From here til January 2nd and beyond
 

I suggest this, it may sound neurotic but I did it. I kept a calendar of how much I drank every day. It nauseates me to look back at it, like reading an old journal when you had a really bad time. I put huge red circles around the days I drank and when I see a month or page that glows red, not good. Then there are months where only a few here and there, then I see the consecutive months where I have crossed off the days I didn't drink and no red at all on the pages and it looks very peaceful and I think I want to extend that. Looking at it makes me feel good. I have a handful of drinking days over the last 4 months and feel shocked looking back. Anyway less is good but none is where it needs to be so here I go some more. As Hawkeye suggested in my other thread, let's close out the year totally sober.

Who wants to come?

With you all the way Sleepie to qoute cap I'm with you to the end of the line

Stay awesome Sleepie :hug: XO

I'm in :)

D

So this is no drink and no valium, I have had a long few months with the valium taper, no drinking, then no drinking and no valium with small slips. Now it's nothing at all. I mean, it has been a process but I'm finally getting to where I set the goal. What a long road. It really changes the game when benzos are in the mix.

Sleepie, this may sound counterintuitive but my experience tells me its true. Quitting both valium and alcohol is easier than trying to quit alcohol while still using valium. Valium and alcohol both trigger the same reward pathway in your brain, so trying to taper on valium while staying sober is like deliberately lighting up your amygdala every day in exactly the way it relapses.

Psychologically and physically it is harder initially to face the prospect of 100% sobriety and the physical withdrawal, but once you clear the first couple weeks, it becomes easier to stay sober that way.

Good luck - you can do this!

I had no choice but to taper, cold turkey would have been very bad for me. I was on them for years. Anyway read my old posts, I know how it all works with the receptors and GABA and all, all too well. I did what worked for me with medical supervision and am finally getting there... I would never advise anyone to do a cold turkey from alcohol and benzos.

I'm all in sleepie!

Happy Thanksgiving the simplest goal is not to drink today do the best we can today if you're honest and put the effort into it you won't even need a red marker anymore but it also takes some work surrounding yourself with people who are just like you finding people who have recovered not just sober sober is awesome it's the first thing we must do what I've learned over the years is that I didn't have a drinking or a drug problem I had a thinking problem when I put down the drugs and alcohol I still acted and treated people badly I was still full of fear full of resentment it was necessary for me to face and be rid of the things in myself that blocked me off from being happy so I went to the fellowship and I worked the program have a great day have lots of Turkey and pie if you have a book Alcoholics Anonymous page 84 second paragraph can help you take an inventory during the day the top of page 86 happy to look at your day when you go to bed 86 thru 88 every morning helps as well every morning helps as well so have a great holiday in most areas they have 24 hour meetings during Thanksgiving and Christmas if you need someone to vent to I'm here

You know I'm in sleepie :grouphug:

I'm in, too!

I'm game too!

I'm in as well. What steps/plan will you take to make this really work? You know that SR is always here of course, but what tools will you use right there at home?

I know I'm expanding my program to include a little more structure--
I've ordered Rational Recovery and am going to try and implement some pieces
of that into my plan.

I'm also stepping up on "life management" things I've been procrastinating on.
This includes staying on top of work tasks in a more timely way,
purging and deep cleaning my space so we can finish out our endless construction zone,
paying off all credit card debt and taking a meeting about retirement instead of avoiding dealing with the future,
getting back to the gym and yoga studio as I was doing before my first relapse.

All of these things help me feel like I'm proactively taking charge of my recovery instead of waiting for it to happen to me.

My biggest action is to accept finally, without qualification, that I cannot ever drink alcohol safely and that moderation is not an option for me and never will be.

That's mine in a nutshell Scott--working on the house this morning,
went to the gym yesterday, yoga studio and gym again this weekend so one day at a time. . .

Hope you all have a good day.
3 hours sleep, have to put on a face.
Ok guys stay sober ttyl:)

"Who wants to come?"

With you on this journey, sleepie. Vamos!

Delfin

I'm in for the following January2 as well!

count me in, sleepie :tyou

glad you had a sober day sleepie and see you tomorrow :)

It's amazing what you have accomplished over the last few months, Sleeps. It really is. You're an inspiration. I'm in :-)

Sobriety is wonderful. Im in!