PhoenixJ

Thanks for sharing, H.

FBL

Glad you made it back, Harley. The good news is, you never have to go thru that experience again...as long as you stick with the plan.

Rob32u

Just think of all the good things that happened to your health for those two years. So those two years aren't erased by a relapse.

Harley1973

Thanks everyone. 16 days now and still sober. I feel better everyday that passes, last night I finally slept like a rock.

Has anyone else noticed that the anxiety, insomnia and other withdraw symptoms get worse with each relapse? This time around was fricking awful and I was sober 2 years!!

Dee74

Yeah it's a thing called Alcoholic Kindling.

D

BullDog777

yeah, bigtime. by the time i was done there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell i could have done it without hospitalization.

NYCDoglvr

Thank you for posting. I need to read stories like this. A big hug!!

kathmandu

The last thing I want to do is drink, but there is something terribly exciting about that sentence.

You can turn your back on Mother Alcohol but she's always waiting to take you in her arms.

KAD

Hi Harley. Thanks for this and glad you came back. Your thread is especially important to me because I am coming up on 2 years sober next month. This serves as a reminder that it's never safe for us to drink again. Ever.

ThatWasTheOldMe

Inner-city detox was the worst experience of my life.

feldknocker

I'm very grateful that you posted this. I am almost to 6 months and have had thoughts of drinking during some upcoming business travel. Your post about going back out has given me a lot to think about. I really appreciate it.

waynetheking

Don't ever drink again. Never ever drink again. It will kill you faster than you can blink an eye. Welcome back.

Clean30

I lost two years sobriety in the past before too. I thought I could drink a couple here or there but ended up back where I left off drinking hard.

We're creatures of habit. Our habit is pounding alcohol.

Dee74

I don;t think anyone ever really loses 2 tears or whatever amount of sober time - all you learned and accomplished is still there...all your growth is too.

The only way to really lose it is to be deliberately wilful - to take this one wrong turn back into old behaviour and make it the new normal again.

That's madness....

D

Gottalife

Glad youmade it back Harley. I see you were doing a lot of AA stuff. Were your sponsoring anyone? Just curious.

LadyBlue0527

Not enough "thanks" for what Dee said.

When we relapse, although some of us may have to turn the count back, what we learned in that time of sobriety is never lost. In fact, there's a very crucial moment in there we need to carry with us forever. That is what led us to give in and what we need to do in order to never repeat that process.

PhoenixJ

How are you, H?

MsCooterBrown

Some of us start out like a boomerang. I am back in the game. Glad you made it back. Glad I did too.

neferkamichael

Harley1973, 15 days sober FANTASTIC, congratulations. You had 2 years sober so you know you can do it. We are all rootin for ya.

Harley1973

No I wasn't actually sponsoring anyone while I was sober but I spent a year trying to help a friend who is alcoholic. I have another post about that on here. I ended up losing that friend recently after i relapsed and then got sober again.