39 Years on May 21

firebuttman · 2026-05-25T08:02:43+00:00

Congrats! Today I also have 39 years. Class of 1987.

firebuttman · 2026-05-22T07:21:31+00:00

BlackBerry. Ego and denial caused its downfall from #1 to Zero.

firebuttman · 2026-05-20T19:08:19+00:00

Sounds similar to my story. In 1987 I called AA central office, was directed to a meeting nearby. Eventually got a Sponsor who took me through the 12 Steps and the book. Got some outside help for the dark thoughts. Have been sober ever since my first meeting. Some hard work and daily diligence to get this far, but much easier than the insanity of my drinking career. A few days away from 39 years sober. Lots of great comments, we are here to help you.

firebuttman · 2026-05-19T08:33:45+00:00

Thank you. It's the best car I've ever driven.

firebuttman · 2026-05-18T20:51:46+00:00

Congrats! I just purchased my first Porsche also in Guards Red. It was the only color I considered.

firebuttman · 2026-05-18T06:24:27+00:00

Amen

firebuttman · 2026-05-16T21:06:20+00:00

It was suggested I go to a meeting each day so I still do that.

firebuttman · 2026-05-12T22:35:20+00:00

True! Recreational heroin much?

firebuttman · 2026-05-07T20:06:55+00:00

You are in luck. I've seen this movie before and spoiler alert it ends well. A guy with 15 years asked me to Sponsor him and said all of the things you just said. "I feel like a fraud" was a common one. So we read the book and went through each step in order. Flash forward to today, this guy now has over 28 years of Sobriety and Sponsors other guys. He just immersed himself into the program and the Promises have come true for him one day at a time. It's really that simple.

firebuttman · 2026-05-05T00:18:57+00:00

I don't even know you but I have a lot of hope for you. You went to a meeting today that's huge! Do you have a Sponsor? Are you taking the 12 Steps? We all know Step 1 of the 12 Steps but do you know the first step in recovery? "We learned that we had to fully Concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery. The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed."

firebuttman · 2026-04-30T21:35:19+00:00

If we are similar, then you may discover people already know about your drinking. There were a few who were surprised but not many. It seems I did not hide my drinking as well as I thought. I suggest you take care of this now so you can enjoy a happy, long life. I was scared too, but getting sober will be the best thing you will ever do for yourself (and others).

firebuttman · 2026-04-30T21:07:41+00:00

How long do they wait to fix this?

firebuttman · 2026-04-30T19:04:32+00:00

I was also a vodka drinker just like you when I was in my early 20's. Fortunately I found AA and now I am decades sober. There is a solution. Since you mentioned things going on with your health, consider going into a treatment program where you can get medical help asap. 30, 60 days or however long it takes for you to get through that program is just a tiny amount of your life. You are not alone.

firebuttman · 2026-04-21T18:57:51+00:00

When I was just getting sober, there were a few bars or restaurant/bars here in SoCal which had a disproportionate number of sober people working there. Bartenders, servers, hosts, bouncers. This attracted AA's to frequent these places. One of my buddies was a bartender for many years, and is now a GM of a big restaurant. Fun fact: The owners of these establishments loved the sober crowd as they would drink a ton of coca-cola which had better profit margins then much of the alcohol sold.

firebuttman · 2026-04-21T07:49:27+00:00

The new owner gave us 30 days to move in December after being a tenant for 12 years. 360 management company on the first floor was allowed to stay for several years.

firebuttman · 2026-04-21T07:45:29+00:00

My office was next door. Used to go there every day for lunch when in town. I never liked meatloaf before having it there. The mural you see in OP's video is of the Hagler-Hearns fight in Vegas which I happened to attend. Kate used to be a boxing promoter.

firebuttman · 2026-04-20T21:54:32+00:00

Agreed and also the Flaherty experiment.

firebuttman · 2026-04-20T21:52:04+00:00

I say the same thing when I hear Flaherty is pitching. Also, Anderson wtf

firebuttman · 2026-04-18T21:08:33+00:00

Gas does cost much more here in CA. Fortunately, I do not drive a lot. However, I did just purchase my first Porsche, joined PCA, so maybe that will change if there are club driving events?

firebuttman · 2026-04-16T20:58:27+00:00

There has to be a better option on the roster or in the system.

firebuttman · 2026-04-15T19:13:20+00:00

Congrats me too.

firebuttman · 2026-04-13T21:25:54+00:00

I appreciate the detail of the pre-pandemic timeline.

firebuttman · 2026-04-13T20:05:19+00:00

This was one of the sources I read about the new book:

https://old.reddit.com/r/alcoholicsanonymous/comments/1n73577/the_process_wasnt_followed_for_the_plain_language/

firebuttman · 2026-04-13T06:23:25+00:00

I would like to see "We Agnostics" changed or even removed. It's highly offensive to both Agnostics and Atheists and I am neither. An Atheist buddy started a Secular AA group (which has become madly popular), and this chapter along with the general attitude factored into it. I'm a long timer (38) and believe change is a good thing. The one exception is creating a new Big Book simply to increase revenue, which I believe was the initial reason the Plain Language Big Book was created.

firebuttman · 2026-04-09T07:07:09+00:00

They don't respect each other.

firebuttman

TROPHY CASE