Tuesday, November 08, 2005

To Drunk To Drive: Imagine That!

One Saturday, a girlfriend I worked with invited me and my children to her daughter's birthday party. The party was held at a park an hour away from my home. There was lots of beer, but my son had a baseball game that afternoon and I knew I could not drink. I fought the urge to drink for more than three hours. I did everything I could to stay away from that beer. But the temptation soon grew too big and my resistance wasn't strong enough. Before I knew it, I was drunk. There was no way I could drive my son to his baseball game. I was completely intoxicated and unable to drive anywhere. So I called my family and told them he wasn't feeling well and would not be playing in the game. I continued to drink the rest of the day and we ended up staying the night at her house. I wasn't feeling like a very good mom by the end of that day. It wasn't that I meant to be irresponsible. My intentions were always good. But alcohol had such a hold on me. To deny it was pure hell. Since I got sober and God removed the obsession, I don't play those alcoholic mind games with myself. Today, drinking is not an option. I don't have to fear going anywhere that I won't be able to get myself home from because I'm drunk. I hate to think about all the times I told my kids no because I was drinking. I feel bad that alcohol was more important than my family. But that is what the disease of alcohol does. It destroys.
Thought to meditate on:Guilt played a huge role in my life for a long time. Even after God forgave me I still found it hard to forgive myself. After we accept Jesus into our lives there is not suppose to be anymore self condemnation. That means guilt is a lie. Forgiveness is vital to our sobriety. We drank because we wallowed in self pity over all our past mistakes. We drank because we felt guilty. Being sober means there is no more reasons or excuses. It is time to forgive ourselves and let them go.

My new book entitled ADDICTION: A Personal Story will be available for purchase in December. Visit my new website and bookmark the page so you can find it when the book goes on sale.
http://www.personaladdiction.com
To read about the book visit my previous website Lacys Journey at:
http://www.lacysjourney.com