krisandbeans

I'm approaching 7 months sober. I've heard it's common to get complacent after 6 months. I'm getting bored, restless, and the novelty of a sober life is starting to wear off. It's starting to get sunny, and all I want to do is sit around drinking in the sun. I'm starting to crave it. I was one thread away from breaking yesterday and I feel today is the same. I can't believe it, I felt so strong last week and now I feel my resolve slipping.

Anyone else go through this? Tips?

Dee74

I like to to think of my recovery like an car - I may not use it all the time but I like to know it's ready to go when I need it.

whats your support like Kris?
what have you done for your recovery lately?

D

krisandbeans

I went to an all-women's meeting last week. It felt so inspiring to be around these strong women, and possibly become one someday.

I went to AA a lot when I first got sober. After I felt strong enough, I stopped going. That was a mistake. I know I should go more but I feel so depleted after each day of work I can barely find the will to cook dinner. Just in a funk I guess. Thanks for the tip on thinking of it like a car-that helps

hypochondriac

Step up your game Kris, if you know you're getting complacent then do something to help your sobriety. There have been times where it has felt like day 1 again for me, Cravings come and go. Most importantly they go It will pass if you don't dwell on it. You've done fab so far (well done on 7 months!) so don't let a bit of restlessness mess it up for you. If you're feeling bored then throw yourself into your recovery, whatever that may consist of x

Zebra1275

I don't think people get complacent at 7 months. I think people get complacent when ever they take their sobriety for granted. Sometimes for me that was after 3 or 4 days.

krisandbeans

Thanks guys. I need someone to slap me in the face and get my butt in gear, so to speak. I'm a runner and I injured my knee two weeks ago. Not being able to run could contribute to the useless and bored feeling. I got back to it today, nothing crazy, and feel like a million bucks. I think I was craving that endorphin rush to flush out the alcohol cravings. today I will try harder!

mecanix

After about 10 months into my new life it was late summer here in the UK and the country pubs looked so inviting .. I had a difficult week ..
When i thought hard about it though, i imagined myself going in the country pub and having a lemonade .. it didn't feel right and i didn't fancy doing it , so i knew conclusively and in all honesty it was all about the alcohol then .
Having pinned the tiger by it's tail it was a lot easier to dismiss and deal with

I de-constructed it and found it was my crazy old alkie brain trying to hoodwink me again, so i just got on with something more interesting .

Bestwishes, M

freshstart57

For me, there isn't any complacency, the word doesn't enter into it. Taking a drink is not something I must fight, it's just something I no longer do. Ever. No matter what.

My alkie brain doesn't tell me what to do anymore. I recognize the slurred speech it always uses, it repeats itself and laughs as though I don't get the joke. That just isn't me anymore.

auden67

I know it is no coincidence that AA uses many practices common in faith traditions. It is a recovery meant to be practiced, similar to a religious faith. All acts of discipline require ongoing action and commitment, whether its marriage, exercise, academic study or recovery. It just helps keep our commitments front of mind and in our hearts.

I don't follow AA, but I check into SR on a regular basis, and practice thoughts of gratitude for my sober life. On a regular basis, I think of the bad times and celebrate what I've accomplished so far. It keeps my commitment in mind. However you can keep your commitment to yourself in your daily life - do it! Small, daily acts make a huge difference.

Admiral

I had this problem not so long ago, but it happened much sooner than seven months for me.

Either I wanted to drink or I wanted to use marijuana, almost every night, especially on the weekends. I came very close on a few occasions and there were a couple of times that I had a beer or two at a friends house. Not exactly a failure but still dangerous nonetheless.

I was told that I had to make changes, I didn't really know what that meant but I'm starting to figure it out. Idle time is dangerous, it gets me to thinking about old times, and I start to feel sluggish and slow if I just sit around the house all day. I made myself a budget that includes a monthly allowance, the more I earn the more I get for myself, so that's what I did, I took more hours. I also started going to school more often, I can usually do the work from home but I'm choosing to do the work there so I don't fall behind.

When I was using I missed a lot of class, I was either too stoned to wake up or too depressed to study the material. My money vanished into a black hole, divided among my various problems. I would purposely take less hours at work so that I could have time to get high or drunk when I got home.

All of that is different now, not in a huge way but I'm moving in the right direction; working more, saving more, trying harder. I'm not too stoned or depressed to make this stuff happen. Don't follow what I did, make changes in your own life, they don't have to be scary or huge, a series of little things, things that wouldn't have happened if you were still using.