Balou

I just finished reading the thread "Your screen name" (best thread EVER!) and it got me thinking: "What were the events or circumstances that led you to the SR (SoberRecovery) website?" Did it take you awhile to become a member? etc etc etc I love to hear other people's stories, so feel free to share. Thank you.

Snarf

Well, I had spent the previous evening in jail for a DUI. Got home from the pokey and was about to drink a beer, when I had my "moment of clarity," that perhaps I should stay away from the thing that got me into trouble in the first place. (Not to mention many, many other instances of my drinking being a problem aside from the DUI.) So I put the beer can down, went to 4 AA meetings, came home that night, and did a Google search for "alcoholism" (I believe), which led me to SR. Been here and alcohol-free ever since.

Supercrew

For me it was an easy as a Google search for alcohol treatment facilities. I wasn't sure what I was looking for other than some kind of support that was not AA. I was sober for a couple days prior to finding the website, and I started reading what this place was about and realized that this could be a really good tool for me to discuss my issues, get support, and hopefully help a few others on their road to sobriety. (I have always liked discussion boards and frequent them often for my favorite sports teams).

I am so happy I have found this place as it works for me like meetings work for others. I check in a couple of times a day, and it reminds me why I want to stay sober, I am able to discuss, learn and read great advice from alot of different people who are going through many of the same things as me. Thank you!

Toronto68

I think I stumbled into it once or twice in the last few years, but didn't have the interest in looking too far. But I am not positive that it was this particular site.

I had looked up info about quitting drinking in the past and knew that there were dangers to doing it. Years ago I read that it could be life-threatening when I gave it a brief attempt. So this time, a little more than 2 months after I quit, I started wondering a few things, some of them "deeper" than others:

-will my face look better, what happens to most people who took on the redness that many alcoholics detest (how long, etc)

-did I do any other serious damage through the quitting; I have felt some symptoms but nothing major; what should I worry about or expect

-what is different about me, how did I do this (I was amazed I was not drinking), what can I find out about my mental state (I felt uplifted yet depressed at the same time; confused; in a state of inertia); what do others say

The vanity issue, which also has its medical ties (red face), is the search that got me into the site. Then I kicked a few more tires and got interested in the "more important" physical topics and read about how other people quit (several of whom recommended NOT to do it by yourself without medical supervision). Then got more interested in the psychological stuff, and how people felt. And it turned into a kind of AA experience for me, only not going to AA meetings.

Etc, etc.

That's how it happened for me.

Anna

I had been sober for a few years, but was looking for support and googled women and alcohol recovery and ended up here. I had never been on any kind of message board before, but I lurked in women's forum for a couple of weeks and then I had to join. That was 7 years ago.

I know that my finding this place was meant to be.

NEOMARXIST

I used to come here sporadically a few years back when I would be drinking and drugging. I can't remember exactly how I discovered the site but it was probably through trying to find a site explaining alcohols effects on the body/mind rather than a recovery perspective. I used to be fascinated with the chemistry of drink and drugs and used to spend lots of time reading trip/experience journals on certain websites whilst drunk and high/tripping myself.

I also knew that I had a serious problem with alcohol a good few years ago and would go through cycles of saying I was going to quit and then getting demoralised and going back into active and accepting being an active f*ckhead mode for 6 months or so.

I became a member on SR the same time as I contacted AA in May 09. I got to 37 days sober and then went back out a few times untill I finally had my last binge and got sober 8th July 09.

Balou

Thanks everyone for your stories, I forgot mine:
I was looking for music to help me go clean. When I typed in recovery music, I came across a blog/thread on here, and then I went searching around the site and felt a total sense of connection. Long live SR.

AmericanGirl

Mine was similar to a lot of what people have said so far. I believe I read parts of this site over the years before I quit, when I would google stuff related to alcoholism & health concerns (or, I'll admit, vanity issues). It didn't occur to me that it could be a place I could join until my first day sober. I had not been involved with an online group for at least ten years. I'm so glad to be here.

PaperDolls

I was looking for help in dealing with my mother's drinking/alcoholism back in 2004 ...... I was also living in denial about my own alcoholism. I was too focused on her I guess.

I've made some great friends here and even got to meet some of them recently. Good times.

Kjell

Really drunk one night and I googled "alcoholism"

TexasNative

I actually looked for it. One day when I was all hungover and ready to take action I googled "sobriety forum" and here I am!

augustwest

i googled "recovery message boards"

Dee74

I was desperate and knew I had to try something different - whatever I put into google that day bought me here - thank God

D

Kerbcrawler

googled after a very hard dangerous drinking binge,after christmas/new year time, was all over the place, desperate,to find a way out of my private hell, it was a massive release to be able to share,and find many others going through exacly the same Dilema,
i remember thinking,this place cant be for real...people just cant possibly be so nice,non judgemental, caring i guess, was actually a mess, even weeks on the booze,and weeks off, was coming on here, talking drunk nonsense at times,much to my sheer embarrasment now, but you know how it goes, in the time from then till now, boy have i made some changes, and boy,how i feel so alive and full of life,like i never did, after a decade and a bit more of numbing myself with drink, this place i cannot thank enough for that..and how i never wish to go back to the dark days again, like many here, my situation was becoming pretty desperate, was skating on thin ice, i hit bottom as it were, id tried and tried so many times to stop,and lasted a week two weeks, then it all changed and i knew/know this time theres no turning back, and im happy calm,enjoying life on lifes terms, learning new things all the time, enjoying them things, and keen to learn more things, im not money orientated at all, so not ambitious for wealth or gadgetry,enjoying the simplest of things all around, and learning to overlook nothing, and take nothing for granted, keeping my guard up,and being aware of complacency,
a Huge thanks to SR and all here who make it such a great place.

Balou

Keb, I agree with you, it's the kindness of the people on here that keeps me coming back.

luckyrina

Greetings everyone, A dear friend comes to this site often. She ask me to check it out so here I am.

Rusty Zipper

came here to post about a members (GF) passing do to addiction,

and kinda got addopted!

grateful i stayed around...

SlvrMag

I was beginning to think "Hmmm...maybe I should quit using meth?" So I googled it and here I am!


Rusty, I think you have the highest post count I've ever seen on SR!

onestepforward

Drunk as a skunk.

Looking out one of one eye to focus I believe I googled:

"Am I an alcoholic?"

I became a member two weeks in to my sobriety.

Still Waters

I searched "dry drunk", since I was hearing that phrase used yet I didn't understand what it meant. Been here ever since.