Yes, it's true about the horses and as far as I know, about the tumbleweeds too.
In regard to my drinking and sobriety and my story, it's a bumpy one. I'm not sober at the moment. Had been moderating quite well a few months ago but as time has passed and life has gotten harder, I have drank more days than not.
I wish I could have a better answer for you.
I do have sobriety success stories, though. Once I stopped for 2 1/2 years. I believe I was delivered from my desire to drink after I had a very emotional phone conversation with a life-long friend half way across the country. I did a lot of "laying it on the table" and I think in purging my soul that way, I was blessed.
I ran with the gift I had been given and I didn't find it hard at all not to drink. I'd be on my way to work and I'd drive past the liquor store that I always used to frequent. I'd turn my eyes away and just say, "Thank you, Lord."
Around the 2 year mark I started wanting to drink again. I started feeling I was missing something and somehow it felt punitive. I know my life had gotten more complicated and my anxiety was rising but I couldn't just "urge surf" through it. Eventually I gave in and have been drinking ever since.
I have had a few months sobriety. The most recent was in the beginning of February-April or so. Almost 2 1/2 months. Made an exception and started to drink and haven't gone more than a couple weeks sober since then. This past 30 days or so, I can't even get 2 sober days to rub together.
I'm back to the place where I've been over and over, knowing there's nothing at the bottom of the well but I keep taking the next drink. I need to stop. It just has to end. Even when I moderate successfully, life happens and the patterns keep repeating and as I've heard someone say, it's exhausting to have to keep revisiting those same decisions again and again.
So, there it is. I'm drinking right now. Tomorrow I'll be attempting another sober run. I have to stop.