Matt didn’t ease into alcoholism. He got drunk the first time that he drank when he was in the seventh grade. By the time he was in high school, he was taking all the drugs and alcohol he could find, and at the age of fourteen or fifteen, he realized that he needed to stop. He managed to stay sober for short periods of time, and this on and off sobriety continued for years until eventually, he became a daily drinker. Finally, after a bad car accident, he had enough, his wife had enough, and he started attending AA meetings.
The meetings left Matt with two impressions. One was that he got himself involved in a weird cult, and the other was that he met some nice people who had the same problem as him. He liked the community aspect of AA, and it was this and a good sponsor that kept him coming back.
Understanding that an AA meeting happens anytime two or more alcoholics gather for the purpose of staying sober, Matt learned to be creative with meetings. This started when he and a friend would watch the television series “Mom”, a comedy that featured two women, both in recovery and both attending 12 Step meetings. Matt and his friend would talk about the show after watching it, and they realized that this constituted an AA meeting. This creative and fun way to have a meeting evolved into a book club meeting that later evolved into meetings based on songs, short stories, and podcasts.
What we talked about
- Matt’s story of addiction and recovery.
- His early experiences in AA.
- How Matt was helped and benefited from good sponsorship.
- The importance of finding a sober community.
- The AA meeting he helped start with topics taken from books and podcasts.
- Not needing to be heavily involved with working the Steps.
- The importance of amends.
Memorable quotes
My impression was that there were some nice people at the meeting who had the same problem that I had.
If you can stay sober for thirty-three years, then I am positive that I can stay sober tonight. That is my program.
My biggest motivation to stay sober is my son who doesn’t remember the worst of my drinking. I feel like I got a redo that I didn’t deserve.
The best thing about it is that after you stack a few days together, it gets easier, and you stop thinking about drinking.
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