I just don't believe it!
 

TODAY is my ten year anniversary of being sober. Time sure does fly.
I remember that first year looking forward. It surely didn't fly by. It seemed like time crawled. That first year every time I drove by the liquor store a few blocks from home,I just stared at it like it held life's secrets inside there. I had a lot of help from this websight,and spent a LOT of time here.
There has been a lot of water under the bridge in those ten years.
My best friend in the world that I used to drink with died of liver cancer.
I myself had a bout with tongue cancer. Sooo many things have happened in those ten years that I really just don't know how I would have dealt with them if I hadn't stopped. I pretty much got fallen down drunk every day. Of course I waited till 5 o'clock before I started. But by 6 I was always well on my way to being blitzed come hell or high water.

When I quit I took the can of Miller Light from the 12 pack that was next in line from that night. I sat it right by the television so I could see it every day. It is there to remind me just how hard it was for me to quit.
I am looking at that can right now as I type. It's still there :cool:
Life was prison for me. Once I got off work I slammed beer all the way home. I was always over the legal limit by the time I drove my 30 mile trip home. So I was too drunk to go anywhere else or associate with anyone. So I really had no freedom. But all I had to do to unlock the door was not take that first drink. Every morning I would swear I wouldn't drink. After lunch I was starting to feel better. By three I was thinking a beer sounds pretty good and by 5 there was no contest. It was like groundhog day.
Shortly before I quit I realized I was averaging 8 beers on the way home. It was a 35 to 40 minute drive home. That comes to a beer every 5 minutes or less.
Quitting was undoubtedly one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. But it was also undoubtedly the best thing I have ever done.
If I can do it,anyone can. And I hope someone reads this and decides they can do it too.
I wish everyone the best:You_Rock_

Congratulations on ten years! That is wonderful, and is, in fact, where I am.
Funny thing, I also have a beer can sitting here. It's emptied itself over the years, but it still represents sobriety to me.
Ten years is a long time. I feel comfortable in my sobriety, I hope you do too.
Best to you mate. Your post lit up my night.

Nevertheless - congrats on your 10th anniversary! How fabulous that you got free and now have a whole new life. I'm very sorry to hear of your friend's passing.

My drinking habits were very similar. I can't believe how much beer I could put away. In the end, I was just drinking so I wouldn't shake. It was never fun anymore, & hadn't been for years. What a miserable existence, yet I was so afraid to let go. Thankfully we got free. Thank you for an inspiring post. :)

Congrats on 10 yrs sober! :scoregood I'll hit that milestone this December. :)

very cool, Nevertheless, and thanks for sharing your story.

Great share, thank you.

Fantastic, 10 years!. I used to be a Miller Lite man myself and can identify with a lot in what you say. Nonetheless, we can all learn a lot from your example. So many great SR success stories. It's weird how when we're drunks we get so sunk into ourselves and our misery that we forget all the joy in everyday life that's out there for the taking. We limit ourselves, maybe because it's scary to realize the latent power we all have to change.

Wow - 10 years is amazing. Congratulations!

What tools did you use to quit? Did you ever go to a detox center? Perhaps AA? SR forums? Other? Understanding your path to success would be helpful to me and probably many others here. Thanks!

No,I didn't go to detox,but I probably should have. The way my legs ached and I woke up several times at nights with cold sweats. It probably is a wonder i didn't have a stroke.
I did go to AA the first year,and hung out here on SR a lot.
I used to go to AA and as soon as I left a meeting I walked in the store and bought half a chocolate cake. Beer just doesn't sound good after half a chocolate cake. I left AA a lot of times wanting to drink more than I did when I went in. But it gave me the strength to stay sober the time I was away,if that makes any sense. I didn't exactly follow the AA rules. But I gave the utmost respect to those that did . I think just hanging out with people that were trying to achieve the same thing I was trying to do is what I needed. I took what I needed and left the rest . I wouldn't have made it without AA
Yes,your not supposed to eat sugar like that. But I did and still do to this day. Maybe not half a chocolate cake. but I still chocolate binge.
I joined a gym not too long after I quit. And while i took a couple year break from it I am back to working out 2 or 3 times a week. I am in WAY better shape than most 60 year olds I know.
I also bought a book called 7 weeks to sobriety. It talks about how alcoholism is partly from vitamin deficiency. Booze certainly does deplete the vitamins in your system. I went out and bought all the over the counter vitamins I could find in that book,and I truly believe that also played a huge part in my success.
I had also simply had enough. I was fed up with it,and new in the back of my mind if I kept drinking like I did that it was going to do me in.
I had a couple very close calls that first year. At the six month mark I was about to throw in the towel and was in a liquor store parking lot and had stepped out of the car and started to walk in when I said Whooa WAIT JUST A %$#% MINUTE. I got back in the car and left. That craving lasted a day or two. But I think that was the last really big fight I had with it . After that the little devil on my shoulder didn't get much attention about the matter.
You just have to WANT to do this.

10 years is amazing. Thank you for sharing!!

You can't believe it, but think about how much you didn't believe it was possible at the beginning of this journey. I had several points along the way that I "couldn't believe:" One Week, six months, a year, 5 years, and 10 years. The odd thing is that at 1 year, I had no doubt that I would see 10, but it was still a milestone when it happened. Eventually, I stopped counting, lost track, and had to make some tenuous calculations when I came here. I do remember the day, however. January 3rd.

Congratulations on 10 years Nevertheless :c011:

Congratulations!!

Congratulations!

Thank you for the great share, 10 years is fantastic!

Cathy

I'm so happy for you. Congrats on 10 years!!:c011:

congratulations Nevertheless :)

D

Congratulations on 10 years!

WOW 10 years!!! Congrats and Happy Soberversary! :bbj:

Congratulations on 10 years of sobriety!!! I really enjoyed your post thanks for your share

Thanks for sharing.

You should be so proud of yourself, I certainly am proud of your accomplishment.

I starting stopping about 10 years ago, and have not had a drink in about 3 years. Dont know the date.

I am in a bit of a funk, and great to read your positive post.

Thank you.