Hi Everyone
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Spokane, WA
Posts: 4
Hi Everyone
I have just signed up for SR. It was recommended as a good resource for alcoholics. It was recommended to me by other members of an online quit drinking forum, WQD.
I have been sober for almost 9 years, thanks to the help and acceptance I found online. Quitting drinking has changed my life for the better in so many ways. What seemed like the biggest challenge of my life turned out to be the ultimate change for me.
This has opened my eyes to how flawed the conventional view of drinking and substance use is, and helped me see how many other ways I have failed to live up to my potential in my life. The hardest part of "growing up," even for an "old guy" like me has been learning to accept responsibility for my own actions.
I have been sober for almost 9 years, thanks to the help and acceptance I found online. Quitting drinking has changed my life for the better in so many ways. What seemed like the biggest challenge of my life turned out to be the ultimate change for me.
This has opened my eyes to how flawed the conventional view of drinking and substance use is, and helped me see how many other ways I have failed to live up to my potential in my life. The hardest part of "growing up," even for an "old guy" like me has been learning to accept responsibility for my own actions.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,243
Congrats on your 9 years. That is fantastic! You are so right about the conventional views of drinking. I wish we could see the change in views on smoking on drinking. Wish they would get it off commercials and billboards for starters.
Thanks for posting!
Thanks for posting!
under new management
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 2,339
Originally Posted by stevens2010 
The hardest part of "growing up," even for an "old guy" like me has been learning to accept responsibility for my own actions.
9 years sober is awesome!!!!I can sure relate to what you said here! I am an "old gal" at 57 years and I say it is never too late to grow up!
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Join Date: May 2016
Location: Spokane, WA
Posts: 4
Yes, it is "never too late to grow up." It is astounding how much our adolescent inadequacies stay with us and keep us in denial about ourselves, into our middle and old age.
And Dime mentioned smoking. I quit smoking around 22 years ago. I'm so glad I did. It took watching both of my parents lose their lives to their choice to smoke. Society's attitude toward smoking HAS changed, whereas I think its attitude toward drinking remains unhealthy. While I regard the prohibitionist attitude toward anything as not helpful, what I find remarkable about smoking attitudes is that, today, relatively few teenagers smoke. Also, in Canada I think the percentage of teenagers who smoke now is down to the single digits. This isn't done with prohibition--it's been done with education and breaking conventional wisdoms.
And Dime mentioned smoking. I quit smoking around 22 years ago. I'm so glad I did. It took watching both of my parents lose their lives to their choice to smoke. Society's attitude toward smoking HAS changed, whereas I think its attitude toward drinking remains unhealthy. While I regard the prohibitionist attitude toward anything as not helpful, what I find remarkable about smoking attitudes is that, today, relatively few teenagers smoke. Also, in Canada I think the percentage of teenagers who smoke now is down to the single digits. This isn't done with prohibition--it's been done with education and breaking conventional wisdoms.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Spokane, WA
Posts: 4
Originally Posted by Easy2slip
Hello and Welcome.
9 years is amazing to me. But you are proof that it can be done.
I've been here a short time and certainly enjoy reading the positive stuff like this!
thx
9 years is amazing to me. But you are proof that it can be done.
I've been here a short time and certainly enjoy reading the positive stuff like this!
thx
Yes, it can be done! And I'm sure there are many, many people here who have demonstrated that. And many of us had plenty of false starts, before managing a longer period of sobriety.
You must not give up, because you deserve to succeed and others can show you how to succeed.
We think the alcohol talks to us, and we hear distorted messages from others. In reality, we often talk to ourselves with half-truths and distortions. There are so many things I still have left to honestly face about myself, but facing down the alcohol and overcoming it will make that ever more possible.
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