Jeeper2010

I am really frustrated with myself. Yesterday was my 40th day without a drink then I was at a party and had one which led to several drinks. Nothing major happened like it usually does when I drink but I just feel like I threw away 40 days of sobriety.....To all of those struggling hang in there!

suki44883

No sense in beating yourself up over it. What's done is done, so learn from it. Just get yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back in the race. You didn't lose those 40 days. They're still there. You were able to go for 40 days, so you know you can do it again.

Jeeper2010

Thanks for the encouraging words. Hopefully I can get another 40.

SoberDrunk

Dont hope, do it, if you are alcoholic, it is LIFE OR DEATH. What if next time you drive and hit someone or end up in jail or get alcohol poisoning and die? Pray to HP and get right back in the program, I will send my prayers as well. You are not alone and you can do this...

reggiewayne

I've been there many times. We all want the ease that comes with the first few drinks. The problem with me is, it never stops at a few. It's not that it most often doesn't stop at a few, I mean it literally never stops at a few. Once I accept that, drinking is no longer and option. I must find another way to deal with life without drinking. I have found that in AA.

Don't beat yourself up. We can all get better, a little at a time. Just one day at a time!

Dee74

Thanks for posting Jeepster.
It shows just how easy it is to make that decision.

I agree with Suki - if we decide to learn from what happens, sober time is never thrown away

I hope you'll never have to 'do over' again

D

FrothyJay

There's a tradition in AA where, after we relapse, we come into a meeting and say, "I'm coming back."

I was recently in a meeting where this happened, and my sponsor whispered to me, "How can you come back when you never went any place?"

The point was that abstinence is not recovery. It's just a band-aid.

If you want to quit for good, if you want to be relieved of the obsession to drink, if you don't want to grind it out one day at a time for the rest of your life, there is a solution. Unfortunately, you rarely find it in AA meetings. But you do find it in the AA text book.

Aysha

I am a big fan of "There is no shame in relapse, Just shame in staying out there."

Not meaning go relapse and come right back and its ok. Just get back up and try again. Learn and work to make sure it doesnt happen again.

I let too many 'slips' 'relapses' or whatever keep me down. The last one going to lengths I havent gone to in a long time.

But its over and there isnt anything any of us can do about it except move on.
I'm glad your back.

Read my sig. 40 days is great. They are not lost. Every day clean and sober counts.

marni

thanks for posting jeeper,
a reminder to me to live one day at a time, to count my blessings and to embrace sobriety.
today is a new day and a new beginning.

Though no-one can go back and make a new start,
anyone can start from today and make a new ending.
Carl Bard.

MsCooterBrown

Jeep...just do what you did before EXCEPT don't pick up. You tried it..you see you still drink like you used to..you failed your test. BUT at least you know that now..won't be that lingering question in the back of your mind! Welcome back...we still love you.

SparklingSeven

Exaxctly what I was going to say - I have been there so many times myself. You just need to use it to make yourself stronger for the next time. You will get it - just stick at it and well done for getting straight here.

All the best,

Stu.

least

I tried and failed more times than I'd like to remember, but when I started working on myself and being grateful for my blessings, I was able to stay sober. Forgive yourself, learn from it, and move forward again.

ste

Nothing new here, but.....
I've heard it said "You lost the time, but you didn't lose the experience."
I had a coach who said "Don't say you'll try, do it". LaFemme reminded me, Yoda said it better. There is no try, there is do, or do not.
You can (not) do.

Bingen

I can really relate the same experience. Certain environments trigger the relapse and knowing they trigger relapse I cannot avoid them due to duty , socializing etc , any help Nd suggestion will be highly appreciated

Bingen

Sorry guys for the typo error it is my spl check newly installed . What I meant was relapse sorry

Dee74

I fixed the typos
What do you mean you can't avoid them Bingen?

I made sure I kept right away from bars etc until I knew I was secure enough to deal with any situation that might arise - those months that I did not socialise in bars weren't very long and they laid the foundation for my recovery.

Those friends who were real friends understood and we met elsewhere.

Now these days, even tho I can go into a bar and watch a band or something and remain happily sober not be troubled - I still don't socialise there anymore...I'm a non drinker...it holds no interest for me.

D

CarolD

I did return to drinking many times after I decided to quit.
I lost count of how many Day 1's I had...:

I was up and down in and out of AA.....then I read a book
"Under The Influence" by Milam & Ketcham that explained alcoholism.

I took that info...re connected to God and AA...and finally
I quit drinking....

Hope everyone will get into recovery
it's an awesome way of living...

ACT10Npack

Jeeper, I wouldn't say several drinks would count as a relapse. A relapse comes down to you going back what you regular do with drinking. Most non drinkers will not drink most of the time but they will drink once in a full moon as in few times in a year. As long as you don't go back to your relapse phase then you should be fine. But if your going to be in those type of party places with alcohol and you don't want to drink then you will need to learn to not drink at those parties.

Dee74

I disagree ACT10N.

Any time I return to drinking I'm putting myself back in that cycle...it's a relapse as I understand it....and because I know I can't control my drinking, I always run the risk of history repeating itself and my drinking getting away from me

Most of us have had the experience of going back to drinking.
I've yet to see anyone who said they were glad they made the decision tho.

D

keithj

Funny, that's what people who relapse always seem to say. Regardless of what happened this particular time, I've seen far too many people never make it back to not take relapse very seriously. To me, it's an indication that my best efforts at staying away from a drink just might not be sufficient to keep me away from a drink.