Originally Posted by
Weasel1966 
At times I find it tough to read the newcomers threads. The pain in them holds a mirror to me. When I first stumbled on SR I had two extreme reactions.
First, I was reading about myself in the words of complete strangers. I thought whoa... Am I that typical?
The second was, wow... Maybe there is hope for me? Others have stopped.
At that time the idea I could ever be happy and joyful was a far off dream and certainly ridiculous. Not any more....
The best way to know you can find happiness and experience joy again is to see it in others who have similar struggles. Not everything is perfect but the weekenders that come here week after week are examples of working hard to make the most out of a sober life.
You can find happiness again. Joy can be felt. Hope is here for the taking.
I find great joy in my sobriety. A sense of calmness that comes from knowing I don't have to ever drink again.
Maybe as we post this week we can tell the newcomers about when we turned that corner. Or perhaps how we are still turning that corner.
Ken
This is so true.
When i first discovered SR/AA I kept on hearing people talking about the 'joy' of being sober. I could understand and relate to everything else they talked about so had to assume there was some kind of collective warped thinking going on if they actually enjoyed it.
But the seeds were planted and I gave sobriety a try. Still early days but a few months sober and I'm glad to say how wrong i was
