A great worldwide fellowship

...the only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking. Twelve steps and twelve traditions p.139
This third tradition of AA is one of my favorites. AA does not discriminate on age, gender, religion or lack of religion.
When I attended my first AA meeting, I saw young and old people, male and female, Caucasians and asians. We were brought together by our affliction and our desire to help ourselves and others. I grew in the program and in the fellowship on my own pace. Nobody judged me or forced me to do anything. All I had to do was sit and listen. And when the spirit moved me, I shared.
The AA fellowship continues to grow worldwide and the traditions are what binds us all together, no matter that each group is autonomous. It is the simplicity of the program that has made the fellowship and me spiritually and physically strong in the process of working my steps and following the traditions.

Drugging Dream

Its been a few years now since my last drug dream. I will be 11 years clean this july2nd and since then I have had 4 or 5 vivid drugging dreams. Early on in my recovery, in one of my first dreams, It seemed as if I had no recovery program at all. When a drugging friend came, I automatically closed all the windows to my room. Later on I remember, in one of my dreams, one of my counselors in rehab found me scraping off the residue of the cyrstal meth in the folded foils I used to keep hidden around my room. In my most recent dream, which occurred 2 nights ago, I was trying to manage my drugging by going on binges then stopping, trying to live a normal life trying to hide my drug use. In my dream, I woke up and realized that it had just been a dream. It all seemed so real and I was thinking, did I really do that? When did I do that? Then I realized I was still in a dream and then I woke up. I guess this was probably the sharing of this person who had been coming a few times to the NA meetings in Baguio. It seemed from this person's sharing that he was still hoping that somehow he could still manage his using but on the other side, the unmanageabilities were catching up to him and the desire to stop was becoming an attractive choice.
Yesterday, while I was buying notebooks for my son in SM, the thought of what it would be like to take a toke or two of weed suddenly struck me.
The drug dream plus the thought of the weed is all a reminder to me, that no matter that I have been clean for almost 11 years, the fact is I am an addict. I cannot forget that my addiction is a cunning disease waiting to resurface in one form or another. I cannot forget the hell and the lousy and pathetic life I had in my active addiction. I cannot compare and will not exchange the serenity and gratitude I have
for the simple and happy life I have now. I thank God and Jesus for my beautiful life. The blessings just keep coming, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly. So long as I follow His way, I have nothing to fear. Stay clean and fit everyone.

The Newcomer is the most important person

Hello Everyone. Our intervention was successful, the newcomer went with me and 2 other recovering addicts to the NA Unity Day in Angeles City, Pampanga last April 26. Our group, The Serenity at the Quarry, Baguio City group got the awards for having the person with the longest clean time of 16 years and for the person with the least clean time to attend the Unity days with 2 days, that being the newcomer we picked up the day before.
The following day, we all went up to the facility in Baguio where I proceeded to act as a monitor or buddy for that newcomer named Karen B. A monitor, usually a person with substantial clean time acts as a buddy and holds the monetary allowances of the newcomer for transportation fare, snacks, etc., while outside the facility. Because we are not a lock-up rehab, meaning we have no bars or orderlies or security guards to keep the clients from leaving, a monitor acts as a guide for 3 weeks to bring the newcomer client to and from the AA or NA meetings and other activities, like the gym held outside the rehab center.
Progress has been steady for my monitee Karen. We have done 2 big book readings, watched 2 recovery film showings plus the new Ironman movie starring Robert Downey,Jr., She has done 2 back to basic sessions wherein she has admitted to her powerlessness to her addiction and to alcoholism and thereby accomplishing the 1st step of our 12 step program, as well as taking step 2, 3 and 4. She has also done her autobiography and presented her timeline of the high and low points in her life. Her co-dependents have also attended 2 sessions of our required multi-family therapy sessions and lectures. She continues to keep a daily journal of her meetings and has shown honesty, openness and willingness, the 3 requisites for recovery.
During the more than 2 weeks I monitored Karen B., we have gone on 2 outings, once to the beach at Bauang, La Union and once to the Ambuklao Dam where we pondered whether to jump into the cold Dam water or not. We ended up just picnicking on our packed lunches. I have attached some photos of our Unity Day and outing together with this blog. Stay clean everyone.