Keek75

So I'm on day 1 again! I've been in and out of recovery for just about five years now. The longest period of sobriety I've been able to get is 485 days (who's counting though). That time around was without any real supports in place , no AA , sponsor etc.. My last couple of relapses however have been while attending meetings and doing all the stuff a good drunk was supposed to (well other than relapsing) so anyway I guess my question is, has anybody else experienced more clean time out of a program than in one? Just trying to figure all of this out. Any advice/suggestions are appreciated

TorontoGuy28

did you get to the root of WHY you drink ? Did you do the steps ?

Part of my recovery is therapy, which really allowed me to learn a lot about myself...

Keek75

I think alot of it is boredom and I do have a self destructive thing I need to figure out why when things start li

Keek75

Looking good I sabotage it. I started the steps got to 4.. Kinda freaked and relapsed. Gonna take more time this time

bbthumper

Try all the steps. They seem to have worked for millions of folks out there. Myself included. They are much harder to think about doing then they are to just do. You wont be disappointed.
Taking more time is not the answer when it comes to the steps. You just gotta get through them. You can always go back and pick up slack. Get the big stuff out of the way firts. You can do it!

TorontoGuy28

Keek - do you have a sponsor ?

MrsKing

I'm not in any programme as such and I've been sober four months. I find SR an invaluable source of support, and believe AVRT to be a great way of understanding addiction and how to break it. I don't feel as though I need anything more - I found SR at two months sober and wish I'd found it sooner (those first 2 months were difficult, but that could have just been because I was in early early recovery) but other than that, I'm pretty solid in my sobriety on my own. It all depends on how you work and what works best for you, only you know that... try out different things, see what fits. There's no harm in giving it all a go if one thing doesn't work for you. I wish you all the best on your sober journey x

MrDavid

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Keek said: Gonna take more time this time.
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Please do. Give time, time and recovery that much more, both will benefit you greatly in the long run.

Keek said: I started step 4. Kinda freaked out and relapsed.
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Yeah me too -even though my current stint has lasted for over 11 years. The 4th step or the bogeyman step as I call it was my biggest problem as well. Telling anyone my life story -especially a perfect stranger didn't make any real sense, that was until I actually put pen to paper. Then, the bogeyman was so frightening after all. I experienced my first real breakthrough in sobriety after that and the rest has been etched in a "one day at a time" philosophy that never seems to change.

Keek said: Looking good, then I sabotage it.
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So why change a good thing. There's something uniquely significant about sobriety that alcohol can never offer, and that's a place I currently call home. It's not always rosy, but it does offer me something better in return; a sober, successful and blessed life just for today. So remain sober and live...that's my mantra today and I hope it remains that way for you, starting right here, right now

Hexipuff

I managed a year without any programme or other support.

I failed and it has taken me a further 3 years to try again. I am now part of the AA fellowship and this time it feels for real. I have a sponsor and I am starting on the steps after 3 months sobriety. 3 months before you have started the steps I hear the cry.
Yep and that is fine for me thanks. The advice I have been given is it is not a race. I feel I am ready emotionally and physically to start this journey, baby steps and gently does it will work better of me. I have spent too much time in my life rushing and striving to be perfect and finish first. This time I need to learn to walk before I can run and truely work the programme

Good luck on your sobriety path. I wish you well.

CarolD

Keek75...

I do consider the Steps slid me from often shakey sobreity
into solid recovery...

Glad you are off on a new start

RobbyRobot

I remember myself saying I used to drink because i was bored. In hindsight, now I know I was really saying I didn't want to change enough to have a non-boring life. Drinking was exciting enough it seemed, even while I was saying I was bored, you know?

I put way too much effort into stopping drinking, when I would have done better to also be more responsible to do what I needed to do to change enough to get beyond just not drinking.

Since you had several hundred days on not drinking, you've learned alot about yourself, I'm sure. I bet you've learned more then you just returned to drinking out of boredom, yeah?

Sorry for your troubles, and I hope things get better ASAP.