There’s a healthy warning, which occurs at a number of meetings. Yet, I never hear anyone voice it. That includes yours truly. Maybe because it’s too obvious. Or it may be that we may not want to think it.
We hear the words, “keep it green”. That comes when we get to observe the person coming back or have the opportunity to talk to a new person. Keep it green indeed. We all need these reminders. That’s what meetings can do to help a drunk like myself.
But I was thinking about something else. Last night I was reading a story from the Third Edition. It was short and to the point. It was remarkable, because the man who got sober lived in India and never met anyone from the program. He got sober through letters to the NY office. At the end of his story he spoke of two times he went on leave from the army. The first time, he said, he was looking forward to the next first drink. The second time, when he was sober, he was not looking forward to the first drink, but staying sober. What his last sentence was is what caught my attention; it was a strong reminder to me.
It was something I read in the BB and something I always told myself to remember. It came from the story of the man, who was a drunk, but was able to stop drinking for twenty-five years and then returned to alcohol and died shortly thereafter as a result of his drinking. It’s then that Bill says the words, which our Indian friend quoted; once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.
I know that and I know we all know that. But every once in a while I need to see and hear those words. I need to have those words put right up in front of my face, lest I forget. It’s so easy to become complacent, especially after an extended period of sobriety. It becomes so comfortable at times that it’s like our past never existed. Things go up and down and we can go on just drifting along. We can find ourselves resting on “our laurels”. Then, as the BB says, we could soon be headed for trouble.
I hope I never forget and that someone will remind me of my state in life. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. For one thing, I am glad that I am. Being an alcoholic introduced me to this wonderful way of life. I have no idea what would have become of me if I hadn’t become an alcoholic. It’s really not important. The fact of the matter is that I am. But I also have to remember that this is a disease and it can be hazardous, if I should forget who and what I am.
Anyway, I was thinking of this today and being grateful for the reminder.