Originally Posted by
lessgravity 
I've often tried to identify exactly what is different for me finally. And the truth is I can't say for certain that it's just one thing. I think most generally I can say that I just grew so sick and tired of the same horrid, self destructive cycle. The level of being fed up with that life became just too much for me to deal with anymore.
Maybe it's age, I'm 41. Maybe it's the fact that I just had my second child. But then again those things don't necessarily stop other people, nor did having my son or a life of high responsibility and stress cause me to stop previously. I think that I had in place a number of things which needed me to be at my best. I think I have the tools via meditation, fitness and this website that I was able to fully put into place to carry my sobriety forward. I also just think that I finally after all these years grew up. I can't say for certain why I grew up, but I feel like an adult for the first time in my life. And it turns out it's a pretty terrific feeling.
Thank you for your introspective post.
Sounds to me like your values trumped your addiction. That's what happened when thousands of Vietnam Vets came back to the US having been previously addicted to heroin. That's what happened with 40% of people quit smoking when the Surgeon General put a cancer warning on cigarettes. That's what happened even with rats (Rat Park) when the preferred company of other rats and objects to play with instead of isolation and drugs.
Dennis Prager, at Prager University, summarizes what is most important in life. "What is the most important thing in life? Money? Happiness? Love? Those things are certainly important, but what matters most is good values. What are values? They are what we consider more important than our feelings. For instance, just about everyone feels like eating junk food, but if you eat whatever you feel like eating you will end up obese and unhealthy. So then, what stops people from eating all the food they feel like eating? The answer is good values. Indeed a lack of good values is the root of virtually everything wrong with the world. We should act based on values rather than our feelings."