Question for sobriety veterans - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

steamvessel · 04-17-2008, 05:41 PM

Do you ever get to the point of not wanting to drink anymore? Or, is it still on the back of your mind? Would you classify wanting alcohol as a need because you know you can't drink it, or would you prefer not to drink anymore anyways because you enjoy sobriety better? I know the answer may not be black or white, but I am curious because my hope is that I become sober so long that I really don't want or need alcohol anymore. I'm not completely naive to the fact that there are times where I will get the desire, but do you really want to drink anymore?

***nandm*** · 04-17-2008, 06:07 PM

Ok, I'll bite although I don't know that I can be considered a sobriety veteran. I have 7 years sober.

Quote:

Originally Posted by steamvessel

Do you ever get to the point of not wanting to drink anymore? Or, is it still on the back of your mind?

I rarely even have it cross my mind anymore. I probably have thought about drinking once at the most twice in the past year. Even then it was a fleeting thought not the nagging obsesssion. I lost that nagging obsession early in sobriety, after working through the steps of AA I found that my mind didn't spin about drinking anymore.

Quote:

Would you classify wanting alcohol as a need because you know you can't drink it, or would you prefer not to drink anymore anyways because you enjoy sobriety better?

Good question and you are right there is no black and white answer for me. I know that for me to drink is to commit slow suicide that hurts every person who cares about me while I am going down. As far as prefering not to drink, yes, I prefer not to drink. I have friends who drink, they drink normally have one or two and have no problem leaving a glass half empty. Being around them when they have a glass doesn't bother me. I have even bought them a gift of a nice bottle of wine before. I enjoy my life more sober. I am able to live my life rather than be a bystander wishing I could participate. When I drank, I dreamed of all the things I wanted to do but either never got around to doing them or was too drunk while doing them to truly enjoy them. Sober I not only have found the time (and money now that I am not wasting it on alcohol) but also can truly enjoy the experience for what it is and remember it. Here are some of the things I only dreamed of doing while I drank but have been able to do since I got sober.

Learn to drive a motorcycle
Take a motorcycle trip through Canada and several states
Go to Mauii
SCUBA dive
Return to school to pursue my dreams
Take an Alaskan cruise
Have a healthy and strong relationship without the constant nagging insecurities I had while drinking
Find true friends; the kind that are there through thick and thin
Learn to love and accept myself for who I am
and the list could go on and on.....and will continue as long as I stay sober

Quote:

.... but do you really want to drink anymore?

Definately the answer here is easy, NO. I have no desire to drink anymore.

Not sure if any of that makes sense but those are my thoughts on your questions.

Freedom1990 · 04-17-2008, 06:09 PM

I couldn't tell you the last time the thought of a drink crossed my mind. When it does, it's fleeting at best.

I stuck around long enough to experience so many miracles in my life, and that was one of them.

That's a far cry from my early days when I would go grocery shopping and get the sweats walking past the beer cooler!

1963comet · 04-17-2008, 07:08 PM

I never think about drinking any more. I have over 7 years without drinking. It's about the same feeling that an x-smoker feels about smoking.

NoelleR · 04-17-2008, 08:05 PM

I'm going to try to answer your questions, point by point, similar to the way nandm did.....

But first.....Freedom1990 reminded me of something.....in reading their post I was reminded of the one and only time I 'thought' about drinking.....I was about 7-10 days sober and had to fly home for my mom (from Houston to San Francisco). Many folks here may remember the thoughts: why not? who's gonna know?.....lol But all I had to do was sit back with my coffee and/or coke and watch the young woman across the isle.....slammin' back beers like they were goin' outta style, and of course a couple of mixed drinks (before dinner cocktails, if you will).....Then, about 1/4 of the way through her dinner she throws up............uuuuuuggggggggghhhhhhh ..... her only statement was: it musta been bad food.....lol, yeh, right.....

Since that time, not a thought (not a serious one, anyway). Last year, when I got my 21 year chip, I called a friend of mine in the program, who also received her 21 year chip the same month.....and as we decided on where we would go for our annual anniversary dinner, I jokingly said, "Well, alrighty now.....let's go get blasted....!" Of course it was a joke, and we both laughed....and BTW, in case you're wondering, we did NOT go get blasted...lol

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

....and now to the OP questions.....

"Do you ever get to the point of not wanting to drink anymore?" -- YES

"Would you classify wanting alcohol as a need because you know you can't drink it, or would you prefer not to drink anymore anyways because you enjoy sobriety better?" -- Unlike nandm, this one is black & white for me. Since I do not WANT alcohol, I obviously don't classify wanting alcohol as anything....and I definitely prefer not to drink because I enjoy sobriety (I don't know about the better part, just I enjoy sobriety.....period).

"my hope is that I become sober so long that I really don't want or need alcohol anymore." -- You can get there; just be patient; it'll come....honest, would I lie.....hehehehehe

"I'm not completely naive to the fact that there are times where I will get the desire..." -- Fact....? Well, I don't know about that. That one instance for me on the plane wasn't a desire, just a fleeting thought...and I know some others who've never had a desire to drink after getting into recovery, so it is possible.....One thing though, if you feel it is a fact; that you WILL get the desire, then I guarantee you will.

"...but do you really want to drink anymore?" absolutely not, I do NOT want to drink any more.....and I won't..... (o:

I hope this answers your questions.........at least from my ES&H, which is the only answers I have..... (o: You're new to recovery/sobriety, Jeff, so just be patient; take one step at a time; one day at a time.....remember, we didn't become alcoholics in one day, we don't attain recovery/sobriety in one day either.

NoelleR

P.S. Like 1963comet said.....I, too, never think about drinking any more; drinking/not drinking is a NON-issue for me

barb dwyer · 04-17-2008, 11:54 PM

I've only got 18-19 months sober - but I don'twant to drink.

I've always had alcohol around - but didn't start drinking ...

not like an alcoholic - until I was 43.

It wasn't a 'fight' or anything for those first 43 years
I just had other things I preferred to do.
I knew what I was because of my family -
and my personality -
so I stayed away from it.

I'm glad for that because - now ...
I just stay away from it again.

splendra · 04-18-2008, 03:25 AM

I would say that after I got a year clean that going back to drinking had very little appeal to me. Every now and again the thought of having a drink pops up and my liver always goes ahead and votes no! I can actually feel something in the area of my liver when I think about getting drunk for a half minute it feels like a really bad bad hang over. After my last drunk I had such a bad hangover that my body will not let me forget how it felt I guess.

It is not difficult at all to not drink for me and I very rarely even think about it at all.

barb dwyer · 04-18-2008, 03:43 AM

Splendra - that is a great post -

and I wanted to add -

Knowing without a doubt that this ...

is the last chance I get.

steamvessel · 04-18-2008, 09:13 AM

Thanks all, this is very helpful and encouraging. Really makes me want to be in the shoes of you that have quit for a long time and are not looking back. That's where I want to be.

sailorjohn · 04-18-2008, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steamvessel

Thanks all, this is very helpful and encouraging. Really makes me want to be in the shoes of you that have quit for a long time and are not looking back. That's where I want to be.

I can't say I remember happy moments from those days. "Remember the time" doesn't come to mind, ever. I do have flashes, had one last night, they come and go pretty rapidly, with the end being that it isn't a solution to the problem of living today. And I don't have to go back to remind myself of how bad it really was, all I have to do is listen to the stories of the newcomers.

WELCOME

lovingseren · 04-25-2008, 05:21 PM

I will be five years sober in about 6 months.

I rarely, if ever, think about drinking.

It is no longer a part of me.

Mostly I am much too busy in my New Life!

Hang in there, as time passes, you learn to live in the Now!

I love sobriety, it has changed my entire life.

Seren

**best** · 04-25-2008, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steamvessel

would you prefer not to drink anymore anyways because you enjoy sobriety better?

Yup

navysteve · 05-12-2008, 08:22 AM

Thanks to the twleve steps I rarely ever think of alcohol. If tempted i recoil as if from a hot flame ( where did I hear that one???) Booze is not my master today friend. The steps have liberated me and I have recovered from a hopeless state. YOu can too

Gertiegirl · 05-12-2008, 06:02 PM

Wow - this is an inspiring thread! I cannot imagine feeling that way about alcohol, early days for me yet huh! But this thread just gave me the boost I needed to continue to live only oneday at a time and see where it leads. Thanks all!

**CarolD** · 05-12-2008, 06:08 PM

It took me finishing the AA Steps
before I quit considering taking another drink.

Had I known that ..
.I would have worked harder sooner.

I do hope you too will keep moving forward
Recovery Rocks!

navysteve · 05-12-2008, 06:50 PM

Gertie,
Believe it. And it can happen for you too. Read the Big Book and incorporate it into your life. It is easy, yet so elusive, but so worth it!

04-17-2008, 05:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
steamvessel Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 337	Question for sobriety veterans Do you ever get to the point of not wanting to drink anymore? Or, is it still on the back of your mind? Would you classify wanting alcohol as a need because you know you can't drink it, or would you prefer not to drink anymore anyways because you enjoy sobriety better? I know the answer may not be black or white, but I am curious because my hope is that I become sober so long that I really don't want or need alcohol anymore. I'm not completely naive to the fact that there are times where I will get the desire, but do you really want to drink anymore?

04-17-2008, 06:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
Freedom1990 Zoo Crew Keeper Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Kansas Posts: 519	I couldn't tell you the last time the thought of a drink crossed my mind. When it does, it's fleeting at best. I stuck around long enough to experience so many miracles in my life, and that was one of them. That's a far cry from my early days when I would go grocery shopping and get the sweats walking past the beer cooler!
	__________________ DeVon & the Zoo Crew "Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog." ~Sydney Jeanne Seward

04-17-2008, 07:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
1963comet Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,232	I never think about drinking any more. I have over 7 years without drinking. It's about the same feeling that an x-smoker feels about smoking.
	__________________ Just Maybe... It is true that we do not know what we have until we lose it, But it is also true we do not know what we have been missing until it Arrives.

04-17-2008, 11:54 PM	#6 (permalink)
barb dwyer same planet...different world Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: butte mt Posts: 6,957	I've only got 18-19 months sober - but I don'twant to drink. I've always had alcohol around - but didn't start drinking ... not like an alcoholic - until I was 43. It wasn't a 'fight' or anything for those first 43 years I just had other things I preferred to do. I knew what I was because of my family - and my personality - so I stayed away from it. I'm glad for that because - now ... I just stay away from it again.
	__________________ ~ do you remember who you really are? ~

04-18-2008, 03:25 AM	#7 (permalink)
splendra the girl can't help it Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: splendraville Posts: 4,483	I would say that after I got a year clean that going back to drinking had very little appeal to me. Every now and again the thought of having a drink pops up and my liver always goes ahead and votes no! I can actually feel something in the area of my liver when I think about getting drunk for a half minute it feels like a really bad bad hang over. After my last drunk I had such a bad hangover that my body will not let me forget how it felt I guess. It is not difficult at all to not drink for me and I very rarely even think about it at all.
	__________________ nice has a hisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

04-17-2008, 08:05 PM	#5 (permalink)
NoelleR Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 418	I'm going to try to answer your questions, point by point, similar to the way nandm did..... But first.....Freedom1990 reminded me of something.....in reading their post I was reminded of the one and only time I 'thought' about drinking.....I was about 7-10 days sober and had to fly home for my mom (from Houston to San Francisco). Many folks here may remember the thoughts: why not? who's gonna know?.....lol But all I had to do was sit back with my coffee and/or coke and watch the young woman across the isle.....slammin' back beers like they were goin' outta style, and of course a couple of mixed drinks (before dinner cocktails, if you will).....Then, about 1/4 of the way through her dinner she throws up............uuuuuuggggggggghhhhhhh ..... her only statement was: it musta been bad food.....lol, yeh, right..... Since that time, not a thought (not a serious one, anyway). Last year, when I got my 21 year chip, I called a friend of mine in the program, who also received her 21 year chip the same month.....and as we decided on where we would go for our annual anniversary dinner, I jokingly said, "Well, alrighty now.....let's go get blasted....!" Of course it was a joke, and we both laughed....and BTW, in case you're wondering, we did NOT go get blasted...lol ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ....and now to the OP questions..... "Do you ever get to the point of not wanting to drink anymore?" -- YES "Would you classify wanting alcohol as a need because you know you can't drink it, or would you prefer not to drink anymore anyways because you enjoy sobriety better?" -- Unlike nandm, this one is black & white for me. Since I do not WANT alcohol, I obviously don't classify wanting alcohol as anything....and I definitely prefer not to drink because I enjoy sobriety (I don't know about the better part, just I enjoy sobriety.....period). "my hope is that I become sober so long that I really don't want or need alcohol anymore." -- You can get there; just be patient; it'll come....honest, would I lie.....hehehehehe "I'm not completely naive to the fact that there are times where I will get the desire..." -- Fact....? Well, I don't know about that. That one instance for me on the plane wasn't a desire, just a fleeting thought...and I know some others who've never had a desire to drink after getting into recovery, so it is possible.....One thing though, if you feel it is a fact; that you WILL get the desire, then I guarantee you will. "...but do you really want to drink anymore?" absolutely not, I do NOT want to drink any more.....and I won't..... (o: I hope this answers your questions.........at least from my ES&H, which is the only answers I have..... (o: You're new to recovery/sobriety, Jeff, so just be patient; take one step at a time; one day at a time.....remember, we didn't become alcoholics in one day, we don't attain recovery/sobriety in one day either. NoelleR P.S. Like 1963comet said.....I, too, never think about drinking any more; drinking/not drinking is a NON-issue for me

04-18-2008, 03:43 AM	#8 (permalink)
barb dwyer same planet...different world Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: butte mt Posts: 6,957	Splendra - that is a great post - and I wanted to add - Knowing without a doubt that this ... is the last chance I get.
	__________________ ~ do you remember who you really are? ~

04-18-2008, 09:13 AM	#9 (permalink)
steamvessel Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 337	Thanks all, this is very helpful and encouraging. Really makes me want to be in the shoes of you that have quit for a long time and are not looking back. That's where I want to be.

04-25-2008, 05:21 PM	#11 (permalink)
lovingseren Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Vancouver BC Posts: 375	I will be five years sober in about 6 months. I rarely, if ever, think about drinking. It is no longer a part of me. Mostly I am much too busy in my New Life! Hang in there, as time passes, you learn to live in the Now! I love sobriety, it has changed my entire life. Seren
	__________________ My recovery program is Women For Sobriety WFS Sober since Oct 2003

05-12-2008, 08:22 AM	#13 (permalink)
navysteve Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: pennsylvania Posts: 294	Thanks to the twleve steps I rarely ever think of alcohol. If tempted i recoil as if from a hot flame ( where did I hear that one???) Booze is not my master today friend. The steps have liberated me and I have recovered from a hopeless state. YOu can too

05-12-2008, 06:02 PM	#14 (permalink)
Gertiegirl Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Whoville (with Horton) Posts: 50	Wow - this is an inspiring thread! I cannot imagine feeling that way about alcohol, early days for me yet huh! But this thread just gave me the boost I needed to continue to live only oneday at a time and see where it leads. Thanks all!

05-12-2008, 06:08 PM	#15 (permalink)
CarolD Forum Leader Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Dallas, Ga. USA Posts: 13,002	It took me finishing the AA Steps before I quit considering taking another drink. Had I known that .. .I would have worked harder sooner. I do hope you too will keep moving forward Recovery Rocks!
	__________________ Each Day Sober Is A Victory!! Joy In AA Recovery...

05-12-2008, 06:50 PM	#16 (permalink)
navysteve Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: pennsylvania Posts: 294	Gertie, Believe it. And it can happen for you too. Read the Big Book and incorporate it into your life. It is easy, yet so elusive, but so worth it!

05-12-2008, 07:43 PM	#17 (permalink)
LosingmyMisery Days of the New