by Pat Ritter
lips since that morning I made the promise to my wife.
Changes needed to be made and my change to stop drinking alcohol immediately, 'what was I going to do with myself', echoed through my mind, 'my mates drink and they go to the hotel. 'What am I going to do, drink soft drink.'
An alcoholic angel sat on my shoulder the morning I asked the publican to give me a non-alcoholic drink. He poured a clayton's tonic. This drink saved not only my marriage but more important my life. I had a substitute drink which was non-alcoholic.
Years passed and I continued to drink clayton's tonic still continuing my usual life. This time I didn't frequent the hotel as much as I used to. Eventually I never attended the hotel and worked to broaden my life skills. Before I stopped drinking alcohol I thought there wasn't anything left in life but to drink and get drunk.
At aged forty-three years old I answered an advertisement to be an 'Alcohol and Drug Counsellor.' My alcoholic angel sat on my shoulder that faithful day because I got the job. Little did I realise at the time this journey led me to understand 'why' I became an alcoholic.
I worked at the coal face of intoxication counselling people, men and women, seeing their demise of one day having the world at their feet and next hit the slippery side to reach the bottom of existence. Witnessing people go into spasms, shaking, screaming, sweating and finally collapse. In my heart I wanted to help these people, however, like myself many years before the penny never dropped.
Questions raced through my mind, how did I do it? I was lucky my wife wasn't co-dependent, she realised if I didn't stop drinking our marriage was over. This didn't answer my question. What caused me to drink in the first instant? I studied the affects of alcohol on a human being. These learnings showed me I'd leant how to drink alcohol at an early age. Reason for drinking so young became apparent, I wanted my father to know I was worthwhile. I'm not saying my father caused me to become an alcoholic, only his actions toward me wanting his love. Unfortunately, from the beginning I was on a flogging to nothing to receive his love because I learned many years later, he didn't possess the skills or knowledge to tell me he loved me.
I became a Rescuer. A person who always wanted to rescue others. At forty-five years of age I finally threw the shackles of this Rescuer tag from my shoulders with the help of my wife to understand why I become an alcoholic. This became one of the best days of my life!
Word count:813
New Years Solution
Normally people work on resolutions for a new year, like for instance, reduce weight; cut back on their alcohol consumption and many other resolutions. This year however I’m looking at a New Year Solution.
This year I intend to win lotto or pools. Now you may ask what solution I’ve come to solve in selecting the winning numbers. I’m pleased you asked.
Weekly Gold Lotto’s played and drawn each Saturday night. Sunday morning bright and early I turn on my computer, select Golden Casket website to see the Saturday night draw. On Monday afternoon I again check on Golden Casket website to see the draw for Pools.
One good thought always runs through my mind – if I’m not in it I can’t win! How to win is the solution. This year commencing from the first draw of the year I entered twelve games of Gold Lotto and twelve games of Pools, which in the first week won sufficient money to place the similar games for the following week.
To give myself a winning chance, I need all of the luck of the Irish to win, I print out the most frequent numbers from the Golden Casket website. Once these numbers are printed, I select from the most drawn numbers and use these numbers in the twelve games I play.
For instance, number 8 in Saturday night Lotto been drawn more times than any other number since Gold Lotto commenced.
I select number 8 as my main number to have in each game. From there I select numbers which have been most frequently drawn to the least drawn to make up the twelve games thereby I’ve selected each number possible.
This way I believe I’m giving my chance of winning better odds than selecting random numbers. No one has a foolproof plan, only wish I am on the right track and lady luck rides on my numbers each week.
Since this is my New Year Solution, I look into the crystal ball for 2014 and see what I’d do with the winnings. You’ve got to have blind faith in what you do otherwise why do it!
Naturally I’d share the winnings with my life partner, than split some winnings with my two adult children. I’m certain they’d each love me more if I handed them a huge amount of money. For myself, I don’t need much money. The thought of my numbers coming home would be sufficient or perhaps a new motor vehicle or something like that would satisfy me.
I’ve read about people winning huge amounts of money when after a couple of years they’re back to where they started before they won. I’d like to have the feeling of knowing my New Year Solution worked out so I could continue it into next year.
Word count:479
Old Habits Die Hard
Recently I visited a friend for morning tea at her home. ‘Good morning Jean,’ I said as a welcome and hugged her, ‘you wouldn’t have the lotto numbers from last night?’ I asked taking a seat at the dinning room table.
‘Look behind you on the tray,’ she continued making morning tea. I stretched behind reached for sheets of paper clipped together with lotto coupons on top. ‘They should be there.’
‘What are all these coupons?’ I inquired.
‘Don’t worry Pat, I take lotto games whenever it’s played, they are the numbers for five weeks at a time, the numbers from last night’s lotto on the top coupon.’ She repeated whilst she filled the cups and saucers on the table with fresh steaming tea.
I gazed at the numbers and the thickness of the coupons, ‘do you take entries in each lotto game?’ I said wondering why my lotto numbers didn’t win.
‘Each time lotto is played I have an entry.’ She shared.
‘Lucky they don’t play lotto on a Friday or Sunday.’ I joked, thinking of the cost Jean must pay for these entries
‘When I check each coupon at the newsagency, I get a thrill to win any prize,’ a smile came across her aged face, ‘what else can an old lady of my age get a thrill out of these days.’
‘What’ll happen if you ever win the big one?’ I ask sipping my tea and eating a piece of bun Jean sliced and left on a plate on the table.
‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful?’ She exclaimed smiling to herself. If one could’ve seen the vision in her mind no doubt would’ve showed how pleased she was to think she’d win the big one. ‘My nieces and nephews would be happy. Anyway, what else am I going to do with my money, I love playing lotto and you know Pat, if you’re not in it, you can’t win!’
After farewelling Jean I thought of her plight to win lotto. My senses wished her the best of luck and thought of my own desire to win first prize. Instantly my mind went from thinking about Jean to my own plight.
What would I do if I won lotto? A feeling of happiness flooded my mind seeing dollars instantly placed into my bank account. What are the chances? Then I considered how long I’d gambled through my life, which started at an early age of twelve until the present day.
Would I ever stop gambling or playing lotto? I don’t think so because old habits die hard.
Word count:435
Possession Is Nine Tenths Of The Law
On my twelfth birthday I received a football. This football went everywhere with me, to each game I played with my friends, even to bed. I loved this football.
In those times we didn’t need to brand our name on each item we owned because we trusted others not to steal our property. In my case one morning I awoke to find my football missing. I searched high and low failing to find my football.
Throughout the day I searched for this football. I’d recognise the stitching along the top, partly broken. No matter where I searched, my football couldn’t be found. I’d lost my best friend.
One afternoon, soon afterward, I visited a friend who lived not far from where w
e lived. Inside their outside laundry, a football. My friends weren’t home. In my mind; and gut feeling, this is my football, I thought.
Up until this point in my life I’d never stolen anything. Each Sunday attending Sunday School after church service, our Minister drilled into our minds stealing is one of the Ten Commandants and we would be sent to the fires of hell if we broke any of these commandants.
Deciding to take this football, I said to myself, ‘if I burn in hell, then so be it.’ I picked the football up in my hands, tucked the football under my arm and casually walked from my friend’s laundry to the side of their home.
With all my power I kicked the football across the road and to stop on the other side. I walked across the road, picked up the football and walked home. I had my football back safe in my bedroom.
Was this my football? I couldn’t tell if it was mine, it did look similar to the one I had and I believed this one to be the same as the one I’d lost.
For days afterwards when I meet my friends from whom I’d taken the football, nothing was said. To my relief I never again seen them nor heard any other person suggest I stole a football from them.
When everything was said and done I believed in my heart this was my football and possession is nine tenths of the law so I took personal ownership of it.
Word count:389
Runaway Lovers
My wife lost her fight with cancer two
