I read this on the alt.recovery.addiction.alcoholism Newsgroup site

It brought back to me so many things that race through my mind those first day of recovery

“Hope I can get some more feedback here as it’s been good so far so here goes.

1, Roughly, how long does it take for the pins and needles to go? I wondered which kinds of pins and needles he meant, the physical or the mental. I had both. They go away just about the time, you moment of clarity fades and you begin to think it may be ok to drink again. A lot depends on how much and how long you drank, As well as you age and health.

2, Does or has any one had pains in their heels of their feet...is this
related? Well of coarse, But not everybody. And after seventeen years without the liquid pain killer, I still do

3, Does your appetite improve over time after abstaining? Oh1 My God! Yes. You will not believe how good food can taste. And with an addictive personality this is not always a good thing.

4, They say it takes 7 years to clear your body of toxins...any one back
this one up? The thing I love about this question is; the idea that this is if some importance. It depends those same factors I mentioned in #1: how much and how long you drank, as well as you age and health. But what difference does it make. The choice is quit or die. The keyword is toxins


5, Do any vitamin supplements help....if so which ones? Yes, but not like an addict or alcoholic wants them to. They don’t mood alter. Niacin, B complex (lots of it) and a good multiple vitamin.

6, Does the pain in your liver ever subside however long? If you have pain in your liver, go to a doctor now!

7, Has any one got results from any kind of liver scan at the hospital? Yes, a friend of mine needed a liver transplant and got it. She was almost dead. She not leads a happy productive life that include her life long passion for sports and tennis.

8, Do your inner ears itch or swelch in bed at night? Not everyone. but mine still do.

9, Do your arms fingers go numb in bed at night or even holding the phone
to your ear for a while? Yes, this could just be circulation being cut of from the bend in your arm, but it could be you heart, see a doctor.

10, Did any one watch the film "Leaving Las Vegas" ? (yup not health
related I guess but thought I’d ask anyway) For some of us his story is our story but we lived. But, we do not all play this out the same way.

11,caps on ...THIS IS ONE I STILL CANT UNDERSTAND...with the shakes I
found it happened in the morning after boozing the night before, but it
went away during the day later even if I didn’t drink. But others I have seen
say it happens if you need a drink and you’ve gone without, does it
affect people in 2 different ways??? The two ways are both the affect of how fast the alcohol leaves you blood stream a long with your sugar levels and your health. If you stay sober, it is no longer an issue.

Sorry to ask too much but these questions can’t be asked of any one else
and so I’m hoping that you folks will enlighten me. Here Is The Enlightenment part: Do Not Drink! Read The Big Book, Do Not Drink! Go to Lot and lots (30+ a month) of meetings, Do Not Drink! Get a Sponsor, Do Not Drink! Find a God of you understanding, Do Not Drink! Pray, and especially Do Not Drink!, even if you ass falls off. In the event your ass does fall off, take to a meeting for re-attachment.

Thanks once again”

Well, here I was at the far end of the world AA. Life was just about over. Happiness and fun had left the building. Survival was the order of the day. My wife had said: if I came home she would put a peace bond on me and my friend who I was staying with said " Start looking for a place to go " This called for a master con. ( my specialty ) I knew this AA stuff was not going to work, after reading the first three steps. God? Did you say God? Maybe I could use Santa or the Easter Bunny, I figured the would be just as effective. I was raise a Southern Baptist. I was tough " Ask and ye shall receive", "Knock and the door will be opened" and let me tell you I had knocked, kicked, banged, ask, pleaded and beg. I had the feeling if God spoke to me he would say: " You know,  Mike there is just something about you that pisses me off"

I had promised sobriety too many times, to too many people. So I could not just get up and walk out of AA even tough I new it would not work. So here was the plan: I would do every thing, I mean everything they said for a time and then when I quit; I could say; “Look, I did it, it did not work for me I am different” ……Then they could say: “ But did you really work the program?” I could say: “yes!” Then, they would say: “but did you ….. do thus and so?” times five or ten. And each time I could say “YES”; Then they could say: “YOU POOR THING” ( I loved that part of the plan) “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly follow our path” (Big Book, AA Beginning Chapter 5) It is a funny thing about the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. It works! You can not work the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and things not get better. After all these years I am still not sure why. I was just going to do it till the end of the 90 days they suggested. On The 91st day I decide I would try for just one more day. I am still trying it out. The con job backfired, (thank God). Life has never been better. I am not rich, I do not have many of the thing most people think they need to be happy. But then I am not sure most people know what happiness is.

Keep you powder dry, see you next time Ripple says; “Holy Gin Bottles, Blotoman, wake up”

Hello Recoverees and Recoveretts and a special salute to those of you you absolutly crazy and have the pappers to prove it

I  choked down my last drink in the wee hours of the morning on June 21, 1988.  I did not have insurance or money. I was staying with a friend who informed me I could not stay there any more. He was also kind enough to let met know.  That no one else wanted me around. He called alocal AA club and they said they would sit with me between 7am and 11pm if he would let me stay on as long as I was sober. Since the kids would be asleep when I was there, he agreed.

I am big and at the time look and smelled terrible. I took baths, used deoderant and colonge but it did not help. as a result the would not let me in the meeting for a few days, but some on sat with me the whole time. a few days later, I went in to a meeting.  I really expected after the meeting there would be an initiation an then a one on one, with a committee that would get me  a doctor for some good drugs.  A loan officer, and a job conslutant to get me a job, and of corse a social director to hook me up with a willing woman.

You can imagine my disapontment when that did not happen and they showed me the 12 Steps and a God of my understanding

Tune in next time for the rest of my story and the start of the Step and a dicussion there of