Flying High
The headline could suggest a drunkalogue , but in fact its quite the opposite .
after some years of coming to terms with my Alcoholism , Ihave managed to finally put down the drink 5 years ago , a day at a time .
I was a Flight attendant based in London and had been flying to Los Angeles and back to London every week for about 18 months when I went to the meeting in London from which I have not drunk.
I had taken about 10 days off from my roster to detox and attend meetings daily sometimes twice daily, which I highly recommend in early days , there was little else for me to do anyway.
My first trip back to Los Angeles was with crew I knew well and the in-flight manager was a good friend, who knew what I was doing and was very supportive.
I was his second in charge and I'm sure that he was more than a little dubious about the upcoming 10 hour flight.
It had been suggested to me in the rooms of AA that should I need help during the flight, to make the announcement requesting friends of Bill W and that with nearly 400 onboard a 747 that it could be very likely that an AAer would appear.
That day I was working in business class on the main deck, as in not upstairs in the bubble.
I was boarding the passengers and making them feel welcome and relaxed, I on the other hand was feeling somewhat fearful ! I had been flying for 15 years and had never been to work without the expectation of having a drink at the end of the flight , and in the later years before the end of the flight.
After all the passengers were aboard I decided that I couldn't possibly wait and made the PA in economy class only , the upstairs business class would not have heard nor would the first class cabin in the nose.
However the downstairs business class is only separated by a curtain, so it was even more of a surprise to find a man come through the curtain and ask me who made the PA " If there is a friend of Bill W onboard please contact one of the crew"I said it was me and he asked what it was about" ! I said "its all about me " !!!! I have to tell you that at that moment I was saved all over again , what a wonderful program, and the many doubts about HP I had were gone at that moment.
This lovely man Phillip was on his way to Los Angeles to celebrate 30 years of sobriety with AA friends there.
He was in that cabin with me all through the flight and was there to talk with whenever I wanted.
He gave me a Reunion Chip from the latestAA world round up , to have in my pocket, and a card for my wallet which reminded me I was never alone.
The other extraordinary things about that meeting was that his friends lived very near the hotel that the crew stayed in , so they delivered meeting lists and tapes for me to listen to , and I was able to call them and check in when I got in to town each week from London.
This feeling of being looked after has been with me nearly all the time, and when rough moments come along, as they do in life, I remember that what ever happens it will be OK and I don't have to have a drink today.
after some years of coming to terms with my Alcoholism , Ihave managed to finally put down the drink 5 years ago , a day at a time .
I was a Flight attendant based in London and had been flying to Los Angeles and back to London every week for about 18 months when I went to the meeting in London from which I have not drunk.
I had taken about 10 days off from my roster to detox and attend meetings daily sometimes twice daily, which I highly recommend in early days , there was little else for me to do anyway.
My first trip back to Los Angeles was with crew I knew well and the in-flight manager was a good friend, who knew what I was doing and was very supportive.
I was his second in charge and I'm sure that he was more than a little dubious about the upcoming 10 hour flight.
It had been suggested to me in the rooms of AA that should I need help during the flight, to make the announcement requesting friends of Bill W and that with nearly 400 onboard a 747 that it could be very likely that an AAer would appear.
That day I was working in business class on the main deck, as in not upstairs in the bubble.
I was boarding the passengers and making them feel welcome and relaxed, I on the other hand was feeling somewhat fearful ! I had been flying for 15 years and had never been to work without the expectation of having a drink at the end of the flight , and in the later years before the end of the flight.
After all the passengers were aboard I decided that I couldn't possibly wait and made the PA in economy class only , the upstairs business class would not have heard nor would the first class cabin in the nose.
However the downstairs business class is only separated by a curtain, so it was even more of a surprise to find a man come through the curtain and ask me who made the PA " If there is a friend of Bill W onboard please contact one of the crew"I said it was me and he asked what it was about" ! I said "its all about me " !!!! I have to tell you that at that moment I was saved all over again , what a wonderful program, and the many doubts about HP I had were gone at that moment.
This lovely man Phillip was on his way to Los Angeles to celebrate 30 years of sobriety with AA friends there.
He was in that cabin with me all through the flight and was there to talk with whenever I wanted.
He gave me a Reunion Chip from the latestAA world round up , to have in my pocket, and a card for my wallet which reminded me I was never alone.
The other extraordinary things about that meeting was that his friends lived very near the hotel that the crew stayed in , so they delivered meeting lists and tapes for me to listen to , and I was able to call them and check in when I got in to town each week from London.
This feeling of being looked after has been with me nearly all the time, and when rough moments come along, as they do in life, I remember that what ever happens it will be OK and I don't have to have a drink today.