I’m grateful for a gorgeous day and for spending it with my son. I’m grateful my daughter’s job is in NY and grateful to have a new temporary roommate. I’m grateful for my sponsor celebrating 13 years. I’m grateful for the power of example. I’m grateful for living a life I didn’t think was possible. I’m grateful for the ease and peace I feel. I’m grateful to see what’s possible. I’m grateful to be sober today.
First things first. If you haven’t listened to Episode 16 of Breakfast with an Alcoholic, you probably should:
I went to a meeting last night with my sponsor—he’s celebrating 13 years of sobriety. My favorite part of every meeting is when people share their day counts and anniversaries. There’s something really beautiful and sublime about watching a string of people raise their hands to announce how many days they have—88 days, 37 days, 2 days back. I hear the quaver in people’s voices and it brings me right back to any of the times I was counting days.1 So much fear and uncertainty and often a sense of doom—because most of the time I was counting days, I knew I was going to drink pretty soon. But mostly when I hear day counters it fills me with hope and admiration for their courage and vulnerability.
After the newcomers put their hope and courage on display, you get the anniversaries—and if you want some proof that the program works—all you have to do is look around and see these people—different ages, walks of life, “Yale to Jail” like they say. The thing they have in common was that they read the Big Book, got a sponsor, worked the steps and put one foot in front of another. Do that and suddenly, you’re raising your hand and announcing how many years of sobriety you have.
All of those years of going to meetings and furiously trying to convince myself that it was stupid, the program is old-fashioned, too much God, not evidentiary-based, no real data on success rates, etc. I look back and realize how lost I was. The answer and all of the supporting evidence was and is right in front of me all the time. All I had to do was listen to people announce their anniversaries.
As you know, the clock is now ticking on the Liner Notes for Episode 16. I’m sure I’ll come up with something.2I always love sharing things I’m reading with you and I love Three Things Weekly. Here’s why:
That’s a wrap.3 As I tell my sponsees after we meet, “if you’re going to drink, wait at least a day, otherwise it looks bad for me.”
Thanks for Letting Me Share
I have a collection of 13 one-day chips and like the fossil record, my chip collection is fragmentary and incomplete.
The pressure really doesn’t bother me.
No, not a peep from Kareem.