eddie73

I am sober now a little while, and am happy to say I have weathered the storm. It is a hard place to have to keep comming back from, but as my sponsor told me, we need every drop before we stop! So today I was sober and this feels good. I am at a safe and stable place and long may it continue, so it is tomorrow and now what counts, not yesterday, last week or last month.

stilltryinghard

My sponsor has always told me that back in the day there wasn't such an emphasis in AA on how many days or years someone has had sober. And I often think counting days is pretty lame and not in the spirit of "one day at a time." I like it when I hear old-timers say, I only have today and that is no better than anyone else. We are all only sober today. That is no guarantee for tomorrow, and yesterday is done with and over.

I heard someone share at a meeting today that he goes to sleep at night and thanks God he is sober. But every morning he wakes up, he tells himself he is still an alcoholic and he hasn't had a sober day yet. And that gives him the willingness, every day, to ask that God (or his HP) help him to stay sober. I thought that was pretty cool.

Anyway, for me, even though I think that the amount of continuous sobriety is sort of lame, especially since I've gotten bounced on two service committments now because I relapsed for one night and "don't have enough time" (working on that resentment), counting days and showing others how long I've made it is, I think, a source of hope for other alcoholics. So I do it and get my chips and it helps me be of service, if only in a small way.

johndelko408

The purpose of counting days is to give the new comers hope that sobriety is achievable. I also feel it gives ourselves the motivation to keep our own sobriety, by this I mean that we don't want to throw away the time we already have if our sobriety really matters to us. You guys are right in the sense that yesterday is already done and over with and we are never guaranteed tomorrow. It's what we do from the time we wake up to the time we lay our head down at night that really counts. It is a twenty-four hour program, not a twenty-four day or year program. I stopped counting days at six months and now only count milestones like one year and such.

nogard

its just today that counts for me. I only have today as its always today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow is ?

So for today I dont pick up and I learn how to live sober/clean

TwoJacks

I don't find it necessary to count anymore. I know in my heart I don't drink anymore and that's enough for me.

Isaiah

I think counting is just a garnish. It's good for those first couple weeks when it helps to have a real measure of progress. But for those who enjoy their days, I say keep at it, I know some that count right up into the thousands, that's awesome.

Personally, I don't even care about milestones that much. I got one token one time and I ended up giving it back to the group. I just knew it would sit in a drawer unappreciated and that it'd be better off being reused.

CrackQuack

I counted days to look forward to months. I counted months to look forward to years. Then I lost track! I actually messed up a couple weeks ago, around Christmas time. My boyfriend and I were talking about my best girlfriend's new baby. He asked when she was born and I answered that it had to be February last year because I wasn't using when she was born. He looked at me funny. I was like "Oh, DUH." Last February was my 1 year. So yeah, I wasn't smoking dope. DUH. And her baby was born Jan 25th, 2010. LMAO. 2 years next month. Who would have thought it?? I never, in a million years, thought I could make it.
But if counting days is confusing you or upsetting you, don't do it. Just enjoy each day you are clean in your own way.