I remind myself of this often.
I remind myself that this is not facebook. I didn’t send out friend requests, I didnt accept friend frequests. I know no one here. As people come, I know nothing about them. I am reminded, and try my best, to temper my words to my story. I hope that they open a dialogue.
I know from my own experience, that if you try to save “the world”…frustration follows. I am but an icon and some words on someone’s screen. Nothing more, nothing less.
When I first got here, I was not going to do AA. With some of what I saw about AA on here, there was no way I was going to set in a room with people like what I saw. Granted, I was newly sober, and the brain was still operating on alcohol…which means…not operating well.
Then one day, someone told me their story, and it opened a dialogue. From what she told me of her experiences, I could ask questions…make comments…and realized what AA was. I went to a meeting…and the rest is history.
School taught me the evils of alcoholism. I did not listen. Friends from college told me I had a problem, I did not listen. Fellow Naval officers told me I had a problem, i did not listen. When I got out of the service, I noticed no one around me drank like I did. I told myself I had a problem, I did not listen.
When I hit bottom I was ready to listen. Advice, recommendations did not work. It was a someones story that finally engaged my brain.
After a few 24hrs, I was full of myself. I grew frustrated that people were getting sober “the wrong way”…I became frustrated, they were not working at it.
The frustration, was not because of them…it was my ego, my shortcomings. Then I listened in a meeting…and old timer told me his story. A lightbulb went off…
All I can do is tell my story, pray, and be open for the discussion if it happens.
