Fall Down, Get Up, Repeat If Necessary

By J. Arthur

Author J. Arthur drank steadily for forty years, often with glee but only rarely with restraint. Eventually, however, when lying, cheating, and stealing no longer served; when the alcohol just quit working; when he couldn’t remember why he was mad, sad, confused, and resentful—he had great luck in finding a moment of clarity.

In Fall Down, Get Up, Repeat if Necessary, Arthur shares stories from his life and reveals just how lucky he got in finding that moment. He does not offer a how-to guide to DIY sobriety; instead, he recounts just a smidge of what worked for him. Once he was horrified at the thought of being an alcoholic, a disease for which there is no vaccine, no inoculation. Now he is at peace, knowing there is a fabulous relief when one discovers that treatment exists for this sickness of the mind body and soul.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Jul 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781489729538

J. Arthur

J. Arthur grew up as a mid-western kid and quickly learned the fun of telling stories and using his imagination. His mother would often find him outside weaving captivating and entertaining stories with the neighborhood kids. Now, as a husband, veteran, marketing professional and father, he shares his incredible, amazing, fantastic adventures with his son. This is the first book in the Incredible, Amazing, Fantastic Life of Mr. Smith series.

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Copyright © 2020 J Arthur.

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Cover design credits: Isacc Blais

ISBN: 978-1-4897-2954-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-2953-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020911515

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 09/28/2020

Editor Joan Marie Williams, a beautiful soul,

possessing boundless skill and Wisdom,

I am blessed to call her friend, of many years,

so grateful for her work ...

Thank you Joanie

"This book – in a very down to earth, common sense, cheerful

way – inspires us to hope that change and transformation

are possible, even when we are most down and out."

- Dr. Susan Gleeson, Author of Healing

Soul Misery: Finding Pathway Home

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1     The Lure of Yesterday and the Beacon of Tomorrow: Living Everywhere but Here and Now

Chapter 2     Growing Up on the Prairies: Boyhood and Other Semicatastrophes

Chapter 3     The Long Haul: Just Getting Started

Chapter 4     The Golden Age of Cocktailing: When Drinking Was Kinder and Gentler

Chapter 5     Hitting Bottom: The Medicine Feels Worse than the Disease

Chapter 6     It Begins as a Team Sport: Then It’s a Solitary Game

Chapter 7     Love, Sobriety, and Other Action Figures: My Life as Gumby

Chapter 8     Scratch and Dent Sale: Even a Scuffed-Up Stove Can Roast a Turkey!

Chapter 9     Death of Two Salesmen: The Willy Loman in Each of Us

Chapter 10   Let’s Wrap This Up: Pass the Basket and Say a Prayer

Bibliography

PREFACE

So you gotta quit drinkin’.

Here’s the skinny. This writing adventure was only possible because a lot of folks smarter than I am showed me there was life after alcohol; in fact, there was a whole other way of being in this world that had nothing to do with the shenanigans I associated with extreme consumption. For this I will be grateful as long as I live. And that is, admittedly, for one day at a time.

I had enjoyed a spectacular time with alcohol; it saw me through grand and wonderful life events. Alcohol had accompanied and supported me through world travel, marriages, births, deaths, and friendships. Entwined in those earthly, liquored-up adventures were the many squandered opportunities, unhealthy relationships, bizarre experiences, and unsavory choices. Those boozy days of unmarshaled ego and absent humility are the freshest of memories born from a slowly declouding brain.

God knows