[Magdalen] 30 Years of Sobriety.

[Christopher Hart]

Happy Anniversary to David. My dear wife is less than two months away from
her 25th anniversary which will be on Valentine's Day. As a follow-up to
Marion and Grace's comments about giving up smoking vs. drinking I would
just like to add that our society today offers a lot more social
reinforcement for the ex-smoker than it does for the ex-drinker. Smoking,
at least in major parts of the USA and Canada, is forbidden in most public
places and the smokers are the ones who are made to feel a bit awkward. No
so with alcohol which is still widely accepted as a societal norm.

On Fri, Dec 26, 2014 at 11:52 AM, Marion Thompson <marionwhitevale at gmail.com
> wrote:

> I am filled with admiration for those who  manage to  achieve long-term
> sobriety.  As an otherwise  weak-willed person who marks giving up smoking
> as her greatest achievement, I think drink would be much harder, given its
> integral place in our society.  Well done, David!  Happy anniversary.
>
> Marion, a pilgrim
>
> On 12/26/2014 11:02 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen 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.
>> .
>>
>>
>


-- 

Christopher Hart

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