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.
Life. A period of time that starts with your first memory and currently extends to right now. It also amounts to everything you can remember and now think/regard about all things because, of the events and things you were exposed to along the way or happened directly to you. A product of your environment from, the very first second of your life to, this very second. To some degree, can you agree, that we are born to be molded and shaped by the world. Or do you believe that it does not matter what your circumstances are you will turn out the same no matter what. Perhaps some of both are true but, the higher percentage of truth would seem to be that we are affected by the world and so many of these affects are completely out of our control, especially when we were very young.
In my life I have always believed in a higher power. However, I became increasingly more skeptical about was the involvement of that power in my world, ie the religion of it. Many forms exist here in our world. Even knowing that I felt that there is a higher power I never did the research or homework to discover what religion I am or who is right and who is wrong, regarding religion, here in this world. So many fights and contradictions, looking back it was just too overwhelming and too important to get it wrong. I suppose this means that, I believe the higher power is, one and the same, across all the religions but, in order to bring this power into my life I must choose the details of my belief and begin the worshipping and rituals to let the power enter my world. Christianity, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Islam, Hindu, Buddhist. It is strange for me to say that I dont know how to worship, but I feel a strong belief in the higher power. One religious idea, states that if you do not pray your god cannot find you in order to bless you. I often wondered about that one. Along my journey of life I have been in some low spots and cried out for help from the higher power, and I did use the word God. I do not wish to offend anyone but I believe this means to me, that there is.God.
My skepticism. The invisible wall I created that provides the doubt towards, things being so simple as praying and worshiping in order to receive Gods love and blessings. Even though, so many millions of people are doing it using different religions and, all of them feeling content and happy knowing this to be true. I guess I felt like I had to do something great and impactful in order to receive Gods attention. I have not impacted thousands nor have I done much in the way of great. I even developed a belief that god does not bless me with extreme wealth because I may help/impact the wrong group of people. I have always had the intention of changing more than my own life should I win the lottery or become wealthy. God has a plan and doesnt want us messing it up with free will or ignorance. Even this thought exposes my ignorance of God, this implies any of us can have the ability to mess up Gods plan.
To anyone having trouble accepting Step 2, I ask can you see that have built up a wall of skepticism regarding a higher powers involvement in my life? Do you have something similar? Can you recognize that in order to wall or shield something out or away you are acknowledging its existence in the first place? So for me, acknowledging that it does exist, means to discover your beliefs (religion) to pray and worship as millions do, and then receive the love of God. Let God do for me what I cannot do on my own. Whatever, the higher power is, it can even be nameless. It can be the entity created by teaming up with other people and a belief that there is a higher power, nothing more elaborate. It can be that simple. This entity (which you are a part of) will get you to a place you cannot get to on your own. This is the power of Step 2, it is real.
In my life I have always believed in a higher power. However, I became increasingly more skeptical about was the involvement of that power in my world, ie the religion of it. Many forms exist here in our world. Even knowing that I felt that there is a higher power I never did the research or homework to discover what religion I am or who is right and who is wrong, regarding religion, here in this world. So many fights and contradictions, looking back it was just too overwhelming and too important to get it wrong. I suppose this means that, I believe the higher power is, one and the same, across all the religions but, in order to bring this power into my life I must choose the details of my belief and begin the worshipping and rituals to let the power enter my world. Christianity, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Islam, Hindu, Buddhist. It is strange for me to say that I dont know how to worship, but I feel a strong belief in the higher power. One religious idea, states that if you do not pray your god cannot find you in order to bless you. I often wondered about that one. Along my journey of life I have been in some low spots and cried out for help from the higher power, and I did use the word God. I do not wish to offend anyone but I believe this means to me, that there is.God.
My skepticism. The invisible wall I created that provides the doubt towards, things being so simple as praying and worshiping in order to receive Gods love and blessings. Even though, so many millions of people are doing it using different religions and, all of them feeling content and happy knowing this to be true. I guess I felt like I had to do something great and impactful in order to receive Gods attention. I have not impacted thousands nor have I done much in the way of great. I even developed a belief that god does not bless me with extreme wealth because I may help/impact the wrong group of people. I have always had the intention of changing more than my own life should I win the lottery or become wealthy. God has a plan and doesnt want us messing it up with free will or ignorance. Even this thought exposes my ignorance of God, this implies any of us can have the ability to mess up Gods plan.
To anyone having trouble accepting Step 2, I ask can you see that have built up a wall of skepticism regarding a higher powers involvement in my life? Do you have something similar? Can you recognize that in order to wall or shield something out or away you are acknowledging its existence in the first place? So for me, acknowledging that it does exist, means to discover your beliefs (religion) to pray and worship as millions do, and then receive the love of God. Let God do for me what I cannot do on my own. Whatever, the higher power is, it can even be nameless. It can be the entity created by teaming up with other people and a belief that there is a higher power, nothing more elaborate. It can be that simple. This entity (which you are a part of) will get you to a place you cannot get to on your own. This is the power of Step 2, it is real.
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check out that smoke ring. It tasted really good. I smothered it with Maulls BBQ sauce which is Local to St. Louis and one of the best I ever had.....
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I was recently separated from my wife of 33 years and it's complicated. Anyway I rented a room about 15 minutes away and I see my kids about once a week. I see the people who own the house I live in once in a while but other than that I stay in my room where I do my cooking, wash dishes in the shower, read, color, and sleep. I get out at least once a day. I grocery shop and I attend 2 meetings...
Letting go of my negative emotions like anger and jealousy, etc were also important to removing the blocks that prevented my Higher Power from doing for me, what I could not do for myself.
After that, staying sober was relatively easy because the pieces of the puzzle to my life fell into place in the right places and at the right times of my life, way too many times to be called coincidence like somebody upstairs was telling me "You just stay sober and we'll do the rest!" It's also one of the AA Promises which I will reprint here. I use to run away from AA because I feared the 12 steps but now I compare it to running away from Love which I think is part of the human condition. We all seem to have a secret desire to punish ourselves which seems silly now but I believe was all a part of my emotional growth.
I think I may be off topic but for anyone interest, here are the AA Promises which have all come true in my life and I am not special nor am I different then anyone else. I might also add that it is one way but not the only way.
God Bless!
The AA Promises
1.
If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed
before we are half way through.
2.
We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
3.
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
4.
We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
5.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
6.
That feeling of uselessness and self pity will disappear.
7.
We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
8.
Self seeking will slip away.
9.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
10.
Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
11.
We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
12.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.