I never found a bottle of “Sobriety Pills”; probably because for most of my drinking, I wasn’t interested in sobriety. What I did want was to drink safely . . . so I could keep drinking.
Had there been a pill for that, I would have taken it!
But, no doctor ever asked me, do you want to stop drinking. Probably because I lied consistently about how often and how much I drank.
But, had a doctor asked me, and could I have answered honestly, my answer would have been, no. What I wanted to stop was the depression and dumb decisions. So, no sobriety pills – but I was given prescriptions for depression that didn’t work.
Mercifully, I never gave them a fair trial; after the first couple of days, I stopped, declaring they didn’t work . . . Because I did not follow the instructions. Mixing first Valium and later a prescription for Librium with a couple of Scotch on the rocks didn’t lift my spirits.
Even right up until the morning I knew it was time to stop drinking, I did not want to. Knowing what needs to go, and believing God can remove it are not the same. There has to be a little action with those deep thoughts. Like putting the bottle down.
I don’t know what I would have done to get my life back if I’d tried to stop drinking before Bill W.and Dr. Bob got their acts together, together.
The program has been a bit like sobriety pills – but it won’t work if I combine it dishonesty, any more than I could being dishonest with my anti-depressants. ( Chapter 5– How It Works in the AA Big Book)
Medicine – any medication – works better when you follow the instructions.
No, I did not follow directions so well all the time. I hung up on some of the suggested steps – or I skipped over them, and stumbled into a dry drunk.
Dry drunks are no place for an alcoholic to set up camp. (Remember Rule #62!)
In closing, I am boldly sharing a few recent “sermon sound bytes” that nourish me, Sobriety Pills, if you will that keep me out of dumb places.
- You can’t stop feeling what you feel. But you can choose to let go and trust God. ~Pastor Tony Evans, Oak Cliff Bible Church
- God would rather hear me whining, even obsessing over fears than go silent. But, in the midst of pleading, give thanks with every single request. Don’t let anxiety wreck the Lord’s Prayer – season tears with gratitude . . . ~ Pastor Glenn Parkinson, Severna Park Evangelical Church.
Whether, you are beginning your day, a beginner or beginning again, dear reader – thank you for reading. Let me know if you have questions or comments.
Love in Christ,
Sober and Grateful
An Open Letter to Health Care Professionals
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