Midland, Texas Oil Boom and Sobriety, Is It a Joke

I was thinking of all the people that have moved back to the West Texas town in the Desert call Midland, Texas. Midland is halfway between El Paso and Dallas, Texas, therefore, the name Midland, the halfway point from the cities of DFW to the border of Mexico. Do we have a wide variety or folks? Yes, from the Cartels from El Paso that is making money off the locals with drugs to the bustling city of DFW that brings in Businessmen and women to cash in on the oil boom. To stay sober in a city like Midland is absolutely an incredible feat for anyone. No real entertainment except for the rich who drink away the days and nights and others from areas of the USA that want to cash in on the boom. However with Apartments, if you can find one, start at 1700 a month for a one bedroom. The unemployment rate is like 2.2 percent and people with houses here rent rooms out for 600 to 1200 a month for a room out of their houses. Go to Craigslist if you think I might be wrong and look up housing here plus jobs. There are more jobs than qualified people, so a lot of companies are training you for a position that only exists in the oil field. So beware because this is the third boom I have seen in Midland then it will bust like usual. Then all the people that came here will leave the deserted area of the country. Most are smart this time and bring RV's hooked up to massive pickup trucks for work in the fields. The problem is where to find land to park the RV.

In AA I've noticed people from all over the country filling up rooms at several AA clubs in town. That is good, but the worst thing I think I have noticed is the homeless sleeping in cars, nice cars, cause they can't find a place to spend 1100 a month to sleep in, that is fucking sad. But hey this is where the jobs are and if you are fortunate and have a roof over your head and paying the prices of living here, you really won't make more money due to the expenses you are having to shell out for this move to Midland or maybe some will.

The bars stay full and there are plenty of DWI people in AA trying to get off the charges from excessive drinking in town so I assume the city is making some good money from these alcoholics. So everyone benefits from a boom in Midland and Odessa, Texas. I can hardly blame most people for drinking while they stay in this city, as it is an activity that is popular and pushed by the local beer makers conventions here almost every other few months. That's entertainment, however, I forget to mention we do get top musical acts coming here to play because again the money is here.

There are churches here almost on every other block in the town and I am sure they benefit from all the people that arrive in this town, and God bless them. So if your spiritual or religious there are a few churches to entertain you as well. My advice to someone coming here is to research the options for where you are going to live, put a deposit down, and call today to schedule an Interview, because you will get hired, and some are on the spot interviews and that is why most are unprepared to live here, they are making 40k at Whataburger but no place to sleep. Now that is not an exaggeration, but the truth.

If you are a recovery person from a 12 step addiction, get yourself a home group as soon as you can and maybe make a friend or two, and maybe things will work out just fine. AA people who practice the program usually have a higher power that helps these people perform miracles and these are needed in this town in order to live a sober and good life in Midland, Texas.
Good Luck and God Bless.

Changes In Life with Sobriety

My life keeps foinf every day. Sometimes the changes are good and other times the changes are not that god. The 2 Steps of AA help me deal with change. I give this up to God. I have no other choice. I do my work in the program and he does his. If we really believe in God then changes work out pretty good. However they may not work out like we want them . I recently have been offered a couple of jobs then they were taken back. I never have experienced that type of change. I drive for Uber at times to make extra money and I like meeting other people who may not be as fortunate as I am in my life. It matters no how much money one has , but their character, is what is interesting. Uber is a humbling experience in Midland as most wealthy Oil and Gas business men use the service cause it is cheap for them and reliable. I have written a couple of children's books and put them on Amazon , and they are going nowhere, but the effort I put into these were not sufficient. Therefor you get what you put out.

I recently found out I had Diabetes and I have changed my lifestyle again. I read up on what foods I need to eat and went and bought these, and they are not so bad. I want to live, and I want to be healthy, so I do what I can to progress in my life. It took me a while to get my insurance to acept my medication for Diabetes which is ridiculous. I needed prior authorization before the Insurance would give me a break on this medication. It took me 2 weeks of fighting the Dr office, Pharmacy and Blue Cross before I got the price of a medication from 1300.00 to 10.00 but I did get it taken care of. God gives us tools to work with and when I mean fight, I don't mean that I was angry, I just had to follow a outline of what the Insurance was wanting, but it became a full time job. Ridiculous as it was , it saved me and my life is back to normal. Have a good day and please comment if you like and I will post thee. Have a Good Day! Chris Hyer

Sobriety and Living with the Power of God

I live with the power of God every day. That does not mean every day is going to be perfect, and by far this is not true. It means for me to stay sober, I have to hand over a lot of what is on my mind to God.
So , just how does a person do this? Well, for me it takes asking a prayer for God to take a hold of the situation and guide me through it the best he can. Very simple step right? However, I doubt God at times but have all my faith in him to bring me out of myself and gain control over my life. This has been an ongoing process for the last 8 years, and it seems to work. I do not stress as much as when I try to run the show. When I let my higher power take over my day or moment, it usually turns out pretty good and I stay active in keeping my human body functioning doing the right thing in life.

I have been a musician for most of my life but have not perfected theory of music , so I am now working on this with my guitars. I feel that it will make me a better guitar player and more musically inclined to step out and play for people and let them enjoy the music I play. I have always played several instruments but never really stayed with just one. This time, I will take it one instrument at a time, just like the AA program, and master one at a time. This is now what I do in my spare time instead of watching TV and isolating myself from the world. It feels good to know I am progressing in my music and it brings joy and pain to my fingers as I practice for about 4- 5 hours a day while my paperwork is processed for my new position in work. This takes about two weeks I am told. There is nothing else I can think of to do. I am an
artist that oil paints and I have this to tackle also as I could be a better painter if I chose to learn more abut my art.

There are a lot of things God may put in your life that is just right in your home that you may want to be better at and this keeps your mind busy and occupied. I believe God wants us to be creative no matter what age we are. Have a Blessed Day..Chris Hyer

Sunday and Waking Up Sober

There was a time in my life where Sunday mornings were when I got to sleep in until around 2:00pm to 3:00pm and it was almost every Sunday. Sunday , (As I thought was) a time to sleep off my hangover from the previous Friday and Saturday binges of late night partying and Sunday was my re-cooperation day . This was a time for cuddling up to a warm body who was as sick as I was , and just literally sleeping the day away.

Those times are gone and have been for about eight years now, as on  a Sunday , I get up about 8:00 AM and start my day on a Sunday. There is no hangover and I have time to fill up with gas , go to a store and buy food for the next week, and Church on occasion.

When a person sobers up his entire schedule changes in his life. Sleeping in would be impossible for me now, as when the day sunlight breaks , it is time for me to put into action whatever God's plan is for me today. I don't set my alarm for a Saturday or Sunday, hoping I can get a few hours of rest in. The problem is now I am on a schedule that I did not make up. It must be God's will for me to be awake and running a few errands, because around after lunch , I do rest for the rest fo the day . I watch Movies, Football, you name it. I am also a musician and I play my instruments or Paint a picture with the remaining hours of my day.

I do laundry also on the weekends, but even not having a steady job I wake up and dress for the say which is appropriate , and get out of the house and take care of what needs to be done. It is Tax season now and I have some work in this area as I am sure some of you also do, therefor there is always something to stay busy with on a day I use to totally blow away with sleep and hangovers.

I also for got to mention that when I was drinking , I sometimes did not want to go out to my car and see if I might of hit something when I went out on those Friday and Saturday nights.. Those were the scary times on a Sunday morning that I am glad are gone and I don't have to worry about. I use to wonder if I hit a dog or even a person while I was intoxicated back in those years. Of course, I did find dings at times from my anger when drinking and this would add fuel to my flame on a Sunday. I was also dreading going to work on a Monday and trying to figure out if I could take off that Monday so I could rest even more.

There must be something in alcohol, that depletes the energy in some people after a hard night of drinking  due to the fact of laziness the next day and the sarcassm I use to portray toward anyone that spoke to me in a way I did not like.Maybe some of youu cna relate to what I have said on Sunday mornings, possibly you are experiencing the same thing I use to on Sundays. If so, get your self some help before it is too late.

Sundays are a beautiful day to spend in a park with a loved one, or just being lazy and getting chores done. It is a day to live again and again.Don't let your Sundays get you down, Get sober and start living. Have a good Day..Chris

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