For more information visit HammeredRecovery.com or e-mail me at justin@hammeredrecovery.com
Show Notes
Family Trip – Glensheen MansionI believe there is a marketing OpportunityIf you do the research I think you can pretty much conclude who did it, but I am not going to get into that since this is not a murder mystery Podcast although if I could figure out a way to tie those together I definitely would.However, I’ll tie it together in this way Sobriety could use a bit of a marketing campaign as well.I think for those starting out they look at it as loosing somethingWe need to start looking at it as gaining so much more.First you need to get through that first year.All the studies will show that if you can make it a year the chances you stay sober go way up. Why is this?A lot of the research will say that your brain starts to reset and not think about it anymore.I also think you get past all the firsts that can be hardFirst work tripFirst Happy HourFirst VacationFirst BirthdayFirst XmasFirst MeetingBut how do we do this?24 hours at a timeAll you need to do is string 365 24-hour periods togetherI have already talked aboutMeetingsSponsorWorking the stepsToday I am going to focus on a few more ideasTechnically one day at a time is a tool, but I’m going to talk about how to get through 24 hours.
There is a book by AA called Living Sober – I’ve become a little addicted to books written before I was born. This book was written in 1975
Because you find things like
“…Treatment primarily involves not drinking…” American Medical AssociationI like this book because it’s written by AA, not doctors.People with experience. They don’t know why things work; they just now that they do.Of course, there are doctor’sBill W and Dr. Bob – Founders of AABill was a BusinessmanManaged to stay sobor 5 mos. by helping others (12th step) he traveled to Akron for a meeting that didn’t go his way.After he felt compelled to drink, but instead he searched out another alcoholic to talk to and found Dr. Bob. May 15th, 1935, first AA meeting.Dr Bob was still an active alcoholic, but never drank againTook 4 years to put together 100 former alcoholics to write the Big Book.Maybe I’ll do a more informative podcast on that…Eating or drinking something – usually, sweetThis booklet is based on our own personal experiences, rather than on scientific reports. So, we cannot explain precisely, in technical terms, why this should be so. We can only pass on the word that thousands of us - even many who said they had never liked sweets – have found that eating or drinking something sweet allays the urge to drink.Arnie PalmerI was a Diet Coke drinker – I moved back to Regular Coke, and now on to Coke Zero because … that’s healthierI like ice cream all of a sudden.
Anyone can quick drinking. I’ve done it lots of times. How do we Live Sober?
Play the Tape ForwardQuins Story
Getting ActiveIt is very hard just to sit still trying not to do a certain thing, or not even to think about it. It’s much easier to get active and do something else.What to do with all this time on our hands we had once spent planning, getting our drinks, drinking, recovering…Substituting a new and different activity is easier than just stopping the old activity and putting nothing in its placeVacationActive in AANot going to say much about this other than this is a good step for those that are on the fence about being an alcoholic too.Don’t worry sitting at, and observing, AA. Meetings does not make you an alcoholic, or an AA Member, any more than sitting in a hen house makes you a hen.Not required to do anythingActive out of AATaking walksEddieReadingNot a big fan, but I do it for the podcastGoing to museumsUsually don’t but… GleensheenStarting on long-neglected choresI just moved instead, but may be good for youTrying a new hobbyGrilling/CookingYouTubeSomething that takes a lot of time and seems out of your league (bacon)PodcastSober HouseRevisiting an old pastimepuzzlesTaking a courseI’m thinking about learning a new languageVolunteeringMany opportunities out thereDoing something about your personal appearanceEasier said than done.I checked myself into Hazelden at 185, I’m currently at 202Going on a trip in November and I am committed to be back at 185, but a healthy 185I quit drinking… I am not going to quit eating.Taking a fling at something frivolousRealize how much money you are saving not drinking.
Remembering that alcoholism is an incurable, progressive, and fatal disease!The key word her is fatal. This disease is trying to kill you and it won’t stop until you are dead.Let’s break it downIncurableJust like people who have an allergy to peanuts I have an allergy to alcohol.ProgressiveI know that at the years went by my problems related to drinking continually got worseFatalNot only have we seen many alcoholics drink themselves to death, dying of withdrawal’s (DT’s or seizures) and cirrhosis of the liver, which can be directly attributed to drinkingBut also: Car accidents, drowning, suicide, homicide, heart attack, fire, pneumonia, or stroke. All caused by drinking but classified differentlyIf you get on a bus bound for a town a thousand miles asway, that is where you will end up, unless you get off the bus.Many people just deny it is true, ignore the conditions, accept no help, suffer, and die.Or you can accept the diagnosis, so you can still live many happy, productive, healthy years.Then we can figure out how to live comfortably, not bitterly, with the knowledge as long as we simply avoid that first drink (just for today)Anyone who wants it is welcome to a free trial period of this new concept of self. Afterword, anyone who wants the old days again is perfectly free to start them all over. IT is your right to take back your misery if you want it. On the other hand, you can also keep the new picture of yourself, if you’d rather. It too is yours by right.
