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Sobriety, something new for me...

I guess I had it easy kicking drugs and alcohol - if I even start to catch a buzz I get these huge merciless white knuckle panic attacks! I mean jump out the window attacks..But you know what?I like being straight now even though it was forced on me..never thought i'd see that day!
 
If you don't already do it, this is a great time to get into sports, working out, yoga, etc. Compared to the abuse drinkers put their bodies through, a hard workout doesn't seem that bad, at least not to me. We are tougher than we realize! I hope you able to use your newfound freetime and energy for something that builds you up. Stick to it!
 
Ditto the above post..
Relapse is normal, but not required.
Want to talk about it? PM me with your phone number.
 
Mister Tawny said:
Anyway after a decade of hard drinking, tonight marks the 3rd night of sobriety. I tried AA and it didn't work for me. But for now I'll see if I can find the path to make it stick. Nothing earth shattering for the rest of you, but for me it's a big deal. Anyone with any advice is greatly appreciated.....
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a decade? (not to make light of your situation)

whew! try on almost three and a half decades for size, jan '74 til summer of '06, mostly whiskey with beer. even went to rehab back in '94; it kept me sober for about 3 months, then it was back to the races until about 3 years ago when i simply lost interest in drinking.

guess i decided i'd rather put a little quality of life back into my life.

find other stuff to attract your interest, different hobbies, new job, stay busy.
the 3.5 decades i was a stone drunk was a total waste of my life.

i hope you can overcome the addiction (not that an addict ever does totally) and get on with your life.
 
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I tripped up twice at the 60 day mark. I mentioned it at a meeting and an old shool dude told me I was an idiot. He explained that there was no day 60, evry day was it's own deal, and all any of have is today.:scratch2: I haven't had a drink since, and that was 5 years ago. Turns out that guy is a barber in town and now I stop in his shop all the time. He's a cool old biker type dude.:yes:
 
jayk said:
a decade? (not to make light of your situation)

whew! try on almost three and a half decades for size, jan '74 til summer of '06, mostly whiskey with beer. even went to rehab back in '94; it kept me sober for about 3 months, then it was back to the races until about 3 years ago when i simply lost interest in drinking.

guess i decided i'd rather put a little quality of life back into my life.

find other stuff to attract your interest, different hobbies, new job, stay busy.
the 3.5 decades i was a stone drunk was a total waste of my life.

i hope you can overcome the addiction (not that an addict ever does totally) and get on with your life.
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Mine was a sobriety that lasted from 16 until 39, then I decided to drink. Now I list a few categories of drinkers:

Social: Drinks at a party with friends

Convivial: Invites a few friends over and has a few cockails.

Party: Likes to go out on the weekends occasionally and get hammered

Sport: Drinks to show his friends how it's done

Olympic: Drinks on a regular basis to stay in training, occasionally loses a night or 2


Olympic medalist: Someone who can't remember most nights once they have started drinking more than 5 times a week...


Dead.... See above^^^^

I have a sense of humor about it now that I am 12 days out. But in a lot of ways I have a lot to atone for. My drinking was to the point it was 300 to 350 ml of 95% ethanol on a nightly basis. Everclear with a chaser, 4 double shots, sometimes 5.

I am having to confront a lot of the demons that brought me here in the first place now too. The abuse I tried to forget. The night terrors that kept me from sleeping, and the physical pain that made it worse. But I am past the stage of wanting to drink. Now I just want to figure the next step. I am sober and thoughtful, but that in a lot of ways makes it tougher...
 
Keep us updated please. I had a food addiction (candy, carbs at night watching TV) and weighed over 350 lbs. Now down to 214.

Arkay's advice is GOLDEN! At the hospital where alcoholics are committed against their will (I was there) one of the first things they do is a HUGE shot of vitamin B-12. Try a time release b-100 complex. Do not waste money on non time release.

Dave
 
Congrats. I was a hard partier (drinking AND drugs) from 17 until 35. At 35 I made a descision along the lines of "I'm getting too old for this sh*t" That was my mantra for a long time. After a while I didn't even miss it. 4 years ago, I added smoking to the list of things I'm too old for. Now it's being overweight. I've just dropped close to 20 lbs.

If you want to quit drinking, you have to want to quit; that's half the battle. Way to go! Keep going.
 
No craving for alcohol at all. I miss the effect, but it's not earth shattering to not get it. So I keep at it and plug away. I did want to stop for a lot of reasons.

The one most important to me was remembering in the morning what I did the night before. When I finally hit that wall it was time to step back.

I have a party (rave) this next weekend, and alcohol is a banned substance, and my kids are all coming through for me. They are proud and happy too. So it's going to be the closest to a fully clean event the bay is likely to see in a long time.

I will keep you all updated as life marches on....

BTW the GF returns from a nearly 2 month absence to see her new grand daughter into the world. I can't wait to see her and hold her, with nothing bit love and no booze in me.
 
Well done and best of luck. Thanks for sharing your story, with soem luck you may inspire others to make changes they didn't feel strong enough to make
 
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caddisgeek said:
Well done and best of luck. Thanks for sharing your story, with soem luck you may inspire others to make changes they didn't feel strong enough to make
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It isn't strength you need, just a desire. Anyone needing any help or advice please feel free to mail me!
 
Just a quick note...AA hasn't worked out for me, but sobriety has taken hold and is now my natural state of being. Not to say an occasional cider wouldn't be tough to resist, I am not having any problems with life. Now if the rest of my life would fit as smoothly.

I just want to say thank you to all of you who have been there and the support I have gotten. I know there is a reason I love this board. In the rave world we use a term you might like, PLURR. Peace, Love, Unity, Respect and Responsibility, I have found it here in so many ways! Thanks again!
 
Hi, I've got 22 years without a drink, and did the first seven years while going to AA. I went to a LOT of meetings my first few years, and very long story very short, it just about drove me crazy. If you're thinking of going to AA (as some are bound to say you should), you should at least see what people say against it as well as for it - check out the websites Orange Papers and More Revealed.

At a couple years into AA I saw a PBS Nova episode with James Randi where he said a few words about not drinking and not using drugs that I found very pertinent. It's at about two minutes into this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acfHRGxwV_E
It was quite simple and clear for me, though I haven't had a serious thought of drinking since the first few months after my last drink, but it still took me several more years before I left AA.

I also quit smoking at about four years, unfortunately, with going to all those meetings, I picked up a horrible coffee-drinking habit. :) But overall I managed to live a much healthier life, physically and mentally. After quitting smoking I started running and did a half marathon as well as a few sprint triathlons. Not bad for never having run a mile in my life up to that point.

I no longer consider myself "sober" or a "recovering alcoholic" - I decided many years ago that I'm just a non-drinker among other things, and I don't choose to label myself as a "this" or a "that."

So congratulations on quitting drinking, it'll make it a lot easier to go out and live a good life doing more of what you want to do. Think of all that high-end gear you'll be able to buy with the money you're saving from not buying booze!

Ben, living one lifetime at a time. :)
 
Well just over 3 months and still sober. Not even a real thought about drinking again. I do miss the social aspects sometimes, but not too bad.

Didn't work things out with AA but I have found my own approach. I am lucky that I have never really liked the taste of alcohol. Seems to work, but until a year or more I won't crow too loudly.

I did think you all deserved an update. I don't know where I would have been without you all. Thanks for the support....
 
Mister Tawny said:
Well just over 3 months and still sober. Not even a real thought about drinking again. I do miss the social aspects sometimes, but not too bad.

Didn't work things out with AA but I have found my own approach. I am lucky that I have never really liked the taste of alcohol. Seems to work, but until a year or more I won't crow too loudly.

I did think you all deserved an update. I don't know where I would have been without you all. Thanks for the support....
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Very, very good news- my best to you as you continue on. Thanks for sharing.

:thmbsp:

je
 
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