steelchain

I have not drunk alcohol in over 2 months, which is quite a while for me. I noticed when I am tempted to drink again it's like the longer I go without alcohol the less serious the problem seems to have been in my mind anyway.. I forget just how bad my addiction was and what it did for me .....must keep that in mind. I still get ideas that I could somehow be a moderate drinker after a long period of abstinence. Delusional

Briansy

Yeah. Your brain trying to protect you from traumatic memories. William Porter talks about it in his book Alcohol explained. I can't recall how he proposed combatting it. I guess sites like these help us remember that it's our mind playing tricks on us.

ScottFromWI

Yep, addiction really makes no sense at all when you look at it from an outside perspective. But it is indeed cunning in it's ways to try and make you believe otherwise. Staying vigilant and having a plan is imperative. Congrats on your 2 months, that's a pretty significant accomplishment.

Steely

That has happened to me too serious. Most of us I bet.

I used to fall for it, but not any longer. I KNOW I can't drink just one drink. Everything goes bats again. Every time.

I now make a conscious effort to remember my last drunk, or the one before that......there's been a lot.

I can't deny reality any longer.

Stay focussed on what you REALLY want. Bet it's not *really* alcohol?

Obladi

I think being a drunk is traumatic. For real.
I mean, that's some hell we put our bodies through, right?

The human brain is amazing in that it can eventually forget the visceral pain we were in. It's a survival mechanism twisted up by addiction, in my estimation.
The idea has probably occurred to all former drunks that we might be able to handle it now. Some people are wise enough to listen to others' experience, others have to learn by going through the wringer repeatedly.

I hope you're the first type.

O

novips

Thanks for sharing. You reminded me of the following from page 30 of the Big Book (emphasis mine):

We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the first step in recovery. The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.

One could certainly do worse than making pages 30-33 of the Big Book a regular part of one's morning meditation. Of course, regular A.A. meeting attendance is also essential for folks like me, at least in part because I routinely get reminded of the seriousness of my alcoholism there.

GoodLife32

The same thing always happens to me... I go on a total bender, **** my life up, and swear off booze for life. I tend to be able to get 2-3 months sober, but I start to forget how big of a problem it is for me. Next thing I know I’m back on the sauce, and the whole cycle repeats itself.

advbike

Good job Steelchain!

Yes, for me the 2-3 month point is the most risky as I am feeling great again, and the primitive brain wants the pleasure of the buzz.

Just have to say NO to that beast.