Making it through a single day without alcohol is much like relearning to walk.
Think about it…..
For anyone who has relied on alcohol to make it through the day it is a painful chore.
Start off the day, with a drink, and get on with life…walking upright.
As the day continues, as does the drinking, that simple task becomes difficult.
By the end of the day, managing a crawl to either throw up somewhere or pick up the bottle that was dropped becomes the norm.
Soon after, passed on the floor, the alcoholic resembles a helpless infant which can no longer care for themselves.
So we make a decision to stop. Whatever action that is taken is personal choice. But action must be taken to relearn to walk.
During the primary stages of recovery, the day will begin like a sick infant. Can’t do anything but whine and complain. Crawls from room to room without direction.
Slowly, the alcoholic, gains a little confidence (without the sauce), and is able to stand somewhat upright to achieve and complete daily tasks. Eat, shower, etc.
In time, a full day may be completed, walking upright and with confidence, from wake up alarm to lights out.
The goal is to keep walking and stay sober.
No matter what.
That is the key….NO MATTER WHAT!
I give that backstory to get to the real story……
During my time in sobriety, I have heard and reheard how hard it is to stay stopped.
“You don’t know how hard it is!”
“If you had my problems, you would have a hard time too!”
The list goes on.
To each of those…and any others….I will give you something to think about.
Here is a story of a young lady that I am proud to call a friend.
She is a member of our AA group with over 3 years of sobriety.
She is 24 years old.
She is the mother of 2 children under the age of 3.
She is a full time nursing student.
She is a devoted wife.
AND
She suffered a stroke last Friday and almost died.
Currently, she is partially paralyzed.
And once again. She is having to relearn to walk.
While this is going on with her and her family, the rest of us are asking what we can do for her and does she need anything.
She has requested 3 things-
1- a vanilla milkshake from McDonald’s
2- her boots that she got as a present on Christmas.
3- to go to an AA meeting.
Her husband got the shake. Her Mother got the boots. The rest of us will be driving the 80 miles to the hospital she is at to bring her the meeting she requested.
Action must be taken to stay stopped.
People learn to walk in sobriety every day. One day at a time.
NO MATTER WHAT
Feel free to leave reasons on how hard it is to stay sober in the comment section below. I am sure that my friend would love to read them.
Oh my that is so touching and lovely and sad. I am wishing your friend a speedy and good recovery. A stroke at her age? So unfortunate and tragic. Good ON her for making her sobriety a priority in those circumstances and for you all for making the effort to bring her that AA meeting. Wow, that was one of those posts that gives me pause for thought about being grateful and not feeling too sorry for ourselves over little.
The cause is not known at this point. She is diligently fighting to get back to normal. Long rehab ahead but she is very inspiring to us. Thanks for reading and commenting!
What a beautiful post. Reminds me of my sponsor’s first order. He insisted that i memorize and repeat over and over in my head like a mantra “I Don’t Drink No Matter What”!
Stick with that and we have a chance! Thanks, Al.
Perfect illustration of the power of “the Rooms” on so many levels. Thanks for sharing it!
You are welcome. Thank YOU for reading it!
[...] few days ago I wrote a post about a friend of mine who has had a stroke- (Re) Learning To Walk Things looked bright early on but have taken a darker turn since [...]
Thank you my old friend. Truly the rooms of AA have prepared us for this time. The sheer magnitude of support shown to us from family and friends is God in Motion.
Love you man.
You are welcome, Matt.
[...] (Re)learning to Walk (Re)learning to walk 2 [...]