OKAY, who wants to commit not to drink for 5 days with me?
Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 26
I'm in... was already planning to do something similar. My five days starts from Sunday though because I have work on Friday (working in events management, 2-3 drinks are usually par for the course).
It would be really helpful if those of you who have/can/will go for longer than five days without drinking, could encourage those of us who struggle to hold off for that long. It's still a step in the right direction....
Good luck to everyone who's doing this - let's stay strong. I will jump back in on Friday to see how you are doing :-)
It would be really helpful if those of you who have/can/will go for longer than five days without drinking, could encourage those of us who struggle to hold off for that long. It's still a step in the right direction....
Good luck to everyone who's doing this - let's stay strong. I will jump back in on Friday to see how you are doing :-)
Self Recovered with AVRT
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 108
Well, since I started this thread, I was planning on posting as sort of a "capper" on my perspective of this pact, and the pact concept. I have mixed feelings about it. When I first started this thread, I was in serious need of help. I was generally drinking an average 20+ units per day, 5 days a week, for over a decade, and many years of drinking before reaching that level. So, like a baby crying out for help, I asked for other active or near-becoming-active, unstable abstainers to join me in not drinking by committing to each other to not drink. In doing so, a felt a sense of responsibility to the others to hold up my end of the bargain, and not drink.
Well, there were several who joined with me. This actually gave me reason enough to not drink, in the short-term. This was hugely important for me. By utilizing this idea, I was able to stop drinking long enough (in the short-term) to actually quit for good. But, I feel making a pact is definitely a risky short-term fix to a big problem. I know two others of the original group are also still sober, which is wonderful. I was apparently not the only one who benefitted. But, I think there are also a couple others who joined the pact, and have not been heard from publicly on this forum since joining the pact. This gives me great concern. I hope they are okay, and will utilize all resources available to them (including this forum) to help them get better. Please read the 3rd post in this thread. It rings in my head constantly. I hope any who joined the pact and failed will please feel no shame, and continue with your pursuit of sobriety. I know I am waiting to hear that you are okay. The entire SR site has a bonding thread amongst virtually all participants; we empathize with each other because we are experiencing, or have experienced in the past, the negative impact that alcohol and drug abuse has on our lives. Everyone here is supporting one another. You might not always like what you hear, or agree with it, but it seems to me that almost all that is offered here from others is genuine support, encouragement and much valuable information.
On the fifth day of abstaining, I had an awakening. It was a result of what was being said by certain individuals that triggered the flipping of a switch in my brain, and I suddenly realized that I can never drink again. I am in my 15th day of sobriety. I do feel that when I made the pact, I was very desperate and in dire need of help. I needed to help myself, and stop drinking. In my mind, the pact kept me from drinking long enough to have that realization.
So, while I agree with TU, I have to acknowledge that I and others actually benefitted from the pact. I hope others will offer their perspective, now that my experiment is complete.
To Lexington, I definitely encourage you not to drink if you feel you have a drinking problem. I think you will find many, many people on this site who will equally support you. But, whereas my sobriety may have been dependent upon a few others initially (in my mind), ultimately your sobriety is dependent upon only you. Simply do not drink. You have to come to that absolute resolve at some point. Which is why I would recommend AVRT to you. It gets right to the point in short order, and can help you to directly achieve the same realization that I did. In an instant, you can be cured of your dependency upon alcohol. Regardless of how you do it, you simply must not drink. Then, each day will get better. I strongly recommend you read the Rational Recovery book. It is long over-due that this approach gets a LOT more exposure to struggling addicts. A lot more people in the business of alcohol/drug recovery should read this. I feel robbed by the whole system of addiction recovery, because the only thing that was offered was AA.
I know many people who recovered through AA, but it did not work for me. I was only able to discover AVRT here on this forum.
So, there you have it, my assessment of my pact experience. I am humbly grateful for all who contributed.
Well, there were several who joined with me. This actually gave me reason enough to not drink, in the short-term. This was hugely important for me. By utilizing this idea, I was able to stop drinking long enough (in the short-term) to actually quit for good. But, I feel making a pact is definitely a risky short-term fix to a big problem. I know two others of the original group are also still sober, which is wonderful. I was apparently not the only one who benefitted. But, I think there are also a couple others who joined the pact, and have not been heard from publicly on this forum since joining the pact. This gives me great concern. I hope they are okay, and will utilize all resources available to them (including this forum) to help them get better. Please read the 3rd post in this thread. It rings in my head constantly. I hope any who joined the pact and failed will please feel no shame, and continue with your pursuit of sobriety. I know I am waiting to hear that you are okay. The entire SR site has a bonding thread amongst virtually all participants; we empathize with each other because we are experiencing, or have experienced in the past, the negative impact that alcohol and drug abuse has on our lives. Everyone here is supporting one another. You might not always like what you hear, or agree with it, but it seems to me that almost all that is offered here from others is genuine support, encouragement and much valuable information.
On the fifth day of abstaining, I had an awakening. It was a result of what was being said by certain individuals that triggered the flipping of a switch in my brain, and I suddenly realized that I can never drink again. I am in my 15th day of sobriety. I do feel that when I made the pact, I was very desperate and in dire need of help. I needed to help myself, and stop drinking. In my mind, the pact kept me from drinking long enough to have that realization.
So, while I agree with TU, I have to acknowledge that I and others actually benefitted from the pact. I hope others will offer their perspective, now that my experiment is complete.
To Lexington, I definitely encourage you not to drink if you feel you have a drinking problem. I think you will find many, many people on this site who will equally support you. But, whereas my sobriety may have been dependent upon a few others initially (in my mind), ultimately your sobriety is dependent upon only you. Simply do not drink. You have to come to that absolute resolve at some point. Which is why I would recommend AVRT to you. It gets right to the point in short order, and can help you to directly achieve the same realization that I did. In an instant, you can be cured of your dependency upon alcohol. Regardless of how you do it, you simply must not drink. Then, each day will get better. I strongly recommend you read the Rational Recovery book. It is long over-due that this approach gets a LOT more exposure to struggling addicts. A lot more people in the business of alcohol/drug recovery should read this. I feel robbed by the whole system of addiction recovery, because the only thing that was offered was AA.
I know many people who recovered through AA, but it did not work for me. I was only able to discover AVRT here on this forum.
So, there you have it, my assessment of my pact experience. I am humbly grateful for all who contributed.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: « USA » Recovered with AVRT (Rational Recovery) ___________
Posts: 3,680
Originally Posted by hereigo 
I strongly recommend you read the Rational Recovery book. It is long over-due that this approach gets a LOT more exposure to struggling addicts. A lot more people in the business of alcohol/drug recovery should read this. I feel robbed by the whole system of addiction recovery... I was only able to discover AVRT here on this forum.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,677
hereigo,
That is so awesome that you were able to find the way out of this "mess" during these past few weeks.
Being a non-drinker is a valuable state, well worth preserving and protecting. It is far more powerful than you realize, and when that ah-ha moment comes that you REALLY ARE a non-drinker, the sense of freedom that comes with it is like no other.
Thank you for that last post. It puts everything into perspective. Cool deal to journal that here. I've been watching you since the start of this, and I could not have imagined a better outcome.
FT
That is so awesome that you were able to find the way out of this "mess" during these past few weeks.
Being a non-drinker is a valuable state, well worth preserving and protecting. It is far more powerful than you realize, and when that ah-ha moment comes that you REALLY ARE a non-drinker, the sense of freedom that comes with it is like no other.
Thank you for that last post. It puts everything into perspective. Cool deal to journal that here. I've been watching you since the start of this, and I could not have imagined a better outcome.
FT
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Ireland
Posts: 379
Really enjoying reading this. A few hours away from Day 3 for me and so far so good... you are all really inspiring me to kick drink for good. It has ruled my life for far too long.
I notice now every time I see people drinking on TV - I never took any notice of that before!!
Stay strong everyone and thanks again for the inspiration.
I notice now every time I see people drinking on TV - I never took any notice of that before!!
Stay strong everyone and thanks again for the inspiration.
Grateful to be free
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,680
Originally Posted by hereigo
You have to come to that absolute resolve at some point. Which is why I would recommend AVRT to you. It gets right to the point in short order, and can help you to directly achieve the same realization that I did. In an instant, you can be cured of your dependency upon alcohol. Regardless of how you do it, you simply must not drink. Then, each day will get better. I strongly recommend you read the Rational Recovery book. It is long over-due that this approach gets a LOT more exposure to struggling addicts. A lot more people in the business of alcohol/drug recovery should read this. I feel robbed by the whole system of addiction recovery, because the only thing that was offered was AA.
I know many people who recovered through AA, but it did not work for me. I was only able to discover AVRT here on this forum.
I know many people who recovered through AA, but it did not work for me. I was only able to discover AVRT here on this forum.
On the other hand, just gotta speak up on the subject of recovery methods.
AA is the most obvious, because it's successful for many, and has chapters all over the world. That fact alone may blind others to the availability and effectiveness of other programs, but sometimes I feel like AA gets blamed for being obvious.
Anyone who wants recovery has to search for it, want it and be willing to do what it takes to achieve it.
Seriously, if you google addiction recovery methods, NOT a real time consuming or difficult thing to do...many many options come up. If people seeking recovery never learn about anything other than AA, it's not AA's fault.
If you google addiction recovery forums, there are options for forums that are not AA.
Guess how I know this?!
Bookstores have scores of books on addiction recovery that have nothing to do with AA or the 12 steps. I know because I've looked and read many of them.
I hear a lot of people hatin on AA who didn't do their recovery research or check out other methods, then blame AA for being what it is and not being the program for them.
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