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

Selective Reasoning with a Sober Human

Being sober does not mean all your problems will go away. In fact, quite the opposite happens, you tend to have more problems. How you handle these problems is called living. Selective reasoning is a sober human being is what I call a person who drinks no more, and has decisions to make in life. We all have bills and some of us still have a family that cares for us or relies upon us for financial means. How do we selectively go about deciding on the correct thing to do today?

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One thing is to attend AA somewhere, and move about to other AA meetings to select a place where you feel more comfortable. This is a good idea to do and I am still going to different groups every day to se how they are run and scope out the longevity of sobriety. I think the longer the sobriety in the group , the more I will get out of the talking that goes on in AA. There are some groups where people talk consistently while another is talking and these can be annoying. There are AA groups that cater to certain people that have either been to court or ordered to go to AA, I steer past these, yet it is good to attend these, so as to know what an outcome this tragedy would be.

Selective reasoning with a sober human may not be easy to do . Some of us have scatter brains from years of use and abuse, and we are not at fault. We just need more time in the program of AA to get our heads cleared out and stay focused. There are still groups that all invite the occasional drinker that is drunk into the group, and this is an interesting thing when happens. It c

an make you rejoice that one is not drinking again. In Fact this is encouraged in AA to come to meetings even if drunk. This rarely happens but does. You have to have an open mind in AA, there are some sore heads also and great people that have a plethora of information for you and I.

I hope you have a great Tuesday and Hello Russia, we are glad to have you on this blog. I hope you can translate this page with no problems. I have noticed that 50 percent of the readers to this blog is Russian. That is great, and I want you to keep coming back for new information, daily. God Bless and have a great Day….Christopher  

How Long Should You Take To Work The 12 Steps

The twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are meant to help you stay sober. The faster you work these twelve steps the chances of having a relapse dwindles.Yes, work these within a month if possible , then start working with other alcoholics to help them get sober, this is a plan of action. A plan that needs no hesitation. You will find those of us t

The Park In Midland, Texas by Christopher Hyer

hat say you should work step 4 for a few months, that's crap. You can work this step in a few days if not in a couple of days. AA has been known in the past for making newcomers go through hell in these simple steps. No more, as Chris Raymer suggest , take these steps and work them with a sponsor as quickly as possible. You will need to do this in order to not have a relapse of alcoholism.

I'm guilty of not doing this, as of today I am going into warp speed and working through my fourth step and onward, I will meet with my sponsor as soon as possible and go  over my 4th and 5th step. I have heard this over and over again and I need to take action. I have put off doing the steps in order to go to meetings.I am right now not working full time so I should have the time to work these steps in a few weeks if not this week. I beg you please to work through these and finish these steps so you also can stay dry and sober. We have to or we die. There is no two ways about it , we are only one drink away from going back to where we began. God Bless and Let's get started now!!

Sunday The Day of Rest

Take it easy today, is the slogan of this Sunday 06/21/2013. Sometimes our dreams are not God's dream for us, yet how do we know? I have a dream of shooting surfing on North Padre Island Texas and I have lived this dream, but not on my time. God decides when your dreams are to happen and how to prepare for these dreams, give your heart and soul and prayer to God and let him make that decision. Is this an easy task, of course not. It is something we have to do everytday, is ask for his forgiveness in our own selfish ways. Then pray for the things in your life to change. They will in time. The spiritual malady that exists in each and every one of us, is to have what we want now.

It is too unrealistic to get what we want on our own time, Thy will be done , not ours. It's hard to swallow that line, yet when we do all sorts of wonderful things in our lives start to happen. When I surrender myself to God to do with me as he sees fit, I get an answer but maybe not the answer to a question I originally asked for. Hardly , I can remember what I asked for in the beginning because as time passes through each day we strive for something new. If its materialistic, I don't know how God answers this prayer, if it is to keep us from thinking about drinking the obsession wears away after some time, and the thought will creep into my head on occasion, but to act on this would be devastating . I know this from experience or learning from my prayers. We have to walk spiritually with God all through the day and hope the decisions we make , will impress God. He runs the show, we are mere puppets that should follow His lead. Taking control out of your hands and giving this to a higher power such as God is not even conceived by most church goers. If you have mastered this effort, then you know what I talk about.

To master the effort of letting go and let God is a learned behavior. It can come easily by prayer to God for his guidance in our days. It is proven that this is the only way to stay sober is the steps of AA mixed with a spiritual guidance of God. It does work and you have to work at it. Faith without works is dead, comes to mind. This is a keen example of how one can come to grip with his higher power. Let go today and let God into your life, and see how tonight you have made progress as a person throughout the day, and pray to God before you go to sleeep for not only yourself to have a spiritual relationship , yet show you the way to the devine presence of his way of thinking. It works, if you  let go and Take It easy. Chris Hyer  

Friday 06/21/2013 Big Book Series

The "Big Book" of AA says this,"half measures availed us nothing.We stood at the turning point.We asked his protection and care with complete abandon." What does this mean to you? 

Chris Raymer in New York City Speaks in this video, He is from Ingram , Texas and is excellent!!

I think it means that we tried to do things half ass and they were not good enough. We still fell on our own habits and forgot about God and now is the time to fully understand him and how he works. Here are the steps to recovery is the next sentence.

SO we tried and we fell, unless we changed our attitudes, we are destined for more misery. I don't want that in my life, do you? So we took on the twelve steps of recovery and tried to work these into our daily lives. This is all try to work these steps to the best we could is all God ask from us. Say your morning prayers and ask for God to lift you up and prepare you for the day ahead.

This is a program for living life sober and just wanting a new plan of action for ourselves. Not much to ask for and if prayed for , all would happen. belief in a spirit greater than yourself , because it is true, stop trying to run the show, or you will fail. Thi is a tough act to follow with our stubborn heads running the show, try today to let God run the show. Forgive those that cut you off when driving, Say " God Bless them", Yell it at them.. It feels god instead of cussing anyway.

Have a sober day today and go hit a AA meeting at noon if possible, they are a great refresher for me. Then look forward to tonight when you will be around your AA friends and live a little. Life is fun, and even in its weakest moment, you can laugh at yourself, and go on... God Bless....

Working The Steps on Thurday

Working the twelve steps in AA can help with a multitude of addictions you may have. It could be alcoholic, eating disorders, gambling, and anything you have an addiction to. These steps have been successful in daily living for millions of people. Why do they work? The only answer I can come up with is that you let go and help others to obtain their destination, whether alcoholic, or a person with an addiction to eating too much or eating too little. You let God take over and let him rule your spirit. It sounds complicated, but if it were easy we would have more sober and less problems in life.

You must work with other alcoholics or you die. That's the truth, Alcohol will kill you eventually if you keep getting sober then slip often enough, this is a proven fact. The twelve steps of alcoholics anonymous was written with you in mind. To help you with daily living without a drink. It works if you work it. Take it easy on your self and make the best of it you can.

Did you know AA is online in chat. Yes, there are AA meetings online and that is wonderful for anyone. It cannot take advantage of the getting out of the house and meeting people though. This is a good way to begin and get your feet wet though with the program itself. You can attend these meetings all day long, and specific times are on these web sites that sponsor such programs.

Do yourself a favor today and attend an AA meeting and go away with something new from someone. It is a program of relief to most of us, and you will not have to suffer alone. God Bless....Christopher Hyer

Tuesday and Living It

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Well my fellow friends, its Tuesday again and what a day. Went to AA at noon and I was smoked out. I smell like a big lit cigarette. The meeting was good, yet I won't be going back due to all the smoke in this place. I was told, hey man you must of been to a bar that was filled with smoke, so why does it matter.  Well it does, I have quit for four years and I hate the smell of it on me. I can handle some smoke, but shit I smell. I will change and take a shower soon. You see we just can't have things our way. I have been working for a company that paid me by the job. Well I was paid peanuts for the work I do. I had enough and quit that today. I will find something else. I am experienced in many facets so not that worried about it.

So as, you can tell, I have had a trying day and God the spirit that guides me, knows what all I have done today. I believe he is ok with my decisions. The work was getting to me, not being paid what I deserved. I thought I could hold on and get more certificates in training, however I still have a few on my own I have to get. I do so much to make money to live that I will not go broke.That is what is so col about being a writer and photographer, with IT experience. I collect art also and make films. No big deal to lose one th
ing that took up too much of my time. I do need benefits, my insurance is high.

Let's look at this , I lost my job and I went to AA I am still sober, I was flipped off twice this morning for doing the speed limit, and I can live with all this. See how AA works in my life and God. There is no worry , I know God has something in store for me and I am excited for it. It will not happen when I want it to, but I have a film that I want to make in Corpus Christi, Texas, that I never finished. I may be able to complete this in the next couple of months and market this and make enough for a couple of years. Who knows, really God is the only one that knows, and I am confident that something good will happen, it always do if you do something about it.

Have a blessed day and move on like I am , and you will be ok. God Bless.  

Wed "The Age Of Anxiety" Sober Again

Historians will probably call our time on earth" the age of anxiety"anxieties are caused by the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God. When we make anything alse our goal, frustration, and defeat are inevitable.Though we have less to worry about than previous generations, we have more worry.We have it easier than our forefathers, we have more uneasiness. We should have less real cause for anxiety, as we believe more in God and practice our spiritual beliefs. It is not easy to do. Try to pray for God to lift your anxieties, some grow into full panic attcks. If this happens go see a doctor and possibly seek medication for this. One must take medication for heart problems and if you have diabetes you have to take medicine. Panic is no different when it controls your life.

There is many problems that God can control, but if there is a chemical imbalance to a person , they need medicine. Do not be afraid to accept this help and be aware of the problems associated with panic disorder medications. Most can be addictive , and help. So it can be a double edged sword to a person taking such medicines. If drinking or a recovering alcoholic , you must make that decision based on your experiences with other medicines. Some frown upon people in AA that take anti-anxiety medicines , yet this should not be an issue unless mixed with alcohol. If you take the medicine as directed and not throw a beer or any other substance in your body , you should be able to take what you need for panic disorder.

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Talk any medicines over with your doctor before taking them. If he thinks there is a problem with you and any medications that he is offering you to help reduce panic disorder, he should inform you. Ask an AA member and they may say just give it to God and let him take over. Remember though , if you have
uncontrollable panic that keeps you from meetings , personally I think the choice is up to you. Remember, also that possibly you will not need medication for the long term of panic disorder. If that is so, you will experience some sort of withdrawal. If you drink stay away from any type of panic disorder medicines. This will only add to your problems.

There will be those who disagree with me from AA on this subject, yet in reality it is those that may need anti-depressants. The people in AA are not doctors and they have no medical experience, so keep this in mind. A doctor is familiar with alcoholics and you must inform them of your addiction , if any, so they may provide any information pertaining to you as a person in the AA program. I hope this helps anybody that has panic disorder as I do. Have a great day and God bless you on this mid week part of your life.

Tuesday, What A Day

Tuesday and what a day this will be for me. I have an easy day but this morning I have a hard project. I will not discuss it. I might as well. There is a bezel that goes on a LCD screen on a laptop and I could not get this on yesterday so I ordered a new one and it comes in this morning. I hope this will fit and I can complete my job. I get nervous thinking about this because it it so easy to install. Yet for some reason I could not . It has me baffled, and I need to give this to God to give me answers, because I feel like a fool. I might have wires behind it binding this up. I will just have to bite the bullet and find out. Please God let this part go on and let me feel conscious that I am doing the best job I can. Let me not be nervous and take it easy on myself. I am a nervous wreck in thinking of this project this morning, the customer is ok with it. I will need to be calm , cool and collective. I can get this piece on this morning with no problem, it might take a little more effort than I have applied.

You see we all go through periods of un sureness in our lives, if there is such a word. To give things up to God is hard sometimes when its materialistic. I believe God will help me work this out as he has before. I will be calm and collective throughout this day and pray while I work on this project for you and me.  God Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and the courage to change those things I can ,Amen..

Have a blessed day and remember as I need to God will be with us even if we shake all day and keep him in  our hearts  and in our minds. I am like a rusty nail this morning and I over slept. I should of been more awakened. I will do just fine, please pray for me to do fine. Thank You.

Monday Morning and Sober

Monday morning and being sober today. It is sunny and bright in West Texas this morning , that only means hot heat and hot heads. Well, if I let the hot heads get to me, as I thought , the work load is light for me today.. I never know until I reach for my keynoard and punch in. Technology today makes it possible for me to get my work assignments over the PC and then do the work. I can shose not to do it. However it will just stack up on me through the weeek and I would hate that.

I like my job, I work in IT break fix, and fix computers and printers for a company out of Dallas. I don't make that much money yet, as I have not gotten all my Certifications for working on all the different computers out. I am taking it slowly to try to understand the platforms I am working on.

Have a great day and know God will help you when you ask for his help, even at work pray a little prayer like( Thy will be done, not mine) and it works. You will see that you will complete task that use to baffle you. Have
a good day.

Play Your Hearts Out

I went to see Peter Frampton and Robert Cray last night with a special guest from Elton John's band play in Midland, Texas last night. What a concert!! Robert Cray sang the blues, and unfortunaly it was not played with feeling as Peter got to the floor. Peter Frampton worked the crowd and gave a performance that would rock anyone into loving this guy. He played a good 2 and 1/2 hours of riffs and old tunes that just rocked this sardine packed auditorium we have in Midland. What a sober experience. My son was also impressed with the performance and I encourage you to attend this concert if they come to your area.

It's Sunday and I woke up hung over feeling, I think its because I stayed out till 1230 am this morning, and I met a girl online from Colorado and chatted with her till 130 am. Yes, Chris has found him a friend. She is 28 , hard of hearing, and a doll. However , as an alcoholic without any type of relationship in almost 16 years, I have to take this slow. She is a nurse and wants to come here to be with me, and work in our town. What a deal an alcoholic and a nurse, a match in heaven, she is also from the UK and I love their accents, I melt.I will talk more about her once I get to really know her.

I hope all had a good weekend , yet we still have Sunday to bare down with. My Uncle from Fort Worth is in the AA program and has around 50 years of sobriety. I don't talk to him hardly at all, and tried to call him last night before the concert to let him know of my plans to Kerrville, next weekend. I am not sure why? except it would be nice to have him there while I get my four year chip.

Thats all for now, I will report back at the end of the day, It's been a solid weekend and a great time with God was had. Sober at a concert is an awesome experience, and AA was good this weekend. There is a meting tonight of course and I will be there. Sunday nights are kind of hard on me, because of the following Monday. Go figure...

Love and Tolerance

Good day to  everyone that   has found this blog. I am Chris and I am a recovering alcoholic. I have been sober more than 4 years and I love life today. I have my obstacles to overcome and who doesn't. This blog is to help other alcoholics get through today and hopefully the new person that is just curious as to how we do it.

The first thing you do in AA or anything in life is not drink for today. The craving will go away once you accept God into your life. Do not fret for not a one of us have been perfect at maintaining our sobriety. Some of us have slipped and fell and drank again, saying that we were going to stop. Then when you have a spiritual awakening, whatever that could be for you. You will lose all craving and want to learn how to live sober.

Living sober by reading the many books out there. The little red Big Book is what I carry with me, so many prayers are in it. There is hardly much about drinking in this book. There is a lot of information to getting through the day. Page 85 is a favorite of mine.

Page 85 talks about the promises you will recieve from God once you have mastered the not drinking stage,it is beautiful and true. Many people from AA love the promises. Please find this online and read it. It will make your day. We have stopped fighting the urge to drink and stop fighting ourselves. We are at a moment of reprieve of this day. God is doing for us what we could not do. We are functioning in this world and doing quite good because we believe in a spirit that is bigger than us. He will follow you through the day if you ask God to.

Ask God to help you all day long, this is a selfish program and it is ok. God just wants to hear from you. Do not be too extravagant and expect miracles to take place, cause they will. Be careful what you ask for , you just might get it.

When starting out with sobriety, we need to understand that years of drinking is in our system and it may take some time to realize what God is and how he can help. By practice and prayer , you can overcome these feelings. With help that is from God.

Have a great day and remeber to pray every moment before you speak and hesitate what comes from your mouth. It could destroy you if you don't watch it. Be aware of your feelings, not expressing them could be good or bad. Ask Him for help in your daily living. God Bless.

Some Things to Think About

Life is too short for drama and petty things, laugh alot, love truly,and forgive quickly!

Sometimes in AA we get caught up in ourselves. I know I do this. I try not to. There are little sayings that you can remeber that will take you out of yourself. This is what I am focusing on today.

We are something special. That even though we lack the wisdom ourselves, with God we can have the wisdom needed to fulfill the tasks ahead.

Another great saying written by someone I don't know.

God came as one of his people, to show His people that with him, and through Him, we can do all things.
Today no matter how lowly you feel , or how much you lack,remember with God you are complete.

Go to AA tonight , even if its your first time, and share your self with another. You will feel better, that is a for sure thing. Get outside the realm of self, and you will have a better day. God Bless

Monday and "God Grant Me"

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change those things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference"

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Monday's are always hard on me, the start of a work week and the unknown? It;s why I use to drink on Sunday night, and call  in on a Monday morning. I don't do that now, I face the next day with G
od and we get through it. I can't help but be a bit nervous on some days . I work in the computer break/ fix dept. of my company and what may seem easy usually ends up a bit confusing.

I pray to God every night and morning and hit an AA meeting on Sunday night, it was a Step Study night. The step study is not really any different in AA than any other night. We talk about how we are doing spiritually and how progress has happened in our lives. No war stories about what we use to drink or smoke. We do reflect back on how it was when we were using or drinking and how much better life is now that God is in our lives taking control.

Is God taking control over your life today? Ask for him to guide you through the day and you will have a better day. Stay sober today only. Expect the best of today. Its a beautiful sunny day in Midland, Texas. I hope you and God make it a great day, and do not let anyone break your spirit.

Sober as Dr. Bob and Bill See It AA

As Dr. Bob and Bill See It,

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Good day and welcome to Sober, my blog for people that want to live without drinking alcohol or drugs. There are plenty of us in this world that want the relief of just drinking a little bit when the time arises. There is another group of us that cannot drink alcohol and stop. We are at the mercy of a truly baffling disease called Alcoholism. We are upstanding people and hold down many occupations. White collar and Blue Collar workers. Some of us are Doctors and Lawyers, and others are Airplane pilots and manufacturers or even retired.

Alcoholism affects the family and their loved ones. The only way to kill the disease is a spiritual foundation that one can believe in God. You must work the 12 steps aligned by the AA groups of Alcoholics Anonymous. Those who do this will and totally succeed from the craving and abstinence of drinking. This is proven. Unfortunate are those who do not follow the program outlined by AA will not ever quit, or if they do, will go back to alcohol, not because they want to, but because they have to.  

Meetings are a necessity, even if you think they are no suitable for you. I can’t explain why. You do not have to go every day, yet did you drink every day? If the answer is yes then attend a meeting every day and go to several different AA meetings. There are Big Book, Step studies and general discussion meetings. There are weekend outings with friends and families of alcoholics having fun without drinking alcohol. There is fun in these groups and watch out whom you hang around in these AA clubs. There are some people that are court appointed. This author suggest you treat them well, but beware that they have to be there, or they go to prison.

Yes, it is a challenge and your life will change. It will change for the better for not only you, but the people that truly love you. There are external problems; for example,  the wife may leave you for your drinking, or your kids will hate you because of how you acted when drinking. These can all be mended once you decide what we have to offer. A new employer may come about, bringing you back the materials you may have lost during your drinking period. There are quite a few of us that have lost everything and now have it back. It does not happen soon, it is a timely matter.

It’s Sunday June 2, 2013, a great day to stop drinking and start the new week out in an AA meeting tonight. It is only an hour usually, and you may know someone already there. Get a sponsor as soon as possible, and start working the steps. If you have questions ask them.

Do it for your self, Do it today! God Bless.