My medallion

I carry my Al-Anon medallion in my wallet. It reminds me every time that I open my wallet to take life "One Day at a Time".

It's just a regular bronze medallion. But to me, it is so special. It means that I can choose to incorporate the principles and steps of our awesome program into my everyday affairs. It helps me remember the willingness, open-mindedness, and honesty of living each day. It is a physical representation that my Higher Power is always with me.

I have had a few people remark about the medallion because it shows when I open my wallet. One fellow told me that he had one of those too. I just smiled.

I'm lucky that my home group decided to give out chips for each year in recovery. Not all Al-Anon groups do that. I wish that more Al-Anon groups would do the chip celebration. I think that it's special to be recognized for the milestones in recovery when that time comes. It is a great feeling to celebrate someone's birthday and have the medallion given by their sponsor to them. I've seen the medallion once held by a sponsor given to the sponsee--a passing of the spirit of recovery if you will.

My wife carries her chip in her wallet too. I remember when she showed each of her chips to me. I was touched by that. She told me that the chip is not a promise never to drink again, but just as mine says to take it "one day at a time".

In AA it is easy to know if you have made it one month, a year, or whatever in your program, simply by counting how long it has been since your last drink. There are some Al-Anon members who would say that not a day goes by when they don’t “slip” in some way from their emotional sobriety. The general consensus, however, seems to be that members decide for themselves if they want to get a chip based on the amount of time that they have been steadily working the program.

If you are in one of those fellowships where chips are rare, become a part of the Group Conscience meeting and propose a change. The beauty of a 12 Step program is that there is no one person in charge and everyone has a say and a vote. If you believe in the importance of celebrating recovery at your meetings, be the change you want to see!

"...I carry my medallion
To remind no one but me
That the Promises will unfold
If I let God work with me."
Anonymous

Bon voyage

Today, I saw my best friend leave for a few months. We've shared a lot of great experiences, ideas, and general good times for a while. He's been in AA recovery for many years and works his program diligently. He was really the one responsible for my finding Al-Anon since he knew that I had a lot of craziness going on at home. He finally said that I needed to go to an Al-Anon meeting and that my SO needed to go to AA. It's made a big difference in my life. None of the therapists ever suggested Al-Anon to me, even though they knew that my home life was a mess and that my SO's drinking was causing me a lot of anxiety.

It took a member of AA to make the suggestion that has really changed my life for the better. He's got a good sense of humor and has shared a lot of funny stories from the Grapevine, the AA publication. He's also shared some good lines from some of the old timers in AA. We generally find a lot to laugh about. One of the things we recently shared in conversation was that in Al-Anon we're trying to focus on ourselves while in AA, alcoholics are trying to get the focus off themselves. He also said that in Al-Anon we want to get in touch with our inner child while in AA, alcoholics are trying to not be childish and grow up. He also told me about an irrasible old timer who was accused of chasing some newcomers away with his brusqueness. When confronted about driving the newcomers away, the old timer said, "Well if I drove them away, liquor will drive them back".

Anyway, I'm wishing calm seas and a true course for my friend D. He carries his BB with him and his 16 year chip. I know that wherever he is, he'll be okay.

My Sponsor's 15th anniversary

Tonight at the Al-Anon meeting, we celebrated my sponsor's 15th anniversary in the program. The story of recovery of this remarkable person was truly touching. I felt so many emotions as I listened. I heard about the trauma of living with hurt from family and wanting to depend on the alcoholic; there was the complete crash as a result of so much pain; and there were the early months of recovery in Al-Anon in which the ego fought back; and finally there was acceptance and forgiveness. I don't think that there is a finer human being and I am so very glad that this person is there to guide me with my character defects and the defective characters in my life. I only hope that some day, I'll have a thimble full of my sponsor's wisdom and serenity. One of the most unique parts of the evening was the exchange of chips in which my sponsor received a 15 year chip. It was the chip of the person who sponsors my sponsor and was being passed along. That brought tears to my eyes.