Tuesday, January 13, 2009

FIVE YEARS WITHOUT ALCOHOL

Thanks to a lot of help from Donwood, and the use of inner strength I didn't know I had, I quit drinking 5 years ago On May 30th, 1969. It has been a good 5 years, although not all sublime. There have been a lot of ups and downs, though overall, the ups have outnumbered the downs.

This one very important thing that I learned at Donwood, and made good use of, that the bad mood I may have today, will change probably tomorrow or the next day. All I have to do is stay sober today, and tomorrow will be better.

I am proud of my accomplishment, however I must remain humble, for complete ruin is only one drink away for me. Looking back on the past five years, (and how good they have been!), I feel very fortunate to have been an alcoholic, for I was forced by circumstances to change my way of life, and with the help of Donwood, and AA I learned how good life can be without the use of that mind destroying chemical called alcohol.

It all boils down to the fact that one must face life head on. It gets you right in the guts, the fears are all there, but when you have faced something traumatic without giving in, you gain a good sense of strength and wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

I can only say to you, gentle reader that have recently quit drinking, and still in the first year of your sobriety, do not, at any time despair! It always gets better, and you can maintain a happy sobriety, as long as you take it easy and listen to the people around you at AA. They know what they are talking about! It is not easy to quit drinking, especially after many years of abuse! And you must constantly remember to keep your guard up.

The longing for a drink returns periodically, and sometimes it would be quite easy to return to the old ways to escape this sometimes painful thing called life. To make sure that I do not fall prey to return to drinking I continue to take Antabuse. "Still taking Antabuse" you say? Yes, it still serves as a barometer to me. When I want to quit taking it, I will know that I want a drink.

Why do I want a drink? Maybe it is pressure from the job, a disappointment or just "what 's the use?", "why keep on fighting?" Well, at least with Antabuse, I have 5 days to examine my way of thinking, do some housecleaning of the garbage that has built up.

I have also found over the past five years that the mood does change, if not the next day, the the day after. Things have a habit of straightening out. I couldn't end this article without mentioning a word about AA. Although now I do not attend regularly, I remember most of what I learned from them years ago and it has stayed with me. The serenity prayer, the slogans, the whole programme is very useful to me and I find myself going back to them when I have problems. It is a wonderful life without alcohol. I hope you will join me in enjoying it. HANG IN THERE!

DON FELSTEAD

DON says: I wrote the above article in 1974 for the Donwood. I look back now and see how happy I have been. I plan to practice abstinence to the end of my days!

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