Last Call……..

Geez – - I haven’t heard those words in years… That was the signal – get your last drink now as the bar is closing soon…. I lived in Queens, NY – closing time for bars was 4 a.m. — Though I remember a few bars – after 4 am – they would dim the lights, and lock the doors — and we could stay as long as we wanted!

Did I stay? Hmmm – - some Saturday nights we stayed till the sun was coming up and then we hit the diner for breakfast. I was in my early twenties….

I have a Last Call out for midnight on January 29th…. It is the Last Call for you to get my new ebook “Out with the Old… In with the New” for Free!

I started this offer on my birthday, December 28th – you can read about it at the article – Out with the Old… In with the New …… I started this offer on a significant day for me and I am ending it on another significant day – - -

That suggestion – stop drinking – came to me from a counselor. My then partner and I were in couples counseling…. Unbeknownst to me – this counselor was a recovering alcoholic – - and apparently decided I needed some recovering for myself!

Hmmmm to tell you I was pissed off – is an understatement! We walked out of the office and before the door was closed I turned to Dee and said “I am not a F#%@ alcoholic!” Little bit defensive – ya think?

But – - – the seed was planted…….

I was 28 at the time – I did not drink everyday (which was my definition of an alcoholic) – I had a job, I had a relationship (obviously not doing very well as we were in counseling), I had money in my pocket, I was looking good, and I even had a fence.

Well – it wasn’t a white picket fence – it was a chain link fence in the yard… And it wasn’t my yard – it came with the apartment that we rented…..

Bottom Line – I was well aware that my life was not going how I wanted it to….. I was getting more and more disgusted – depressed. I don’t think I was drinking more – but my drinking was not fun anymore! I was starting to turn into a nasty drinker….

Drinking for me, at first, was a social tool. I was extremely shy – I felt uncomfortable around groups of people but if I had a few drinks – I loosened up; I relaxed and was able to be sociable.

I used alcohol as a tool…. I wanted to feel good and alcohol had helped suppress the angst I was feeling… But at this point of my life – it wasn’t working anymore.

January 29th, 1984 was a Sunday…. My friends came over in the afternoon, as they had done on most Sundays… We were going to cook dinner and play Coleco. Some of you are probably not old enough to remember Coleco! It was the hot system to play video games on the TV!

We always drank wine on Sundays…. This day – though the other’s drank – I didn’t…. There I thought to myself – I can stop whenever I want to…..

But – - – that seed had been planted…

That day then led me into the rooms of a 12 step program. I had not drank since the 29th and when I walked into that room – I was nervous and shy. As I sat there – I identified so much with the feelings that people were talking about.

While I was identifying with people I was also thinking — “Here I am 28 years old in an AA room — Oh my god – my life is over! How can I ever have any fun if I don’t drink?!”

But there were people in that room who said they hadn’t drank or drugged for years and they had happy fulfilling lives! Hmmm – my life was not feeling happy and fulfilled at that time — Maybe this really could work for me…..

And so I silently made a deal with myself — I would do this 12 step program for 1 year — after 1 year if I did not feel better – if my life was not better – than I was going back to my old way of living…..

Being in those AA rooms was life-changing for me. They opened the door to the pathway of a journey I never knew existed!

For the first 3 years – I went to meetings in Queens and Manhattan. Those meeting rooms are filled with many people who are diverse in their ways of living and thinking.

It was a good place for me to be….

I was able to learn from each person that spoke – I was able to take from this one and that one and then digest it and decide what was appropriate for me.

In other words – - – “I Did It My Way”

That is not a popular statement in some AA rooms – nevertheless – it absolutely worked for me!

So that day, January 29th 1984 – was the beginning of what is an absolutely wonder-filled journey for me… It is a day I Celebrate within my entire being!

If you want to talk more about addictions and 12 step programs – please leave a comment or contact me using the Contact Form.

Now for my Last Call – Midnight January 29th is the cut off point to get my ebook “Out with the Old… In with the New!” for FREE! To get the link to download you need to be a subscriber to LOA Tips & News.

New Subscribers: Go to LOA Tips & News – fill in your information — Don’t forget to click the link in the confirmation email that you will receive. After you confirm – you will receive a Welcome email with download instructions for my guide “4 Steps to Creating the Life You Desire” — The download link for “Out with the Old… In with the New!” will be sent out on January 30th.

If you are already a subscriber and did not receive the download link — Please use the Contact Form and let me know… I will personally send you the link.

Tagged as: 12 step program, AA, drinking, recovering alcoholic

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