kizzy40

I was wondering,to the members with 1year+ sober what was the one peice of advice you would give to someone at day 1?
Is there one thing that you could pinpoint as invaluable to your recovery, apart from AA,NA and this forum?

mecanix

Once you've got through physical withdrawl you will not die by not having alcohol although you may feel like it but remember those feelings are temporary .

Bestwishes, M

least

My sobriety took a turn for the better when I started practicing gratitude every day. Counting my blessings made it easier to not want to drink as i was acutely aware of all I had to lose by drinking.

coraltint

with some sober time, I was able to see how long it just hadn't been working anymore. I could look back & see that when I drank to celebrate I ruined things, when I drank to drown my sorrows my sorrows were still there in the morning, and when I just drank to drink it got REALLY bad.

So much easier to give in & stop rather than trying to control my drinking...it won that fight over & over.

instant

Embrace sobriety as the way forward in your life

Hollyanne

H.A.L.T
Don't let yourself get or stay,
Hungry,
Angry,
Lonely,
Tired.

Keep it simple.
At day one, the emphasis is on just STOP.
Nothing else matters on day one.

Get support.
Best of luck.

nogard

Dont use, keep as busy as I can, get as much support as possible, hang around people who are doing what I am doing and not those using and a program of some sort or counselling or both dont matter how you do it, so long as you dont use.

LexieCat

Mine is just expect things to be WEIRD for a while. You will feel weird, you may BE weird.

You might be horribly depressed, ecstatically happy, both in the same day. Mood swings, forgetfulness, feeling mad at the world. Sleep problems, extreme tiredness, anxiety, the desire to binge on candy or ice cream.

In very early sobriety all this is NORMAL. It doesn't mean you're "doing it wrong," it doesn't mean you "aren't ready to quit," it doesn't mean you have to find a way to fix it right away. There are no shortcuts, you must be patient and trust those who have been through the exact same feelings that they do end.

After several months if these things are still troubling you, you might want to address them in some fashion. But out of the box (or, rather, the bottle), they are par for the course and you just need to ride it out.

MIRecovery

You only have to be sober today. This simple concept has kept me sober for a while and continues to keep me sober

soberlicious

1. There is nothing to fear but fear itself.
2. You are stronger, smarter, and more capable than you've been led to believe.

Anna

I had to believe that I could do it, and that I deserved a good life.

kizzy40

You are right, My self worth was on the floor..
I didn't have the belief, strength or inclination to change for years, It took a lot of soul searching to realise I was not a hopeless worthless lump of missed oportunities.
When that finally dawned on me the scales fell from my eyes.
Now I only look forward never back.
Thankyou so much everyone...

artsoul

I'd say "be patient with yourself." Learn to be your own best friend and put your sobriety first. Recovery is a process and it takes time..... it really, really does get better!

Dee74

all good ideas here

acceptance was key for me - I spent a lot of years denying my problems.
I really had to accept what I was.

That made the changes I had to make that little bit easier.

D

vegibean

Learning to let go, and "getting out of your own way".

So many good response here all ready, what a great and inspiring thread kizzy.

kizzy40

Thankyou vegibean, it's really helpful to know the changes in all aspects of life big and small that have been used successfully by others isn't it?
Knowing there are others on this path shining a light is great.