...on Living Sober (Chapter 3)

Just working on my book study on "Living Sober."  The link to the PDF file of this book is on the side bar.  You are welcome to read this book with me and comment on my posts (called on Living Sober) about the readings in the book.  I need to stay focused because I will not let my ego mind take over my soul again.

on Chapter 3...Using the 24-Hour Plan

Because alcoholism is permanent and irreversible, many of us have come to realize that we cannot make long-term promises about staying sober.  The thought of quitting forever scares many of us because we rely on alcohol in so many ways.  I strongly believe that when we learn to focus on staying sober in the moment or for one more day, it becomes much more manageable. 

Every recovering alcoholic began with one sober hour.   When we crave the drink and our heads become filled with thoughts of drinking, we can stop....breathe...and just wait.... an hour..... 

So many things can be done in that hour of pause....

-exercise
-sleep
-read
-drive
-movie
-clean
-bath
-eat
-shop
-meditate
-call a friend
-call a sponsor


...and when that hour is up....why not try one more?  What have we got to lose?  What have we got to gain?  We can start it fresh at any time.  We can decide right then not to take a drink during the forthcoming 24 hours.  We are empowered to continually renew ourselves, one moment at a time.  ...and if we choose to be present during that sober hour, we focus.  We try living in the now just in order to stay sober—and it works.  Once the idea has become a part of our thinking, we find that living life in 24-hour segments is very effective and satisfying.

I am learning to breathe and live in the present moment.   When I crave the drink, I pour myself a class of ice cold water.  I suck it back like there's no tomorrow.  I feel the coldness of the water go down my body and I know that it is good.....  I then do something from the above list and focus on the task at hand....one hour at a time....one moment at a time.

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