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Diane's
Miracle on the Love Boat On November 30, 1990, I flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico to begin my new job as a cashier in the casino onboard the Love Boat, the Pacific Princess. I was 3 ½ years sober and while I certainly wasn't 'well' my life was going in a good direction and I knew there would be AA meetings on the boat if I needed one. I would be just fine. Three months later I was in trouble. I was so lonely. Only one other crew member, Richard B., the piano man, was sober. We supported each other but it was a struggle. One night at the end of a particularly tough day, my boss came in to the cashier’s cage with a drink in his hand. I’ll never forget – it was Baileys and Coffee. It looked and smelled so good. He asked me if I wanted one I said of course I wanted one, but I shouldn’t. He laughed saying, “Oh, that’s right, you’re an alcoholic, you can’t have one…” That definitely rankled and I thought, “You just watch, I can if I want!That really scared me! I still had a month before I could get home and back to my support groups. That night I got down on my knees, (something I hadn’t done for a long time) and prayed: “Dear God, Help Me! I am so scared. I can’t do this by myself. Help me. Please help me stay sober!” The next day we docked in Los Angeles to disembark passengers, and bring aboard a new group. I spent the day on shore calling my sponsor, friends and family in Portland. At 4pm we sailed for Mexico. After we sailed I was walking by the piano lounge where Richard B was playing. He waved me over. “You’ll never guess what I just found out”, he smiled, “there are 70 of us on board ship this week. Yep, 70 sober people are sailing to Mexico together!” I began to cry... Not only did God hear my prayer, he sent 70 people to make sure I got the message. What a fabulous week I had! We had mixed meetings, women's meetings, men's meetings. We went on shore leave together. Together we created a safe, nurturing environment and had such fun! It was during that very special week, that I realized how treacherous my downward slide had been. I knew that some day I would give back the support and love what had been given to me by helping sober people enjoy and be enriched by traveling together. A few years later, my travel company became a reality. And the sober fun has only just begun. Come and join us. Be a part of Adventures in Sobriety. What would you like to do? Where would you like to go? Just let me know. Yours in sobriety, Diane P. |
