sfgirl

I just read somewhere that people who pass the 5 year mark are extremely likely to stay abstinent and recovered for life. So that seems like a pretty good marker for "considerable" to me. I feel like that is when recovery has probably completely sunk in.


I think because I haven't been in recovery that long and because I am not part of AA or a similar group, I haven't known that many people to go back out.

I just wanted to mention something that I only realized recently when it was taught to me in a class about relapse after long term sobriety. People on this board and in general are often talking about the risk of death in going back out and how fatal alcoholism is. I always thought, well sure, I guess, but I sort of thought it was scare tactics, and that things were being exaggerated. I think though that was me being naive. What I didn't realize is that often when people relapse after long periods of sobriety they go back to drinking like they did just like did before at the exact same amounts and after sobriety their bodies can't handle it. Therefore that puts them at much greater risk. It is such a scary thing. And that makes total sense to me. If I relapsed today I am sure I would go on a bender and drink like I used to. Totally, totally scary. And so sad. One more reason not to relapse and a pretty good one. Unfortunately, rational doesn't really work for preventing relapse.