Lizard Chad B. Sees Ole Drinking Buddy

Two Christmases ago was my first day in "The Gown" at Recovery Point of Huntington, W.V.   The gown represents where we came from, how we got there, and what it is like now.  It also represents successfully completing the program.  "12 stepping".

Two Christmases ago was my first day in "The Gown" at Recovery Point of Huntington, W.V.   The gown represents where we came from, how we got there, and what it is like now.  It also represents successfully completing the program.  "12 stepping".
12 stepping into the gown had a very special meaning for me, being as it turned out to be the last Christmas present to my mother. 
She had begged me, and prayed often to God since my train accident for me to go to the Recovery Point.  That place really works and the whole Tri-State knows it!  

Finally on May 28 2013 I had enough getting beat up by my addiction and my mom's prayers were answered and I entered the "Last House on the Block."
God & Recovery Point gave my mother her son back clean and sober for the last 14 months of her life.  She passed away, assured that everything is gonna be alright.
Also, my kid's got a father back and my dad got his son back and society got a functional member back.  That was the best Christmas present I can give.

I have learned that sometimes the best things in life can't be bought.  Rather they are earned and are more appreciated in the long run.  God called my mother home, but He helped me renew relationships with Him and my family.
 
That night that I staggered into Recovery Point of Huntington, a badly mangled man, I was just coming off a 5 day spree.  But I went to the one place that just about everyone said I needed, except me. I was out of options, so I finally knocked on their door looking for the solution.  I was welcomed in by several men that are now my brothers.  They told me that they would love me until I could learn to love myself. 
 
Over the past 2 in a half years, I have had accomplishments, disappointments and heartbreaks. I have learned during my sobriety that life happens.  There is absolutely nothing worth taking a drink or a drug for. I learned how to trust God.  Heck! I learned how to love myself and others!
 Recovery has been worth it for me. I keep getting rewarded by God, because I still put forth effort to do the next right thing today. Thank you 12 Steps and my support team, and Recovery Point of Huntington, WV. (Now with 100 beds and run my alumnae)
 
"As we go through our day we pause, when agitated or doubtful,  and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times through each day "Thy will be done." We are then in less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions.  We become more efficient.  We do not tire so easy for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves. "
                                AA Big Book 87-88
 
On my way to work last month, I ran into a old Vietnam Veteran, that I used to drink alot of beer with under the Farm dale bridge in Barboursville, W.V.  He recognized me, but I couldn't recognize him, because his health had deteriorated and jaundice had taken over his frail body the past few years.  He is still a drinker and sometimes seeks refuge at the Veteran's Home.
I was pleased to see this man again. I remember he once gave me a sleeping bag and some food he had stashed. He is and was a good man. It is just that the ISM got him!
I pray that he receives the help he needs and a warm home this winter.  This disease of addiction affects many lives. And seeing this man today is my daily reminder of the end result of years of alcohol abuse.
But by the Grace of God I no longer pick up or use no matter what - Just for today!

It's almost Christmas and after work this evening, I was waiting on my bus, and a homeless gentleman walked up to me, with the usual small talk then he finally asked me for a cigarette and $2 because he was hungry, of course.  I complied and gave him a cigarette and $5 'cause I had no dollar bills. I told him that I had been homeless before and that there is hope and a solution for him and others that want it. He got offended and told me that I had never been homeless,  'cause if I had been homeless,  then why was I all dressed up like I was going to church,  and homeless people don’t have jobs. We chatted a bit longer and I told him part of my story of how I went from Park Ave to a park bench to a functional member of society again.  He listened to my spill, and as he was leaving he said thanks for the cigarettes and the money, and said he might seek recovery after the holidays.
 
 As I sit here at my apartment thinking about that homeless man as well as the other unfortunate people sleeping outside tonight,  I gain a whole lot of gratitude of what I have today.  I am repeatedly thanking God for the relationships I have gained and regained since I lived in a 3 room tent on the river bank in Huntington. 

Sometimes I get caught up in making money and worrying about keeping my bills paid. I find myself worrying about how to buy more material things and if I will have enough to buy my kids all they want for Christmas. I get so caught up in life on life's terms, that I forget that I was once a hopeless individual on the streets.  I know that God got me here, and I appreciate the reminders He puts in front of me. I go to meetings to never forget that with one drink or one pill all could be lost!  We all have built-in forgetters!
 
So, remember, as Cindy Lizard reminds us: "Just for today, we do not pick up or use, no matter what! Hey!   If you have a desire to share your experience, strength and hope to the world through Cindy Lizard's Gang, click: Meet the Author and submit your Lizard Tale. Can't wait to read it!  Wonder what you will look like in 'lizard green'?