Writing a Journal to Stay Sober

Personally , I think that if a person keeps a blog or journal, that he or she will develop into a better person. I know this blog serves as my journal and even though you may not agree with what I have to say, it is very important to keep writing for me. I might just tough a nerve out there in cyberland and help someone that has had problems like I have had with staying dober or just wondering what it is like. There are millions of drinkers who drink because of the efeect it does to them. These are the alcoholics in our world. Those who drink for the taste and not the effects are probably not one of us.

There is a stigma about alcoholics in the world , that we are a bunch of bums, that just sit around and somehow stay sober. Well, some of these folks could be right. However , there are many of us who are Doctors , Lawyers, and politicians, including manual labor folks. We are not a glum lot we are many and could be your next door neighbor. When sober, we are usually clean, respectful people in our society that make a difference to our community. AA not be associated with any particular sex, or race and we are one as a group of people. We strive for staying sober on a daily level, and most will not have the urge to drink if only folowing a few simple steps and getting a sponsor. It is that easy, putting it into action seems to be the problem with some folks who cannot or will not give themselves to this simple program.

Back to writing about your day and experiences. It is good to look back and see how far you have come, or if you had a slip to reflect on why you might of decided to start drinking. It will help you be yourself and help with daily communication with other folks. There are days I just don't want to write anything, and those are the days I write a lot. I must have something on my mind that is bothering me, plus when I look back over the past few months I can see growth in myself. This is good to see some type of growth when you feel like you have exhausted all means of your life at times.

Today start a blogger account and help others recover like I have and its been a little bit over 4 years now, and the obsession to drink to feel good has left me. It had to or I would be dead. This is only for me, your situation may be different. I have to stay busy everyday and even if I do not have a job to go to, I still am doing something constructive, or I get bored and the same old feelings come back. That is when action has to take place and this is a learned response now. We take daily inventory of our lives first thing in the morning , trying to get things right with God and pray all throughout the day to stay sober. It is a new way to live and with so many going back to drinking after trying to stop , you must do something different to make it sober in life today....Hope this helps...Christopher

Starting out Your Day Sober

It is a Monday and starting your day out sober is a good thing. No hangover, and fully functional is the best way to feel, even if a bit drowsy from sleep. I have to admit there were too many Monday's where I was hung over and I called in sick to work, I am sure some of you can relate. We don't have to do this anymore, and our employer thinks the world of this or they should. Monday seems to be the starting point for the week for me. All things new and unknown, and I pray first thing in the morning for strength to make it through the day and to let God do his thing with me.

Trees by Chris Hyer 2013

It is ok to ask God for help when you are in a position for his guidance. I am waiting on an answer from a corporation to see if I can be employed by this company. I should know today is what I was told on Friday. It is out of my hands now, and I have to pray about a positive outcome from this employer. What is positive though, to me it would mean employment in an area in which I excell in. However this may not be the route in which God wants me to ta
ke. We will have to see and wait for the outcome from this meeting. I have learned how to let GOd work and to let go of situations which use to baffle me, I have no control over certain aspects of my life. This has made me a better person and a more patient one.

Starting your day sober is a such a great feeling and I hope if you are sober you have learned how to give control over to God in situations that use to baffle you. It really is all you can do. You have to take action and try to make things happen. Faith without works is dead. Once you have exhausted all avenues to make the needed changes in your life, sit back and relax and let God take over. He will guide you the rest of the way in his time, not yours. This is easy to say but hard to learn. I hope you have a good Monday and keep your head up high, and pray your day comes off just as goood as you want it to. Christopher...

Friday and Living Life on Life's Terms

Sometimes it is hard to let go and let God . What this means to me is letting go of the things I cannot change and change the things I can. I have been doing a pretty good job at this actually, and believing that God has the right moves for me. We don't know what is going to happen the next few hours or the next day. We have a conception of what we would like to accomplish at times , but we actually may not even be here the next day. God does not let us know when we are to live or die, nor does he reveal what direction he will take your spirit. It is all up to you to take action and pray that you have done what you think God would have liked you to do.

My Helicopter Chris Hyer 2013

Then there are the miracles that happen almost daily in my life and I am expecting one now, with a job. Today I am to find out if I am hired for this large corporation or not. It is out of my hands and in the control of Gods. I have accepted this and I pray for the outcome to be positive but either way I have no control over the outcome. The manager that wants to hire me, has no control, he had called me yesterday to tell me I am his prime candidate but that some paperwork with another company I use to work for may get in the way. If it does, I cannot be hired, Non-compete clause in a contract is what is holding me up. So this job could go either way. I pray I get this position but if not , then God has lined me up with an alternative, which is nice also.

So to live life on life's terms or God's terms is not new to me, but it is still hard to swallow at times. I am sure you have issues that you wish would come true, and if you pray it will set your mind at ease and you will know a new way of living and a new way of life. It may not be what you wanted, but in the end it is God's way. He is our director in life and he is the one that has taken the obsession of drinking away from most of us who read this. If not , pray for him to and he will, this is true. There are millions of us alcoholics that have to believe in a higher power to overcome ourselves. This has not been an easy task for most of us human beings, but has to be done in life itself.

SO , today is a big day for Chris, and everyday has been a challenge to keep a smile on my face and not think of alternative things that are self-destructive to one's self. It takes belief in God to feel this way and letting go of a situation. God has the final word in all we do. Christopher...

Life As We Know It

Life as we know it. What a concept. How are we to determine what is best for us to do today. Do we pray everyday for a miracle to happen? It is difficult sometimes to know what to do. I have spent a life time of doing what I wanted to do, and not getting anything accomplished. I worked a numerous amount of different jobs from my drinking days. Most of these jobs were white collar jobs and now I get confused about who I really am. It is hard to put on a resume all you have done and make sense of this to an employer. There are ways of working around this and I have done this. I try to combine my strengths into one category and put time into this on my resume. Being self -employed offers this advantage. You can have multiple experiences doing many things and list them. It has helped me in my job quest, and it is being truthful.

Frogger By Christopher Hyer 2013

Being a recovered alcoholic is difficult for the job seeker back into the marketplace. You have held many positions and you must convince the employer that you are dependable and will not have a slip or fall back into alcoholism. This makes for a tough time in an interview and do you  even tell them you are recovering from this disease? That is the milion dollar question, it can make you or break a person. If you tell them you are a sober individual and do not drink or do drugs , I have found this to be positive and leave it at this. An employer wants to know whom he is hiring. It confirms that you will show up every day and with a straight head on. So , as far as my interviews go , I tell them this , that I have been sober for over 4 years and have a spiritual program that keeps me this way. I cannot speak for you, but it has had a positive influence on those I tell this to. It has
not ran off anyone, that I am aware of. You have to feel this person out, and he might be alcoholic and ask how did you do it? Then your into another aspect of helping this person out, in which in AA this is what we do. It will nail the job and you will have a new employer who may end up wanting what you have. This has happened to me also.

Life as we know it , is to live honestly and to shut up when we need to. Therefor , my experiences may not be what you adhere to. I don't expect you to do what I have done in my interview process, yet it can explain why I am employable now and how lucky the employer is to have a non-drinker working at his facility. This can work against you depending on what position you are applying for, yet it seems like honesty is the best policy for me. The employer knows that I reluctantly told the truth, and he is more trusting knowing that I tell the truth. Some do not care, and just brush it off, they possibly have someone in their life that drinks to much. They may ask you for advice in how to deal with a loved one, and this makes you more important to them now.

Use you own judgement in this process of your life, do you keep your sobriety a secret or do you share this with others? This is your choice. I chose to inform employers not to tell them I am in AA, I just don't drink is what I say, I have in the past and have decided it best I don't drink anymore is what I usually say. Then that is it, no questions on if I am an alcoholic or not. I think it goes without saying that this employer will think highly of you , though may treat you different at functions that involve alcohol, this is the chance you take...Hope this helps out...Christopher

Running With The Lord

Its funny how life just keeps throwing us curve balls in life. We make life what it is today. God provides us with a brain and activities to work our brain with. With so many of us with years of drinking and drugs , we are all miracles. It is a miracle that one can get sober and still function in this world as a productive and empowering human being. We have great insight as to what not to do , and what to do. By working the steps in the AA program, How could you go wrong? You really can't , you give your life over to God and he takes control. You have to be willing and able to do this. He makes this possible , by giving us the strength of sobriety , and prayer, all things can be accomplished , big and small. I am living proof of this.

I quit a job where there was verbal abuse and it brought me into another job , in only one days time. It is amazing how this life works when we let go and give effort. Prayer does it for me, and constantly not giving up. I am a fighter , more than I thought I was. Maybe you are also this way, and you also know what I speak of. The miracle of another job , better in money and befits and a better boss. God wants the best for us, and I am not saying what I did was right or wrong, last week. I did what I felt I had to do , and just in time for another opportunity to knock on my door. God is with us even when we are not consciously knowing it.

I was dreading work last week after only a few days , but the verbal abuse was too much. No one should have to put up with this and God knew this. He provided me with an out. I have not actually started the new job , but it looks hopeful. through God all things are possible, this is a major company that was closely related to the other job. Very close, and it blew me away when I had my interview. I have been going to AA a little more often, and prayer is still a large part of my day, and night. I think al is alright and when you run with the lord, you can not go wrong.

Just a Guy

Maybe its the good living practices I am doing that is making the difference in my life. Being over 4 years sober is key to using God as a way to deal with the daily stresses in my life. I have not given up on this blog because I have so many readers now. Why is this? Maybe I am helping out those that need a little bit of guidance from a guy who at one time was in a trash can getting his daily meal. Of course, this is true and now , I don't have to dive in this direction, because I
am sober. Without sobriety I would be dead. there is no two ways about this disease and I shake thinking of this alternative. I was close to death this time I cleaned up. That is what helps me stay sober is the remembrance of how bad it really got in my drinking. Please get help if you can't seem to stop, your life will take a turn. It takes time, but overnight you will feel the benefits of sobriety.

You may be asking how do I stop Chris? The first thing to do is put the bottle down and call AA or a treatment facility and know that you really want to stop. You have to really want to stop ,, or you will go back just as fast as you sober up. This does not work where you can drink again, it must not, or you will never grow up and out of the drink. It will kill you sooner than later if you have been drinking  for a long term situation. If you slip and drink, get your ass to a meeting and tell the group that you fucked up, and they will help you. You have to humble yourself all the way through the program of AA and take steps that may seem embarrassing to you. This is called growth. Your family and loved ones will be affected also , and they will see a new you. It takes time though, and strength from God . There is no other solution. Death or a Drink. Period.  Christopher

Good Monday Morning

Well the sun is out and the birds are chirping and , we are all alive. This is a good deal , right? God grant us the serenity to do the things we need to do. I have a lot of things to acomplish toda

y. I had a rough week last week and this week will be ok starting with today. I was lucky enough to have an interview inperson and over the phone with a large corporation last friday. I am looking at a very good position with a manufacturer this afternoon. I have the qualifications and I will be working mostly by myself. I will have to travel to Chicago, Huntington Beach, and Atlanta on occasion. SO this would be nice . When things get tough, and you hang in there like I have been, good things seem to happen. I call them miracles. God miracles.

I am feeling pretty secure with what this fellow has to offer me in the way of work today. I hope he decides to take me on. I will pray about it, and hopefully it will come true. I will not know until this afternoon. I met a girl from Silsbee, Texas online and she is a doll. I don't know what to think about her, though. She is quite young and beautiful, and she and I talked all weekend. There is a part of me that just wants to marry this girl and go from there, but I need a job first and then we will see about a relationship.

In a way I am tired of being alone, I am not really lonely but to have a special girl with me at all times, is not heard of. It has been over 16 years since I have been married. This girl I speak of is half my age and mature, but this could be an issue. I like them young, and spunky as this keeps me feeling young. If I still attract this type of women , why not go for it. Go ahead and make her a part of my life. I don't care what people would say, I would love her anyway. We will see how this week goes I guess, sorry for the rambling. Have a good day..Christopher

God I offer Myself To Thee

I tried and tried to get along with my new manager at work and he is either racist or has a dry sense of humor. I left my job this morning , and reluctantly so. I was asked to put together a machine that I have no idea of what I was doing. I was verbally abused by this man , in a way that was wrong in my mind. He asked if I was a Technician and he was curious as to how good I really was. Hell I only was with them for three days. I am a good technician, and have worked on copiers for over 2 years. The product was different than what I was use to , but I figured they would give me a while to learn theirs. Maybe I took everything the wrong way, but it was like I could not do anything as good as this fellow wanted.

The Worlds a Stage

I prayed and prayed about this every morning noon, and night and on the job. I finally this morning had my fill of it and left my key and a note , and my damn screwdriver that He called Richard. He had fired a guy who did not have his tools with him on a job , and just because he did not bring in his tools the boss of mine fired this fellow. He might have had other issues, but I had to walk around with a 20" screwdriver all the time. I thought this was kind of weird and stupid. Yet I did it and was willing to do most anything to keep this job.

I don't think this guy knows he was verbally abusing me , I think it may just be his attitude towards certain people. I forgive as much as I can but can only put up with so much abuse, whether intended or if it was for his enjoyment.I did , however call the owner and explained to him why I left to his answering machine. I am not trying to get anyone fired and I am sure I will not. This fellow will probably just say I was no good for this company. He will make it look like I was not of value to this company. I know people that are this way, they think they know everything and then sit their intentions on other people. He knew I was going to take his verbal assaults and he continued this, as an affirmation to me that I was not worth being there. I would of blown up if he confronted me again, so I did what I thought was correct and left.

No one should be questioned if they are qualified for a job after being hired for said job. No one should be mentally tainted with the notion that you are not good enough to be there working. Especially a manager until sufficient time to learn how they operate their business.

I called my sponsor and told him after I got home, and was upset about this whole ordeal. He listened and that is what a sponsor does. He does not judge and he did not agree or disagree with what I had to say. I did what I did for my own sanity. I was sweating bricks this morning , trying to do the work I was asked to do. I did finish this , and I did a good job. After thinking about what other words would come out o
f this fellows mouth , I made my decision to leave. No one was around anyway, and I am not good at quitting a job.

Well onto other things I suppose, and I don't have to drink over this . I have thought about taking a long drive, but this may be what I will do. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. That is all I have to say on this matter today. Have a good day...Christopher