Friends of Bill Wilson? enter here

1:1, which is better than a 1:2 :wink:

Hi everyone,
Boy I sure would like to see that manuscript. Don't need to touch it, someone else can turn the pages. Just want to see it.

s

When I was early in my program, I saw these and thought, "wouldn't it be wonderful if 2 or 3 of these become a reality - then I would declare this a miracle". A couple years later I saw that of few of the promise were close to coming true and thought maybe 4 or 5 were possible.

After about 8-9 years I remember coming back into mental contact with the promises and realizing that all of the promises had come true, I declare the miracle as having happen. I keep a copy of the promises with me at all times. It is my first tool with newcomers and when in doubt

Walter, Merry, sumac - what a comfort. Anytime 2 or more alcoholics get together, we call it a meeting

Well, let's not adjourn the meeting now. I'm so glad this thread got resurrected.

I wish I had good news to report on Babs, but for whatever reason, neither she nor Patty have responded to my emails.

Is Patty an A2Ker

I don't believe so.

Got Babs in my prayers and now Patty, where ever she be

The power of prayer is potent, as most of us know.

I know Babs has bad arthritis, we "talked" about it before. Hope all is doing well - let us know if/when you know sumac. Thanks!

Haven't been on this thread for a month of Sundays.

Congrats to those that have had another day of sobriety and particularly to newcomers not only to a2k but to the program of AA.

It is no secret that Merry Andrew and Seaglass are members in good standing of the fellowship. The "Merry One" celebrated 10 years recently and is very active in the program. Getting envolved in "Service" is a major key to continuing sobriety.

Seaglass will be celebrating her 25th year in AA come March 17, 2006 (St Paddy's Day), appropriate for an Irish drunk. I will be celebrating/chairing that anniversary at Old South Church (in the basement) on Boylston Street in Boston on March 18, at 10am. It is a 12-step speaker meeting and it is germane to note that we will be studing the 9th Step. My story is a success story and it's all about the promies coming true. Please join us and hopefully there will be a brunch afterwards.

Now----I need advise from any of our fellow travelers on the road to recovery that have had any experience with professional intervention folks leading to getting someone into a treatment center - I am currently envolved in the initial stages of an intervention process and am reading the Hazeldon Guidebook LOVE FIRST by Jeff Jay and Debra Jay which was recommended by the interventionist before we have an initial meeting with family members.

My best friend, that I got sober with 25 years ago, went back out. I came to Boston for the express purpose of trying to get help for her - and those of you in the know are aware of the struggle when someone you care about is in deep ****. I was ready to give up and go back to Hawaii and talked her family into trying the professional intervention process.

yours in sobriety,

Seaglass

**Hello Sea, my dear -how ARE you?
I am so sorry to hear about your best friend's relapse. We all
KNOW that this disease is deadly. We KNOW we have an illness
with a very poor recovery rate & that our overall prognosis is
not great. The number of alcoholics who CAN & DO live in
CONTINUAL recovery 1 day at a time, compared to the number
of alcoholics who relapse & end up dead, in prison or in mental
institutions isn't exactly balanced in favor on the side of recovery.
The scales are tipped against us from the start. Our illness tells
us we don't have an illness. How much WORSE can it get? I see
a mental image of a cancer patient telling his doctor that he doesn't
have cancer; and IF he/she DID have cancer....he would seek the
kinds of treatment he wants INSTEAD of using the judgment
of a cancer specialist; based upon his many years of experience.
**Imagine that this is THE reason for these sincere pleas
found in our textbook - in How it Works. 'We thoroughly
followed our path and completely give themselves to this
'simple' program AND we beg of you to be fearless & thorough
and searching from the very start/B] AND we let go absolutely of our
old ideas. AND that no human power could relieve us from our
alcoholism Particularly for we alcoholics, our perverse
stubborn and stupid denial always tips the scales
against us & our recovery. Things do not look good for the active alcoholic/addict. WE KNOW that unless we get our daily reprieve
based upon the state
of our spiritual condition, we cannot achieve lasting contented sobriety.
**I've been very, very sick most of this past year. In & out of the
darned hospitals with pancreatitis caused by gallstones - but imagine
this; the stones did not show up on ANY test. In fact, the day prior
to removing my GB; he ordered the same test I had done 5 years
ago and once again, it said that my GB was healthy & functioning fine. Upon removal the next day; it was ANYTHING BUT NORMAL. Ir was a useless, inflamed and rotting piece of meat. If I can sue the persons
responsible for making this test - I will. The past 5 years of my life
have been pretty darned horrible because of this idiotic test of gall
bladder function.
**Anyway, I DID just celebrate my 21st AA birthday in September...
( unfortunately, celebrated it IN THE HOSPITAL AGAIN) Then,my
dearest friend & companion of 18 yrs went out after having 16
YEARS!
I am just having the hardest time with my AlAnon issues; now that
she is smoking pot, drinking, messed up AND not taking her
psychiatric meds for bi-polar. I fear that I may be focusing too
much attention on HER PROBLEMS, about which I can do NOTHING!!
MY # 1 EFFORT today is to keep THE FOCUS ON ME, and on my
own recovery.Via AlAnon. I didn't get her drunk and I can't make her decide to get sober either.

Had my 22th birthday a couple of weeks ago (and my 57th as broadly broadcatsed on another thread this week :wink: ).

As most will know, I never attended the AA (besides during the therapy) but another selfhelp group. (Which more or less only differs in being not anonymous and being a folower-up organsiation of a Catholic anti-alcoho movement from 125 years ago.)

I've worked professionally with addicts nearly all my professional lif (that's after the therapy and as a social worker).
From both my experiences as a professional as well as in the selfhelp group I had to learn that it's either very easy to get those back who lost their direction or they must do the hard way again themselves - which is even more laborious than the first time(s).

Others can only be "signposts", they can't walk forward for them.

Seaglass and Walter,

Congratulations! How wonderful for you! Seaglass, by any chance will they be taping you speaking? If they do, I would love to get a tape. I find speaker takes so encouraging and helpful. And please give Merry Andrew my best also!

I've been a friend of Bill's since 1989!

<Just noticed that it was my 23 birthday>

Thanks :wink:

Babs my dear friend,

I am going to pm you my email so we can have a long talk. I am so happy that you are getting a handle on your health issues. The pm is unreliable these days.

I am spending more time with my friend, and she is not drinking at the present. I keep her busy.

Talk to you soon,

Sea

Thank you for your good wishes

And you Walter,

Happy belly button birthday, and congrats on another year in the "sane lane".

See you in Chicago!

Seaglass

14 years, 5 months, 10 days and not counting...