Question for those who have been sober for some time...
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 57
A favorite actress of mine who has been sober for years put it really great in an interview I read not long ago...she was asked that same question basically:
"No. No. Well, the same way I think about Christmas when I was a little kid. You know, you wake up and you get excited. You have those memories but they’re over. Those days are long gone. The truth is I had great fun with drugs and alcohol for a lot of years—and then I didn’t. You want to wake up in the morning and not feel sick and wincing at what happened the night before. Thank God, that doesn’t happen anymore. Now I’m woken up by my kid’s foot in my face."
"No. No. Well, the same way I think about Christmas when I was a little kid. You know, you wake up and you get excited. You have those memories but they’re over. Those days are long gone. The truth is I had great fun with drugs and alcohol for a lot of years—and then I didn’t. You want to wake up in the morning and not feel sick and wincing at what happened the night before. Thank God, that doesn’t happen anymore. Now I’m woken up by my kid’s foot in my face."
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 112
In all honesty, the craving to drink has been completely lifted.
There are times where I may say that it would be nice to enjoy a drink and relax (no craving though, just a quick stupid thought), and then I just think about all the times where it never ever turned out like I planned and then the thought dissapears as quickly as it came and I just keep on moving forward.
There are times where I may say that it would be nice to enjoy a drink and relax (no craving though, just a quick stupid thought), and then I just think about all the times where it never ever turned out like I planned and then the thought dissapears as quickly as it came and I just keep on moving forward.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 57
Originally Posted by VolcomStone51 
In all honesty, the craving to drink has been completely lifted.
There are times where I may say that it would be nice to enjoy a drink and relax (no craving though, just a quick stupid thought), and then I just think about all the times where it never ever turned out like I planned and then the thought dissapears as quickly as it came and I just keep on moving forward.
There are times where I may say that it would be nice to enjoy a drink and relax (no craving though, just a quick stupid thought), and then I just think about all the times where it never ever turned out like I planned and then the thought dissapears as quickly as it came and I just keep on moving forward.
I don't crave it like a crazy person, honestly. That's the scariest part. I don't wake up in the morning and walk to the refrigerator to grab a pint. What scares me is how it bothers me when I don't have access to it.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 583
Do I mss speeding down the road at 120MH knowing I something might happen THIS time OR do I just cruse along with everyone else, not put myself of others in danger.
The 'short high' is NOT worth all that comes along. Not only that I opt to NOT flirt with disaster.
AG
The 'short high' is NOT worth all that comes along. Not only that I opt to NOT flirt with disaster.
AG
Adventures In SpaceTime
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 5,827
Originally Posted by Red79
Does the craving ever truly go away...do you miss it?
Do I miss it?
hahaha
absolutely not.
i don't miss the alcoholic life
or the alcohol highs and lows
and I don't miss the cravings and obsessions either.
i don't miss dying an alcoholic death
dude in recovery
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Gulf Coast, TX
Posts: 1,504
I put my cravings (AV) into three categories.
The 'congratulatory' urge to drink was the first to fade for me (at about two months) I could do stuff like mow the yard, fix things around the house or just anytime something worked out well I could have a big glass of iced tea and be fine with that.
The second was the 'antagonist' ("life sucks" voice) which took about four months for me to shut it down completely. After 100 days sobriety was firmly set in my mind.
The last urge to deal with was the 'opportunist' voice, which (like for many here) just sits back and occasionally says; "It's okay, just one drink." "No one will know" etc... Pretty easy for me to shut down while at home, but if I'm around lots of alcohol (which I rarely am these days) I have to shut the urge down quick or get the heck out.
ETA: I actually have money in my bank account now days, back when I was an active alcoholic that alone would've been the URGE.
The 'congratulatory' urge to drink was the first to fade for me (at about two months) I could do stuff like mow the yard, fix things around the house or just anytime something worked out well I could have a big glass of iced tea and be fine with that.
The second was the 'antagonist' ("life sucks" voice) which took about four months for me to shut it down completely. After 100 days sobriety was firmly set in my mind.
The last urge to deal with was the 'opportunist' voice, which (like for many here) just sits back and occasionally says; "It's okay, just one drink." "No one will know" etc... Pretty easy for me to shut down while at home, but if I'm around lots of alcohol (which I rarely am these days) I have to shut the urge down quick or get the heck out.
ETA: I actually have money in my bank account now days, back when I was an active alcoholic that alone would've been the URGE.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: LA - Lower Alabama
Posts: 5,068
The big book of AA captured my thoughts exactly on pages 84-85 :
We have ceased fighting anything or anyone-even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.
Adventures In SpaceTime
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 5,827
Originally Posted by Scolova
I put my cravings (AV) into three categories.
The 'congratulatory' urge to drink was the first to fade for me (at about two months) I could do stuff like mow the yard, fix things around the house or just anytime something worked out well I could have a big glass of iced tea and be fine with that.
The second was the 'antagonist' ("life sucks" voice) which took about four months for me to shut it down completely. After 100 days sobriety was firmly set in my mind.
The last urge to deal with was the 'opportunist' voice, which (like for many here) just sits back and occasionally says; "It's okay, just one drink." "No one will know" etc... Pretty easy for me to shut down while at home, but if I'm around alcohol I have to shut the urge down quick or get the heck out.
The 'congratulatory' urge to drink was the first to fade for me (at about two months) I could do stuff like mow the yard, fix things around the house or just anytime something worked out well I could have a big glass of iced tea and be fine with that.
The second was the 'antagonist' ("life sucks" voice) which took about four months for me to shut it down completely. After 100 days sobriety was firmly set in my mind.
The last urge to deal with was the 'opportunist' voice, which (like for many here) just sits back and occasionally says; "It's okay, just one drink." "No one will know" etc... Pretty easy for me to shut down while at home, but if I'm around alcohol I have to shut the urge down quick or get the heck out.
What is it about not being at home that causes urges to come up? It didn't matter where the hell I was or wasn't, urges were urges -- some were just easier to take immediate advantage of is all, but they were all serious and not to be pushed aside simply because I was "at home."
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 57
Originally Posted by RobbyRobot
Not for nothing, and you know yourself best, but AV is AV, and for me to think of having AV in different categories is too invite serious complications into my sobriety.
What is it about not being at home that causes urges to come up? It didn't matter where the hell I was or wasn't, urges were urges -- some were just easier to take immediate advantage of is all, but they were all serious and not to be pushed aside simply because I was "at home."
What is it about not being at home that causes urges to come up? It didn't matter where the hell I was or wasn't, urges were urges -- some were just easier to take immediate advantage of is all, but they were all serious and not to be pushed aside simply because I was "at home."
dude in recovery
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Gulf Coast, TX
Posts: 1,504
The urges did come up regardless (not the cause), If I had an urge while out with friends, or at the store, the drink was right there. I stopped having alcohol in the house (and don't go to drinking establishments anymore.. no need), so urge could hit all it wanted, it needed me to pick up the keys and run to the store.
Adventures In SpaceTime
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 5,827
Originally Posted by Red79
I almost prefer drinking at home...I don't have to drive, it's easy. I can just kick back with the dogs and have a few...
You sound like you still enjoy that drink, yeah?
Adventures In SpaceTime
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 5,827
Originally Posted by Scolova
The urges did come up regardless (not the cause), If I had an urge while out with friends, or at the store, the drink was right there. I stopped having alcohol in the house (and don't go to drinking establishments anymore.. no need), so urge could hit all it wanted, it needed me to pick up the keys and run to the store.
For me, urges had to be settled no matter if drink was around or not, it made no difference to me where or when or with who...
I didn't want to be at the mercy of my own wants and needs, and so i worked to destroy those urges no matter what they had to be gone forever and ever...
Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: CA
Posts: 3,360
For me urges still come up. This time around, I am at 4 months, almost 5 months. So, for me, my sobriety will no longer hinge on the disappearance of urges to drink. I deal with urges, one urge at a time. Just like I am now staying sober, today. Much nicer, I no longer worry so much. An urge will not kill me, drinking to excess, will eventually.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 57
Originally Posted by RobbyRobot
Yeah, most of my last year or so of drinking happened at home. I was pretty disgusting, you know? The days of kicking back and having a few were way long gone by the time I quit...
You sound like you still enjoy that drink, yeah?
You sound like you still enjoy that drink, yeah?
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,225
they have for me. I rarely even notice it anymore, even when people are drinking in front of me. I honestly have no desire to drink. It took some time though, for the desire to be lifted. Probably after about 6 months. Once I started doing some of the things I did drunk (watch sports, dining out, parties, dance) sober, it became more natural to do things sober and not want to drink.
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