I'd be happy to provide an update and maybe a little background. And thank you, ShineBright7.
I didn't choose the style as a sort of device, there was no hypothetical recipient. I really did write it to a real person, let's say, X. We started on our sobriety at about the same time, but X's was a little more protracted. It started from a heavy 2000 mg daily oxy addiction with a fifth of vodka, and moved through a medically assisted detox before a return home to family.
That was in September 2011, and since then, X has gone from near death to glowing health, gaining back almost 30 lbs. I went from nearly a fifth of vodka daily to zero back in August 2011 on that day, and haven't taken a drink since. My depression and anxiety have all but disappeared and my anti D meds have been replaced many months ago with healthy pursuits that some might describe as vital, absorbing and creative interests.
I wrote my note to X almost a year ago when X was trying to fit my ideas into a 12 step framework, and that explains why my note took the form it did. We talked about it, and we agreed to post it here.
Since that time, our thoughts about sobriety have grown more aligned with AVRT and changed a bit as mindfulness and acceptance have become a focus, but we have never wavered from the main tenets. Our Big Plans are secure from the vantage of a retrospective of our past hells, and our expectation of a life free from addiction is being met in every present moment. We don't really get urges now the way we did 20 or 21 months ago, and when a thought of a drink does blow in, it dissipates again quickly. We believe as a matter of self identity in our ability to remain sober for ever, and dismiss doubt as, well, you know.
X's sobriety is now a busy, engaged and present life, much too full to spend much time on SR now. No 12 steps for X either. My sobriety has a busy life for me too, and I am finding what I am looking for as I continue to grow and learn. I find it very satisfying to post here and I am thankful for the friends I have made.