ericsgirl

Anyone got any tips or advice to help me stay sober?.

ANGELINA243

Have you ever been to AA? That's a good start.....also this place has helped me alot.

ericsgirl

no i haven't tried aa yet.:praying

Aysha

I dont do meetings..But it has helped countless people. This site has been a great help.
Read around and post some. Lots of support and wisdom here.

flutter

I tried aa.. it's not for me, but it has been fabulous for a TON of people here.

One day at a time, as easy as it sounds.. sometimes even one minute.. one hour..

You can do it, if you want it

ANGELINA243

Let's see--tips for staying sober. I was told to avoid certain people, places, hangouts where I used to drink. Try to make 90 meetings in 90 days was also recommended (but not required). Call someone before you drink.....which has helped me when I have had the "urge" to pick up a drink. By talking to others--either here at SR or to someone on the phone has been a lifesaver. :ghug

gonzo9730

I to have tried AA and it was a little bit of a turn off for me. I don't think it was AA so much, rather it was the group of people that were there. You may wan't to try it, but if multiple groups are offered in your area, I would focus on finding the best fit. One site I came across was Rational Recovery; it help me figure some things out.

Also, I find that if you focus on putting good food/nutrition into your body it helps distract you from thinking about alcohol and can help cope with the physical feelings of kicking the habit. Sometimes while I'm eating a piece of fruit, I will google the health benefits to understand what kind of nutrition I get from it.

Exercise is really good as well. It helps you feel more energetic, is a good release and can help curb feelings of anxiety and depression. It also sets you up for a better sleep if you don't do it too close to bedtime.

Those are a couple of tips to start out with. Good luck in your pursuit of soberness and try not too get discouraged. I am almost through day six myself, by the time I wake up tommorow it will be day 7.

shorebirds2saly

Hi Ericgirl-Its good news to hear about quiting!You've come to the right place for
strength and support.For some advice,all I can say from my expierence when I was
younger,I could do cold turkey..but it took me building strength over a small amount
of time.If I couldnt do it-I would go to a good sobriety program and placement.Have
you seen on cable Vh1-celebrity rehab?It should also be out on video soon to buy.
I went thru something similar with my 2 sons and it really shows us where we were
at from the beginning,good advice from Dr.Drew,and hopes for the future.I hope this
this helps and we can be friends! *Happy New & Safe year

TTOSBT

Welcome!
I also am in AA and I can not say enough wonderful things about the program. If you always keep principals before personalities, it is easier to deal with the people
When I first got sober, I had to change my routines. I started going to the gym so that I was not at home when I used to drink. The added benefit of that was that I lost 30 pounds in 3 months! I also read everytrhing I could get my hands on! The other thing was I put the money I would have spent on booze in a jar and I rewarded myself with something at 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, etc. You get the idea
You can do anything you want as long as you just do not pick up a drink!!

gonzo9730

The money I haven't spent on booze has been phenomenal. That in itself has been a very nice reward. I am in a position where I don't have to put the new bbq, bigscreen and exercise bike I've been planning on buying on credit. *feels great*

Trippstar

the money I saved for being dry is immense I got a good monitor for pc I got all my respect back got my self respect back and then BANG lost the lot in one hour.

yeahgr8

How did you do that Trippstar? Do you mean drinking again?

Rusty Zipper

eg, this little yellow book is a great start

Living Sober, Alcoholics Anonymous World Service, Book - Barnes & Noble

some call it A.A. for Dummies

well, this dummie read it, and it helped saved my life

dgtrkt

go to a meeting!!

Trippstar

Yeahgr8 I hit it hard not good. I gotta be dryed out or I will have a fit cuz of all the times from before but Im good now Im cool

yeahgr8

Good to hear Trippstar!!!

just remembered my poor friend is sitting downstairs who came to visit, been on site for my usual 3/4 hours today already...so keep coming back here to stay sober...wow i guess i must be on here more than i thought, cool!

have a great day all:ghug

mjw

Try aa and go to different meetings, i have done many meetings in the past month and they are all a bit different. If i dont have the first drink i wont get drunk, that is what i keep telling myself(although thats easier said than done at this time of year)ialready feel a lot better

least

The best advice I've gotten (besides taking it one day at a time) was that when I wanted to be sober more than I wanted to drink I would be able to stay sober. And so far, that's working.

flutter

I agree with least... I finally 'got it'.. it sounds so cliche, but I truly believe that when you want sobriety more than you want to be drunk a lot just falls in place.

I also started exercising around the time (dinner time) that I'd normally start drinking, that really worked and boy does it feel good. I actually got to the point to where it felt weird if I didn't work out, my body was loving it.

There are a lot of really good books out there, I just ordered "How to Quit Drinking Without AA" per my counselor's recommendation, I'm looking forward to it. I also found that there's a lot of really good books out there that have nothing to do with drinking, just about living in the moment, living a life you're excited about etc.. Luckily there's plenty out there, a LOT of people need some extra support for a lot of things!