Alcohol....because no great story started with someone eating a salad!

I was excited to chair my second AA meeting last night.  It's great to sit at the head of the table and inspire others to quit drinking and find the sobriety, peace and happiness I have found.  I truly believe that it's exactly where I belong and where I'm supposed to be.....

Nothing beats a room full of grateful alcoholics in recovery, sharing their stories of hope, strength and serenity.

Before the meeting, I was blessed to have dinner with a member from the group.  We went to a nice family restaurant here in Ontario called East Side Mario's.  This sign was placed at the front entrance.

Alcohol....because no great story started with someone eating a salad!

Well, my first thought was...  WTF!  Isn't this a family restaurant?   Why are they promoting alcohol instead of salad?  Then, I thought....  OMG ... these people must not read many great stories.    Then, I thought...   HMMMM.... I think my story did start with alcohol instead of salad......

The thing is I'm choosing to make sure that my story has a happy ending.  My story ends with a lifetime of peace, sobriety and happiness.    Would my story have been different if it didn't start with alcohol?  Maybe.

All I know for sure is that if I wasn't an alcoholic, recovery wouldn't have been an option for me.  I wouldn't have found this gift of recovery and recovery, my friends, is one of the greatest gifts I could have ever received.

Recovery, today, gives me an opportunity to see how I don't want to spend the rest of my life.  It helps me see that being drunk can't be an option anymore.  I don't want to be sick anymore.  I don't want hangovers.  I don't want to be bloated.  I don't want to lose sleep.  I don't want to be numb and oblivious.  I don't want to feed my body with toxic liquid stuff that is hurting my liver.  I don't need liquid courage.  I don't want my kids to see me drunk and puking.  I don't want to waste more time living in denial and in a fog.   I don't want to die.  

Truth is ...  drinking made me feel dead.  I was just living by going through the motions of life.  I wasn't present for any of it for so many years.

Recovery has helped me find the stillness and peacefulness and joys and freedom that life has to offer.  It's so friggen amazing and wonderful.  I'm so very grateful for this.

My story may have started with alcohol.... but I'll tell ya....  I'm glad it's not going to end with it....