God gives you Special Treats when Sober

It is Wed 2/22/17 and all sorts of miracles have happen in my life. I was hired by a Nationwide corporation to work for them in my area of Texas. They say I start on March 1st but the HR department seems slow , so I doubt I start this soon. I have been unemployed for almost 6 months now, doing odd jobs to keep money in my pocket. It is by the grace of God that I got this position , because at my age it is hard to find a company that wil train you from the bottom up. I have some anxiety along with this job as I have to fly quite often to Springfield , Mo. for training, but I have been getting ready with buying slacks to seeing Dr.s so I am prepared for my plane trip on the 5th of March.
Since I have been sober all sorts of miracles have come true , just not on my time, but on God's time. I have had interviews and Skype interviews and nothing was panning out. There are a lot more people in Midland, Texas now since the oil field is picking up pace . However I do not work in the oil and gas industry and never will. It is dangerous work and have lost many friends and many friends have lost limbs to working out in the oil patch.

Sobriety and my belief in a higher power in which I call God has all the answers but are we willing to listen? I try to listen to God when he speaks buy he speaks indirectly to me , so I have to slow down and let the words come through to my brain or psychic before I understand them. Sometimes when I do something good for someone else then the answer lies right there for me to grab a hold of.
In AA we talk about God and the spirit of God in our lives, I think that is why we have such long term dobriety in my little group in Midland, texas. We all know one another and knwo each others family. We are relative to the other members and yet new members like this and so we have grown in the small group we use to have. Well have a nice Day it is to be 86 today in town..Chris Hyer

Sober Weekend and Yourself

Today I would like to share one of my favorite thoughts on self-improvement.

 

This short thought comes from Nathaniel Branden's book The Six Pillars of
Self-Esteem and it simply goes like this: 

 

"No one is coming".

 

Short. But it has been a powerful and sobering reminder for me.

 

Because yes, you can look for the next big thing that will fix you. 

 

Read more blog articles. Read more personal development books. Look for people
to help you. 

 

And yes, some articles, books, products or people will give you support and
insights that resonate deeply with you and that you can put into practice. 

 

But in the end, if you are an adult then no one is coming. No one is coming to save
you. You have to take responsibility for your own life and what happens in it.
Other things and people can certainly aid you quite a bit. But you are responsible.

 

You can go around blaming society or some people for your problems in your
social life. Or finances. Or health. You can always find scapegoats to judge to feel
better about yourself. You can look for people that will "fix you". You can do this
for the rest of your life if you like. It won't change much. Whatever has to be done,
it's you who have to take responsibility and do it.

 

Yeah, things might always not go your way. You'll fall and stumble and you will

probably have bad luck from time to time.

 

But you still have to focus on yourself and on doing what you can do with what you
have in whatever situation that may arise in your world.

In sobriety we are the one who is responsible for completing Step 1 completely or we fail over and over again.

To move onto the other 11 Steps , first you have to accomplish the first step on your own.

You can do this, however only by yourself. No one can keep you from drinking.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Being Positive in a Negative Thought in Sobriety or Life Itself

Say stop in situations where you know you cannot think straight.

Sometimes when I am hungry or when I am lying in bed and are about to go to
sleep negative thoughts start buzzing around in my mind.

In the past they could do quite a bit of damage. Nowadays I have become good at
catching them quickly and to say to myself:

No, no, we are not going to think about this now.

I know that when I am hungry or sleepy then my mind sometimes tend to be
vulnerable to not thinking clearly and to negativity.

So I follow up my “no, no…” phrase and I say to myself that I will think this
situation or issue through when I know that my mind will work much better.

For example, after I have eaten something or in the morning after I have gotten
my hours of sleep.

I know from experience that when I revisit a situation with some level-headed
thinking then in 80% of the cases the issue is very small to nonexistent.

And if there is a real issue then my mind is prepared to deal with it in a much
better and more constructive way.

Say stop to getting lost in vague fears.

Another trap that I have fallen into many times that have spurred on
overthinking is that I have gotten lost in vague fears about a situation in my life.
And so my mind running wild has created disaster scenarios about what could
happen if I do something.

So I have learned to ask myself: honestly, what is the worst that could happen?

And when I have figured out what the worst that could happen actually is then I
can also spend a little time to think about what I can do if that often pretty
unlikely thing happens.

I have found that the worst that could realistically happen is usually something
that is not as scary as what my mind running wild with vague fear could produce. 

Finding clarity in this way usually only takes a few minutes and bit of energy and
it can save you a lot of time and suffering.

Getting Hired When Your Sober

If your in a position like myself, getting hired is tough when there is literally no positions available. I live in Midland , Texas and this is oil field country. If you are a truck driver or have what is called fracing experience, you can have a job right away. If you are sober and looking to stay sober then you have to find a job that will not stress you out so much. When I sobered up I had very few skills and it hurts you when you get older and want to work, as companies will look the other way if you had no experience with the job in which is offered. My biggest problem is I am getting the interviews but I am competing with about 200 people for this one job. It is a statistical nightmare when I think I have the job only to find out they have found someone else better qualified. I am going on 6 months now and I do do part time work in fixing computers on my own. I work half my day driving for Uber and fixing personal computers and half the day searching online for jobs and applying.

There is no reason to drink about my situation , as it will not help me get a job. I also attend quite a few AA meetings as this is good for networking for work. However, in the oil patch things are starting to pick up and when this happens all industry picks up in this small city. I have thought about moving and that thought is still in the air, as I have a home that is paid for and family in this area. I will give it a few more months before I make a city move but not much longer. Health insurance is expensive but I have been able to keep on with my provider, and staying busy writing has helped when I get bored . Try to stay busy because idle hands gets us into trouble , but surely there is  a job out there for me. God willing and I do have a strong conviction to my Lord that he will help me in finding my next career move. Don't let up on the program of AA as you will need it even more right now to keep yourself sane.

If your in my place with not a full time job you know what I am going through. Part of this has been my fault for letting go of jobs that I should of held onto. I will admit I made a few mistakes and I am paying for this move right now. Please have a job before you leave one, as I did not do this a few times, I just quit and that will piss off the employer and make your resume stink, but there are ways around this mess, you just have to be creative. Stay sober and work through your life and consider all posibilities you can and God will help. Have a great day. Chris Hyer

Big Spring, Texas AA Group Celebrates 70 years of Sobriety

What a day Saturday turned out to be. Big Spring, Texas is about 40 miles east of Midland, Texas and I went to celebrate their anniversary of 70 years for this group. There was a meeting at 1:00PM followed by a Al anon Speaker who was really good , then lunch from kitchens of alcoholics comprised of southern fried chicken and you name it the food was there. My uncle from Bedford Texas was the key speaker for AA and his wife Vera. I never had heard his story and it was good , he has over 37 years of sobriety and his wife about the same. Friends from Odessa and other cities across Texas gathered at this meeting for the celebration.

My father who drinks hard at times even came which blew my mind. He came with his brother Pat H. to this whole event which might mean he is interested. You never know who will show up at these gatherings. I was really proud of my father attending this celebration, for he might be one of us. He is the only one that would know, however. It was 90 degrees in Big Springs, Texas this winter day of Saturday the 12th of 2017 and that was a mind blower as well. The meeting drew approx. 100 people from all over Texas and lasted about five hours. I was exhausted afterwards and went back home. It was a day in history to see my father in a AA meeting on his own will. He recently lost his wife to Lupus after fighting this disease most of her life. My father is 80 years old but surely does not look the age. He still works and is active, but I am sure a little bit depressed from losing his wife.

I decided I better get the one love in my life some chocolates for her Valentines, that would be my mother. She has helped me in so many ways and support my sobriety with no end. I am very blessed to have both parents still living and healthy. Days like Saturday humble ones self like me. It makes you think about the good times and the not so good, maybe that was why I was drained. I don't usually go to these type conferences, I usually stick to the one hour meetings and leave. I see now why it is important to come to these gatherings, I had nothing else to do , plus I never heard my Uncles' story but I experienced  his drinking when I was young, and those thoughts were in my head. What a better man he is now. If you get a chance go to a conference like this one, it can be long and you do need to take breaks. Chris Hyer , One Day at a time.

Sobriety and Living Life

Being sober is just the full time attitude we must have in order to enjoy this life. What do I mean by enjoying life sober? I had to ask myself this question, because I have been sober seven years now, and for some reason I get very isolated with myself. That is not what I mean by enjoying life. I percieve enjoying life as celebrating something every moment, but that is my sick thinking. Not every thing is exciting in life. It is good to wake up with no hangover , and it is good that family members like your sobriety as well. But what about me?

I enjoy going to AA meetings because there are others there just like my personality. They are also seeking out resolutions to their lives being sober and some whom are so high on the pink cloud that I envy those people. They are always cheerful and upbeat and I am not this way at times. I get lost in my sobriety at times. I just want to go back to bed and not have to deal with life and the headaches at times, but I don't I stick it out even in the rough times. When you get a lot of sobriety, people like your family must think it is normal now that you will not drink again,but we all now someone that has slipped even after a few years or 20 years, and why is that I wonder.

I guess that might be the disease part of alcoholism when one slips through the gap and goes out and drinks, but it must be hard as hell to come back into sobriety, in fact the thought scares me straight to even think about a slip. I try to enjoy my life sober on a daily basis, and then I think maybe it is the town I live in that keeps me somber and mellow sober. There is nothing to do but go to a movie theater or go out drinking in my town. No lakes or mountains to explore and nothing to photograph except for those having parties. I am confused today as I am still trying to acquire just a job, any job for that fact. I cannot seem to get hired, or I am not qualified for the position. I live in a oil and gas community and they also work 24/7 with weeks out at a time, and mentally I cannot handle this type of work. Have you been through what I am going through? Please give me feedback. Chris Hyer

Accepting God Into Your Life Sober or Not

I know this is a strange heading I am writing about . However it is true that if we just acept Jesus into our lives , we will all go to heaven. Now some religions such as Mormons do not believe in this simple act, which is fine. I am not teaching religion on this blog, this blog is about saving lives through knowing a spirit greater than your self , named God. God and Jesus are the same. God is not man and Jesus is the spiritual advisory for God. If you are sober you have come to believe in a power greater than yourself, if your in AA, you know this spirit must be God or Jesus. Once you take the simple step and invite Jesus into your life, you will go to heaven. Period.

I don't know about you but when I die I want to go to heaven. I don't know what Hell is but I have a feeling I have visited Hell many times while I was in my addiction. Maybe you have felt this way also. It is enough to convince me that there is a loving God who can take away my sins and forgive me and help me to stay sober if I just ask for this act. Simple as it may sound , we find all the wrong answers to sobriety, maybe we think we can handle one more drink, maybe just one more pill. In some instances this may be true, but rare for us who have been diagnosed as alcoholic, and the AA book is a spiritual book with a chapter for Agnostics , so maybe some relief for those who have a hard time believing in a higher power such as God can come to rest with their alternative solution. I am here to say that God has blessed me with sobriety because I ask for it. I have not had a alcoholic drink in over 7 years which does not mean one thing except that the obsession to drink was taken away from a power greater than myself. That power is known to me as the spirit of God.

I hope who reads this understated the power of God in the steps of AA are not just writings on the wall or in the Big Book, we do have to take action and for go our old ways and develop new ways of living in the world as we are living. Understanding a God can be confusing with all the hate in the world, but I do know i sin every single day, and I ask for forgiveness in the day or evening for my sins. I have had miracles that have come true and spiritual experiences that would blow your mind. Is staying sober worth it? Yes, it is when I have so much going for me and sometimes I take this for granted. I forget God when things are going good and times, and when they are going bad I pray to God to make a wrong decision I have made into a right one to pleasure God.

To be honest I probably pray more now than ever. Maybe that is why when I am weak I do not think about alcohol, when I am strong and happy , I do not think about alcohol. There has to be a power that is informing me in some manner that drinking is not my answer. This is just a small part of living is the drinking. But it is big enough to kill a person who goes out and re-tries drinking . I have lost three people who are my age this month from drinking or drugs. They tried AA and they tried the program, but how much of a relationship did they have with their God? Happy Sunday. Chris Hyer