I Think You Should Walk

I got a new AA sponsor last night. He was reluctant to work with me at first because the last two years of my life involved using opiates and anti-anxiety medication. He said, "I just don't have experience regarding the abuse of medication. I'm just an alcoholic.' He did agree, however, that I should make …

Higher Power

Step Two of the 12-Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous states we come to believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity. Step Three says we turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand him. There is no mention of a specific concept of God. …

Moving Forward

There are few things as difficult as being asked to move out of your mother's house following a relapse. I faced that hardship today. I moved in with mom and dad in 2008 following a period of drinking and getting high. I was about to be homeless. I had resigned from a position as a …

The Perfect High

There once was a boy named Gimmesome Roy. He was nothing like me and you. 'Cause laying back and getting high was all he cared to do. As a kid, he sat in the cellar, sniffing airplane glue. And then he smoked bananas -- which then was the thing to do. He tried aspirin in …

21 Days Later

I apologize for not posting anything for the past three weeks. I had a personal emergency. Something that demanded my total attention. As you may know from reading "about" me, I have a history of drug and alcohol abuse. I've been attending 12-Step meetings since 2001. At that time, I was drinking a fifth of …

Dealing With Stuff

I haven't quite been myself lately. I laugh, but not from the gut. I cry, but not so much that I get lost in it and can't stop. Eating, now that's been out of control. I recently lost thirty pounds in six months. Well, seventeen of them came back over the past ninety days. I …

What Stops You?

Fear. Now there's a terrible four-letter word. Some will tell you that fear is necessary for survival. How else will you know if something is harmful or fatal to you? I propose the correct word here is caution. Not fear. You see, fear will stop you dead in your tracks. Fear will lie to you. …

How Much Is Too Much?

I have often been bothered by the question, "How much is too much." I believe in reaching out to help the next suffering human being. I have always been convinced that we are saddled with the responsibility to help our least fortunate fellow man. Of course, the help we provide can certainly vary. It can …

Goody Two-Shoes

I behaved myself in school for the most part. I wanted all of my teachers to like me. I learned how to write a sentence, a paragraph, a short story. I practiced diagramming sentences. My compositions were smart, clear and concise. My mind was filled with hundreds of original thoughts. Sometimes it was like a …

As You Can

I have not always been interested in my fellow man. I was extremely self-centered for a great number of years. Much of this had to do with being constantly drunk or high. My perspective did not begin to change until I stopped drinking and using drugs. As a result of quitting, a whole new world …