Hi! I'm new to this community...
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 15
Hi! I'm new to this community...
I just thought I would post a hello to everyone! I am not completely new to recovery, as I have been clean and sober for almost a year and a half. However, I definitely feel new to "living" clean and sober most of the time. I spent almost 3 decades in addiction, and am fairly new to "acceptable social behaviour." It is truly proving to be quite a learning experience! In the last couple of yeyars of my addiction to drugs and alcohol, among other things, I was extremely anti-social and isolated myself as much as possible.
I guess I'm simply here to try something new!:wtf2
I guess I'm simply here to try something new!:wtf2
mle-sober
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Golden, CO
Posts: 1,243
SoulSearcher,
Good for you and welcome! Congratulations on your sobriety of a year and a half! I would like to hear more about what you mean when you say you feel new to "living" clean and "acceptable social behavior." Do you mean that you are just now reaching out to others and trying to be part of something?
I have been having to admit that life is much more of a living experiment than I'd previously thought. That if you try one thing, you get certain results and if you try another thing, you get different results! That seems like an obvious one to most people but to this stumbling alcoholic, it's taken me a while to get it.
Anyway - I'm rambling. I'm glad you're here and I'm glad you're sober. Good job.
- MLE
Good for you and welcome! Congratulations on your sobriety of a year and a half! I would like to hear more about what you mean when you say you feel new to "living" clean and "acceptable social behavior." Do you mean that you are just now reaching out to others and trying to be part of something?
I have been having to admit that life is much more of a living experiment than I'd previously thought. That if you try one thing, you get certain results and if you try another thing, you get different results! That seems like an obvious one to most people but to this stumbling alcoholic, it's taken me a while to get it.
Anyway - I'm rambling. I'm glad you're here and I'm glad you're sober. Good job.
- MLE
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,776
Welcome to the site!:ghug3 A year and a half sober! 
You've come to a good place for advice, support, and friendship. I am only nine days sober but am finding that I have to make some big adjustments to living in order to live sober. But I am very willing to do that since I can't stand to go back to where I used to be.
I'm glad you're here! Keep coming back!
You've come to a good place for advice, support, and friendship. I am only nine days sober but am finding that I have to make some big adjustments to living in order to live sober. But I am very willing to do that since I can't stand to go back to where I used to be.
I'm glad you're here! Keep coming back!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 12,136
Welcome to our community and congrats on the clean time that's great! I'm in Ontario and have a friend working out in Fort McMurray - he loves it out there but says the winters are terrible!
I'm glad you found us. I kept myself isolated while drinkiing, and again in early recovery. Slowly this has changed for me, and I've begun to get out and to try new experiences. I am going to the driving range for the first time tomorrow! Normally I would be scared to make an a$$ of myself, but I'm looking forward to the experience, and thought maybe my boyfriend and I could have a few laughs! I could never have done this without getting clean and sober
Keep posting. Glad you're here!
I'm glad you found us. I kept myself isolated while drinkiing, and again in early recovery. Slowly this has changed for me, and I've begun to get out and to try new experiences. I am going to the driving range for the first time tomorrow! Normally I would be scared to make an a$$ of myself, but I'm looking forward to the experience, and thought maybe my boyfriend and I could have a few laughs! I could never have done this without getting clean and sober
Keep posting. Glad you're here!
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 15
Wow! Thanks for the welcome eveyone!
I didn't really expect that. I will try to reply to everyone individually, but for now it's rather late and I need to get to bed. Thanks again!
I didn't really expect that. I will try to reply to everyone individually, but for now it's rather late and I need to get to bed. Thanks again!
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 15
Nice to feel welcome somewhere...
Originally Posted by 353 
Welcome to SR SS67!!
Your story sounds like mine. This is a great site, I don't post often but I read alot. It's just good to be able to come in here and see people working on recovery.
Peace
Your story sounds like mine. This is a great site, I don't post often but I read alot. It's just good to be able to come in here and see people working on recovery.
Peace
It honestly took me awhile to begin hearing other people's stories as being similar to mine. I was pretty far gone, and didn't think anyone could possibly know how I felt. "Working on recovery" is exactly right! I didn't start getting any until I started doing some work, but what rewarding work it is turning out to be.
Thanx for the welcome!:ghug3
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 15
Originally Posted by mle-sober
SoulSearcher,
Good for you and welcome! Congratulations on your sobriety of a year and a half! I would like to hear more about what you mean when you say you feel new to "living" clean and "acceptable social behavior." Do you mean that you are just now reaching out to others and trying to be part of something?
I have been having to admit that life is much more of a living experiment than I'd previously thought. That if you try one thing, you get certain results and if you try another thing, you get different results! That seems like an obvious one to most people but to this stumbling alcoholic, it's taken me a while to get it.
Anyway - I'm rambling. I'm glad you're here and I'm glad you're sober. Good job.
- MLE
Good for you and welcome! Congratulations on your sobriety of a year and a half! I would like to hear more about what you mean when you say you feel new to "living" clean and "acceptable social behavior." Do you mean that you are just now reaching out to others and trying to be part of something?
I have been having to admit that life is much more of a living experiment than I'd previously thought. That if you try one thing, you get certain results and if you try another thing, you get different results! That seems like an obvious one to most people but to this stumbling alcoholic, it's taken me a while to get it.
Anyway - I'm rambling. I'm glad you're here and I'm glad you're sober. Good job.
- MLE
Thanx for the congrats, but I'm not quite there yet; I have good feeling I will make it though!
As far as the "living clean" and "acceptable social behaviour" you said it very well with your statement about life being a "living experiment" more than I ever previously thought either, but then again I never used to think very much about how I was living. As far as I was concerned I had it all figured out when after I began drinking and using drugs I felt like I belonged somewhere and felt like I was a "somebody" as opposed to being the object of ridicule. This all started for me at a very young age. My social life revolved completely around drinking and using drugs for a very long time. In the last 17 years, I was for the majority of that time a daily crack cocaine user. The use of it eventually led to extreme isolation due mostly to excessive paranoia.
You are quite perceptive as well about the reaching out; it has been a very slow process for me, but it is getting easier most of the time. Trying new things for me is still too often like "pulling teeth" for my liking, but I'm getting better as I do see some really great results coming of it.
I'm glad you're too, and I'm glad you're clean and sober!
8
mle-sober
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Golden, CO
Posts: 1,243
Soulsearcher,
You obviously done a lot of work already. I'm an alcoholic and have only lightly experimented with drugs. Never tried crack. But I have the preception of it as being incredibly difficult to get off of. So if you are recognizing your need to be clean and sober and you're reaching out here and in other ways, I have to say: My hat is off to you.
Even your name tells me that you are trying! I really believe that you are going to succeed here.
My own experience is that pretty much everything changed with sobriety. It wasn't all comfortable. It's still not, to be honest. I have to struggle with situations where I would normally numb myself. I have to learn to tolerate a certain amount of discomfort. Sometimes, it's more intense than other times.
BUT (& this is big) even though I have the discomfort and the struggle to find balance and know who the heck I am now without alcohol, I have joy and serenity in my life that I don't think I knew from about 14 years of age. (I'm 39 now.) Joy and serenity were not even words in my vocabulary! Now, I actually expereince them on a daily basis.
So I just want to give you some hope, if that helps at all. I totally, totally believe in you. Keep posting!
- MLE
You obviously done a lot of work already. I'm an alcoholic and have only lightly experimented with drugs. Never tried crack. But I have the preception of it as being incredibly difficult to get off of. So if you are recognizing your need to be clean and sober and you're reaching out here and in other ways, I have to say: My hat is off to you.
Even your name tells me that you are trying! I really believe that you are going to succeed here.
My own experience is that pretty much everything changed with sobriety. It wasn't all comfortable. It's still not, to be honest. I have to struggle with situations where I would normally numb myself. I have to learn to tolerate a certain amount of discomfort. Sometimes, it's more intense than other times.
BUT (& this is big) even though I have the discomfort and the struggle to find balance and know who the heck I am now without alcohol, I have joy and serenity in my life that I don't think I knew from about 14 years of age. (I'm 39 now.) Joy and serenity were not even words in my vocabulary! Now, I actually expereince them on a daily basis.
So I just want to give you some hope, if that helps at all. I totally, totally believe in you. Keep posting!
- MLE
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 15
"My own experience is that pretty much everything changed with sobriety. It wasn't all comfortable. It's still not, to be honest. I have to struggle with situations where I would normally numb myself. I have to learn to tolerate a certain amount of discomfort. Sometimes, it's more intense than other times."
That is really well put, MLE! I fully believed I stopped growing emotionally when I started using, so I guess right now I'm probably somewhere between 16-20 years old on an emotional level. Sometimes that feels really weird, as well as at times frustrating, when your 40.
On the intellectual side, the brain of the honour student I used to be seems to have returned with an even more heightened passion for learning. However, it sure can be overwelhming at times. I've become uncomfortable it seems in just as many ways as I've become comfortable, if not more. I tend to think that it is simply the process of growing up, which I did not do for over 27 years.
That is really well put, MLE! I fully believed I stopped growing emotionally when I started using, so I guess right now I'm probably somewhere between 16-20 years old on an emotional level. Sometimes that feels really weird, as well as at times frustrating, when your 40.
On the intellectual side, the brain of the honour student I used to be seems to have returned with an even more heightened passion for learning. However, it sure can be overwelhming at times. I've become uncomfortable it seems in just as many ways as I've become comfortable, if not more. I tend to think that it is simply the process of growing up, which I did not do for over 27 years.
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