Step by Step
Monday, Oct. 16, 2023
“The less people tolerated (alcoholics), the more we withdrew from society, from life itself. As we became subjects of King Alcohol, shivering denizens of his mad realm, the chilling vapor that is loneliness settled down. It thickened, ever becoming blacker. Some of us sought out sordid places, hoping to find understanding companionship and approval. Momentarily we did — then would come oblivion and the awful awakening to face the hideous Four Horsemen — Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, Despair.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 11 (“A Vision for You”), p 151.
Today, the “hideous Four Horsemen,” remembering that they once again will overwhelm me — if I allow them. I must not let either time or the distance from my last drink dim the desperation of the “chilling vapor that is loneliness” and the “sordid places” I sought for approval, acceptance or simple companionship. Nor must I forget the shattering morning after when self-loathing, desperation and physical and emotional sickness fueled the cycle to do it all over again and face another night of that “chilling vapor” of loneliness and another shattering morning after. My life in sobriety is a day-to-day reprieve from that desperate drinking, and I must not take for granted that sobriety is not guaranteed to me tomorrow if I neglect today. And our common journey continues. Step by step. — Chris M., 2023
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