[Magdalen] 30 Years of Sobriety.

[Jay Weigel]

Quitting smoking is hard. I did it for good almost 39 years ago, as soon as
I began to suspect I was pregnant with Adam. I had quit once before, before
I got pregnant with Sam, but resumed when he was a toddler. The second time
was for good. I found ways to keep my hands busy when I first quit, and
once Adam was born, I didn't have time to think about it any more!

On Fri, Dec 26, 2014 at 12:18 PM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
wrote:
>
> Congratulations, David!! As the daughter, sister, ex-wife and mother of
> alcoholics, I know what an achievement this is. How wonderful that you had
> such a good and fruitful intervention.
>
>  We held an intervention with my then-husband that was a disaster. The
> bottom line was that he would enter a residential treatment center--which
> we had already arranged and made a deposit for--or the children and I would
> leave, which we did. That was February 10, 1982.
>
> So congratulations again, and prayers for sobriety that lasts as long as
> you do!
> Grace
>
> On December 26, 2014, at 11:03 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> December 27, 1984, I entered the diocesan committee room in the
> Eau Claire Diocesan Offices just next to Christ Church Cathedral in
> that City.
>
> I had suspected something was up when the Cathedral Dean called me
> the day before and said he wanted "to chat" with me.  The subject  was
> avoided.
>
> The committee room was set up with a table and four chairs on the  side
> opposite the entry, and there was one chair on my side.  The other  four
> chairs were occupied by (1) +Eau Claire, (2) Cathedral Dean, (3) the
> O/C who was a good friend, and (4) one of the Cathedral deacons, a
> fellow physician and friend.
>
> It was a classical intervention, by the book and by the clerical  orders
> (bishop, priest, deacon, and layman).
>
> I almost turned on my heels and walked out for it was obvious to me  what
> this was all about.  Thank God I did not.  I sat down.
>
> I was gently but firmly raked over the coals.  The message:   alcohol was
> quickly sending me to hell in a handbasket, and I needed to clean up  my
> act or risk losing everything.
>
> My reaction was initially (1) embarrassment, and then (2) anger.  How
> could
> these people possibly put me through this after all my activity and
> support
> for the Cathedral and the Diocese?  Then, blissfully, and I can't help  but
> feel miraculously, (3) appreciation.  I became aware that "these  people"
> valued me enough to take the time and effort to mount this  intervention.
>
> I owed them and myself no less than to enter outpatient rehab and AA  that
> same day.  I has been TBTG 30 years since I picked up a  drink.  With
> God's help, I never will drink again.
>
>
> David Strang.
>