Sober in a Alcoholic Society

Staying sober in a alcoholic society is key. There are beer ads and liquor ads that strike at us at all directions. The media is to blame and so are the companies that promote what they sell. They have a right to create a mass of media to sell their products , but to what extent? Your children and mine are affected by the ads that are on Bill boards in your city as well as mine. Every picture shows people having a god time and a bottle of their favorite drink next to them. Is this to assume that if I don't drink your product that I am to be unhappy and boring?

Photos By Christopher Hyer

The society that we live in tolerate alcohol and the alcoholic, that is out of control. You have friends that drink too much , as I have them. Do we tell them, I don't unless they ask. I will be upfront and chose words that are not of an AA nature possibly. We were all there at one point in our lives. Could not put the beer down and when we did, we went and grab the car keys and made sure our breath was not smelling like liquor , just to go buy more liquor. The insanity of our alcoholism, is so obvious when you think back of how it use to be drinking.

Society and friends think that it's normal to drink. It is widespread throughout the world. To celebrate any holiday, we drink. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Joyous occasions are celebrated with alcohol. Every day of the week was a holiday for me , I would have to say. It was not a fun holiday in the end. It was off to the races , when I was coming down from a drinking binge. Back to the local store where they knew me by name and what I drank. I was special to this store owner!! 

Friends , that I would call after catching a slight buzz would know right off that I was drunk when I phoned them. It was normal for them to cut me off when I spoke to some of my family members and close friends. I was a closet drinker and did not go driving around and drinking. I might get another DWI, so I thought I was smart in not driving and just drinking at home. I was alone and getting lonelier. It is heart breaking when I think about it, so I try not to think about the bad times. There were so many towards the end of my drinking though, it is hard not to forget..

Social outcast as I was, and not blending in with social drinkers was me. In fact, when I had to meet business associates for a drink out, I would not drink alcohol, because I knew I would not stop at one glass. I would drink soda water with lime , like I do now all the time. I used my head when I

did drink , and then I did not. After a while the body gives out from so much alcohol, and starts to kill you. Your liver goes bad, and you have to heal or you die.

Photo By Christopher Hyer

This is the reality of being sober in an alcoholic society!! For some people and I am talking into the millions in the USA, alcohol is killing us. I am sure you can think of one or two people right this minute that is alcoholic and you can't do a thing about it. He has to change, not you changing him. That is where our thinking has to change in society. There is a cure for this disease and its rather simple. It just takes stopping that first drink and for long you will be a sober individual, with a life better than you had ever in your life... Christopher Hyer 6.7.2014

Five Years as of This Month , Sober

I have not kept up with this blog on Sobriety and I will try to keep it going since there are people reading it.As of this writing , I will receive my 5 year chip for sober living on Tuesday night. It is a bigger deal than I first thought. I have for the last year been granted a great job in which I get to travel. I have a healthy son that is a non drinker and non smoker and he is 20, I have been blessed with a new house that was given to me by my mother, I have a daily routine, which I never had before sobering up. I pray constantly and my prayers are answered in a way I can't really put my finger on.

Don't be caught in this!!lol

God has given me everything I could possibly need in life , and God either is or is not. He is the main reason for my success and I have to say AA also has improved my thought patterns about people and life. Watching the new comer come in all strung out with no hope. That is the real deal with AA is helping those with no hope as I was one of these. They really don't seeem to get it, but a couple will stay around and sober up out of 30 people that come to my group , which is called the 12 Step Group of Midland, Texas.

The AA group I go to has a low attendance and I seem to like it that way. Every one has their preference, and I go every Thursday and Saturday to this group. It is on my schedule to do this and I don't even think twice about it. It has become habit to me and a good one at that. You learn that your problems may not be as big as you think when attending an AA meeting, and then you might just go away in a pink cloud, and happy that you went. That to me, is the spiritual side of AA, the God miracle working in our group as maybe in your group.

I have chaired meetings the last few months and enjoy doing this. If my sponsor ask me to do this , I automatically will. There is something to be said about relationships with others in AA that are staying sober, you can trust them. People that you would of past and not look back at, now are respectable citizens with jobs and family.

Marfa , Texas

My family is not very close, however since I have cleaned up they have become closer. My mother and I were so far apart when I was drinking that we never really knew each other. Now I have the deepest respect for her and my brothers and sister, that are in my family. My father on the other hand still drinks quite a bit, and God Bless him, and I hope he lives out a good life. I still have lunches with my father at the bar of a local restaurant. It bothers me none that he drinks wine consist
ently while chatting to me, and I don't bug him about his drinking. He is 78 years old and has a few DWI's and knows what he is into if he gets caught. It is his life and I can't tell him what to do. He is wealthy and thinks he can buy his self out of this. I just pray he does not hurt anyone, or he could not live with himself.

On a positive note, Life is good, and it is not easy being single in this town I live in. I am making the best of it the only way I know how, is to not take a drink. That's it!!!Really once you stop and stay stopped, life gets better, but it takes time. I am living proof of this. Have a good day, I know I will. Christopher Hyer

Alcoholics and Denver Colorado

The legalization of marijuana in the Colorado area had me wondering the other day. I was thinking how nice it would be to go to the store and pick out my dope by flavor. How nice that would be. I don't smoke pot anymore, it has been 5 years since May 2009 since I have smoked. I am an alcoholic though, and a drug addict that has recovered, or have I.
When you think of legalized pot, like in Colorado. It has me thinking how nice it would be to go back to smoking pot. However it would trigger my drinking a beer with smoking, so that would not work.

The same old sick thinking starts to creep in when they legalize stuff like this. Its like going to your local convience store and picking your drug of choice , beer, pot, whatever else they sell.It makes it hard on some of us that live to stay sober ,and stay sober to live. It is a choice of your own.

Anyway had to throw that comment in there. I wonder if there is pot smoke all around the place in Colorado? I might have to visit, but it is like a gambler with gambling problems and going to Vegas. Could this hurt Colorado, by legalizing Pot? I doubt it so many people smoke it. Just m,y thought for the day. Have a great day and God bless...

Why Am I Alive

There is a reason why you are alive today. God planned it this way. Yes, you may have had bad habits and still have them. However, God planned you in the beginning. He has plans for you ever since the day you were conceived. He loves you. He loves me. There is a reason why you are breathing today, it is God's will that we breathe and some do not. He knows when we will die and when we will fail, but is it really a failure to live at times, or are these just lessons. We did not create ourselves, so we do not know how we were created . God created you in his image and Rick Warren , "Purpose Driven Life" is a great example of why we live. Set goals, aim high, break bad habits and live. Live today and be successful.

God loves alcoholics and he planned you to be this way, not you. He did this possibly for you to concieve your purpose in life. Life as a spiritual person who now understands God's powers and strengths in your life. I really believe we are meant to be the way we are. If you  treat others with the same respect that you would like, that is what God would like us to do. God Bless. Christopher

Faith Is Big With God and Sobriety

To have faith in the Lord God is to have a type of humility for life. You have to humble oneself to get faith . Faith in God is trusting him to help us in our every day lives. By faith all things are possible in life. The good and the bad can be controlled by faith in God. Do you have the faith to walk with the Lord and stay sober today? It is not an easy thing to be humble and let go of the things we use to control in your lives. To give it to the spiritual God is not easy until you have done it several times, then it comes naturally. I have faith in that I will do the best job I can today and everyday that I ask the Lord to help me in my work and life. God knows what is going to happen to me today already , it is how I deal with this faith is what determines the outcome of my day. I can walk with God by my side or not. It is up to me, however the control is in God's hands as I go out and stay sober and try to contribute to life and my work in life.

To have a spiritual awakening you have to let go and let God become your leader through each day. You pray for his guidance and his strength to keep your head up high. What is in your past is the past and will not be relived. Look forward to the future for greater things to happen in your life, no matter how small or big they are, that will be God working in your life.God is a kind and gentle spirit that will effect your relations with everyone you come in contact with. Try it one day to be gracious and show grace by being kind. Even if you may not feel this way , it will reflect in your attitude toward one another. Try it...God Bless. Christopher

Worth Living For

There are times when I wish I knew what the hell I am living for. Is it to please someone or myself? I wake up say my prayers and hope that each day will be a great day and not all are. They are not bad days , as I try to pay my bills and be responsible. This is called living in itself. I had never really been responsible for my own stuff. I would put it off and wait on this or that bill. I got that taken care of this weekend , and I payed all my bills that I owe right now. I feel good about this and maybe this is just life.

I incur bills from credit cards, car payments, insurance IRS, and everything imaginable. I am trying to cut back some of these bills and doing good at this. Being responsible is part of living sober and the AA way of taking control of oneself.It has taken me almost 5 years of sobriety to understand this . I am now realizing how irresponsible I was. My finances were always in debt. I was living a life of lies and deception. I was drunk or hung over and just did not want to pay my bills. Maybe I am the only one that was this way, I don't know. I do know it feels good to know they are paid now and I do not get harassing phone calls anymore. Growing up is what this is called.God Bless and have a great day...Christopher  

There is Good in This World

I had a thought the other day. Why was I living and what do I contribute to society. I don't really know the answers. I live for day to day for my work . I have a son that counts on me to be here. I have a Mother and a Father that enjoy me when it is convenient for them. I guess these are good enough reasons to show up and suit up for work each day and make a living and be sober. These people rely upon me even though I barely see them every day. even at age 50 , I am still single but by my choice and I cannot blame God for this.This town I live in was to blame for my drinking years, I thought. However when I look back and think it matter none where I lived. I drank to oblivion wherever I lived. Always blaming the city and my loneliness, and that was why I drank. Loneliness is a good reason to drink. It is not a valid reason for destroying your body and others lives though. 

That is why I stay sober and get up everyday and say my prayers. I don't go to AA much anymore. I had a friend die and for some reason it has kept me away from AA. I have been enjoying coming home after work and just lying down and watching TV and sleeping. I hope this is normal, I am not sure, just kind of tired from work I guess lately. I need to get up and start going to AA again so I do not slip back into a recluse. I can do this very easy.

I have gotten rid of my Corvette and my SUV for a smaller car that gets better gas mileage and this is responsible. I hate being responsible. This is what sober living does to me. I traded off my toys for a car that makes sense for my work and life. I , also had to cut back on bills as they were high in car cost. Responsibility is discipline where you may not be use to like myself.God bless and I am glad I wrote this today so I know now why I am here. Have a good day..Christopher