Beginning' Recovery with a Spiritual Solution

My name is Bubba and I'm an alcoholic amongst other things. I've learned over my years of readin', listenin' and askin' questions about this disease that my drinkin' and usin' other pleasure inducin' activities to excess the alcoholism is only a symptom of what's wrong woth me. A good friend once made the statement "I'm a feel good junkie.". He is absolutely correct as far as the statement. If it makes me feel good I want it, I want more of it, and I want it yesterday.

Today I would like to share with y'all the twelve suggestions I used to begin a lifetime of recovery. I've tried to express my emotions as I go through this beginin' phase of my journey.

If you were stricken with lung cancer and someone offered you a book that guaranteed you wouldn't die from lung cancer and you would be pain free of all it's side affects what would you do? If you were lost in a strange area and someone offered you a road atlas that guaranteed you'd never be lost again what would you do? This is the question I was asked when I poo poo'd the idea of buyin a couple of books to help my recovery.

Today when I share my story at an AA meeting I always mention these questions. I also mention that when I first came to AA I honestly couldn't afford the books, and was unwilling to ask fer help. (I honestly stole my first Big Book.) My recommendation to anyone that is in this same boat to steal one fer themselves. I know if they git recovery they will repay the group and AA many times over. I'd love to know how many Big Books and Twelve & Twelve's I've bought and given away.

AA told me I needed two things to begin my journey, a Big Book and a sponsor. I was a business owner so had a bit of experience in lookin' fer the proper people to do a job. My search didn't take long. I had taken a night off work to go to an evening AA meeting. When I walked into the room the first man to shake my hand was a friend I used to drink with. I hadn't seen him in a number of years, I honestly thought he had died. He had 5+ years of sobriety. He remarked they had been savin' a chair fer me.