attitude and my living.

I have damned AA enough and I guess, I have just given in . I am glad I have calmed down about it. There is so much in the world about the good and bad about AA and their principles, that anyone would be a suspicious of why it works. I believe it is the spiritual aspect instead of the being at a meeting that tends to take over ones life, and this is good. My actions and thoughts are not perverse or destructive. I do however during the day have problems in which if I let go and say a pryer, seem to take over and the outcome is tolerable. I think this is called living life on life's terms. Thy will be done, not mine. To let go , is not in most of our vocabulary, we all want control. We basically have no control except for over people places and things. God has the control over everything, and until you find this out, like I am still learning, you will be spiritually sick.

A new way of life has become of me lately and by doing the fifth step and practicing the words I hear at AA meetings must be what this deal is all about. It will change your thought patterns into a good way of life for you. You have to work at this though and not just sit on your ass and hope things will come about. I have tried this even with prayer and the prayer will show you that this is not a way of living. Many exclaim " What an order , I can't go through with this", Yes you can if you are wiling to take certain steps, and believe in a higher power, and I chose the Lord. You may chose any relationship you like as your higher power and find out your stuck with God as being this higher power. It is good when this happens to a human being, they are better people in the world. God knows when we need help and he is there to provide this. Open your hearts and let your prayers be heard and pass it on to someone that may not want to hear about your spirituality because it will make them think.

My life is not perfect, yet perfection is not what I seek. I just want to tolerate it and enjoy a laugh or two in the mean time. I have not been open to much joy until I finished this step of my life. Like a baby taking his first steps, and learning how to walk is what this is all about, God will show you the way if you try. Have a great day....Chris07/11/2013

Monday and Being Humble

To be humble, what does this exactly mean? I think I know a little bit about this. Correct me if I am wrong. I am looking for another job , and there are plenty of fast food places to work at. They pay good money , because no one wants to work there. When I say good money , I mean about 14 to 16 dollars and hour. I am having trouble getting a job in IT or any computer related field. SO I was thinking , why not do fast food? I never thought this would be my destiny nor do I want this. The money is there though. I am not qualified for most jobs in my area in oil and gas. I never have worked in a restaurant atmosphere, and don't desire this. I would think this a humbling experience, and I do not want to do this. I may have to though, if nothing alse comes my way.

Why, oh lord does it have to be this way? I have so much experience in other areas, and I would rather move away from here than work in fast food. Maybe that is a idea? I am confused as to what to do, so I pray about this and , the answer has not come. I was just turned down for a job with an Airlines company and this is ridiculous. The times in my town I live in are booming and yet I am older now and sometimes I feel like I am not as wise as I thought I was. I use to be able to get almost any job I wanted. I have bounced around so many times and burned many bridges with other companies because of my drinking in the past.

This is where I am at this day is how to be humble and accept the things I cannot change and change the things I can. The wisdom to know the difference is hard to decipher. I have been putting in applications this morning for other jobs, and Yes they may come through. The time it takes to get hired on these days is ridiculous as well. The background checks ( which I pass with no problem), are everywhere I go looking for a job. It's like are you an American citizen and stupid shit like that. I was born American and I am white and never have been a from another country. This is what pisses me off is that you have to prove your an American citizen when you have paid taxes for years and your parents are American born and yet I get , and you also get the run around about if your able to work in this country.. Shit there are people from Mexico that barely speak English and they have no problems getting work , work that should go to people that grew up in this country. I do not want to sound like a racist but , in reality we let all these people from other countries come to the USA and they take our jobs away from the citizens that grew up in this country. Being humble and being realistic is two separate things.

Stop the bitching , I know, and I will find something, Humbling experience , I am living . We , who live in America are all humble in one fashion or another. I am sure some of you relate to what I am saying here. The world is not going to change for me, or you. We have already been subjected to what our government has done to us. I will stop at this , because I could go on and on about the unfairness to Americans on here. Somehow I will deal with the idea that some person from another country is taking jobs away from us. My little piss problem is over now...Chris

One Day At a Time ; Sobriety

Taking my life one day at a time. I don't know how good I practice this. I do try to think ahead, because I have to line up my life a few days ahead of time. Taking "One Day at a time", is a difficult step for any of us. I have so much to look forward to in the future, even if right now, I don't see it. I am sober again today and this will be everyday as far as I know, and for today I will be sober. The craving for alcoholic beverages really does not thoroughly go away when I think about this. The ads on Television and going to convenience stores surely throw this shit at me. So , I salivate for about 5 seconds and then I am ok, so the obsession to buy this particular drink has been lifted. Enjoy Stevie Ray Vaughn below for a little "Superstitions"

There are still problems in my daily living and AA helps in taking care of this. I also put in my two cents of , "No I am not going to drink because of so and so. There are problems , but drinking just makes them go away for a short period of time. I know this from experience and I am sure you do too. So taking this one day at a time, or even one hour at a time is needed, for me to live a sober life .
I say the serenity prayer constantly, and obsessively at times. I am the typical recovering alcoholic that thinks I can take one drink and stop , but knowing that I will take another sometime soon is what keeps me away fo 4 plus years of sobriety. I am working the steps daily , and my 4th step is done,however I need to get my sponsor involved into this.

One thing I have slacked up on is how many meetings I go to, and I need to get back in this habit of going to more, it would seem, or appear to me. I damned these AA meetings enough. They really help when I need them and other times I wonder why the hell I go. If it keeps me sober then there is no contemplating them.So live "One Day at a time" and God Bless.     

Saturday 07/06/2013 ---1 Timothy of the Bible

"May God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace,mercy,and peace" Chapter 1 in Timothy in the bible. 

Wow, what a strong phrase we have been given. Paul in the bible was given control by the command of Jesus, "It is written to Timothy,my true child in the faith".....What a concept, to have the Lord Jesus Christ give one such an honor. To be loved by Jesus , so much that God had appoited Paul to spread the word of God and to trust and have faith in him to do his deed.

Christopherhyer 2013

Is that what we all seek in reality , is a commitment from others to understand that through faith and love that God has made us into human beings to carry on this message to other human beings. A twelve step for sure, I would imagine."Live a life of Faith " is what Paul says in Timothy and do not stray away into any false promises.

This would hold true for alcoholics," please oh lord help us keep the faith and do not let us go a stray with our own ides" and "Thy will be done" not mine. This would tend to be the message I received this morning.

I am selfish with God and my own delusions of what I should be doing. I am guilty of not loving God every moment I can get a chance. Maybe for today we pray a little more and have faith that a power greater than ourselves brings us out of misery and into happiness. We all deserve this happiness and joyfulness.  

God Grant Me!! Sobriety

In the mornings , I say prayers for the day to begin with and ask for guidance and courage to face the world. It has become habbit, and without prayer in the morning , I would not be complete for the day. It is so much of a habit that I even recite the Serenty prayer a few times to get me going. Do you do this?

God grant me the serenity to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Sucha strong prayer for living . The short prayer is good for everything in this world. You cannot change the things you can't. It is so true. Love for other animals and human beings seem to take place with the serenity prayer. I don't think about drinking in the morning, that obsession has been removed. I have days where I am not so up . This is true with all of us, though I have not had a bad day since being sober. No hangovers, no headaches, or alcohol on my breath to get off. There is so much to be thankful for this morning.

July 4th was a bit hard to take, yet I woke up this Friday with a different attitude, and feel good about myself. I can't change those things I cannot control. Maybe this is hard to swallow on occasion, so I just keep praying all day long. Have a beautiful day and God Bless...Chris

July 4th, God's Grace I am Sober

Ingram, Texas by Christopherhyer 2013

Well it's that time of year where in Midland, fireworks happen even though there is a possibility of a good fire happening tonight somewhere. It never cease to amaze me , that they fire these off in and around the town. They are beautiful , if you like rockets blwing up in the sky. I could care less, if I was in New York City or somewhere where there is a little excitement , then my thoughts are there. To be sober in Midland, Texas is a feet in itself. There is basically nothing to do , but work. There are parks with no water in them. There are trees around the homes in the main city , however outside the city limits there is brush and dirt. The Oil rigs are everywhere, and that gets old too. The smell of gas is ever present in my city and I am sure it is not good for people, but its money.

So staying sober on July 4th in my town is a test of ones sobriety.Every day in this city is a test of one's sobriety. The only places to go are to eat , bars, and AA. You could go to a Hospital I guess and see how fancy that is,,lol...Shit this place really needs activities for people, beside drinking at a celebration on the night of the 4th.I try to compare this place to Corpus where I use to live 4 years ago, and there is no comparason. As an alcoholic I tend to want to move from place to place, to run from myself. When sober you realize you can't do this. You cannot run from yourself.

To get out of this Hell hole in West Texas one needs to drive about 3 hrs north or south to a lake. Maybe that is what I will do, we put a lot of miles on our vehicles out here because of this factor. Oh well, hopefully you live somewhere where it is pretty and not a 100 degrees. God Bless and Happy 4th....

Chris Raymer and AA

When I met Chris R. , he was a speaker at La Hacienda treatment facility in Hunt, Texas. I was foggy when he spoke and in my Big Book , I have diagrams trying to follow him. He is controversial to some members of AA , although are we not all. He is straight to the point on the program of AA. This was taken from You Tube and if you like it search this one eyed bandit that discusses the "Issue Man", that for some reason is hard to find on the Internet , if not impossible. He talks of the "Issue man " as our spiritual malady and for some reason, not much is found on the Internet on this speech. I will try once more to find his discussion of this. Enjoy listening to this program of Chris R. He is a sircuit speaker and pretty upfront about his passion for recovery and people.

Male , Female Relationships in AA- Are they Possible

I went and picked up my four year chip last night with my friend, I met in AA. She was beautiful and I helped her out with a place to stay for a couple of nights. She needed to get away from her home and figure out something, what she needs, I am not sure, but I could not provide it for her. I knew I would fall for her when I first met her, and I did. Having her in my house made it difficult to not watn to hold her and cuddle with her. I tried nothing with this sperson , though, because I knew the feeling was not mutual. She liked me, for me, but she wants no relationship, damn I thought.

Cocoa by Christopherhyer2013

However, can one have a relationship with another in AA.? I would say this would be difficult , and near impossible. You both may have physical attraction going on, then possibly sex. The bottom line is two people in the program are not the ideal mates to marry. That is of course my opinion again, and a lot of flirting goes on in AA. It's obvious in almost every meeting that has a young lady in the group, men are always hitting on her. I see this everywhere I go. This girl may be sick as hell, and yet men hit on her consistently, making AA even a hard place for this single women to be involved with. This needs to be addressed and taken care of from meeting to meeting.

Relationships are problems for us in AA and those of us that have drank a lot of years. It was a reason why we drank at times, and to deal with a spouse in the program of AA is true honesty. If you are honest with this women in A
A that you like and she can be that way back to you, then mutually you have made an agreement. This is a good deal, because if for some reason the relationship does not work out, you can still be friends. This is my case at hand. I had to let the young lady leave my place, because I told her of my intentions and how I felt, we spent the morning analizing this and she packed and wanted no relationship. That is ok with me , now and I did not hurt her and she did not hurt me. We were honest about our feelings and able to communicate our desires and our likes.

Living sober is what AA teaches you even if you are not trying to learn this, or is this God working in our lives? I would say a little bit of both. She escorted me to a meeting to receive my four year chip and I was honest when I spoke at AA last night about my past and present. This living sober is about being honest with yourself , and living through the spiritual aspect of God. It works, really works when you don't try to analize at like I tend to do . God bless and come back ....Happy 4th to those that will have the day off, and to those working . Christopher

Living One Day At A Time

The thought of living one day at a time, is not a new one. It is done by not worrying about the next day as you can not predict if you will even be around this earth the next day. In reality we would guess that we will live to the next day. How are we suppose to plan for tomorrow then. I beleive you should plan ior have a plan of action for the following days and try to stick with it. Have realistic goals in mind. To say your not going to drink today is fine, about the next day , maybe your not sure? If you have a few months or days sober, it is possible this thought hits your head.

Taken at Ingram, Texas Christopherhyer2013

The best thing to do one hour at a time is pray for strength to not drink because of problems or issues you may have. Drinking just makes them go away for a while, and continued drinking will cause problems with issues that could of been taken care of the first day. I was guilty of this and would put off important things and let them build up until I was in trouble with finances of whatever.

 It is Sunday and this day the banks are closed and many bushiness are closed Living one day at a time , means to take it easy. there are only a few things that can be done as far as today is concerned. Take a extended vacation, if able to . This is a great way to get a breath of fresh air, and somewhere that is serene. We all need this type of stress reducer. I have been meditating lately and this has worked really good when I can't take a vacation.

Back in the Saddle Again, Sober

I had to get away from AA for a few days and refresh myself from the war stories. I am feeling better that I took a break and ready to go to a 10am Meeting this morning. I think making a few meetings in a week is going to be where I will not burn out so much. We will see, it really is noce to go to meetings and see some good folks and say hi to them.

I made some decisions that are based on how I feel about going to meetings everyday and to my 4 year chip that I could care less. It really means nothing to me, maybe when I reach 5 years increments, that will be a celebration of sorts. What matters is staying sober and living life to the best I can. I write a lot and this gets my feelings out, and I suggest for you to do this. It is good for your soul and read about positive affirmations and meditate. Meditation is good, and these are a lot of you tube videos for self-hypnosis that really can calm down a mind that races .

You still have to enjoy every day and if something bothers you change it. Like the prayer goes"God grant me the serenity to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference"I have taken this prayer to another level and discovered it really works when you work with yourself. This is a selfish program that does reflect positively on other people when you work it. Here is a video on meditation I pulled from You Tube and hope this helps you like it has helped me , even for 5 minutes of relief, it is worth it. Have a great weekend. God Bless.

Burning out in AA

I have to speak for myself, I think I am getting burned out at AA. I have been going to at least one meeting a day and I have to say this. AA does not keep me sober!! Shocked, don't be , I realized last night that my spiritual relationship with God is what keeps me sober. It has kept me sober for over 4 years, not AA. I am not downplaying AA , I am stating a fact. Where did I get this spiritual relationship? From prayer in the morning and all during the day and at night. The craving for beer or pot has gone, and has been for a long time. In AA each person recounts their drinking and what they drank , it makes me thirsty for a drink. No shit, it is crazy to me, that war stories are told and I am sick of them. Let's talk about living today and not" Hi I am Tom and I am glad to be at AA and I have been sober for 60 years and by the grace of this program I have been sober for this long, and the guy begins to recite every chapter in the Big Book". So fucking what, is he not "self seeking, and worried about his next chapter in the Big Book" or is he headed for a fall. Maybe he just likes to talk to anyone that will listen.. I am not sure.

So why go to AA? I went to meet people that shared the same experience as I , but found out that the only thing I have in common with these good folks is a desire to not drink and I was unable to control my drinking at  a few points in my life. Does AA keep me sober, No. I know this may shock AA people but once I looked at this program, I personally get tired of the same old shit everyday at the meetings. Maybe I am burned out, but all the talking about liquor has made my craving a little bit more observant. What I am trying to say is I dont think about taking a drink every time something good or bad happens to me. I think about how to deal with it, the problem. Not drink it away. I already know I can't drink my problems away, and knew this before I went to AA. Am I at the wrong place? I was never locked up in prison or believe in DWI. I have no sympathy for those who drink and drive, they are idiots. Do what I did if your drunk , hire a limousine to pick you up and help you spend your money so you don't have enough to drink the next night. There is no common sense to driving and drinking. If you do this , you should be put in jail and pay for it. You could of killed me or a child while drinking and driving, dumb ass.

I have no empathy for those who beat up people from drinking or doing stupid shit . That just means they are mentally not ready to drink. I am not saying that one should drink and sit at home like I did. That is bad also. But I commit no crimes when I did this. I just fucked my self up when I did this and I have learned my lesson. Is AA for people that are just plain stupid? I am not sure, most seem pretty smart, but a re-hash of the program night after night has shown me a few things, and why people do not go. I really will have to examine this a bit further and see if a 12 step program for Christians in recovery is possibly where I need to go. Right now, I think I am just fed up with the whole idea that I just don't seem to fit in with the present group I am with, yet I have been to about 7 different places in 4 towns. Same AA ore-amble and a new comer comes in and people are nice to them, but what kind of help are they getting, none. I have given my business cards to a few of these fellows and no one cals, so there is a flaw in this system that was set up to help alcoholics.

Working the steps is still a vital part of staying sober, I believe you can do this with a close friend or stranger and be done with it, and possibly go back to it when needed. Always help out your fellow human beings as step 12 suggest, do we all help others we see in need, no , but sometimes we do. That is human nature, and if you have a blown out tire on the freeway , usually that would be considered a 12 step , you are helping out a unfortunate one that has a problem. I beleieve AA works for some people, and some have no other choice as they can't believe in a higher power and possibly AA is their higher power. Confused today, sorry if I offend you. Chris

William James and Sobriety

William James was a was an American philosopher and psychologist who had trained as a physician. He lived in the late 1800s to 1910. He also was the first person to start a Psychology class in America. He is mentioned in Bill W.'s video I saw on an AA site on the Internet. Bill W. said after reading "The Varieties of Religious Experiences" by William James he had a spiritual awakening. He had no desire after this episode to take another drink.

Interested as I am about this subject, Alcoholism, I decided to buy this book and wow, it is over my head. William is a Philosopher that blows me away with his words in this book. It is over 400 pages on religious beliefs and material concerning religion as a whole and spiritual beliefs that manifest itself. It is hard reading to a guy like myself.

After doing some research and putting down this book. I find out how brilliant this man is, or was and how he added to oour society of AA and the world at large. These are a few quotes from him"Act as if  what you do makes a difference. It Does"

"Belief creates the actual fact"

"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another"

"Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing."

"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook"

Powerful stuff, huh.....This fellow was very precise in this book, and the meaning of living is installed in this book, it would seem. The simplicity of his quotes are elegant and straight forward compared to his book, which is a back and forth pragmatic genius that eludes a reader.

Have a great day and check out the book if you can read this type of information, its very complex. God Bless. 06/26/2013