Alcoholism Support Group
Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.
I'm going to a 60 year sobriety birthday party tonight for my dear friend Dick here in So Cal.
Yay! He's a legend. He still attends meetings. He's 94.
Sharing some HOPE.
Yay! He's a legend. He still attends meetings. He's 94.
Sharing some HOPE.
I wish Dick, yourself and all his friends and family a truly special celebration.
Congrats to Grandpaw! That's really cool!! Congratulate him for all of us too! Have fun!
Thanks for sharing that...gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.
There is an interview in January's AA Grapevine Publication I did of him a couple years ago, they finally published it, though edited most of it out.
I wrote this a couple years ago. Dick is still sober (60 years) and still going to AA and sharing his experience, strength and hope.
Today I got to take part in the celebration of a sobriety birthday of a man who has been a huge inspiration to me and others. It was really a miracle how it all happened. In looking forward to this event, Id spent some time locating a chip for him. I found it was a little difficult finding a 58 year AA chip. One was found and special ordered.
The actual day of his sobriety birthday neared. Dick is at the Nooners AA meeting nearly daily on a normal basis, but some of us were excited to know if hed be coming on the very day of his birthday. Yes, he thought so. Someone brought a cake. Someone brought a 5 and an 8 candle. Someone was asked to be the chip person for the day. I told the chip person wed be celebrating a special birthday for Dick today, and though the chip was on its way and not here yet, wed have a cake for him.
When it was time for the chips to be passed out, there were a couple newcomers who identified with having 29 days or less of sobriety. Someone received a 9 month chip. I was delighted when the chip person decided to start the birthday celebration with a countdown starting at 1. Wed count as a group and clap after each number, one number at a time, until we reached the final 58 and broke into applause. He received his cake and blew out his candles with expertise.
I have learned so much from this man. Ive learned about finding the similarites between us. Early on, I related to the age he got sober, 34, same as me. I learned about listening, as he is a very attentive listener. I learned about kindness and attention to the newcomer, who he takes the time to treat like the most important person in the room. Ive learned about how important it is to keep coming back, it really inspires those of us who follow behind. Ive learned from example how blessed we are to have a chance at a way of life that can lead to such serenity, acceptance, love for others, appreciation of life and experience, hope, gratitude, a way to live without resentment, and an appreciation of AA. What an inspiration to stay sober! Thank you, Alcoholics Anonymous.
Interview of Dick C. conducted July 5, 2007.
S: Dick I really admire you. I know that you have not had a drink of alcohol since you were 34 years old and you are 92 now. We celebrated 58 years of sobriety and I know that you have been a really big inspiration to me and to many people at our meetings and our Grapevine readers would really like to know your story. Can you tell me what is your sobriety date?
Dick: The last drink I had that contained alcohol in it was June the 15th 1949 and I recall it so well because it started out at 10 oclock in the morning when a friend of mine, he recognized that probably alcohol was a problem in my life and he said to me and he poked me in the chest at 10 oclock in the morning I hadnt had a drink yet that day and he said, Ill tell you what Ill do. Ill buy you all the alcohol you can drink today, whatever you want to drink if youll go to one Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with me tonight and I said, sure. He was what we call a live one a person who had money and was willing to spend it and I said yes. I drank that day and probably at the time I realize now I was about two thirds on the way to being intoxicated. We went to the meeting and I recognized three people there; a prostitute I knew and a combination watch thief and salesman and a guy that lead the meeting all dressed up in a blue suit. I thought what the hells going on here with these nuts that quit drinking. Anyway, one thing lead to another and when the meeting was over I went to sleep on some chairs in the back of the room, Id been drinking. But anyway just one day at a time they kept talking to me and on the third day I had the DTs, I yelled and screamed, I refused a drink, I refused a doctor, but anyway to make a long story short its just one day at a time Ive been able to stay sober from alcohol and enjoy life for these 58 years.
S: How often to you attend meetings?
Dick: Well years ago when we first started out in 1949 these towns around, Pomona, Upland, Ontario, each town had only one meeting per week so we went in caravans, four or five cars would get together and wed go to places, weve even gone where they werent having a meeting at the time and wed get enough people and wed open up start our own meeting and we built it up. So today I average at least a meeting a day. You see its just like drinking and gambling and women were my life beforehand now Alcoholics Anonmyous and associating with people like myself that used to drink but we dont drink anymore, not that there is anything against it, a lot of people dont abuse it, we alcoholics abuse it and realize its a destructive factor in our lives. Give us a couple drinks and we think we know everything.
S: What do you like about meetings?
Dick: The old saying birds of a feather flock together and you realize after a while, if youre going to meetings and it took about thirty meetings for me, that youre one of the birds and youre flocking with the birds that you recognize, and you recognize the way they talk and so forth and you realize thats where you belong among people that do the same thing as you, we drink except were not drinking. Now we make sense. They drive automobiles and theyre clean and they do what they say theyll do, if they tell you theyll be there at 10 oclock theyll be there at 10 oclock, they dont mean two weeks later, theyll be there. Its just becoming trustworthy, living life one day at a time like we should live it.
S: How have meetings changed since you started attending?
Dick: In some ways they havent changed at all, other ways they have. I remember almost all of our meetings years ago were speaker meetings. Youd have secretary and a leader and get the meeting going and then read a portion of chapter five which is How it worksand then later on they came up with the traditions that kind of guides the group and the twelve steps guides an individual. Wed read that and then wed have a prayer, at least a prayer or two during the meeting at the beginning and the end of it. For instance, we say the serenity prayer, everyone knows that, God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference and when you think about this a little bit it starts kind of guiding your life. It gets you to think before you talk, before you stick your neck out, think about whats going on. So anyway now its just like going to the bar and drinking and gambling and women was my life, now going to an AA meeting and associating with people that dont do that anymore and quit judging people, theyre just people.
S: How do you think AA will change in the future?
Dick: I dont think AA per se will change in the future. Ive noticed in the past few years that we have drug addicts that are coming in lately and meeting them and talking with them, I find out that they find more peace of mind in AA meetings then they do in their home meetings. They find that AA works better for them. So we should explain to them or some of us do that this is Alcoholics Anonymous and theyre welcome to come but either they are alcoholics or they should go someplace else. So mostly they know personally they say Im an alcoholic whether they are or not, but its all the same, alcohol is a drug just like any other drug. So I think it might come to pass in time thet were going to find people with other problems other than alcohol are going to be coming to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings because the program seems to work for other problems other than alcohol.
S: What do you think about people coming in with problems other than alcohol?
Dick: I dont know if its because of my age or what, I know in the beginning we didnt allow them to come in. Wed meet them and the door, and thats another custom that I dont see anymore, a couple of us sat at the door and a new person would come in theyd introduce themselves and wed ask them if they thought they had a problem with alcohol and usually the answer was no, hell no, Im here because the judge made me come here. And wed say whoa, wait a minute, the judge doesnt have any right to send you. They cant make you come here by law, if you dont want to be here we dont want you to come in. This is not for people that need it, lots of people need it we think, its for people that want it. And with that said, our attitude is kind of changing, but its just kind of hard to say. Nothing stays as it is and after a period of time it changes ever so slightly until a time will come when you wont recognize it as being stricly an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. But the thing of it is is there is a problem in their life and its time to solve it and theyre intending to. A lot of us are convinced that alcohol is not the problem, were the problem, its not the alcohol. Alcohol alone in the bottle can sit there for a hundred years probably if you just leave it alone. We alcoholics believe we think we have an allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind which keeps us unable to handle it like a lady or a gentleman as we think we could be. In general a social drinker says lets go have a drink and a lot of times thats what they do, go have a drink. As an alcaholic, we go have a drunk.. We drink beyond our capacity to handle it.
S: Did you get to meet Bill W.?
Dick: I never shook Bill W.s hand but Ive been in the presense of him twice at conventions and Id say five or six feet away, whatever, but too many people reached over and take ahold of him or something. Also along with him I got to see Dr. Bob once, you know, and they were fine looking and you just feel good that you met them and that you were in their presense, its just something about it. And Ive met others in Alcoholics Anonymous, but those two were impressive.
S: Can you imagine your life without AA?
Dick: No, I cannot imagine my life without AA because this is where I got sober through the teachings of AA and apply them my own life and I think I have a better chance of going without certain foods or water or whatever, but Alcoholics Anonymous, after a while it just becomes a part of you and you just believe in the principles. And it goes back to that old saying I mentioned earlier birds of a feather flock together, thats just the way it is, and we have other sayings, too, like if you hang around the barber shop long enough youll get a haircut. People come into AA and they think, well that doesnt work for me, thats because theyre not working it not because it doesnt work. It will work.
S: Do you know anybody who has been sober as long as you?
Dick: No, I am looking for someone thats been sober longer so I can get him to be my sponsor, you know how it is, I dont want to get anybody younger than me or with less experience. Anyway, so far I havent found anyone. Im sure there are some that are around maybe in a rest homes, or whatever, Im sure they are around, theyre just not around here. Its just good to be sober today.
S: Thank you Dick, we love you, thank you for your time.
Dick: Thank you for having me, thank you.