By: Mauricio Z

Mauricio Z — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:53:26 +0000

My spiritual experience happened in Landstuhl, GE., in rehab. I was in the U.S. Air Force stationed at Ramstein, GE. However, God had a sense of humor and sent me through the U.S. Army alcohol rehab program at Landstuhl hospital. I walked into the rehabilitation treatment facility (RTF) and met one of the facilitators that would help me tremendously. His first comment of me, he said, “I heard that you are a hard nut to crack.” I didn’t know how to answer that but knew that apparently he had read my file and the comments that had been written by the Captain in Social Actions, that I hated for sending me to treatment, with my wife’s consent. On the first week of treatment, I was adamant and stern that no one was going to change me. In fact, I was challenging the facilitators with my knowledge of treatment, conversion, reform, etc., But what I wasn’t aware of was that actually these smart men and women in rehab allowed me to ramp about what I think I knew and eventually, that psychology started working against me, and ended in me fighting myself mentally. During the second weekend, we usually had the days off, and by then I was totally crazy trying to justify and rationalize everything that I had been saying in therapy, to the point that I started to feel pain and my mind was awash with total reality of my predicament, past, present, and future. By this point the people that I had entered treatment with had a pretty good idea that I had problems, mental problems, because I was displaying many symptoms of mental disorders. But, during this weekend I just could not control myself, something had a hold of me and it was driving me absolutely over the edge, I was going to either explode and go crazy for something else was going to happen, I don’t know what. I was in the recreation room by myself, all the rest of the guys were hanging around with each other. And it got to the point where I was going to scream and I had too much pride to do that, so I went to my sleeping bay and my head was going to explode. I was in the room by myself and got into my bed and I was stirring around in bed and just said: “God help me!” And bang, right there and then, I was taken over and placed into a trance. My body was frozen, I could not move and my body was extended, not in a fetal position. And I lay there in bed with tears rolling from my eyes. In my head, all my thoughts were as if in a tornado, just whipping around in my head. Then I felt something that I had never ever have experience. I felt that my head was clearing, and from head to toe, I felt a spirit, as if like a scanner running over my body from head to toe and all around. Today I interpret it as a cleansing and a purification process. I also have thought of it as the same thing as some people in religious programs have experience, a holy spirit conversion. And as I have said, I cannot tell you exactly what it was, I can only describe it as something spiritual. I remained in that stirring trance without moving for about 20 minutes. I also had my eyes open at first and saw the room spinning around in circles, until I closed my eyes. When it was over, I opened my eyes and felt totally relieved. All of the anxiety and stress that I was experiencing from the depress state that I was in, was gone. I got up from bed and could not believe what happen, but was very glad that whatever took place happened. The other thing I felt was happiness and a change. During all of this time in treatment, I had isolated and not spoken with anyone. Now, after this experience, I walked out of that room a free man and my whole outlook changed. Now I was laughing, joking, and talking with everyone. What goes along with my account of my spiritual experience is that before I had arrived to Ramstein, GE., I had been stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH., and had gotten involved in many religious programs, where I had stop drinking for four solid years, and threw myself in Christianity. But after the fourth year, everything had broken up for me. My religious connection had gone down the drain and I began to drink again. In fact, I remember receiving the change of assignment to Germany and saying: Good, they have good beer in Germany. And second, saying: I will never step into another Church as long as I live. On Jan 1, 2011, I’ll have 24 years of sobriety. Thanks to God. I hope that maybe this will inspire others to share in their experience.
Mauricio

By: Shannon H.

Shannon H. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:54:15 +0000

This happened to me too. After a case of beer and a WHOLE lot of hurt feelings I was running around the neiborhood acting like a mixed up crazy drunk.
Like on the road to Damascus a White Light appeared above in front of me, I fell to my knees and my hands flew up in the air in praise and a cool fire passed through me and I was immediately sober. Since I’m a Christian drunk I wasn’t blinded but I got a chance to see myself as God sees me without drinking.
I was an upright, straight minded, clear thinking sober person that has a lot of worth to Him. No matter what evil people do or say behind my back, I am special to Him and Jesus.
The same thing happened to my Uncle Albert Weaver. He was going to burn down the Baptist Church in his town in West Virginia and he was as drunk as a skunk. Here was a man totally illiterate (except to write his name) and in a couple of days picked up the Bible and read it from cover to cover, year after year and became a Baptist Minister.

Comments on: 1934 BILL WILSON’S “HOT FLASH”

By: Mauricio Z

By: Shannon H.