Hi SB. I love that idea. It helped me in early sobriety as thinking of moving towards the light. I embraced the fact that I only had to do this once, and the climb out of the hole was difficult, yet the fact that my life started to fall back in place was such a reward.
To me sobriety isn't about what we are depriving ourselves of, it is the fact that so many things once again become possible. I was 47 when I got sober (about 4 years ago). I didn't have any legal, financial or marital issues but my life was in tatters. I remember that period as being immersed in darkness, it was suffocating.
My health improved so dramatically. In fact my doctor told me my blood work was excellent last month....
. I have gotten back to being fit and athletic. I take care of myself and I take care of my family. My home was in chaos when I quit, now it is fairly organized. I always smile when I think about the fact that most normal people wouldn't understand how monumental it is to be current on all doctor and dentist appointments, know when the car needs to be serviced, have my hair colored.
It is not that I can't drink, it is that I don't drink. I am a non-drinker, that part of my life is over. I read a lot about the power of habit. There are strong neurological pulls that create habit loops and breaking out of that cycle is really uncomfortable at first. But no one has ever died from being uncomfortable. Expect to be anxious but know that you will not feel like that forever.
Alcohol is such a small thing to give up in light of everything that quitting brings. I was so sick of being owned by it. Hiding the bottles, worrying about getting more, more , more. My world had telescoped down, and my sense of time was so eroded, I could only get through the day, the basics.
Quitting is choosing to stop poisoning ourselves. Once we remove that poison we are forced to find other, healthier, ways to live. I think WHOLE is a perfect way to describe that!