hopeful2009

Hi Everyone!
I hope you all are doing well! I've come across this website quite a few times over the last few years, but never thought about joining until now. Instead of just reading all the posts, I thought it might be more beneficial for me to express myself and hopefully connect with others who understand what I've been going through.
How does this all work? Do a lot of you go to the meetings? Hope to hear back from someone soon!
<3, Hope

mikel60

Hi Hope,
I'm Mike, a drunk in Boston. I've been sober almost 13 years now. I visit this site often, share once in a while, and attend AA meetings. This is a great place where there is a lot of support and guidance. I get a lot out of it. For me, its like going to a meeting without leaving the house. I actually shre more here than I do at meetings.

Hope to hear more from you. I've found sobriety to be fantastic - struggles and all. I think you will, too.
Mike

hopeful2009

Thanks Mike! I went to a few NA meetings a couple years ago when I was in college, but would never admit that I was an addict. I always said I didn't know... but looking back, I definitely was. I think it will be easier to share on here also instead of talking face to face.. that can be kind of intimidating, especially if you're like me and not ready to get honest with yourself. Congrats on 13 years! That's amazing!

mikel60

Hey Hope,
Looks like you're getting honest now. I had no clue as to what a total drunk I was - especially in my twenties. Honesty came only when I had almost nothing left.

Sharing here is easy and you get a lot of feedback and varied perspective. Sometimes a little bit too much perspective - but variety is the spice of life. There are some really wisae people here - you'll soon see that.

As for the 13 years - its kind of snuck up on me. Sobriety has been very good to me - I think it will be for you, too.
Mike

Mark75

Hi

I am a recovering alcoholic/addict. I am 3.5 months clean and sober. I very much like this forum because it is always on, I can think through what I want to say before I say it and there are many different people and perspectives I can learn from.

I attend AA meetings regularly. Being in a room with other people who are working their own recovery and listening to their experience, strength and hope is a very important and powerful part of my recovery. On bad days I try to go early and stay late. I have a sponsor. Some really difficult resentments and confusing thoughts and feelings have been resolved only by talking face to face with another alcoholic/addict. It also really helps the loneliness that creeps into my life and recovery to be, really be there, with another person. This helps me to get outside of myself. It did take a while to find the meetings that I truly felt comfortable with.

This forum, however, is a very important addition to my recovery. I am getting to know the many wonderful people here. If you have issues with loved ones, it can be useful to go to the friends and family section. I don't always leave there with warm and fuzzy thoughts and feelings, but I have worked through some pretty difficult issues.

I am sure that others with more experience than I will be along soon to say hi.

Mark

Aysha

Welcome hopeful...Glad your here.
There is alot of support here. This place has really taught me so much. And the people I have gotten to know are like family.
It does give that extra confidence to let yourself be more open and honest than if you were face to face.
Hope to see you around.

Rusty Zipper

hiya 2009

welcome to the family...

i also go to A.A. meetings, have since i surrender to my alcoholism almost six years ago...

get'n down real deep with the being honest with others, and myself took work, time, and went against the grain of my alcoholism...

online recovery is great, just it cannot compare with the power of face to face...

there is real contact of eyes, ears, body, mind, heart and soul...

i do do both, and that helps keep me in contact with newcomers, and others with the same problem...

good wishes 2009

rz

brokenrainbow89

Congratulations on making it this far! I've only been sober for, well, this is day four, so you're doing great!

I never really thought I had a problem, I just thought I liked to drink a little, and was just being a regular teenager. It wasn't until I was lying in bed waiting to hear if I needed a liver transplant that it hit me. Things had to get better and I came to realise that yes, I am an alcoholic.

I don't go to meetings, although my CPN has advised me to. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet. I got myself into this situation, and now I need to get myself back out of it again.

Have been browsing more than posting and finally joined SR yesterday. Seems like a good place to be when you're aiming to basically turn your life around.

Good luck, hope to see you around!

Jane

Pelican

Welcome to the SR family!

Read and post as often as you need.

We're glad you are here.

inoishudbdead

Hi, thanks for joining!

I'm 20 years old and a college student. Ive been here off and on for the last 6 months or so. I have gone through the whole denial about my drinking and whether or not i am able to cut back. I still consider myself very new to all of this, but i realize that i am an alcoholic and can never drink because i only end up disappointing myself, family, and friends when i do.

What has been helping me lately has been reading posts on here that i am able to relate to and talking to my father about my alcoholism because he is also an alcoholic and has already gone through many of the things that i am going through now and is able to relate. One thing that i did which really made me realize that i had a problem was from a post i read on here. i wrote down all of the reasons why i enjoyed drinking... which ended up being 3. Then i wrote down beside it all of the reasons why i don't enjoy it. I came up with over 20 very quickly. then i truly realized that alcohol has completely had a negative effect on my life, and that i will be much happier without it.

Good luck in your recovery, everyone is here to support eachother!

shaun00

hi hope and welcome........you are amongst friends.

I could not have got sober without AA.

or to be more specific...the AA twelve steps.

I couldnt manage my own life with or without a drink.

I needed a program to cope with a life without booze.

So...for me and still for me, AA was the way.

I also get alot of helpful advice from here and try to give support also.

I havent drank for 8 years and my life is wonderful....one day at a time.

A bad day sober is a doddle compared to a bad day drinking. imo

Good to hear from you................trucker

Anna

Hi Hopeful,

I am so glad that you joined us.

There is lots of support here and we do understand. I don't go to meetings, but I've been coming here, every day, for years. It always inspires me.

Horselover

Welcome to SR Hopeful and I, like Anna, come here for help and its kept me sober for over 7 months. It has worked for me when nothing else would. Glad you've joined.

michigangirl

Hi Hopeful.

Welcome.

I am new here to. I have found reading the posts very helpful, and am trying to blog, to keep track of my progress. (like a journal.)

flutter

Heya Hopeful, welcome to SR! I'm just on day 12, but it's great. The SR family is an amazing support system. I don't go to meetings, but I have started counseling 1:1.

Welcome!!!

hopeful2009

Thanks for all your messages and support! I should have joined this a while ago because I think it's a really great way to get your life back on track. I can totally relate to so many of the stories I've read so far and look forward to learning more from all of you! You all are an inspiration!

lisa t

welcome hopeful...glad u are here! keep reading & sharing....many great people here with really solid sobriety! ask questions, vent if u need to...whatever..anything goes!!
we're here to help & be helped!!
i do go to AA meetings and find them awesome....i don't get to as many as i would like considering i live in the middle of nowhere...but i go when i can and i always take away something i can use....check it out for yourself...go to a couple and sit & listen. i feel like that i need to do everything i can to stay sober...i know what happens when i am left to my own devices...been there done that...don't wanna go back!
Big Hugs to you! Hope to hear more from you soon!
Lisa