Originally Posted by
forabetterlife 
Congratulations on one year Auden. So beautifully written, you have touched my heart. As a consistent relapser for over one year, I have gotten a taste of how wonderful a sober life can be. Your words were just what I needed to hear this morning. You deserve every bit of the peace and pride you seem to be feeling right now. One year is amazing, so happy for you
Thank you! I appreciate it. I should have mentioned, this is in no way my first time trying to quit. I tried moderation, tried quitting before, relapsed, relapsed, relapsed. I don't want to give people the impression I have survivor bias; this was definitely a long process, about 5 years.
But it did really help when I let myself imagine living without drinking - no contingency plan, no time limit, just, no more. It was actually easier than overcontrolling the situation.
I know you can do it. Just keep talking, posting, sharing, and learning from "failures". I put failures in quotes because I think our mistakes are incredibly powerful, and worth embracing. They teach us a lot, they motivate, they put things into focus. For an anxious person like myself, they are highly feared but incredibly useful.
Are you sober now? Trying anything differently? Do you want to talk about it?