Last night's test. And how great it felt to order a Coca-Cola
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 93
Last night's test. And how great it felt to order a Coca-Cola
So last night I picked up some food from one of our local diners.
She told me it would be around 20 minutes until it was ready. I waited about 30 and swung by. Food wasn't ready, and the hostess told me to "have a seat at the bar and they'll bring it right out."
I sat there a few minutes and actually felt really great about myself and my decision to quit drinking (11 days as of today!)
Bartender came up to me as I waited for my food.
"Would you like something to drink?"
I hesitated for a beat.
"Sure!" I said.
"What'cha drinkin' tonight?"
"I'll take a coke." I said, with a huge smile.
"One coca-cola comin' right up."
Then, the guy a few seats down from me hollered at her, his speech slurred and his face as red as a beat.
"Give me the driest white wine you got back there. "
It felt good. It felt really, really good. Now in the sense that I was "better than him" - please don't take that impression. But it felt good to realize that I was out - that I AM out. So many people are still in the prison and while I do pray for them to hopefully make it out one day, I find so much comfort knowing that I've made it out myself.
And it's even more comforting to know that I'm not alone in this and that so many of you are right here with me. There is a great life outside of alochol and yesterday I realized that.
Thank you for this community. For everyone.
And a word of encouragement for those of you still struggling - You CAN do it. I never thought I could make it this far. I know 11 days isn't "a ridiculous amount of time", but for me, in my mind, and how many times I've tried to quit, it really is
Just wanted to share this story with you
She told me it would be around 20 minutes until it was ready. I waited about 30 and swung by. Food wasn't ready, and the hostess told me to "have a seat at the bar and they'll bring it right out."
I sat there a few minutes and actually felt really great about myself and my decision to quit drinking (11 days as of today!)
Bartender came up to me as I waited for my food.
"Would you like something to drink?"
I hesitated for a beat.
"Sure!" I said.
"What'cha drinkin' tonight?"
"I'll take a coke." I said, with a huge smile.
"One coca-cola comin' right up."
Then, the guy a few seats down from me hollered at her, his speech slurred and his face as red as a beat.
"Give me the driest white wine you got back there. "
It felt good. It felt really, really good. Now in the sense that I was "better than him" - please don't take that impression. But it felt good to realize that I was out - that I AM out. So many people are still in the prison and while I do pray for them to hopefully make it out one day, I find so much comfort knowing that I've made it out myself.
And it's even more comforting to know that I'm not alone in this and that so many of you are right here with me. There is a great life outside of alochol and yesterday I realized that.
Thank you for this community. For everyone.
And a word of encouragement for those of you still struggling - You CAN do it. I never thought I could make it this far. I know 11 days isn't "a ridiculous amount of time", but for me, in my mind, and how many times I've tried to quit, it really is
Just wanted to share this story with you
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 93
Originally Posted by soberwolf 
Awesome story bud i bet that coca cola was lovely 11 days sober is a massive achievement your doing really really well 
Keep on keepin on
Keep on keepin on
and thanks for the friend request.funny - I'm actually reading a blog about a person's journey on quitting drinking and she refers to the inner voice as the 'wolf' and dehydrating the wolf.
Do your best
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 67,047
Proberly comes from the story of 2 wolves 'the one you feed' although ive never heard of dehydrating the wolf
Cherokee Legend - Two Wolves.
this story is why i chose the name Soberwolf
Cherokee Legend - Two Wolves.
this story is why i chose the name Soberwolf
Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,177
Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar relayes a story of an overweight man describing the moment that the man knew his weight loss goal would be attained.
The man had been working very hard to change his self perception. He no longer saw himself as overweight- but his body had yet to catch up with his new self image. He was walking down the street when a little girl said to her mom, "Look at that fat man!" He turned around to comfort the man. Then he realized the girl was talking about him. It was then he knew he would succeede.
My wish for you is that keep this image and emotion with you as you continue your journey, and look back at the situation as the moment everything clicked.
The man had been working very hard to change his self perception. He no longer saw himself as overweight- but his body had yet to catch up with his new self image. He was walking down the street when a little girl said to her mom, "Look at that fat man!" He turned around to comfort the man. Then he realized the girl was talking about him. It was then he knew he would succeede.
My wish for you is that keep this image and emotion with you as you continue your journey, and look back at the situation as the moment everything clicked.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 174
First and foremost - that's awesome, and I want you to know that. Congratulations on making the right step, it's amazing how quickly our brains can use anything as a justification to drink, and you did not let that happen and responded accordingly.
Secondly - and I truly mean this in the most supportive way - dude... I'd slow your roll a little bit here. 11 days is no small accomplishment, and you absolutely deserve to feel proud of yourself. I have no idea what your level of drinking was prior, but please don't lose sight that this is a disease. There are people on this forum - numerous people - who had 11 years and slipped back to a place that was worse than before. In fact, there's folks who had 20 years... This comes from very personal experience - to view this as over and done with after 11 days sounds premature.
Once again, please know I support you fully. And I'm extremely proud of you. But this is a chronic and fatal disease, not an unfortunate habit.
Secondly - and I truly mean this in the most supportive way - dude... I'd slow your roll a little bit here. 11 days is no small accomplishment, and you absolutely deserve to feel proud of yourself. I have no idea what your level of drinking was prior, but please don't lose sight that this is a disease. There are people on this forum - numerous people - who had 11 years and slipped back to a place that was worse than before. In fact, there's folks who had 20 years... This comes from very personal experience - to view this as over and done with after 11 days sounds premature.
Once again, please know I support you fully. And I'm extremely proud of you. But this is a chronic and fatal disease, not an unfortunate habit.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 93
Originally Posted by Scram
First and foremost - that's awesome, and I want you to know that. Congratulations on making the right step, it's amazing how quickly our brains can use anything as a justification to drink, and you did not let that happen and responded accordingly.
Secondly - and I truly mean this in the most supportive way - dude... I'd slow your roll a little bit here. 11 days is no small accomplishment, and you absolutely deserve to feel proud of yourself. I have no idea what your level of drinking was prior, but please don't lose sight that this is a disease. There are people on this forum - numerous people - who had 11 years and slipped back to a place that was worse than before. In fact, there's folks who had 20 years... This comes from very personal experience - to view this as over and done with after 11 days sounds premature.
Once again, please know I support you fully. And I'm extremely proud of you. But this is a chronic and fatal disease, not an unfortunate habit.
Secondly - and I truly mean this in the most supportive way - dude... I'd slow your roll a little bit here. 11 days is no small accomplishment, and you absolutely deserve to feel proud of yourself. I have no idea what your level of drinking was prior, but please don't lose sight that this is a disease. There are people on this forum - numerous people - who had 11 years and slipped back to a place that was worse than before. In fact, there's folks who had 20 years... This comes from very personal experience - to view this as over and done with after 11 days sounds premature.
Once again, please know I support you fully. And I'm extremely proud of you. But this is a chronic and fatal disease, not an unfortunate habit.
I drank heavily (meaning every single day, 8-10 mixed drinks per day) for about 7 years. Not nearly as long as many, I know. I'm catching this early - I'm barely 30 years old.
I first tired to quit when I came to these forums - exactly two years ago. I tried to quit about four or five times since then. But things were different. I was looking at it differently. I still wanted to drink, I was just using willpower to stop myself from drinking.
But I don't look at it that way now. I look at it as a danger. As death. Alcohol is an enemy. It did nothing good for me. And it never has. All it's ever done is take from me. It's taken my health, my time, my friends... So I told myself why why in the world do I need 'willpower' to justify NOT drinking it? I don't want to die. And so that's the method I use - to choose LIFE.
I am a few weeks away from the 1-year anniversary of my cousin's death (he was only 20 years old). While his death was not related to drinking, it's really thrown a lot into perspective for me. He was living dangerously, in another aspect of his life which, in turn, is what caused his death. I've seen how much pain it's put everyone through - his parents, his sister, my parents, me and my family, etc. And having two children of my own, and a wife, I have no reason to live dangerously. I want to live for them. And my brain tells me that I will not go back.
The same thing happened to me with smoking cigarettes. I smoked for about five years and I tried to quit over and over and over. And then one day, it clicked. I realized it was killing me. I quit them cold turkey and today, I'm at two years quit. And I have absolutely no cravings for it.
I have the perfect life, to be quite honest. I have a great marriage, beautiful children, good job, good finances, a nice home, ... there's no reason for me to destroy any of that.
I choose life.
/ EndRant (sorry for the huge response)
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 174
Sounds good, pleasehelpme. We're all wired a little differently. And I have known a few people who one day decided "I'm done" and stuck with it. (Regardless of how one feels politically, I think George W Bush is a pretty notorious example of this). A single, illuminating moment is the best way to shift to sobriety - one everyone wants but few rarely get. So if that's what worked for you, I say go with it but please do protect it.
quat
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: terra (mostly)firma
Posts: 4,823
I have one criticism of your experience, but I'll address that at the end.
First what stands Out for me in your posts is the idea of being Out. To me that is the most powerful thing about making the decision to quit and the thing that gives me the most resolve. I' m out, I quit, I'm never going to choose the nonlife choice again, and I will never change my mind. When the bartender asked what you wanted to drink she didn't ask what you'd be willing to trade for it. Deep down I bet you know that you are Not willing to trade your job, marriage, self respect for a beverage, right? It really isn't about a single soft drink you chose , it was choosing to not trade what you have and care about for the opportunity of starting back down the path to addiction.
Eleven days, eleven months ,or even years "in" to the Out, not much different , choosing life is always the best option, getting that , feeling that and living that means we're Out. Alcohol will always be the enemy, the AV any thought that tries to dismiss that fact is noisier at 11 days and more annoying perhaps, but the longer we are into being Out, the weaker it gets, it will have less and less power the longer it is starved out.
You're out and alcohol is ,will always be an enemy, great points.
But.. Did you even ask if they had Pepsi? I mean c'mon.
First what stands Out for me in your posts is the idea of being Out. To me that is the most powerful thing about making the decision to quit and the thing that gives me the most resolve. I' m out, I quit, I'm never going to choose the nonlife choice again, and I will never change my mind. When the bartender asked what you wanted to drink she didn't ask what you'd be willing to trade for it. Deep down I bet you know that you are Not willing to trade your job, marriage, self respect for a beverage, right? It really isn't about a single soft drink you chose , it was choosing to not trade what you have and care about for the opportunity of starting back down the path to addiction.
Eleven days, eleven months ,or even years "in" to the Out, not much different , choosing life is always the best option, getting that , feeling that and living that means we're Out. Alcohol will always be the enemy, the AV any thought that tries to dismiss that fact is noisier at 11 days and more annoying perhaps, but the longer we are into being Out, the weaker it gets, it will have less and less power the longer it is starved out.
You're out and alcohol is ,will always be an enemy, great points.
But.. Did you even ask if they had Pepsi? I mean c'mon.
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