Guest Poems from Recovering Alcoholic Charlie

Charlie shared these two poems in my DUI class today and gave me permission to post on this blog. 

Charlie about his Step 12 AA:

All my life from God I've run

And never have I good things done

When I was the worst that I could be

He blessed my life and protected me

Trading a good and righteous Son

For me a no-good-rotten one

The price for me that Jesus paid

For Him I would have never made

How is it LORD that I, not He,

Escaped that cross at calvary!

For all the men and women 

who dedicated their lives helping others in

a substance abuse programs from Charlie: 

I didn't know that you would come

But called on God--you came

And by His Spirit encouraged some

While from His Word hope gave.

Thank You LORD for faithful servants

Their gifts made room for Thee

Behind prison walls and jail house bars,

The soul you saved was me!  

When Alcohol or Drugs Take Over

A young man in his twenties in my last class gave me permission to post what he wrote. I wish the best to this young man and thank him I could post. Here is most of what he wrote.

The Account of My Life-Changing DUI

Before this experience I had slowed down on drinking and ended my drug use. . . . I had no idea of the pain I could cause. I had no regard for others' feelings, at least those closest to me, nor how the world viewed me.

I now see how bad I had gotten, how far I had fallen doing things I swore I never would. I lived as if tomorrow was the end, like nothing mattered. I had many vices. I never felt addicted, but I also didn't see the problem I had. I remember the first time I turned down X and coke. I remember blocking numbers [of people who were my triggers].

Now, [he wrote],

I have hope.

I have inspiration.

I learn.

I question.

I wonder.

I dream.

I pray. . . .

There has been too much of my life wasted, spent on numbing myself to the beauty that the world holds--unknown but bright and new. . . . I'm happy to be becoming myself, finding the answers to my questions.

Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous help many who do not have this young man's resolve. Christians also have Biblical Counseling. Treatment and support groups do help. I am losing weight through Weight Watchers. I love this sign about losing weight:

Choose your hard indeed! Change is that--hard. Yet it will be very hard if you go to jail like a Largo, Florida driver who just last week got 44 years in prison for four DUI deaths. The paper reported that DUI driver said, "I'm just lost. I'm terribly lost."