(#6019) I've gotten 19 straight years so far of being sober by doing it one day at a time

      I thought about writing about my years of being addicted to alcohol but it wasn't a normal typical addiction to alcohol itself. It was the culture for me. I liked fitting in to the groups that enjoyed booze as a way of socializing. Sure, the taste of some of the drinks will always lure me because like anything we do in a repetitive way becomes desirable after a while. But for me it was the excitement of being part of moments where the inhibitions were relaxed and the bit of crazy became normal. At least at first it was that. Then as I got older it became more like remembering those moments of excitement sitting on a barstool or in a group somewhere convenient.
     What I am most glad about is that I now see what I was doing beck then as a crutch for my life. I cannot take any of it back but I can learn from it and move forward now without it holding me back. I really don't miss the feeling afterward of the physical wretchedness and I don't miss wondering how I could have spent my hard earned money so quickly. Alcohol was a tool I used to begin my life and by the time I was older I was reversed into the tool alcohol used. Fortunately for me I figured out that I needed to change from my behavior that was so ingrained in my character. It wasn't easy nor done on the first attempt. Yet I got there 19 years ago and for that I am one of the lucky ones.
     The AA slogan of One Day At A Time is not just a strategy it is more than that. It is a lifestyle that not only affects my sobriety but it also affects all other areas of my life. Everything I do and plan for must be done one day at a time. In other words do things correctly and you won't have to go back to fix anything. You cannot rush through life trying to do everything all at once but you can step forward smartly in the direction you want to go with resolve. Then the next stop and so on. It is amazing to those of us who are living this way that we have figured out not only how to stay sober but how to live our lives in the best of ways we are able. Good things happen to good people when good people do good things. One day at a time. :)