My Anniversary

It just hit me this morning. Coming up in one week, I will be sober for 17 years. My first day of sobriety is July 1, 1996. It is hard for me to believe sometimes that I have been able to get through as much "life stuff" as I have in these past years, without having to pick up a drink. 

It has not been easy. At times it has been damn hard. I have lost so many family and friends, several times through horrible tragedy, and still have managed to stay on the path of the sobriety. I lost marriages, jobs, and nearly lost my own life.

I sit back now, and watch what goes on around me, and every single day I thank God that I have not picked up a drink. I see adults, falling down drunk, in front of their children. I see marriages break up and families torn apart, because of addiction.

I have met many wonderful people on my journey, and know I will meet many more. You know who you are, and even though I don't know your last names, I don't need to. I know how to reach out and find you, and vice versa.

If you are reading this, please stop for a moment and think about your own behaviors. Are you being the person you want your children, your friends, or your other family members to see, and possibly emulate? Make the right choices. And, if you can't make the choices yourself, ask for help.