Several years ago, I suffered three concussions in a row. When the final one hit, it was as if my brain and my body just shut down. It seemed like my life got put on pause, while everyone else’s kept going. The pain, sound and light sensitivity, and fatigue were so extreme that I was mainly confined to one room and couldn’t participate in life at all. I was unable to see family or friends, and I couldn’t work, drive, or use my eyes for anything. I was in tremendous pain constantly. I felt desperate, because I had always been told that in order to keep recovery, I had to work all of my tools. In the state I was in, I could hardly do any of my tools. I couldn’t even leave a room. I couldn’t read, go to meetings, or make phone calls. I remember my sponsor calmly... Continue Reading
My brother and I had never had a close relationship. I am 71, and he is 66. For years I had tried to control him; I used criticism, bullying, and shaming in unsuccessful attempts to change him into the person I thought he should be. It didn’t work. The result was that we barely tolerated each other. In November, my brother called me and said, “The doctor told me that if the sore on my foot does not heal, I may have to have my leg amputated.” Additional pills and shots promised relief, but were not helping. He was hysterical and sounded desperate. Prior to joining FA, my immediate reaction would likely have been to be insensitive and my initial thoughts would have been judgmental. “It is about time he came to his senses,” and, “Let him live with the choices he has made.” These thoughts did come, but they... Continue Reading
Once upon a time, some years ago, I joined FA. I was a reluctant joiner. I only came out of complete desperation. I had nowhere else to turn, and a friend familiar with the program was my chaperone. She came to every meeting with me for 6 months. I was not happy about it, but I did it. I called my Sponsor at an early hour even though I had not gotten a full night’s sleep since I was up tending to my 7 month old baby. I went to three meetings per week, even though it was not easy to ask my husband, a worker in high-tech, to be home early enough to take over the children so I could get to a meeting. I spent time preparing my food ahead of time even though my baby and toddler did not share my food plan. I made three calls... Continue Reading
It was a late morning in May and I called my sister-in-law to see how my brother’s hip replacement surgery had gone. The response I got was not what I expected. “Something has gone wrong; they were not able to do the surgery and he is in the ICU.” The next day my husband and I drove 8 hours to be with my brother, sister-in-law and the rest of my family for what was to be a 4-day vigil replete with conversations, doctors, and many questions, to say nothing of challenging and agonizing decisions. Four days later my brother died. There were many gifts during this very sad occasion, not the least of which was how I was carried by God and by this program. I once again experienced the miracle of staying abstinent during a very difficult time. We were staying in a hotel; there were trips back and... Continue Reading
Completing my first 90 days is a true miracle, especially considering this is my second time through the program! Last summer, I reached my highest weight, but I was content with life, or at least that’s what I told myself. I was running my own business, but I felt uncomfortable presenting and being on video because of my weight, even though this was essential for my business success. I knew I had to lose weight, but I didn’t know how. Prior to FA, I was a vegan or vegetarian for years, I followed Macrobiotic diets, and I even went to Weight Watchers—all with short term success. One day I saw a friend who had lost a lot of weight and asked what she was doing. She described FA in such vivid detail that I was hooked instantly. I didn’t hear the parts about attending three meetings or calling people. All... Continue Reading
