Got to get me my own copy!

I was blessed and grateful to listen to these audios! A set of 3 great audios of approximately 9 hours in total of a workshop of entertaining and insightful recovery speakers discussing the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and the cases of alcoholism therein. I’m not happy to admit that I never read The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous end to end. I am seven years sober but because of listening to these audios, I will get myself a copy. And to anyone out there, listen to these audios and get yourself a copy too. It’s important.

I saw, when I was working at the same rehab I was treated in, a man come in.  He had been sober for 15 years. He had been doing so well in his career, that he was winning Government awards for the great work he was doing. On the day he received his award, he was toasted with a glass of champagne. He thought – “One sip won’t hurt.” That one sip led to a month of drinking to such an extent he had never experienced before. It landed him in a hospital and thereafter back inside the walls of a rehab.

For me, I just decided that if I drank again, I would just expire! And I couldn’t have that.  No way! Too much at stake. There would be no trying to drink politely, no regulating my drink or attempting to control my drink.  For me, I had to just stop; give up alcohol. Before conquering denial, I had deluded myself that I was alright!  I could beat this…. Shock on me, when this delusion was crushed with the following sentence – “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.” That was the most devastating sentence ever spoken to me and it got me. Got me good!  It was enough.  The delusion that the process and success of recovery from alcoholism was easy for me, was crushed.

During my treatment, The Big Book was used as a textbook to refer to, to illustrate what was being discussed at the time, but our Treatment Centre did not have the resources to have more than one book and we were many.  After my treatment, I never thought about getting the book to read it, now that I was free to do so.  The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and re-working the 12 Steps over and over has to and will be a part of my life forever. I am, therefore, forever grateful.