Miracles and Sobriety On a Monday

It is Monday again and the miracles keep happening. I was called on Saturday and told that I had my job. There is paperwork to get through now and that will take a day or two. I need to start making money so I am happy. It has taken 6 months for anything like a full time job. However God has given me the talent to make money through Uber, Online , eBay and a multitude of resources to accomplish my goals avery day. I have had low times during the last 6 months and I have had good times. This is life, I believe people would call it. Living life sober and through the tough times is part of the test.

Please don't give up on whatever you are trying to accomplish, as I never have given up hope that something good would happen to me job wise. It can look dark at times but it is no reason to ruin yourself over these dark times. That is what God has taught me through these last 6 months of unemployment. He told me not to give up. I did not, even at times I had to reach out for help with money from my family and such. I felt guilty but they were more than willing to help me cause they knew I was trying to help myself. I had to battle a lot of fears in this conquest but a hundred fears and a bit of lonelyness will not get me down. I keep my head up high and my thoughts and prayers to God that what I have gone through might help someone else on this blog see that miracles do come through if you want them to. 

I had a hard time with being unemployed and it bothered me but just don't let it get you down and attend AA meetings when youc an during the day it helps. 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

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!!

Sober in 2016 , Take the 1st Step

The only action , one must take , is to quit drinking. That is the first and most important step in becoming a drug free and alcoholic free person. Is to not smoke a joint or have a drink for 24 hours. See if you can do this today. I know you can, even if you have no long term goal of stopping, just stop for today. If you cannot stop for one day and your addiction has you out of control, get help today from a clinic or a doctor. They will find you help. You just have to be willing to stop, thats about it.

Why today, because it is Monday and it is almost the start of a new month, that seems to be a good reason. However the better reason is you might not be here tomorrow if you don't stop drinking or drugging today. Start reading

the bible if you don't have a AA Big Book. Go to AA even if you feel miserably, there is always one other person there that feels the same as you. Get you a 24 hour chip while at this meeting and let it mean something to you. This is a chip for wanting to stop for just 24 hours. It will prove to you that indeed you can quit.

Why do I care f you quit? There are sevral reasons, you could be crossing my path today and if drunk you could hit me and not know exactly what you have done, I don't want this to happen in your life or mine. You could die overnight if still drinking because of a liver problem. Yes these things happen even to sober alcoholics that have relapse and come back into the program. I , personally want you to quit to maybe see that it is possible to feel like yourself for once in a day. Some of us drank daily from the time we woke up to the time the sun goes down or until we passed out. To pass out might mean death, and I don't want your family to experience this and believe me your family does care about you.

Don't give up hope and you can make it happen this Monday just for one day! I promise you can.

The Changing Sober Times In April 2015

Every day is a new day, we have to accept things we do not want to accept at times. Changes in and around us, affect us and we have to let go. If not , we get caught up in the hoop of poor me syndrome!! I , personally have been having the blues a bit lately, maybe because my birthday just past and i am now 52 and the world is moving strangely in a direction not familiar with most people.

 I live in Midland, Texas and you know about the Walmarts that have been closing in and sround the Midland, Texas area and other areas of the country. It is none of my business what the reason is and it does seem a little bit unreal, with all the conspiracy theories surrounding this and the military exercises that are taking place just around the corner from this city and possibly in the city.

We live one day at a time, and if we stay close to God miracles will happen just like staying sober. There is nothing to fear but fear itself!!! If you have a reason to be fearful it is normal, in a since. However to stress out and wonder about the future is not a correct assessment of what sober humans do. We are just a drink away from knocking ourselves into oblivion and possible death. The disease of Alcoholism is a punishment we all have lived with and yet if you are like me, it has been a wonderful enlightening way of life.

Yes, it is different to stay sober during times where we have no control. I have to speak for myself, I want control even being sober at times and yet I have to re- learn that I have no control over people, places and events. I believe in a loving God and no one can take that from me. No one will take this from me!!I pray for good health and for my family and friends and I have done this for over seven years of sobriety. May 2015 will be my seventh year without any substance to alter my mind. Therfor this is a milestone I have not ever past before.

I have grown up as a man and learned new ways of living without close codependency upon my family and learned to pay my bills on time and keep healthy by visiting a Dr. when needed. What else can a person do but hit AA meetings when you feel the need or at least for me it is about twice a week if not more at times when I am a little bit out of whack with the universe. I get a little bit paranoid some days , and then I have to remember that God is with me and he understands why I am who I am..I pray every single hour at times even while I drive during work and this helps me in a way that only a true recovered Alcoholic can understand or some religious person that believes in a spirit that is bigger then him or her. That is one point I have to remember is God is Huge!!!He is spirit , He is in me, He is my father.He either is everything or nothing , it says in the Big book. He is everything to me. 

My baby Lab watching me eat in the kitchen!!!

I have to know that I am OK with me!!In writing about these things I am OK with whom I am and have become. I am only a man living in a society that is messed up and I let God carry me at times to point A to connect with point B , because I do not have the will at times. It's easy to forget God is in our lives, with so much crap in this world. However I have learned to take a meditation break and just lay down on the couch and talk with God and ask questions to him for 30 minutes, and I sem to be good to move on day by day!!God Bless The USA....Christopher...

New Year 2015 And Sober Ice Storms

It is about to be the new year 2015, Wow, how could it be!! I never really partied with anyone on New Years, I was always at home drinking and smoking. I didn't want to get a DWI or anything.I was a smart drinker in some ways, and that was one of them. If I knew I was going to drink more than one beer, I stayed at home..There was a DWI I got when I was a kid at 17 and that reflected back to what not to do. Driving and drinking do not mix with me. I could drive better is what  I thought, and to this day I still think that I drove better when I had a few beers, but those days are long gone.

In Midland, we are having a Ice storm of sorts. The roads are closed and no traffic is in sight. It is in the teens in temperature, and I am stuck at home with my dog. I am still working though. I have training on different machines always, so I get paid for being at home training. Not too bad of a deal. It is lunch time and I felt like writing a bit so here it is.

When you are cabin bound like I am now, it brings back some old memories of what I use to do. I am glad I do not drink anymore, but if not sober I sure would go and buy a 12 pack and sit here andd play my guitar with a Cig hanging out my mouth and slopping the beer down..My neighbors would probably call the police cause I like to play loud rock, and that would be no good, I might get a PI. SO I think since I have almost 6 years of sobriety that writing is the best bet and doing my work online is even better, I can keep my job..

There is always two sides to a coin and which side you chose will make your day..I chose today to keep on living sober and I have..Being homebound because of Ice on the roads is ok..I just have to be creative in what I do so I don't get bored.In this town I live in each day I must be creative even after work or I might go gambling , online or at the casino, and this is not good either. One habit to another..It seems like I get addicted to most anything I touch or do that gives me a rush..Do you feel this way? It could be almost anything that gets my adrenaline going...I call it idle hands syndrome, and I have it bad sometimes.

That is why I write this blog is for no other reason thatn to communicate with you and myself. It is more of a diary than anything else. I look over the years and see where I progressed and where I did not.I have come a long way since I was 45 and drinking, and nothing can stop me now..I hope this has helped someone out there, but I am selfish and if this does not help anyone, so be it..I have to grab some lunch and do some work so I will leave you with this. Do not drive and drink..Period...Christopher