On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig stood in front of a full Yankee Stadium at his retirement ceremony, and said “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth”.
Remarkable words for a man who had been given a death-sentence diagnosis days before (Amylotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also now known as Lou Gehrig’s disease).
He later acknowledged that diagnosis by stating “so I close by saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for”.
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I think of myself as the Lou Gehrig of recovery. I am the luckiest person I know on the face of the earth. On the one hand, I am an alcoholic and a drug addict. Those are two diagnoses that have grim prognoses. Everyone that I went to rehab with is dead. Many of the fellows I got sober with in my profession are dead. The same with members of my home group.
On the other hand, I have been sober all day today (ever since I woke up at 5 am, walked my dog, and went to a 6:30 a.m. meeting). I’ve been fortunate enough to be sober for about 10,385 days before that, too.
I am incredibly lucky. Maybe it is blessed, maybe it is grace, I don’t know what to call it. But I haven’t had a drink or a drug all day, I am a free man, my dog is asleep next to me, and I don’t have any problems in the world compared to the problems I had in the last 18 months of my active alcoholism.
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There is a thought that I’ve heard shared in meetings near me. The thought is “if everyone in the meeting threw their problems onto the table, and had a choice of which set of problems to take back, I would take my own problems back”. That is absolutely true for me.
Do I have problems? Sure I do. Everyone does. But the problems that I have today are living problems. The problems I had in the last 18 months of my active alcoholism were drunk and junkie problems.
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So again I say, Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth-the Lou Gehrig of Recovery.
With Love,
The Recovering Urchin
P.S. Do you like The Recovering Urchin? Let me know at therecoveringurchin@gmail.com. Please tell your friends, and remember to sign up for my e-mail list so that I can deliver this content straight to your inbox.
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April 2019
- Apr 5, 2019 I Think My Spouse Has A Drinking Problem Apr 5, 2019
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December 2018
- Dec 13, 2018 The Ant and the Grasshopper Dec 13, 2018
- Dec 3, 2018 Where I Go For Hope Dec 3, 2018
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November 2018
- Nov 23, 2018 This I Believe Nov 23, 2018
- Nov 12, 2018 Guest post: Grace, compassion and the stink of the soul -- part one Nov 12, 2018
- Nov 7, 2018 The Importance of Home Groups Nov 7, 2018
- Nov 5, 2018 The Law of Averages Nov 5, 2018
- Nov 1, 2018 Guest post: A List Of Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery Nov 1, 2018
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October 2018
- Oct 29, 2018 Guest post: Grace within Oct 29, 2018
- Oct 28, 2018 Guest post: My ugly, unvarnished truth Oct 28, 2018
- Oct 27, 2018 Staying Sober in Dark Times Oct 27, 2018
- Oct 24, 2018 I Am Responsible Oct 24, 2018
- Oct 23, 2018 The Opioid Epidemic Oct 23, 2018
- Oct 21, 2018 The Challenge of Being an Introvert in Alcoholics Anonymous Oct 21, 2018
- Oct 20, 2018 Physical Pain And Spiritual Pain Oct 20, 2018
- Oct 18, 2018 My 38th Street Bridge Blackout Oct 18, 2018
- Oct 10, 2018 Who are you? Oct 10, 2018
- Oct 9, 2018 Guest post: Zen Spot #155 — Mindfulness, meditation and letting sleeping dogs lie Oct 9, 2018
- Oct 8, 2018 The Taping Pit Oct 8, 2018
- Oct 7, 2018 The Lou Gehrig of Recovery Oct 7, 2018
- Oct 6, 2018 Guest post: Zen Spot #161 — Mindfulness, meditation, the Beastie Boys, potato salad, the number 12 and a phone call from a Buddhist monk Oct 6, 2018
- Oct 6, 2018 The Cathedral of Chartres Oct 6, 2018
- Oct 5, 2018 Guest post: Addiction and spirituality Oct 5, 2018
- Oct 4, 2018 Meetings When I Travel Oct 4, 2018
- Oct 3, 2018 Why Discipline Matters Oct 3, 2018
- Oct 2, 2018 Meditations on Anonymity Oct 2, 2018
- Oct 1, 2018 Guest post: Zen Spot #36 — Mindfulness, meditation, autopilot and the internal gyroscope Oct 1, 2018
- Oct 1, 2018 This Is Our Plague Oct 1, 2018
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September 2018
- Sep 29, 2018 Guest post: Zen Spot #143— Mindfulness, meditation and the intersection of Broad and Vine Sep 29, 2018
- Sep 29, 2018 Seven Things My Sponsor Suggested Sep 29, 2018
- Sep 27, 2018 Guest post: The Opioid Crisis—Personal Responsibility, Choice, and the Law Sep 27, 2018
- Sep 24, 2018 Page 87 Sep 24, 2018
- Sep 20, 2018 Humility Sep 20, 2018
- Sep 17, 2018 Honesty Sep 17, 2018
- Sep 10, 2018 The Purity of the Message Sep 10, 2018
- Sep 3, 2018 Recovery Resources Sep 3, 2018
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August 2018
- Aug 28, 2018 What’s The Problem?! Aug 28, 2018
- Aug 17, 2018 Roll Call Aug 17, 2018
- Aug 17, 2018 I Don’t Know Aug 17, 2018
- Aug 17, 2018 I Need Help Aug 17, 2018
- Aug 17, 2018 I Was Wrong Aug 17, 2018
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July 2018
- Jul 8, 2018 Welcome to The Recovering Urchin! Jul 8, 2018
- Jul 8, 2018 The Most Important Thing Jul 8, 2018
- Jul 7, 2018 Role Models Jul 7, 2018