What's the most positive thing that's happened to you now you've stopped.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Bay Area, California
Posts: 314
Clarity! My drinking issue was so foggy and confused - do I have a problem, does anyone know, when can I get more, why can't I stop, how can I make this better without quitting, am I the problem or is it booze, etc. and ad nauseam.
Member
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 596
Stability and freedom, self-respect, the respect of others, hope. I had none of those things while drinking, I was an embarrassment and hated the life I had made for myself. I also didn't care about my future since I was resigned to dying young (before 60, probably before 50). Now I want to live a long life, and live it to the fullest. Sobriety has given me hope.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London, UK
Posts: 29
Thank you, lovely people of SR. Instead of feeling isolated and scared and out of control, I feel supported and optimistic and not alone in this. Going to bed, mug of herbal tea, knowing tomorrow the day will look brighter than it has in forever (quite literally, on good advice from here I spent the last hour cleaning my windows).
Sleep well guys, and thank you for helping a random stranger on the Internet, quite so much.
Here's to the next 24.
Sleep well guys, and thank you for helping a random stranger on the Internet, quite so much.
Here's to the next 24.
voices ca**y
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: St. Paul Minnesota
Posts: 4,359
It's just nice to have normal people problems. The #1 award would go to self respect. I was doing this thing where I would spend most of the day calling myself a looser or a POS or worthless. Then I would get drunk and try to counteract that with telling myself I was a harder worker than most or smarter or something along those lines. It was so constant I didn't even realize I was doing it. It was so incredibly damaging and I begun to think others saw me that way too. I constantly felt the eyes of judgment on me and would overreact to the slightest slight. That war is over. There are still some peacetime negotiations here and there. Also I has this weird feeling like I was being chased. As if I had to keep working harder or something was going to catch me. I don't feel like that anymore.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: New England
Posts: 4,417
Freedom. I was thinking this just last night at 7:45 as I grabbed my camera to go jump in the car and watch the Super Moon come up. As I was cruising around looking for the best vantage point, it struck me that I didn't have to worry about driving anywhere, at anytime any longer, I no longer got a twinge as I passed any of my three wine shops and I no longer cut my days short so I could be left alone at the end of the day with my wine. I almost cried, I felt so liberated. The enormity of how much of a prisoner I had become struck me all at once, and the freedom I feel is most definitely the best perk of many. (There are soooo many.)
Best to you in your journey, Spared.
Best to you in your journey, Spared.
The New Me starting 1/11/09
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: California
Posts: 678
I learned a totally new way to live. While I am not free from fear, anxiety and anger, I can recognize them for what they are and not let them get the better of me. Because of this, I have improved my relationship with my spouse, my children and myself. Plus, I've been able to turn my new positive focused energies into doing better at work, doing fun hobbies and helping others.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Everett WA
Posts: 24
I sleep better, I am in school for a new career and practicing my new recovery behaviors, I laugh, I want to have fun, I lost 25 pounds, I have more money, I get along so much better with my husband and my son and while my daughter is hanging onto things, I can let her issues be hers, I have boundaries, I can ride out the sucky stuff without drinking over them, I have real relationships with people, I have a spiritual life and I don't have to be perfect.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Upstate NY, in the Adirondacks
Posts: 232
Too many to list!! Here's my anniversary post from yesterday:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ars-today.html
Basically, I can think again, I have discovered the artist and writer that was within all these years, and I deal with my feelings now, instead of bury them. Thank goodness!
Nancy
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ars-today.html
Basically, I can think again, I have discovered the artist and writer that was within all these years, and I deal with my feelings now, instead of bury them. Thank goodness!
Nancy
Trudgin
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 6,348
Originally Posted by Spared 
So - day 1 for me. Luckily I'm not far enough down the alcoholic path to get physical withdrawals. I find it easy to stop for one day, following a particularly bad binge. It's even easy to stop for a few days. Then, that voice in my head starts to convince me that "you don't have a problem", "you can control it", and before long, it's on the spiral again.
This time I want it to be different. The more I look at my life, the more I can see the negative effect drinking has had on my health, on my relationships, on keeping me numb, on "escaping" from facing my emotions.
One thing that's been great for me so far is reading this forum. Seeing that giving up alcohol shouldn't be scary, or like losing an old friend. Seeing that your life can and will change for the better. So it would really help me to know.. What's are the best things that have happened in your life after you stopped?
This time I want it to be different. The more I look at my life, the more I can see the negative effect drinking has had on my health, on my relationships, on keeping me numb, on "escaping" from facing my emotions.
One thing that's been great for me so far is reading this forum. Seeing that giving up alcohol shouldn't be scary, or like losing an old friend. Seeing that your life can and will change for the better. So it would really help me to know.. What's are the best things that have happened in your life after you stopped?
I have a lot of gratitude, but very simply for me, each day I am sober makes living amends to myself and those I love. So, the best thing after stopping is being ALIVE to make those deserved amends to others.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Vashon WA
Posts: 1,035
No hangovers. I can drive any time. I like breakfast. I'm a good dad. I sleep well.
30 days is a good goal, but if you're anything like me, that thirty days is really hard. The next thirty is easier and the thirty after that is easier still. I read in some Men's magazine about taking ninety days off--once I hit 90 I knew I was never going to drink again because I never want those 90 days again, especially the first 30!
30 days is a good goal, but if you're anything like me, that thirty days is really hard. The next thirty is easier and the thirty after that is easier still. I read in some Men's magazine about taking ninety days off--once I hit 90 I knew I was never going to drink again because I never want those 90 days again, especially the first 30!
Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: California
Posts: 244
I'm realizing (after quitting a plethera of drugs, and now ~7 days ago, alchohol.)
so far, I've been able to enjoy music and humor more. I also feel quite a bit more positive for the most part, but I am still getting stoned.
so far, I've been able to enjoy music and humor more. I also feel quite a bit more positive for the most part, but I am still getting stoned.
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