I gotta quit drinking.

[elkduds]

#2 The same guy that heads up a few groups took a turn and burn trip with me to Moscow Idaho to pick up an engine. I did a straight through from here, Central CA. to Moscow Id. When we get there it's some sort of busy event thing going on and there's no motel rooms within miles. I called the guy I'm supposed to meet the next day and asked if there's somewhere safe I can park for the night and just sleep in the truck. He says we can sack out in an old motor home he has. He said it ain't great but it doesn't leak. So we get to his place and settle in and there's a little placard on the counter of the motor home that has a saying from AA. The guy comes out to check make sure we're doing okay and my buddy says "So you know Bill?". I have no idea what he talking about but the guy says "Hell yes". The guy asked us into the house for a cup of coffee and the two of them start in with a one on one AA meeting! I guess that Bill must have been a pretty famous guy in AA. I went to bed and the two of them yapped and bullshit for most of the night. It seems that if your in AA your welcome anywhere.

What does Bill mean in AA?


“Friends of Bill” is a phrase often used by members of Alcoholics Anonymous to refer to other people who are in the recovery process, particularly those who share a connection with Bill Wilson, one of the founders of AA.

 

[Cammy]

I got to the point that I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Family crumbling as now ex decided that she couldn't live like that anymore. All alone 3000 miles away from her and the kids and no hope of seeing them anytime soon. Stumbled into an Air Force Chapel and met Gordon Schneider, an Air Force Chaplin. That 30 minute meeting changed my life forever and was the foundation of who I am now. Sadly Gordon passed a few years ago and I never got to share with him how much of an impact he had on my life. I won't say I have been perfectly sober since 1995 but I can say that my once a year "deer beer" after successful harvest hasn't caused an issue. I have a loving supportive wife (who went through hell with an alcoholic ex husband of her own (not me)) who has been a great partner for nearly 30 years.

All of that to say this. You can't stop an addiction for anyone but you. Shit is going to suck for however long it takes for you reprogram your brain to live without alcohol. You will loose friends. Those who do not actively support you in your journey are not true friends. You will find new friends but the ones you find will be true friends that support you and look out for you. You can't go to the places that you used to go (in the beginning). No more "pool leagues" at the local bar or dance nights where alcohol is served. At some point you find yourself somewhere and see the "I love you man" drunk and realize why you quit.

 

[corndog1]

AA for me. Fifteen and a half years.