MightyFlea21

How do others remember and remind themselves of the awful morning after a heavy drinking session? That physical and emotional disgust. The realization that every drink brings you closer to death? It's all there in the morning after but a week, two weeks, month later how do you hold that memory strongly. I am four days sober and its already fading. Please help. Thanks all.

Dee74

I find posting and reading here every day work pretty well MightyFlea

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least

I'll second what Dee said, and add that all I have to do is look at my animals to be reminded of why I stopped drinking.

LDT

I kept journals.....the good, bad, and the ugly. I wrote it all down and frequently reviewed them. I never wanted to forget.

huntingtontx

I come here and read the posts. I see people make it, and I see them fail. I see the good that we can have, one day at a time. That one day at a time keeps me on track. Good luck to you. We can have a better life. I love all the help and support here.

Stang

I think it's an issue for every alcoholic. It's one of those things I have no answer for.

FeenixxRising

I take a little time every so often and force myself to remember how I often felt the day after one of my major binge sprees. I try very hard to make myself not only remember the details, but to also force myself to relive the feelings and emotions I've had the morning after.

I don't do it everyday; I don't want to torture myself, but every so often I like to remember what I'll suffer through if I drink again.

DoubleDragons

I have a sobriety journal where I keep inspiring quotes and posts from SR and books on alcoholism. I also have a written list in this journal of every embarrassing, horrifying, scary, dangerous, sick, ugly moment that I have had since I started drinking alcohol since the age of 15. In it, I also wrote a good-bye letter to alcohol. My mother is an alcoholic (but only became that way in later life - this IS a progressive infliction). I constantly remind myself that I don't want to be the cause of that pain to my husband and children. Finally, in this journal I have written a huge list of Advantages to Being Sober. Whenever I have an urge to drink (which is pretty rare these days ~ I am 6.5 months sober) I have this journal to help me "think through the drink." It becomes obvious very quickly that whatever I am seeking in having the drink is NOT worth what comes with it.

2muchpain

I read SR everyday, and still ocassionally attend an AA meeting. Being around other alcoholics is also a good reminder. Also staying busy helps. I mess up when I'm bored and have a lot of time on my hands.

LBrain

Reading SR and if you really need a reminder go to an AA meeting. Plenty of reminders there.

EndGameNYC

The problem is we survive those awful mornings and then live to drink another day. Knowing that I got through it yesterday reinforces my optimism about today and tomorrow.

deeker

Write it down, keep it close, in your pocket. Look at it often.

doggonecarl

If your only recovery plan is the decision to stop drinking, then it is easy to "decide" to start drinking. Every recovery method has ways to deal with the mind's ability to forget our promise to quit, to talk ourselves back into the insanity of alcohol.

So pick one, and work it.

BradJustBrad

I have had enough of those awful mornings that remembering them is really not a problem.

Compass1

I try to remember the emotional trigger that brought me here in the first place. I try to remember how stupid and badly I felt the morning after the last time I drank alcohol, 63 days ago. Do I want to wake up feeling like that again? I think about the days that I have accumulated... more consecutive days than I have gone since I was a teenager. I think about what I will be capable of without alcohol.

adee

For me, the aversion was never, ever enough. I could have a video tape of me puking and crying in the shower before work, watch it, and then still pick up a drink. The aversion to the negative consequences of the last drink might work on rational people, but me + even the idea of alcohol is not rational. So I work a program, religiously. My program changes, but I'm always working it. For me, I need to live in the positive: that I am getting better. And also live in this reality: I do not drink anymore. **** happens, but I don't drink over it anymore. I can't. And working a program helps me have that right on the forefront.

I don't mean to sound preachy, honest. I think lots and lots of approaches/programs can work to get people sober - SR in and of itself can be a program. But I just gotta do the work and keep moving forward. You know what - if I stop remembering that last drunk - great. That's actually what i want - to let the past be the past and live firmly in the now.

Mainza

SR helps to remind and something that I've thought about recently is how when I am sober, I NEVER wake up in the morning and say to myself, "I wish I would have gotten drunk last night." And I ALWAYS wake up after a night of drinking and think to myself, "Why did I drink last night? I should not have gotten so drunk!" It always happens. I am now going to start trusting and listening to myself.

letitgo

I look at it like who has stake in my sobriety. Myself, family and friends (depending on how bad of a night some strangers) Who will my actions effect? Is having a drink worth the actions and reactions that come with it? Knowing the horrible feeling the next morning and how bad of a day it will start off to be. Is it worth it? Can I do something for 20 minutes get it off my mind and move on? Yes I can. Because I have 10 days behind me and that's too much to give up.

freshstart57

I don't need to remember the bad crap about drinking to never take another. I made it into a moral issue for me - myself just can't and won't allow me to drink again. I know how this addiction works, selective memory, imagined joys, all the lies that go with alcoholism, and I would never trust my life to that aspect of my brain again. If I needed reminders, I'm afraid I would fail.

EADGBE

To be honest I am not sure I can ever forget. The last few years of my 20 yr bender were nothing short of a miserable existence. I had to quit but completely failed in every attempt and I had started to have thoughts that alcohol very well will be what kills me. I finally quit three yrs ago and the fear of feeling like I did the day I quit is good enough to keep me sober.
I would also try to highlight a lot of other motivations for quitting drinking too. For myself quitting drinking has improved nearly every part of my life, I have more time, money, patience and feel physically better.

Everything added up together = sobriety for me.