defttank

It's been awhile since I've been on this site but with the help of an intensive outpatient program (IOP) and AA meetings (I'm in recovery meetings 5 to 6 days a week) I'm approaching my first 30 days of sobriety. I know a big part of me is experiencing the "pink cloud" of Euphoria in how I feel and am taking precautions not to slip but I am still feeling a great deal of remorse and regret over the choices, missed opportunities and behavior I displayed while using.

I'm having a particularly hard time dealing with what I consider the last "big" social incident I had just before entering treatment. In the big picture of my addictive behavior this was not a very large incident but I think that because it was the most recent one I am having a hard time putting it to rest and dealing with it.

Has anyone experienced this? Any thoughts advice or positive support would be appreciated.

Glad to be back on the SR.
Thanks,
Defttank

dSober

Hell YES. Regret has cause virtually all of my MANY relapses. Don't let this happen to you; it only gets worse; much worse. Then you have more to regret. Nasty snowball that keeps getting bigger.

Advice: Same as you've heard in the meetings: Keep coming back! Here and there.

waynemali

Regret is the hardest thing to get past, I live with my regret everyday, I have to see her in my house, we still live together in seperate rooms, I want to reach out to her, I want to hold her, to kiss her, I want her to truly forgive me for what I've put her through, but she wants no part of a relationship with me anymore other than living to together for the sake of our children.

But as I cannot do anything other than sort myself out, I have to put that regret to one side, I can't influence the situation other than prove I'm a changed man, then maybe there's a chance, but that is not for now, I've still got a long way to go, so I refuse to let it bring me down or knock me from my path to recovery.

As I say it's hard, but you really do need to rise above it or you could end up right back to square one.

Dee74

Hi defttank

The bottom line is - we can't change the past - it's done, it's dusted, it's beyond our power to influence.

We can mourn that fact - or we can turn our energies to now.

There's a heck of a lot we can do today - get a run of really good productive days going, do some good for yourself and for others, and I guarantee you'll feel better about yourself, and what you did in the past will be seen in a better perspective, dt

D

artsoul

Yep - when we come out of the fog we get to see what alcohol did to our lives. And since we're not numbing our emotions, we get that part of it too. It's kind of a shock at first, but it helps if you remember that's not the person you really are.

I don't think we ever forget, we just turn our regrets into motivation to stay sober.