Sunday, June 30, 2013

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.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

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.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

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

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

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

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Sober Past Time Projects

I like to fool around with music and videos, this is an example of what I like to do in my spare time, I hope you enjoy this I composed the music and the Video was shot of the West Texas Skyline from several photographs.  Christopher

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?

CHristopherhyer2013
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  


Monday, June 24, 2013

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!!

Sobriety and Covid and Living Normal

I have had this blog for ober 8 years and made nothing off of this blog. I write to talk about daily things and living without alcohol and I...