Living Sober through The Holidays 2014

It's holiday season again as it is every year. Living sober through the holiday season is no different then the rest of the year!! Is there a litttle bit more stress? Yes , of course there is..Some of us use to egt around out old school buddies and drink the night away and smoke . However if you have made the leap into a new faith of sober living you may not of gotten together with your old budies and if you did you might of not got drunk this year.

I kknow I had to change the people places and things in my life to stay sober. Did you?
Quite possibly you do not have the same friends as you did in your drinking days as you do now..I do not have many friends that are still living , so it's not too unusual to spend time alone reading books and collecting my comics as I do this for a hobby.

Christopher and Son 2014

We all have our demons but if you believe in Christ our Lord he will rid these demons out and let you have a spiritually based holiday with no interruptions. Mine has been peaceful, with my family and the few friends I have in AA..Today is 12/30.2014 and I am off Thursday till Monday of this week, and that makes it nice to be able to sleep in , so to speak. Have you found it hard to sleep in? I have, really sleep in means about an hour more than 7 am for me. I have a schedule even on my off days to get things done at the house. God has made it possible for me to have chores to do to occupy my time, and then I have started reading more often than not books.

Living sober in 2014 was not bad, it had it's up and downs but mostly ups. I made several mistakes in life and what I did and said. I make no resolution when the new year starts, I just break them anyway..Have you really kept your New Years resolutions, or are they just conversation things to talk to friends about and laugh about?

Remeber , this is just a diary of my life and not to be taken too seriously because I do not take life to seriously or I would go nuts. I bought a new 2015 vehicle for work and home, and still do not know if it was stupid or not. It is not a Corvette , but it is what I needed for work and home life, so It is just the car I needed. God bless you all whom read this and take it One Day at a Time..Christopher...

Tis The Season of Alcoholics and Drug Abuse!!

Welcome all to my blog on sobriety and living life in our daily lives. This is a personal journal more than anything else. I have almost 6 years of sobriety this time around and I feel damn good. There are days that do not come offf like I think they should but there are always answers to my questions. I find myself struyggling with finaces on this holiday season as most of you might have problems with also. Do not worry there is always a solution to everything beside a drink and a drug.

My Puppy!!

Life is work!!If you don't have faith in what you do as far as living your daily life then there is struggles. I have not lost my faith , it continues to grow each and every day but not without some sacrifice on my part. Prayer helps 100 percent in times like now. I pray constantly , while I am at work and off. I pray for the answer to many questions I have and for help in doing my work when I need this. I always get a positive answer back. I might do everything just right when I work, but I try. That is all God wants us to do and our employer is to try..Not complain about having to go some place or do another task. You must have positive faith that leads you in a positive direction. Do not get negative on your self. This is easy to say but a little predictable to do.

Staying focused on this Christmas year is difficult for me, however through prayer each day keeeps coming and each answer also. I know I have to be positive in my work flow and to move forward in my program of alcoholics anonymous. I go only twice a week , but I have my schedule, if I think I need to go more often then I do. We have a Christmas party at the 12 step group in Midland, Texas that I will be attending at 530 pm on Thursday of this week. I usually do not go to these things but hey why not? My spondor will be there and so will my friends and others I have not met.

I am not a wholly roller with AA, I use AA as a support group and that is it. It does not keep me sober but implants into my head what sobriety is all about . To me sobriety is about God and not doing any drinking or drugging. If I hand over my bad habits to God he will tkae them away. I have to be honest in this though as I have other habits that need to be taken away but I have not gotten honest about them..So do yourslef a favor and be positive this Christmas season and honest with yourself, and you will have a jolly Christmas..God Bless Chris

Treatment Centers (Are They Needed?)

I went to a few treatment centers when I hit bottom twice in my lifetime. I have to say that for a short while alcohol and drug treatment facilities are a way to stay sober for the lenghth of time you are to stay there. You have no choice and the community in which you are in seems so unreal. The fact is that it is not real. In every day life there are bars and liquor stores all around us and the temptation to take a drink is overwhelming at times in sobriety. Treatment centers have stores, but no liquor is to be found in these places. Everyone at the treatment facility is sober or at least appear this way.

I think they are a necessity for some people who have not been sober for long in their lifetime. The success rates in staying sober just out from a treatment center is staggering at about 3-7 percent will stay sober from leaving this treatment center. Why is this? Do they not teach how to live without drinking and drugging at these centers. Not really, you are in the now when you are locked up in a center, and the only contacts are with dried up drunks and counselors who have years of sobriety.

I have been to so many treatment centers and psychiatric places that I dould not sit down and tell you how many. Thats pretty damn bad, I know. I have almost 6 years of sober time now and the last 30 years of drinking really screwed me up with my past. The cool thing is , I have a life now that I would not trade for any drink or drug. That is the goal of one whom has been in and out of the treatment centers, or at least for me. I got sick and tired of seeeing sick and tired people, at these places. Yeas , I was one of them and had been homeless at least two times in my lifetime.

I guess I bring this up to remind myself of what I do not want to repeat in my life. The obsession to drink and smoke weeed has been taken away. What does that mean , you might ask? It means I know where it will take me if I decide to go back and start drinking again. I know the drill, so to speak and I don't want to fall back like so many people do. Until the goverment realizes that addiction is killing us off, and that alcohol is a disease that threatens their sons, and daughters. The viscous cycle will continue too endeavor and engulf people from now on. God Bless Happy Turkey Day..

Chair Person For an AA Meeting

It's Saturday and I am the chairperson for my group . The 12 Step group of Midland, Texas/ Come out if you are from here or visiting the area. It is at 207 N. Midkiff Dr. and it is a small group. Usually have about 4 to 10 people show up. It is good to be a chair person for the Saturday morning group . It brings a beginning to the day of staying on track with what life is all about. I really like the first three steps and I practice them daily in my life, but we work on these on Saturday morning. I always learn more each Saturday than the last.

It is good to do service work at an AA group , it makes you seem worthwhile , while maybe helping out one or two new people also. I highly recommend that you do this type of service work if invoved in AA. It will bring out the shyness in you and concentrate on why you really are there. To help yourself and others that wake up early on Saturday morning to get thier dose of words.The Saturday meeting is at 10 am to 11 am so try to come if able..God Bless..Chris

Re-building Credit after Hitting Bottom Due to Drugs and Alcohol

Most of us have hit a bottom in our life leaving behind unpaid bills and bad credit. It is not unusual to be in such a situation after drinking and drugging. So I decided to tell you how I got my credit back after being below a 500 score on FICO. It is very easy to do, and it does take time. Here are a few tips that worked for me, and I actually have driven my credit rating up to 710 and have new credit cards.

The first thing is all those letters you get for being behind, forget them. Do not pay them. Find a credit company online that will work with you in deleting these negative remarks. Even if you owe on these they can be destroyed. It cost money but only about 45 a month, I don't want to endorse anyone, but hunt around for anyone that charges about that much. They usually dispute up to 5 items on your credit report and it actually works.

After that is done, your credit score will start to rise after a month or two, and you will be eligible for credit cards at the following companies. The score you will need to have is about a 600, Wallmart, Target, and Barclay Visa, JC Penny, Exxon, and others. These are the cards I was able to obtain. However be careful and do not max them out ..They all give pretty good credit to you even at a poor score of 600. They help you build credit if you let them sit and don't spend on them. Conns is a easy credit card store to get credit from. Besst Buy is another one that I found to be easy to get...

Too many cards can drive you stir crazy also if you start using them, pay them on time..Pay the full balance or more than the minimum payment..I made the mistake of maxing out my Visa cards and it has hurt my score again, so be careful.

If you need to take out a loan and have a credit score of 600 chose Springleaf Financial, they are reasonable, and they will loan on about 4k in money at 30 percent interest..Sometimes that is better on your higher interest  cards.

I just thought I would mention this because I have been working on my credit for only 10 months now and I am fine as long as I can pay my bills..Good luck and God Bless..Chris Hyer10.30.2014

Focused and Sober , Today!!

There are a lot of good things that happen when you stay sober, and one of them is being focused on your life and what's around you. I have been through many trials and tribulations while in the last six years of my sobriety. We all have been in actuality. How we handle these issues when they arise is a proven ability of God working within us. If you truly believe in God and pray for others and yourself, you will always be alright in the outcome of the possibilities of nature and life. Staying focused on what you are doing and saying is key to living sober.

Stay Focused!!

I have been staying focused on my spiritual program for a long time. Even when I was drinking I was in complete contact with God, as I remember back. I , did however use my conscious contact with God in a different manner, than I do now. I am a more caring person that makes things happen, good and not so good. I make mistakes but I know when and how I did these mistakes now.

I have found a new love in life that I cannot explain. A new reason to get up early and get ready for the coming day and to see what awaits me. SOmetimes it's not exactly what I want but that is life. I do the job and I end up feeling good about what I have done. Never fails!! God Bless and Stay Focused!!Chris 10.27.2014

Travel and Sobriety

Today is travel day for me. I am headed to Orange County, Ca for work for one week. It is always nice to get  a break from thuis small town of Midland, Texas but I am still a bit unstable about flying and being sober. I don't worry about having to have a drink to fly. I just get caught up with anxiety over the entire trip. It is new every time I leave home, and now I have to leave behind my partner , Abbey. She is my dog.

However, I believe in God and he believes in me and all is going to be allright with this trip. I have a brother in Newport Beach , Ca. and he is picking me up at the airport and we will dine tonight before taking me to my hotel in Huntington Beach, Ca.. It seems over whelming this morning but I have read the bible and I am dressed to fly like a professional . I prefer to look as nice as I can , I am not sure why. In the

years people use to wear a suit and tie when flying by airlines, it was a privilege I guess. These days everyone just wears whatever, and that is fine with me, but I wear a sport coat and slacks , and just feel more comfortable looking nice.

I have been sober for over 5 years now and it just gets better each day. Even today is better than last year at this time when I had to fly to Chicago for work. That was very nervy yet this is also. I am calm , but anxious and this willl pass once I get going in the airports, I am positive. I just keep saying , Happy, Joyous, and free is what I am..I meditate and calm down. I love airplanes and I have seats next to the window like I like it so I have it all  going my way or God's way.

God protects me and guides me everyday and he will today..I have to let go and let God run the show again like I do every day. It is not easy task for a former alcoholic to do. It can be done though if tried. Well its that time to roll back the car and head to the airport, have a great day and God be with us all...Chris