My First Post - One Month Free From Alcohol
Hello all, I have been following these forums religiously for the last month helping myself to get sober. This is my first post as I have been somewhat scared to get involved thus far. I wrote something for myself earlier today, which I have decided to share. Thank you for reading.
Monday March 25, 2013
People in our society love to celebrate holidays and special events. It may be a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, or a long weekend due to a statutory holiday. These events are relatively easy to celebrate as we already know what to expect and how to go about preparing for them. Today however I am faced with a celebration I don’t quite know how to handle, as I have never experienced it before. Today I am celebrating one month of sobriety.
This past month has been full of ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and a lot of self-discovery. I have been an alcoholic for the majority of my adult life, and at the age of 27 I feel that I am really starting to discover myself for the first time.
On average I was consuming a case of beer a day, and when I made the conscious decision to stop, I spent the first week of sobriety going through severe withdrawal both physically and mentally. Anyone who has legitimately gone through withdrawal from a substance knows that this is an anguish one cannot easily describe. I was committed to the process of change though, with a goal of one month in mind. Taking life day by day, I only asked for the support of my roommate and my sister.
I have been so focused on alcohol for so long, that it became all that mattered to me, and I lost sight of what it means to truly live a fulfilling life. I had given up on my hopes and dreams, my career aspirations, my hobbies, my friends, and essentially had given up on life entirely. It is now however, at one month, that I am beginning to see these long lost ideas re-enter my mind with intensity.
I am at a stage where I am ready to develop both short and long term plans for myself. I am ready to look at my past not with regret, but as something I had to go through to get me to where I am today. I am ready to look at today as an opportunity to create something of value and enjoyment. Lastly, I am ready to look at the future with optimism and anticipation.
The one thing that I know is that I want to create value for others. This may be through a business venture, through the sharing of knowledge and experiences, or through volunteering and service. I don’t know yet, but I am starting to realise it is just as important to go through the process of discovery, as it is to come up with an end result.
So to celebrate one month of sobriety I am not having a party, or even having a social gathering. This accomplishment is one that I will be celebrating silently, with a smile and the knowledge that I am now committed to a better lifestyle. I have done something that one month ago I did not think I could ever do.
-Sabin