Out with the old....
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 18
Out with the old....
Out of curiosity- how many of you changed careers, moved, left a marriage as part of your recovery? Not as part of hitting rock bottom, but as in a change that distracted you from your drinking habit or helped you disassociate your old behavior from a new start.. Or you realized one of these changes is what you needed before alchohol took over anyway...?
Life the gift of recovery!
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Home is where the heart is
Posts: 7,061
I don't know if it counts since it wasn't a move that was totally for the purpose of finding sobriety but I quit my job, packed up my 3 kids and everything I owned, and moved several thousand miles away from all my friends and family. Granted the main intention behind it was for a new relationship but it was a relationship with a person whom I thought was sober at the time.
The relationship did not work out but I found sobriety. In retrospect I wonder if I would have been strong enough to have stopped drinking in the environment I was living in. All of my friends drank. My family and I had a very strange and strained relationship. My job was extremely stressful and emotionally draining. I knew no sober people and had no clue how to find a recovery program. The way that I found a recovery program was through an acquaintance of the person I came out here for who gave me her number and said if I ever felt I had a drinking problem give her a call.
When I look back over that time a little over 12 years ago I have nothing but gratitude.
The relationship did not work out but I found sobriety. In retrospect I wonder if I would have been strong enough to have stopped drinking in the environment I was living in. All of my friends drank. My family and I had a very strange and strained relationship. My job was extremely stressful and emotionally draining. I knew no sober people and had no clue how to find a recovery program. The way that I found a recovery program was through an acquaintance of the person I came out here for who gave me her number and said if I ever felt I had a drinking problem give her a call.
When I look back over that time a little over 12 years ago I have nothing but gratitude.
Keeping it simple!
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Surrey, BC
Posts: 3,282
I was on stress leave and ended up not going back to my job. It was a very high stressed fast paced job and I knew deep down I would use it as an excuse to start drinking again.
I also ended up moving in with my daughter and her hubby, I basically got rid of all my stuff except for the bedroom stuff, clothing, etc. Quit frankly it was wonderful to lose all the "things" and just to be with people. I have my own room so if I need quiet time I have a place to go.
I also ended up moving in with my daughter and her hubby, I basically got rid of all my stuff except for the bedroom stuff, clothing, etc. Quit frankly it was wonderful to lose all the "things" and just to be with people. I have my own room so if I need quiet time I have a place to go.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Gulf Coast, Florida USA
Posts: 5,731
Personally I was forced into some changes that I didn't like, like losing my home and truck and boat etc. Actually I gave them all away to my addictions.
As Long as I was not working on my insides, doing a self examination such as the 12 steps, none of that stuff would have helped me anyways. My alcoholism went with me wherever I went.My mind wasn't to clear and I am glad I didn't make to many changes at first.Cuz I am sure I would have made some pretty bad changes .
These were my distractions:
I had to be consistent and keep a schedule of going to meetings, daily recovery literature, prayer and church and be accountable to another alkie, like my sponsor. I had to keep my life fairly simple in the beginning. I was learning to live all over again and do it sober. I went easy on myself and still do just take it 24 hours at a time.
God will let me know when it is time to make changes.
Oops I did make some important changes I left everything having to do with my addiction behind such as bars, drinking establishments I used to go to, even restaurants where I had happy hour with dinner and old friends. I had to if I was gonna save my life.
As Long as I was not working on my insides, doing a self examination such as the 12 steps, none of that stuff would have helped me anyways. My alcoholism went with me wherever I went.My mind wasn't to clear and I am glad I didn't make to many changes at first.Cuz I am sure I would have made some pretty bad changes .
These were my distractions:
I had to be consistent and keep a schedule of going to meetings, daily recovery literature, prayer and church and be accountable to another alkie, like my sponsor. I had to keep my life fairly simple in the beginning. I was learning to live all over again and do it sober. I went easy on myself and still do just take it 24 hours at a time.
God will let me know when it is time to make changes.
Oops I did make some important changes I left everything having to do with my addiction behind such as bars, drinking establishments I used to go to, even restaurants where I had happy hour with dinner and old friends. I had to if I was gonna save my life.
The Long and Winding Road....
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Brisbane QLD
Posts: 897
Yes i have..i have left relationships..out of knowledge that my drinking would destroy it anyway..i have moved interstate and i have avoided many things on the long hard road out of hell because i know that they may lead me back 2 drinking..very worth it though
Sober Alkie
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington State
Posts: 55
Originally Posted by Wanderlove 
Out of curiosity- how many of you changed careers, moved, left a marriage as part of your recovery? Not as part of hitting rock bottom, but as in a change that distracted you from your drinking habit or helped you disassociate your old behavior from a new start.. Or you realized one of these changes is what you needed before alchohol took over anyway...?
I have to live life a little differently. If something bothers me to distraction, I have to swallow my pride and get rid it...be it a job, friend, whatever. Sometimes, it takes longer than it's good for me to free myself from a bad scene.
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