.
My own Path, Tatsy, is to approach
All Things Recovery quite like the Evening News: I carefully take in only measured doses of either. In the last few Weeks, I've cut my Evening News intake to nearly zero.
I drank increasingly hard over 42 Years. Honest to gosh, I've never thought about 'lost time', or wallowed in 'Regret_itis'. While I personally don't believe in Predestination, I
do believe that it took me exactly 42 Years of that Existence to achieve the Plane of my current Sober Existence. Really. I don't believe there's a 'Speed Sobriety' Path anymore than there's a 'Speed Meditation/Enlightenment Breakthrough' Path. *Giggle*
If there were some magical Shortcut - including listening prior to Advice from those contently Sober - I would have taken it. But, there wasn't. I carry this profound Understanding forward, and read in very measured doses about Relapses, and really trashed Lives here. And, hear about them IRL, of course.
Quite sparingly. My Sobriety is not enhanced by me bumming out.
Personally, I think about all we can do is provide Witness, and hope it infuses into a few Folks. I view it as a measure of my own State Of Recovery that I can provide 'only' that, and be
satisfied with providing 'only' that. It's not as though I can strap an Electronic Helmet onto someone, and hit a Switch to Neurally jolt 'Sober Experience' into them, eh?
In any case, I hope you hit your stride on this, and on other challenging aspects of Recovery. IMO, truly Recovered Folks don't give me guff about 'my way'. They nod, and support it w/o condesension, or in a tone dripping with hints that I'll fail someday. I just don't see an upside to that POV, so I don't hang with those exhibiting it. Either here, or IRL. Personally, I believe you can stay here on SR
and limit your dose of anything frustrating.
If that's what
you want to do. It's Work sometimes, to be sure. Meanwhile, one recurring Theme in Stories is that Folks Sober up when they make the Soul-deep Commitment to do so. The chosen, successful Regimen then follows from that Soul-deep Decision. You appear to have that Commitment. Who cares what 'Month' *in* you were when you experienced that Epiphany? ~42 Years... ~20 Years... I don't think the Calendar matters much re: a Personal Sober Epiphany. So, I reject that Calendar-based Construct.
There's too much Sober 'Positive' out there to bask in, and emulate. To be a Sober 'Winner', hang with Sober Winners - wherever - working a Regimen
you can relate to, and see the sense of. Ironically, some Folks being all busy concerning themselves with lil Sober Metrics and 'approved' Guidelines miss out, IMO, on the essence of simply Living Sober. It's as if they're so busy planning the next stop on their Vacation, they forget to
enjoy their Vacation.
- Don't Give Up ~ Peter Gabriel -
.