Celebration1994

Being sober is the freedom I so wanted in early recovery. For me the obsession lifted within the first year and only after 3 years sober did the thought of a drink cross my mind....so I got on my knees and I prayed that no matter what I must face in this life~let a drink be NOT the solution~By following the suggesions of AA I have gotten past the obsession to drink. I do my best to work a spiritual program and apply the steps in my life daily. I came to AA because I was hopeless~I stay because I am happy, joyous and free.
Blessings and love
Terry

paulmh

It gets differenter.

Tazman53

Well today is 2 years without a drink for me, in early sobriety it was really tough, for a long time my primary solution to problems was to drink. When I quit drinking the problems did not go away, I bacame more aware of them being sober and that made me want to drink even more because drinking was the only reall solution I knew so early sobriety the longer I was sober the harder it seemed to get.

AA meetings helped a lot but only for the short term so I went to a LOT of meetings at first.

For me I found the solution to be first taking the steps of AA, this actually resulted in my obsession to drink being lifted! I have not had the urge to drink in well over a year.

The longer I have been sober and the more I practice applying all the steps to all areas of my life the easier it gets to stay sober for me.

Today when I have a problem, I do not even consider a drink as a possible solution, today I have a toolbox full of solutions and tools to find a solution to any problem that arises. With that kind of toolbox the idea of a drink being had for any reason is not even in my head any more.

For over a year now being sober feels normal.

I, like any one else wanting to stay sober remain ever vigilant of anything that may lead me on a path that may end with a drink. The longer I have been sober the easier it has been to spot those trends in thinkiing and behaviour and nip them in the bud long before the thought of a drink enters my head.

nandm

We interupt your regular thread to point out this amazing news story.
It seems that this wonderful tazmanian devil has gone a whole 2 years without a drink.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tazman53

Well today is 2 years without a drink for me, in early sobriety it was really tough, for a long time my primary solution to problems was to drink.

Way to go Tazman. Thanks for all you bring to SR through your recovery!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.................

RobbyRobot

My experience is not sobriety or life getting tougher the more sobriety i achieved. i guess if that had been the case i would have died drunk or worse many years ago. we all have a different story of course and so for me sobriety is not something i chased or accumulated rather i actually just completely never wanted to be drunk or stoned again when i quit in 1981 and that has not changed since. Of course withdrawls and the addiction needs were not easy to manage but as the years went by they faded and now are fast asleep. Not a single day goes by that i don't think about being sober and being drunk, but the cravings have stopped now for many years. It is totally easy now to stay sober, as easy as breathing or laughing, or enjoying love with friends and family.

Actual sobriety is a gift as i enjoy it and so things getting tougher really has nothing to do with anything except that is just the way life can go sometimes. Certainly being drunk or stoned everything got tougher as my addiction consumed me, and that is the expected result for addicts who continue to abuse.

Any tips?

Yeah from my ES&H i would offer not to chase sobriety for its own sake and not to define it for what it is but rather try to appreciate sobriety for what it is not and what it cannot ever become. It may seem strange to embrace sobriety in that manner but i have had great success by simply being grateful for all the troubles i dont have in life rather then rat-racing around for what i think i deserve or believe i have earned and from there demand what appears to be rightfully mine. Life is not always what it appears to be and so i always really try to appreciate life for what i can do within life and not what life can do for me. Rock on.


RR

lizw

Rock on x 1 million!

PaperDolls

Thanks for your ES&H RobbyRobot. Great stuff!
Living in the moment is a goal of mine.



And my brain gets differenter too.
Thank goodness.

A disease of the mind and body.
I'm working hard to may my mind work better or correctly.
When I catch myself thinking -- Oooooo, a drink -- I just dismiss it.
Not an option ....... unless I want to wind up in the gutter.


Surrendering.
Spiritual awakening.
Now THAT's going to be tough for me!

Boleo

Back when I was young and not a raging alcoholic, I was able to achieve most of my goals with diligence and tenacity. If I had an important test for school or work I would cram for it a week or to ahead of time using maximum diligence. If at first I did not succeed, I tried, tried again till I accomplished my mission using tenacity.

When I finally got around to figuring out that I was alcoholic, I attempted to use my same old tools; diligence and tenacity. I read all the best books on recovery, I went to the best AA meetings and I sought out the most respected sponsors. When I failed to achieve lasting sobriety I simply blamed it on my lack of diligence and tenacity. I sought out even better books, meetings and sponsors. Still I could not stay sober.

It was almost as if I had been thrown into a parallel universe where almost everything was the same except where my will-power was totally useless. I finally came to realize the significance of the term Higher-power. Diligence and tenacity were my power and what I needed was a power greater than myself.

For alcoholics like me “God does not help those who help themselves.”

bugsworth

Great post Robby!

The further away I become from my last drink the stronger I become in my new life. I have developed new habits and extinguished old ones.

Funny how each one of us relies on different tools...I absolutely believe my diligence and tenacity will be the tools that keep me sober...peppered of course with various other things I find useful in my sobriety. It seems for me my drinking led me to believe I no longer had options or power in my own life...once I dropped the rock I was free.

I do sometimes think of a drink...the way one would think of an old lover...at first the memory is wistful but within a blink of a eye I remember why we broke up. I don't imagine something that consumed 15 years of my life will vanish from my mind over night, but my experience is it fades.

SelfSeeking

Nice imagery... thanks bugs.