Stayin' Alive

I used to a Program Absolutist - it was The Program or get the hell out of here.  I no longer think that way, sort of, when it suits my purpose.  I always ask people who are trying to figure out how to stay stopped: "Are you sober and are you happy?"  If you can answer Yes to both of these questions I say: "Rock on, dude."  I cannot improve on those results.  These are the desired results.

Some of us use religion instead of The Program.  Some of us get all book smart and use our knowledge to stay sober.  Some of us just seem to gut it out.  Not all of us are in the gutter when we come in here and some of us managed to put together stretches of sobriety before we quit drinking for good.  I never could figure out people who had jobs and families and houses.  That kind of shit seemed so adult.

I would recommend that if you're going to use The Fellowship that you should give the 12 Step technique a whirl.  We are, after all, a 12 Step Program that is based on the 12 Steps.  

I will say this about the friendships that I have made in The Fellowship: they really are based on The Fellowship.  I meet a lot of nice people with whom I develop relationships, but I find they endure when everyone is throwing a lot of time and energy into their recovery.  I'm also intrigued when I talk to someone who has quit working on their recovery - it's like talking to someone in a time warp.  I can't escape the feeling that I've gone back in time as if I'm picking up on a conversation with a person who hasn't changed a bit.  It's beyond weird.