When I first got sober, I started going to a meeting once a week...the "old man" meeting. It's members probably had 100 years sobriety combined, most of them had at least 20 yrs or more. They welcomed me into their meeting...one of the few women who ever went for a long time and taught me so much about what living sober really was. One of the men called himself Happy...and he always said "...life happens sometimes, and we don't drink, NO MATTER WHAT." He used to come up to me after the meetings and thank me for staying sober another week. ME, sitting in the meetings shaking like a leaf, and he was thanking me for not drinking. Life moves on and people that we love go to a better place, but I will always remember the words I heard so early in sobriety...
Yup, tearin' up the roads with the car...that's why I'm so busy, I got the car and gotta do it all now! Got deer chasing dogs and bunnies fighting with cats...wonder what the cows are gonna do? Maybe go after the hunters??
Then follow what you see & not what you hear. Put those chairs away, mop the floor, clean that table. Show up early & stay late, & go to the meeting after the meeting at the diner.
Exchange phone #'s and look to see who needs a ride. On just that day you don't really wanna go to the meeting, the phone will ring & it will be someone asking you for a ride.
All those things work from 20 hours sober to 20 years sober, & we never graduate.