Here it was early April and I was worried about Christmas that year – and I was just 10 days sober. I was asking myself: What was I thinking when I made the decision to quit drinking? Was I in my right mind, could/would I stick to that commitment? Was my drinking really that bad? Entertaining these questions, I honestly felt I had gone insane.
The holiday season typically brings with it both causes to celebrate and reasons to feel pressured ― laying out a minefield of triggers for people with substance abuse problems. So here are some simple guidelines and suggestions to help you navigate this challenging time of the year.
Today my life is truly a miracle. I am so humbly grateful, and I am really great. I attend at least four meetings a week. I have been taught that the successful people in AA., who stay sober, attend regular meetings. I practice the principle “live and let live”. I am one of the lucky ones that “get it”
It is easy to lose sight of our spiritual grounding in the glitter and commercialism of the holidays. Viewing each day as God-filled and thinking “holy days” instead of “holidays” could keep us better connected to our Higher Power when we most need that connection.
In my mind and in my heart, I had a deep-down good feeling about myself for the first time in a long time. It was a wonderful feeling of well-being. Of new possibilities. I felt that I was, finally, out from under that endless, relentless craving that had been running — and ruining — my life for the past 10 to 12 years.
Our collective voices ring out when we speak up and share our stories. We are in harmony with with our fellows when we sing our truths on high!
