24hrsAday

no harm no foul Murray.. ODAAT gets it done for me man!

FrothyJay

I said time without a drink is not recovery. Bud.

24hrsAday

thanks for your Valuable input kind sir.. what was the Topic again?

UniqueNewYork

I think he just meant that you can not drink for a long time and not necessarily recover. I'm not sure if he meant it to conflict with the point of the thread so much as to throw another angle out there. I agree with some of the previous comments that people who have been sober a long time through the bad life events (death etc) have a lot to offer in terms of teaching others how to stay sober. So back to the point of the thread it matters then that they have put a lot of days and years together. I think some people are saying they can bake you the biggest chocolate chip cookie in the world with a factory oven but it might not be as good as the little ones your mom used to make you. Theres a great scene in the big lebowski that reminds me of this:

Walter Sobchak: You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don't wanna know about it, believe me.
The Dude: Yeah, but Walter...
Walter Sobchak: Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock this afternoon... with nail polish. These ******* amateurs...

FrothyJay

Do they teach passive-aggressiveness in an online course here at SR?

The topic was does sober time matter. I said that time without drinking does not equate with recovery. Your response was to ask how much time I have.

Care to share your logic flow?

24hrsAday

thanks to all who had something to contribute..

LaFemme

On one haNd I don't think length of time is that important, it the quality of your sobriety...however I know that the quality of my sobriety is much higher today than 7 months ago

Justfor1

Sobriety time doesn't matter because people can always lie or twist the truth. For example, I know someone who claims to be 5 years sober yet eats that cake that has booze in it.

LaFemme

I don't think there is a consensus on eating food with alcohol in it.

Beardo

I think it's an individual thing, for me it's helpful as a reminder of how far I've come and how far I have to go, also reminds me of what I'd be giving up if I picked up a drink or started using again. I do not want to go back to 1 day.
For someone who couldn't go a day without using and or downing a bottle of vodka each extra day sober is amazing.

CarolD

Exactly and why I share "the only DOS I'm certain of......
is my own"

And no..I don't eat foods with alcohol either

thisisme

I counted every minute.
I counted every day.
After about 30 days I knew I had it.
I accepted that alcohol does nothing and takes all.
In the last 5 years I had to be reminded of my sober anniversary 4 times.
It simply becomes life.

Creekryder

I agree with Gravity's point that continued sobriety is important. The longer you are without alcohol, the greater clarity of mind (general statement with a wide latitude for adjustment). Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part this is true IMHO. A sober brain functions better than a boozed one. For that, there very well may be a greater reliability of experience. However, as I had mentioned in a previous post, counting days can, in some cases, become more in focus than the recovery. As a result, if a relapse occurs, the thoughts of "starting over" can defeat the the will to continue.
Enjoy the length of sobriety, but remember it is this moment that holds the greatest importance to maintenance.

24hrsAday

i am reminded of a saying by an oldtimer at my A.A. Club: "it's easier to stay sober than to get sober"

Kjell

Sure your length of time in sobriety matters, but at some point, quality becomes more important than time.

I hope I remain honest, willing, and openminded (oh!...and teachable). Always.

Kjell~

TotoBidule

I've also heard about 3s. 3d, 3w, 3m, 3y... The 3mths seems at least to go with some brain research about rewiring for alcoholics. I never saw it as being a relapse thing though, rather milestones to reach for. BTW, they also say 7 years for marriage!

DayTrader

Wow... I'd disagree with that one. Just my experience though. .....and the experience of all my mentors in the program.

Getting sober, for me just took that one final surrender. The pain leading up to that hurt though.....I don't give in or give up easily. From there though, the problem was just removed. I didn't do anything special for that biggest of all gifts. Staying sober though..... continually working the steps, trying to practice the principles in ALL my affairs, continually writing inventories, constantly going through the work and getting my ego mangled in the process... that's hard work - for me

To each his own I guess.

Fandy

Every day sober is gift i give myself.

it's a miracle for me....and i don't think anyone's time and thier method of recovery should be belittled.

I am very grateful for all of the support i get here and intelligent discussions....i have learned a lot about myself and faced my own private monsters.

i hope i can one day say one year, five years, etc...but for now if I'm sober today and go to bed sober and do it again the next day....it's enough for me to worry about.

24hrsAday

i agree Fandy..

stugotz

Consistency is more important than time. Just sayin...