Blog post

Woke up this morning knowing I had another walk to CVS on Mt. Vernon Rd. So to get grounded first before I started the day, I grabbed a cup of coffee and started reading my morning meditation. The meditation was talking about the First Tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous, which states, "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity." That reminded me of my personal responsibility to conform to recovery and to the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. I must conform to these spiritual principles so I can live.  I also have a responsibility to carry the message to others and to contribute to my homegroup.

I wanted to write about happened two weeks before my car wreck.  Picture this, sometime in September of 2024. I was driving drunk and drove to the house. I got out of my parked car and started to walk to the front door of my house. The last thing I remember is the smack of my forehead as the asphalt rushed up to meet my face, then total blackness. I came to lying in the street, breathing in dust through my mouth and nose. I heard boots on the ground running towards me. As it turns out, it was two construction guys from the new Boys and Girls Club going up on the corner of Washington Street and 16th Street SE. They saw me fall and ran over to help. My wife was on her cell, yelling at my sister to come over to help pick me up and take me in the house before Cedar Rapids police showed up. I was picked up by the construction guys and laid out on the grass in front of my house. As they left, my sister arrived, and with my wife, they managed to get me in the house. In a haze, I remember my sister literally throwing me on the bed (she's 6'1" and very strong) and screaming at me, "I'm tired of cleaning up after your ass! I've been doing it my whole life!" She stormed out the front door. I passed out once more and woke up a few hours later with a busted nose, black eye, abrasions, and cuts all over my face and knees, and blood all over my bedsheet. My wife was on the phone, calling her daughter from out of state, asking if she could catch a flight and get the hell out of here. Somehow, she decided to stay. Fast forward, I lasted another two weeks taking trips in pain to the liquor store two blocks from the house.  Even that Indian storekeeper would do triple takes on me.

Finally, on September 16th, drunk and sobbing, I looked at my wife and told her I couldn't take it anymore.  I was going to die this way. I pulled out my wallet and found a card I was given at St. Luke's Hospital for another incident prior to this one. I called the number. In less than an hour, an Uber showed up, and I was on my way to what would be my first detox in Huntington, Indiana.

There's more to write, but I have less than half an hour to post. So, with that, talk to you later my fellow mis-fits. Stay sober, stay hopeful, stay busy, and get shit done. Until tomorrow, love, Gabriel

P.S. Welcome to my international visitors! I'm thrilled to have you here and will endeavor to give you information that may help you. I can only speak from my experiences in sobriety. For those new to sobriety, hang on for the ride. I have found sobriety tough with all these external circumstances. But I'm standing strong!  I'll tell you what, working on this blog has been so helpful for maintaining my sobriety during these hard times for me. Thank you, Gabriel,