DriGuy

I was reluctant to make that commitment too. I knew I didn't want to drink again, but I was making allowances for bizarre situations, like developing Tourette's Syndrome, or demonic possession, which I didn't believe in, but, you know, just in case... When I got my head out of the clouds and my feet back on the ground, I decided to stop being unrealistic. There is nothing outside myself that has that kind of power to make me drink if I don't want to drink... NOTHING! The only reasonable motivation would be that I simply wanted to drink. But that motivation is not reasonable or logical when you know where it is going to end. I've got the ultimate defense against relapses based on flawed logic, which all relapses are by the way; I can choose not to drink. Why not commit to never choosing alcohol again? Are you expecting an unforeseen emergency, where drinking will be necessary? Reality check: There is no such emergency.

Congratulations on 12 years. You're doing well, but you can still commit to never drinking. Just do it and see what happens. You might be surprised. I was, but of course we are all different. I probably should not preach to a person with 12 years under their belt. But after all my sober time, I'm still figuring things out. It never ends. Every once in a while some newcomer will give me a bit of insight that I had missed before. But congratulations again.