DayTrader

Honestly (after some clarification from Cat), here's what I did my first year:

I went to outpatient counseling every Saturday morning for an hour with a (16yrs clean in NA) therapist who ONLY "taught" the 12 Steps. I went to 2-4 AA meetings per week, got a sponsor, worked through all 12 steps, did set-up and/or clean-up before and after most of the meetings I went to, attended 2 "silent" AA weekend retreats (the focus was obviously on meditation and connecting with a God of your understanding), and listened to around 150+ open talks on my ipod, in the car or on the computer.

As for the good/fun stuff: I got past the sorrow of a divorce and started dating again, bought new golf clubs, played golf 2 or 3x per week in the summer months with several old drinking buddies / long-time friends and dropped my handicap from a 14 to a 6, went to see Van Halen (they were my fav. band in high school) in concert, went to see 3 or 4 local bands that I'd always want to see (and yes, each of these nights they played in bars in the Detroit area), read about 4 or 5 books (I hadn't read much other than magazines since I got out of college in 91), made peace with my ex-wife and almost got to be somewhat friendly toward one-another, got a new dog (a Rhodesian Ridgeback), paid off 2 or 3 credit cards that were bugging the hell outta me, gutted my office in my house/re-drywalled /put up custom oak wainscoting.......... man the list goes on.

Recovery's been awesome. I was told over and over and over and over, PROMISED in fact, that IF I worked the program I'd get sober, happy and things would start happening in my life that I'd always wanted to happen.

I didn't believe anything good would come from "recovery" other than maaaaybe I'd be able to stop drinking. Sheesh, was I wrong.


Edit - I forgot (how dumb of me): 99.9999999% of all the urges STOPPED and I really had no desire to drink again once I got off my butt and started working the steps. Heck, I was listening to bands in bars..going to concerts....and hanging out at golf courses (a big "trigger" for me - LOL@triggers btw) within a couple months of my last drink date. I really made a concerted effort to help others in recovery as much as I could. <--I made that a priority in my life. Once I had my priorities in a more healthy alignment (others/higher power/AA first..... "me" after those first three) the good stuff really started coming fast and furious.

Catkill23

Thanks DayTrader, it is good to hear what others have done, and to come up with some ideas. And most importantly to know they are happy in sobriety. I am coming at an area in my sobriety where I am happy in everything i do too. I ask my sponsor if it is OK to be happy, as I have been through the pink cloud before. But not this long, so I am riding the waves also right now, and keep on working at it so it stays.

My first 8 months does sound like it sucks, but it help me find myself. I was laid off from my job making around 60k and I mentally could not work. I needed some intense therapy, and 4 meetings a day. maybe it was because I didn't work, but I'm glad I didn't work looking back now. I am still clearing some fog, as I think differently from others. So that is where I posted about talking to other people, as it was and is good right now to stay back from the so called "normal" or triggers for me. I was a 3/4 gallon a day of vodka drinker.

DayTrader

That "pink cloud"... that's the power of your Higher Power working in your life - also known as "the grace of God." There's no reason to ever get off of it or to think it'll go away. If anything, it's US who walk away from it. The folks I know with long term recovery.....they're on that "grace of God" trip a lot of the time.

Recovery can and is supposed to be FUN and ENJOYABLE. I don't always feel like I "deserve" either so I know where you're coming from. That's one of those areas where I still have to do some more work and/or be more patient.

Norther

The message for the newcomer, I think, is that after just a few days, maybe a week, you feel a h**l of a lot better than you did before you quit: the crippling fears and anxiety abate significantly. The details after that are whatever they are, one day at a time.