Originally posted by newdad
Thought I'd post an update on my progress...
snip
This was another attempt to convince myself I can enjoy a few drinks and control it. The urge to keep drinking was too great and I realized It wasn't that enjoyable at all in the end.
That was on March 11, 2003 and I haven't drank since (180 days sober). I am enjoying sobriety much more than any buzz I got off of Vodka. By choosing not to drink, I've been able to accomplish tasks I used to only talk or think about doing. I used to drink to relieve my stress...now I have other much more rewarding means. I used to drink because I thought it made me a better person to be around in social situations...now I realize how that person wasn't even me. I used to drink because I loved the buzz it gave me...now I miss that buzz, but know the consequences and can live hapilly without it.
I'm going to stop marking my days on the calander as sober days from now on. I'll remember March 11, 2003 as the day I had my last drink. That should be good enough from now on and I hope others here will come to a date like that to remember and have the strength to keep it.
Alex
What a great update, Alex!
Thanks for posting this. I think you've demonstrated how a change in your basic beliefs can lead to a change in your behavior.
You've faced the temptation we all deal with after we quit drinking--the desire to drink "moderately"--and recognized that it was unlikely to succeed. You've achieved sobriety after a few lapses, and moved on. As long as you recognize that the temptation to "moderate" may be there again in the future, and have tools in place to deal with that temptation, it sounds as though your lifestyle change is permanent.
Check in again, from time to time. This kind of post helps untold lurkers on this board.
Thanks for posting!
Don S