The Miracle of AA

My name is Tom and I am an alcoholic. I had tried to quit drinking on my own and had always lifted a drink again. I arrived at AA in 2008 because I was concerned that my wife would leave and take our young daughter with her. I got 6 years sobriety under my belt - what an experience - and life in every department got better and better. An example of this was when the primary school teacher commented at parents’ evening “I’ve never seen a child make so much progress in a year”. I was beginning to spend time with my daughter doing homework and this improved her school life and created a bond between us. When I was drinking it just never occurred to me to do this type of thing. I was a performing drunk at my worst with booze and an absent parent at best, when I wasn’t drinking. 

In March 2014 I lifted the fatal first drink. In AA I’ve heard people say “There’s no excuse for lifting a drink”. The circumstances leading to this were that my marriage had ended and I was on my own. Whatever the circumstances the result was what AA said it would be - my drinking got worse and my life got worse too because it’s a progressive Illness. On one occasion I lifted a drink at home at Christmas time and ‘came to’ at the bells in Madrid! How did I get there? 

From 2014 to the present day, I have been trying to attain continuous sobriety. I’ve had periods of sobriety - 10 months and many months less than that, but never more. I have always lifted the first drink but I’m hoping to get my one-year sobriety chip on June 10th 2023. I thought it would be easy - but it’s been hard - especially the last two weeks. I have been thinking about drinking on two occasions but I did something I didn’t do on previous attempts - I lifted the phone instead of a drink. Seems simple but it worked. 

I did that twice when I really wanted to drink and the obsession was matched by a desire not to drink and stay sober. I was surprised. A Higher Power! -The miracle of AA! Keep coming until the miracle happens. 

Tom 
Bridge of Allan Monday Night Group