joelle

You guys are fantastic....thank you so much for the helpful replies.

Tazman53

Joelle for many years all stress, joy, or any thing in my life was handled by drinking, when I first got sober the Serenity Prayer helped me immensely!!!!!

The Serenity Prayer is still one of the biggest and most used tools in my tool box for dealing with stress. Until I worked the steps I had no idea just how much stress I carried around with me 24X7, the steps helped me to deal with life, both in the past and the present. The steps releived me of stress that I was so used to carrying around with me I had no idea it was hindering me until it was gone.

For me stress is handled via the Serenity prayer and the steps being applied to my day to day affairs.

Rimmy

I received a lot of help with feeling bad and unhappy, which would lead to stress and anxiety and the urge to drink, from this thread. I posted it because I couldn't kick the negative feelings, and with all the positive links, I have learned to not get so stressed out over the little things, and deal with the big things. I now have health insurance, work is booming, I'm closer to my family, I appreciate the little things in life rather than drunkenly walking past without a thought except the next drink.

I hope some of the motivational links and reading help you relieve your anxieties like they helped me:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-new-post.html

problemchild

Definatley the serenity prayer slow and meaningful, they will probably come after me for this with a straight jacket but, a good long scream or yell.. (when no one is around of course)

Take care,
John

Tazman53

LOL John that is too funny, I scream until I am horse when things get really built up and it helps me!!! What is even funnier is I got off of the phone with my new sponsee about 1/2 hour ago, he has some real caca going on and is feeling really frustrated, we spoke of the Serenity prayer and some other things on this thread and I suggested that to him!!! I will see him at a meeting tonight, I wonder if he did it? I know I have on more then one occasion and it does help.

RufusACanal

Thank you for your post. Folks relapse because they are not done drinking, not because of stress. Drinking due to stress is an excuse. Self-medication is a treatment term that really does not speak to the disease of Alcoholism. You will have a hard time until you surrender and accept that your way no longer works and that anything without something gretaer than you is apt to fail. R

joelle

This is the first time I have seen a member of this board predict the failure of another. You do not know me nor what my spiritual beliefs are.

nandm

This is not my personal experience as I have not relapsed but it is what I have heard from others who have made it back after a relapse. I rarely hear anyone say that they relapsed because of stress. In fact, many say that first drink just snuck up on them. They stopped going to meetings and started slacking up on working a recovery program and before they knew it for no real reason at all they were standing there with a drink in their hand.

My experience is I did not drink because of stress. I drank because of everything. Life was good so I drank. Life was bad so I drank. The wind was blowing to the South so I drank. It was sunny and hot so I drank. It was someone's birthday somewhere in the world so I drank. Stress was just on of many excuses I had to drink. I have experienced considerable stress in sobriety and have yet to feel the need to drink at it. I have had a major accident that left me in the hospital for a month, lost a career of 20 years, developed PTSD, was fired from two jobs, had to declare bankruptcy due to medical bills, lost one of my children to my ex husband, and the list goes on (if you want to know more you can pull up my story on the my stories forum). All that though is just life sh*t, nothing more, nothing less. Life is stress. Stress lets us know we are still alive, it challenges us to keep getting back up and moving forward despite the boulders in our way. Stress also prepares us for the next challenge we encounter. It strengthens us and teaches us courage and determination. Or we can let stress eat us alive and give in to it and drink at it. Let it win and learn nothing from life's process. The saying that too truly enjoy what one has one has to have known loss is true. For me to truly enjoy and appreciate serenity I had to walk through stress to realize what serenity truly is. JMHO