A Different Kind of Cheers

A Different Kind of Cheers

39 years ago, on September 30, 1983, ?I was sitting on a bar stool tossing back my last snifter full of my favorite top-shelf cognac, Grand Marnier.

I was no cheap drunk!

Grand Marnier (French pronunciation: [ɡ?ɑ? ma?nje]) is a French brand of liqueur made from a blend of Cognac brandy, distilled with the?essence of bitter orange.

I was savoring the flavor and enjoying the feeling of being engulfed in the effects of alcohol. As is often reported, a practicing alcoholic is committed to achieving the feelings of being engulfed by alcohol and losing their high-functioning consciousness to the giddy, silly, and eventually pointless experience of “going blotto.”

Most people can have a few drinks and enjoy a relaxed evening with friends, which provides relief and a feeling of letting down one’s hair. Occasional social drinking is impossible for me and 1 in 6 people in any group. When the people you were partying with on Tuesday night see you on Wednesday afternoon (because you slept in until noon) and say, “Do you know what you said/did last night?” and you can’t answer that question, it should be a wake-up call.?

Most practicing alcoholics can’t answer that call. As many as?34 out of 35 practicing alcoholics die from a direct or indirect disease complication.?

Only one in 35 alcoholics can manage ongoing sobriety.?

Ongoing sobriety is defined as two or more years of uninterrupted sobriety. Of the one in 35?people?who enjoy two or more years of continuous sobriety, nine out of 10 attend an AA meeting at least once weekly.

Those, my friends, are the brutal facts.

I can guarantee you that 41 years ago, the last thing on my mind was committing to join a 12-Step program and attending thousands of meetings with my fellow recovering alcoholics. Fellowship, in my opinion, is the key to a healthy recovery. I never had to face the challenges of everyday life alone. I could always find a meeting if I was traveling or had just?relocated.

For a very long time, when the world seemed overwhelming, the thought, “I need a meeting" replaced "I need a drink,” when sorting through my choices.

There is not much point to being sober and miserable, or as the people in 12-Step programs call it, being a “dry drunk.” A good 12-Step program provides the tools for personal growth and a strong support system to discover how comfortable a person can face life head-on.

My personal experience has taught me that facing life head-on is precisely the right choice. If I allow myself to be fully present and in flow with life as it happens, greeting the world around me with curiosity and wonder, this life unfolds magnificently.?

If you or anyone you love is questioning their relationship with alcohol or drug use, check out a 12-Step program and attend 90 meetings in 90 days.?

As they told me 40 years ago: If you are not satisfied at the end of 90 days, we guarantee we'll?refund your misery!?

On October 1, 2023, I will celebrate 40 years of alcohol-free living.?

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