This Little Light of Miche

July 6th, 2024 was my 30th day of sobriety. The first hours were spent having a conversation with the lovely woman named Cynthia. I met her at the July 4th marathon of the AA group 9406. They had these marathons during the holidays to help everyone get through them. We call them Alcathons. She told me the tradition that she had with her sober sisters. When one of them was reaching a milestone they talked all night until the next day when the milestone happened. So, I got on the phone with her at about 11:00 at night. I was exhausted, but I said what the hell. She told me her story and then she helped me find mine. I’ll never forget that. Before I knew it we had talked until 12:47 and I was on my 30th day

The last day of Alcathon

I went to sleep and woke up the next morning at about 7:00 am. I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn’t. Then I started receiving text messages from Tanner, Kristine, Marchelle, and a phone call from one of my favorite sober sisters Madeline. They were all wishing me a happy 30th day and giving me really sound advice. Then I ate breakfast of potatoes, steel cut oatmeal, and scrambled eggs. That’s what Cynthia text me and told that the people with over 30 years were speaking at the Alcathon and I should hop on. Of course I did 💚

1500 Years Of Sobriety

I listened to all their stories. Many of them sounded so much like mine. I couldn’t believe that they all had so much time in sobriety. Seriously, I did not believe them. They have to be lying 😂 At the end of the meeting, a few hours after it started, they started naming lengths of sobriety and asking people to say their names and time sober. I believe the highest one was 73 years. They all began the same way. “Hi, (they said their name)I’m an alcoholic.” They went down all the way from 70 years all the way down to one year. Then they began calling out who has 90 days, then 60 days, then 30 days. I turned my microphone on, nervous as hell, and said “Hi, my name is Michelle, I’m an alcoholic and this is my 30th day of sobriety.”

Bigger Than Myself

The zoom room erupted with applause and cheering. The chat began to fill with numbers and they told me I was the most important person in the room. I was the last one to speak. I had the least amount of sobriety of every single person in that room and for some reason I was the most important. I tried to write the numbers down as quickly as I could then I just screenshot them. Eff it. Then someone challenged me to call every single one of them. I’ll try 😂 I felt very special to be a part of that moment. This was the AA unity they kept talking about. It doesn’t matter where I came from or where anyone came from we all are there for one reason and that was to stay alcohol and drug-free. To be sober physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I was really a part of something bigger than myself. I’ll never forget that.

One Day At A Time

At that moment I couldn’t tell you how I made it to 30 days without being pregnant or in a treatment center. But as I look back on it and I can say it was truly One Day at a time, one phone call at a time, one bad memory at a time. The biggest Factor was knowing that I can’t take a single drink and remembering how many times I tried and failed. Honestly that’s okay. Alcohol and drugs are terrible for you anyways. I look wonderful right now and I feel even better. Here’s to the next milestone one day at a time.

I love you 💚