When I decided to stop drinking, I just stopped. That was the easy part. Staying stopped was the issue, so I went to some AA meetings, found a counselor that has experience with addiciton issues and grabbed on to any and every piece of motivation I could muster. I made a lifelong committment to sobriety, this wasn't about a break, no 30 days, 60 days.. year... it's a life change, and that's how I had to approach it. Mere absitnence had very little to do with changing my life.
My counselor in some of those first days (I saw him 2x a week for about 6 months) recommended a few books for me to pour myself and my mind into, and laid down some very simple rules for quitting drinking. 1. Don't buy alcohol. 2. Don't accept drinks purchased for me. 3. Stay away from drinking events. 4. Find new ways to spend my time, doing ANYTHING besides drinking. Seems simple right? At the core, it is. But the deeper and longer lasting issues had to be addressed as well. Some people find their journey through a program like AA, SMART recovery, in a rehab center, outpatient rehab, counseling like I did, coming here and participating in a recovery community, all of the above. I had to be willing to do and try anything to get and stay sober, I had to want sobriety more than I wanted another drink.. I think next month will be 14 months, which to me matters not as I am now a non-drinker, and I live my life sober.. and plan to for the rest of what I have left.
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