lovesymphony

Fantasizing about alcohol will probably make someone white knuckle. There's no reason to think about drinking in a positive way if the decision has been made to stop. Better to remember all the negatives associated with it and bad experiences that made him want to stop in the first place, plus the joys of being sober. After a while it can just become habit to see alcohol as the monster it is. I cringe at the sight of it sometimes.
He's lucky to have someone like you for support.

Stung

Thanks guys!

Whoa there. I'm not trying to read anyone's mind. I'm trying to understand what a term means from people that have actually experienced it. I'm not asking anyone else to tell me whether his program is good enough or whether he's going to relapse or anything else about him. I want to know what it means because maybe I'm being unreasonable (I know, shocking right?) by thinking that he could be white knuckling because maybe I don't even understand what the term means.

This is what I thought it meant to white knuckle. My husband is doing a LOT of stuff in regards to having a program (AA, sponsor & steps, therapist, psychologist, naltrexone, lexapro, adding daily vitamins, just finished IOP, etc.) but I don't know if he actually "buys in" to what he's doing rather than just going through the motions. Not my place to judge though. If it's working for him then the proof will be in the pudding.

Oh no, *I* don't have time to hit up open AA meetings and I barely have enough time for the al-anon meetings that I go to.

And from everything you guys have written I'm pretty sure that I misunderstood what white knuckling meant. So thanks!