2 months
 

Did anyone find month 2 to be a huge hurdle?? I'm 61 days in, but it all of a sudden feels like I'm 6 days in. It's strange. Yesterday, I called my sister to ask her to meet me for dinner and drinks. I'm so grateful she couldn't make it. But, if she could've, I would've gone. Which is NUTS after all I've been through to get to this point.

I've been slipping from the mindset of "I don't drink" to "I can't drink", and it's not good. I also keep thinking I deserve this reward, but I know full well it won't feel like a reward the day after I drink.

I'm nervous. I don't like these thoughts, but I'm having difficulty changing them.

Sohard, two months is great, but it is still quite early on. Most people still have drinking thoughts at two months, I know I did. I thought about drinking or how I wasn't drinking all the time. Your AV is not going to give up without a fight, the more you allow yourself to entertain and engage with those thoughts, the harder it will be. I used a lot of distraction, a lot of exercise, a lot of SR, trying out new hobbies and interests.

Try thinking I will never drink right now! When it gets tough. It is always right now and you always have the power to not drink in the present moment.

Best to you, and you're doing great.

this time in sobriety, I no longer saw it as a reward. Your thinking has to change. Alcohol is not a reward for you. It's a trap.

How many times have you tried to quit drinking? For me it was countless tries over 20 years. Going back never worked and I knew going back again would be a disaster, knew it in my bones.

Try to enjoy life. Spring is coming. You can see, hear, smell and taste everything now, you're truly alive for once. Drinking is really just numbness, stumbling around, and searching for more alcohol. It's a pitiful waste of time.

Hi sohard - like others have said it's early days - I think almost everyone has those thoughts.

It's what we do with them that counts.

It;s great you're posting here. I dunno what else you're doing for your recovery effort wise but I recommend an action plan - fight against complacency.

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...ery-plans.html

D

I concur with Sassy :) When I took drinking off the table, I removed the idea of it any longer being a reward.

I decided to view it for what it is and for me it is poison :dee

61 days is fantastic, Sohard :scoregood Keep pushing through :grouphug:

Congrats on 2 months. Now keep going. Like dee said, fight complacency. It's a killer for us. Just get busy. So busy that you don't have time to think about drinking. It's a dead end street. Go's nowhere. It's not a reward. It's a disease.
Hang in there and stay with us. Every day.

Great job on 2 months!!!

It's one day at a time. Just don't drink for today. Play the tape out in your head. You know what happens when you drink right? The problems start. Maybe not right away but they will return.

You're doing great. Keep up the good work

This is a fantastic post! You've put yourself in a position where you are in control instead of alcohol. Take advantage of this opportunity.

Start by sitting down and making a list of how drinking has helped your life and how it's has hurt your life to remember why you're at this point.

If your list turns out anything like mine it will be a bleak reminder of the ghosts of the past.

Sohard,

60 days, 90 days, 120, 5 months and 6 months I ran into challenges with the thought that I might be able to drink. This last time I actually used AA and did the program which is the 12 steps. Something changed in me and I haven't had any thought that I could drink. I have had thoughts about drinking as a fleeting thought not an actual want. I hope you get into a recovery program such as AA or SMART. You should make a plan for when these situations and thoughts start to take over. A good plan has contingencies also. Good luck, I hope you reflect on the hard work you've already put in and don't risk having to start over because the ability to stop gets harder with each relapse.

I've been slipping from the mindset of "I don't drink" to "I can't drink", and it's not good

do you rember your past? heres a small refresher

I have HORRIBLE withdrawal feelings right now. HORRIBLE.
This is day #1, and it is hell.

oh heck, theres quiteb a bit more youve posted of the misery of drinking. check it out to remindnyourself.

have ya been workin a program/plan of recovery?

2 months for me was still pretty iffy. That was right around the holidays and I remember just getting through it minute by minute sometimes not knowing if or how I'd make it.. Also remember getting to the airport headed home and thinking wow I'm so proud of myself for doing that sober.. should probably celebrate with a drink! Cunning baffling, powerful..

It's ok to have those thoughts and even better to tell someone if you're struggling. 3 months was probably the turning point when I realized I didn't need to freak out if it came into my mind because I knew I wasn't going to act on it.. And it really is easier the more time goes on so hang in there!

I don't know what the heck is the deal with those 30 day markers, but they are very, very real. My "av is out to play" post was right around the 4 month mark.

Maybe it would help you if you just know those are tough points in sobriety and that they do pass.

Hows it going sohard?

D

If you regard sobriety as a punishment, that's what it will feel like. And if you still want to drink more than you want to stay sober, then it's likely you'll drink.

Look at sobriety as a gift, a wonderful gift of peace of mind and joy. :)

I also recommend starting to practice gratitude every day. It's amazing how much better you feel when you are grateful. :)

Thanks all for your thoughts. I think I got too confident maybe. I also stopped working out as much as I had. I can tell when I work out more, I feel much stronger and less likely to drink. So, I’m back to the daily workouts. Since I’d gotten in such good shape and lost weight, I had thought - well, no need to go every day. I hadn’t realized I do, in fact, need to go every day, at least for now, in order to prevent myself from drinking.

And yes, I think I need to be careful about the marker dates, 60,90, 120. etc. I’m so grateful I didn’t drink, now I am eagerly looking forward to saying I have 3 months in the can. I feel confident I’ll get there. Although even saying that scares me I’ll jinx it.

Sohard,
it seems a fairly common thing that people slow down on what they were doing or stopping altogether the very things that allowed them to get to where they are/ were.
later, they wonder why they couldn/didn't manage to stay in the shape and place they were in...
congrats on two months!
keep going.

Fitness keeps my brain sane. Its #1 in my sobriety toolbox.

Congratulations on the two months!

Yeah at 2 months I was still having a tough time getting alcohol out of my thoughts.

I'm almost at 5 and a half months and there is a vast improvement now, I'm finally going through long periods of time where I'm not thinking at all about drinking. It's great!

I know it almost feels impossible at first, but it's worth the time and effort. And this is coming from somebody that almost lost everything because I couldn't stop drinking. It took little over a year to wean myself off alcohol, and a good health scare to finally stop.

I'm at 4 and a half and I feel the same. Its good you are hanging in there, long enough to see the reward....hey you were the one who posted that super helpful stuff about the first year and brain healing. Maybe post that again? It was dead on for me and it might help you too!