Originally posted by wiebe lemstra
Hello Chy
I've learned tons of stuff reading the responses in this thread and others. For one thing the 90 days seams to be a sort of threshold or breakaway period. After that it's maintaining a built up lifestyle (one day at a time). This morning I woke up without serious shaking, and after lots of water and one of my girlfriend's fruit juices, I went to the store. My feet just happened to be going in that direction, so I went along. Yes I pray, and it seems that my Higher Power has taken the physical distress away. Now I guess it's time to stop being a wimp and do what so many people on these boards have done, QUIT. I keep thinking of Freddie Fender - "Wasted Days & Wasted Nights". He was singing about jail time, but this stuff is a volontary jail chosen on a daily basis. I choose it daily! But I WILL reach the point you have, that I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired. Enough. Like Don suggested I'll try a whole 24 hours next time, and then another one, one day at a time.
Take care
Wiebe
Hi, Wiebe,
You sound good. At the risk of repeating myself, there are three things that people who succeed at sobriety have in common:
a commitment to sobriety;
a change in lifestyle;
they plan for urges and practice dealing with them.
This post shows me that you are building the commitment to sobriety and are making steps towards changing the lifestyle. You mention "going in that direction" of the store; that is a case of an urge manifesting itself, seemingly unconsciously, and is something you can plan for. Our daily shopping patterns are a big part of the behavior, and NOT buying alcohol was, for me, the key to NOT drinking in the first few days. Yeah, I can get a drink elsewhere if I really want to, but I might as well not make it easier by having it in the house!
"There will be no alcohol in my body or in my house." I actually said this out loud as I went to the grocery store, until it became a fact rather than just a hope.
While the 90 day milestone was significant, I didn't really notice it at the time. The most significant one for me was the 72 hour one. When you get there you've really broken a physiological cycle in your body. You've changed your blood sugar patterns, you've started a new sleep cycle, and your body is no longer producing the various enzymes and such that have been required to process a continuous stream of alcohol and carbohydrates. 24 hours is a huge step, and 72 hours is when sobriety really "clicked" for me.
By the way, five days after my 72 hours I decided to have a beer. I consciously focused on how it made me feel as alcohol reentered my body. My IMMEDIATE reaction was that I wanted another one. So my rational mind kicked in and said "you obviously like alcohol TOO much for just one."Moderation was obviously not for me, and that was the last drink I've had.
It's great watching as you make these decisions, Wiebe. We're all pulling for you here!
Don S
ps--you're not a wimp.