| Creating Dreams, with my Recovery Timeline... using AA chips |
| 1/16/1986 after suicide attempt |
| 1/16/1987 one year dry |
| 1st AA meeting |
| 6/9/1991 return to insanity |
| 2nd and last AA meeting |
| 9/4/1994 there is no control I am an alcoholic - start court proceedings |
| weigh 160 lbs start writing War Zone |
| start AA go anywhere from 3-7 days a week |
| seeing 3 different counselors - weigh 185 lbs - spent Xmas alone |
| start writing a book "What were the dreams?" |
| laid off work - go to work at church & school |
| Village Board Member |
| Bishop's Committee Episcopal Church |
| Lutheran Church Board of Trustees drinking out of control |
| weigh 195 lbs. |
| done with courts marry Betty |
| AA participation drops - first poem published |
| book Damaged Merchandise is published - website is launched |
| book War Zone is published - start The Poets Quill |
| become active again in AA - going twice a week |
| begin writing poems about cancer |
| A Thousand Times becomes a song |
| get divorced |
| may have quit drinking - but returned to smoking pot |
| tried to control drinking |
| time to get out of the insanity - move |
| 1st actual chip I've acquired in over 10 years "Purple Power" is released - Freedom Seekers group is formed |
Sobriety Birthday...
The majority of people involved in recovery celebrate their birthday on a specific date. I don't. My last drink came on the Saturday before Labor Day. Till this
day, I have celebrated my birthday on Labor Day weekend. So there are years where my celebration is no more then three days early, while other years it's
no more than four days late.
For me, the date isn't as important as that weekend. A lot of pain and misery were associated with that weekend. I can still remember like it was yesterday,
what happened on Friday night, all Saturday and Sunday. Then my "plan" taking shape on Monday - Labor Day.
My official day is September 4th. But I always recognize it on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.
The majority of people involved in recovery celebrate their birthday on a specific date. I don't. My last drink came on the Saturday before Labor Day. Till this
day, I have celebrated my birthday on Labor Day weekend. So there are years where my celebration is no more then three days early, while other years it's
no more than four days late.
For me, the date isn't as important as that weekend. A lot of pain and misery were associated with that weekend. I can still remember like it was yesterday,
what happened on Friday night, all Saturday and Sunday. Then my "plan" taking shape on Monday - Labor Day.
My official day is September 4th. But I always recognize it on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.
| Creating Dreams accepted for publication - named a mod at ACOA |
