Justfor1

Not sure if anyone can relate but I like saying, "I can beat alcoholism." My biggest problem for years wasn't denial but utter acceptance that I would die a drunk & drug addict death. Or I would live in complete misery for the rest of my life. I didn't believe that AA, treatment centers, medication, SR, therapy ect... could help my drunken self. I have now been sober several months and 2011 was my best year yet in recovery. I now own a car and have been giving the chance to drive again after 3 DUI's! That is a miracle. I no longer think of picking up the bottle much anymore. That is a miracle. The confidence in my ability to stay sober this time around is making a big difference. I know if I do today, what I did yesterday, I will stay sober.

Elisabeth888

I can. But I had that feeling before and I got cocky and thought I could drink and did.

We had this discussion about "recovered" vs "recovering" in a meeting just yesterday. In the beginning of the BB it says something like "we have recovered from a seemingly hopeless condition of mind and body.."

I like to think of that as we are no longer in active alcoholism. But we still have to work each and every day on our recovery to STAY sober.

I like that quote and forgive me for being lazy and not grabbing my book- "what we really have is a daily reprieve based on our spiritual condition".

I feel great now. But I have relapsed many times and I am very wary of this good feeling.

aasharon90

A sense of accomplishments give us such and
awesome feeling of euphoria. We smile and
everything seems to be going our way. We get
a new job, relationships mend, life is unbelievable.

We cherish those unbelievable moments and
never want to lose them.

We're sober or clean for the fist time for a
period of time and we have this demon licked.
There's no desire to drink or use and we r
finally on top of the world.

All those huge things i use to drink or use
over i can now avoid them. Then some little
pesky aggrivating incident happens and throws
me a curve ball or knocks me off my pedistal
and i emmediately reach for the one thing
that I know will numb me from dealing with
it and boom, im back were i once was. This
dark pit of remorse, resentments, guilt, shame
and I just want to die.

In recovery I need a program i can live with
and incorperate in my everyday life so when
those pesky little aggivating circumstance
pop up, i will know how to deal with them
without taking a drink.

Recovery life keeps me sober each and everyday.

Charon

In remission not cured. There is no cure. If we pick up we will rapidly become as bad and then worse than we were when we quit. Complacency and overconfidence are the most evil and insideous causes of relapse.

SSIL75

How long have you been sober, JF1?

I like the allergy analogy. Is someone with a peanut allergy 'cured' if they don't eat peanuts? No. But it need not affect their lives to any serious degree if they know what they're doing

RobbyRobot

I can relate to my complete failure to "beat alcoholism."

Alcoholism destroyed my life and was quickly killing me from the inside out, even as I finally accepted the truth of what was what, and then surrendered my fight with alcoholism, and so began my sober journey.

I know of no one who has beaten alcoholism. I do know that some persons have claimed to beat alcoholism, but their personal claiming in itself does not make it so in fact.

Its good to hear you're doing so well with sobriety, JF1. Sobriety is a wonderful way of living with acknowledged and arrested alcoholism. Have a care in thinking that alcoholism can be "beaten." Sober living is what is giving you all the goodness you are speaking about today, and not you having won against your alcoholism. May seem like just semantics, but there is no fight to win or lose against alcoholism once you really live a truly sober life. There is little room for ego in sobriety, and all those victorious energies are best re-invested into humility and gratitude, imo.

Congratulations on your success!

soberlicious

I am a non drinker for the rest of my life, so personally I don't care if I am alcoholic, cured, cocky, whatever. I don't, nor will I, put alcohol in my body. Therefore for me, the question is moot. It makes it easier for me. Then I can just spend my time pondering other unanswerable questions like "what is the meaning of life?" LOL

NYCDoglvr

You're still an alcoholic, albeit a recovering alcoholic. A non-alcoholic can have a drink or two and stop without a thought. If you pick up a drink you'll get drunk, perhaps go into a blackout. But don't get hung up on terminology but just don't drink TODAY.

Terminally Unique

If by cure we mean a return to health and independent living, free from alcohol, there certainly is a cure.

Mark75

I don't perceive it as something to be cured... or not. More of an essence, like my personality, ya know?

I believed that I've recovered from the obsession and the compulsion to drink.

raindancer11

For me, it would depend on how you define alcoholism. If it means that I finally know that I can never have another drink no matter what under any circumstance, then yes. But feeling a sense of victory over alcohol has come back to bite me because at some point I think I'm healed and can have just one.

langkah

J41, very well done on your several months.

Terminally Unique

I can dig that.

BackToSquareOne

With enough time the obsession and compulsion would go away if you did nothing. If you were shipwrecked on an island with no place to buy booze would you still be an alcoholic? What is the meaning of life?

RobbyRobot

Well, for me on that island, with no booze, I would still be a recovered alcoholic. I don't claim to be an alcoholic simply because of the conditions of my external enviroments. My own experiences with the illness of alcoholism, and with the ongoing relief sobriety has given me, are the primal reasons I claim to be an alcoholic.

As well, my arrested alcoholism knows nothing about time passages, and so my doing nothing will not rid me of my alcoholic compulsion or obsession. Doing nothing means to me the same as getting ready to pick up that next drink, you know?

What is the meaning of life? I dunno for nothing, but it sure as hell dosen't mean getting drunk over any more

RobbyRobot

Yeah, defined as such, I can dig it as a cure, philosophically.

BackToSquareOne

Robby, I've only been off it 3.5 years and I no longer have any desire to drink, however if I restocked my bar and had at it I'd probably pick up where I left off, but why would I want to do that. I have 2 gun cabinets full of guns, that would be a much quicker way to commit suicide.

Scolova

Years past if I were stranded on a deserted island for a prolong time alcohol would have never left my mind, I would've longed for it every single day. Since I confessed my absolute defeat against alcohol, I can walk right past it without a care, but I will still have to remain in control of my addictive mind 100% for the rest of my life.

Secret of life by Curly:

BackToSquareOne

With me it was taking that first drink that fired up the insane obsession/compulsion. Once the fuse was lit all bets were off.

RobbyRobot

Awesome, Scolova. I really understand your words, and that worked for me too, although eventually I learned to release that grip I had on controlling my alcoholic (addictive) mind.

After a few years of sobriety, my personal need for protective control became very burdensome and tiresome. As well, I began to see my need for control was based on selfish fears of my hating to relapse, and although I had the best intentions in having that control, it became clear that I needed to surrender my fears and give up that facade of control of my alcoholic mind, or else face the reality that my fears were running my life yet again, even though I was several years sober.

That release of control even after several years of good sobriety really added to my quality of happiness, and I was not any more likely to relapse by letting go. Looking back, I was just young in sobriety, and of course we are on a journey and not a voyage of destination.

I achieved the release of control by my deeper understanding of my own guilt and remorse with past alcoholic behaviors. I was surprised to learn I still had unfinished business with my emotions re: losses in my life I blamed on alcoholism.

As I worked through the guilt, I gave up the mental control of juggling with that guilt, and that led me into a better quality of sober living.