When do the obsessive thoughts begin to fade?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 387
When do the obsessive thoughts begin to fade?
Hi all, I'm on Day 2....again. I've thought non-stop about drinking all day. I am wondering when the obsession started alleviating itself in your experience? My head is frazzled from over thinking today. I can't keep this up.
AA Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 2,983
hi sadsadgirl
for me when im thinking about myself all the time ... well, no good comes from it
when im being of service to others im not thinking about my perceived problems
i do service at aa meetings
if youre not into that maybe volunteer somewhere or help someone in your life
oh yea ....
2 days is awesome !!!
for me when im thinking about myself all the time ... well, no good comes from it
when im being of service to others im not thinking about my perceived problems
i do service at aa meetings
if youre not into that maybe volunteer somewhere or help someone in your life
oh yea ....
2 days is awesome !!!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Athens, Georgia
Posts: 962
Between Steps 4 and 5 for me. Got much better after Steps 6 & 7. It's a daily thing, staying FREE ... working Steps 10, 11, 12 as a way of life. Sooo much better than the gut-wrenching 'Pitiful & Incomprehensible Demoralization' of the days before I got to the point I described above ... Between Steps 4 and 5 ... for me.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 387
Awww January thanks for the last sentence of your post! That made me smile!
I think you're right-when I'm of help to others I feel much better and less obsessed with the self hate and self destructive thoughts.
I'm not sure about doing service at a meeting, I don't have a home group. But an opportunity to do some volunteering has come my way recently, maybe I should just go for it and commit. I'm always waiting for my sobriety to be stronger before committing to things as I get stressed out very easily.
I might begin with being more helpful around the house. A bit at a time, one day as it comes.
I think you're right-when I'm of help to others I feel much better and less obsessed with the self hate and self destructive thoughts.
I'm not sure about doing service at a meeting, I don't have a home group. But an opportunity to do some volunteering has come my way recently, maybe I should just go for it and commit. I'm always waiting for my sobriety to be stronger before committing to things as I get stressed out very easily.
I might begin with being more helpful around the house. A bit at a time, one day as it comes.
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Join Date: Aug 2003
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I don't believe in coincidences sadsadgirl, so if a volunteer opportunity has recently come your way, go for it. Volunteering saved my soul in the early days. Day 2 is fantastic.
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 6,902
Maybe try listening to some of the speaker recordings to keep your thoughts on the solution rather than the problem. Worth a try... 5500+ AA Speakers & Tapes - Organized & Mobile-Friendly!
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: UK
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Originally Posted by sadsadgirl 
Haha Anna, I think you're right. I think I will go along with it too!
Berrybean-I've saved that link to my favourites, tucked up in bed now so will have a listen to one. Thanks!!!
Berrybean-I've saved that link to my favourites, tucked up in bed now so will have a listen to one. Thanks!!!
Sleep well. I'm just off to bed as well (although it's only 9pm here) as I'm reading Margaret Atwood's new book, Hagseed, and it's brilliant.
BB
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,462
I'm at around four months. I still think about drinking once or twice a day. It's really fleeting and like a nuisance more then anything else. I do think about sobriety all the time and how much time I have. I believe that part will stay with me for a very long time . Nice job on two days
Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Nashville
Posts: 326
For myself the thoughts became less obsessive around a month and a half. I remember my first couple weeks were extremely difficult... I didn't see how I was going to white knuckle it every single day... but it gets better with more days. I'm around day 70-ish? now... I have a fleeting thought about beer every now and then, but I definitely don't obsess and crave like I used to do... thank God.
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Maine
Posts: 3,649
Originally Posted by Anna
I don't believe in coincidences sadsadgirl, so if a volunteer opportunity has recently come your way, go for it. Volunteering saved my soul in the early days. Day 2 is fantastic.
2/2016
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Texas
Posts: 582
I think it was about a month or two for me as well. I really had to think about not drinking. I had to steer away from the beer and wine section at the grocery store.
I read a lot! Sometimes 3 books a week. I also went to bed really early. I made a
point of reminding myself every morning how great I felt, and that I was proud of myself. I prayed every morning to make it one more day.
Now, at 8 months the beer aisle at the grocery is just an aisle. I read maybe one book, I go to bed later, and there isn't enough time to do everything I want to do.
It is so very worth it. Drop that drinking habit. You will feel so very good.
I read a lot! Sometimes 3 books a week. I also went to bed really early. I made a
point of reminding myself every morning how great I felt, and that I was proud of myself. I prayed every morning to make it one more day.
Now, at 8 months the beer aisle at the grocery is just an aisle. I read maybe one book, I go to bed later, and there isn't enough time to do everything I want to do.
It is so very worth it. Drop that drinking habit. You will feel so very good.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 379
I still think about drinking several times a day. But I dont think about it in such a way like O I miss drinking, O a glass of wine would be so good or O I wish I could drink like other people do.
I think about it in terms of all of the negatives that drinking created, or in terms of how grateful I am to be sober and not feeling like crap today or how much money Im saving or how I am going to remember the wonderful times I am sharing with friends and family.
For me, I think it is unrealistic to think Im not going to think about alcohol. It has ( had ) been a part of my life for many many years and isnt going to just 'poof' go away. For me what is key is what context I am putting it in, in my thoughts.
This morning my first thought was " Thank you God for the gift of my sobriety and I am happy to be alive and free of the obsession to drink and not on that self destructive path today"
Best wishes to you and congratulations on what I hope is your 3rd day today!
I think about it in terms of all of the negatives that drinking created, or in terms of how grateful I am to be sober and not feeling like crap today or how much money Im saving or how I am going to remember the wonderful times I am sharing with friends and family.
For me, I think it is unrealistic to think Im not going to think about alcohol. It has ( had ) been a part of my life for many many years and isnt going to just 'poof' go away. For me what is key is what context I am putting it in, in my thoughts.
This morning my first thought was " Thank you God for the gift of my sobriety and I am happy to be alive and free of the obsession to drink and not on that self destructive path today"
Best wishes to you and congratulations on what I hope is your 3rd day today!
DOS: 08-16-2012
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Central Iowa
Posts: 365
I also found the obsession to be removed after steps 4 and 5 while following the program of AA.
I attended meetings but never followed the steps and was not able to stop drinking for about a year before I finally hit a point where I truly was done and was willing to listen to what other had done to find happiness. I can tell you that for me, and many others I know, that AA works if you work the steps with a sponsor and take the action that can make you want to live life again!
The obsession will be lifted.
I attended meetings but never followed the steps and was not able to stop drinking for about a year before I finally hit a point where I truly was done and was willing to listen to what other had done to find happiness. I can tell you that for me, and many others I know, that AA works if you work the steps with a sponsor and take the action that can make you want to live life again!
The obsession will be lifted.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,618
For me, I noticed the obsession to drink subsided a lot when my focus shifted from not-drinking to Recovery. When my main focus was Recovery my thoughts were preoccupied with that rather than booze. Of course that is easier with some more sober time under your belt. And it took YEARS for me to get to this point, and I am even now only an infant in Recovery.
I wish you all the best, sadsadgirl.
Two days is AWESOME!!!
~Blessings~
I wish you all the best, sadsadgirl.
Two days is AWESOME!!!
~Blessings~
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Athens, Georgia
Posts: 962
Originally Posted by hellrzr
i also found the obsession to be removed after steps 4 and 5 while following the program of aa.
i attended meetings but never followed the steps and was not able to stop drinking for about a year before i finally hit a point where i truly was done and was willing to listen to what other had done to find happiness. i can tell you that for me, and many others i know, that aa works if you work the steps with a sponsor and take the action that can make you want to live life again!
the obsession will be lifted.
i attended meetings but never followed the steps and was not able to stop drinking for about a year before i finally hit a point where i truly was done and was willing to listen to what other had done to find happiness. i can tell you that for me, and many others i know, that aa works if you work the steps with a sponsor and take the action that can make you want to live life again!
the obsession will be lifted.
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,025
Hi ssg,
I ll have to agree with a lot of the comments here, I had to get obsessed with other things, so that there s no room in my head for drinking thoughts.
Overthinking how not to drink was difficult for me too, so I had to set it in stone that I just won't and stop being too technical about it. I don't have to think why I don't bang my head against the wall or touch fire, I just don't do these things. Drinking is now in that category, made it simpler for me and leaves me free to think about my future.
Hope you are well.
P
I ll have to agree with a lot of the comments here, I had to get obsessed with other things, so that there s no room in my head for drinking thoughts.
Overthinking how not to drink was difficult for me too, so I had to set it in stone that I just won't and stop being too technical about it. I don't have to think why I don't bang my head against the wall or touch fire, I just don't do these things. Drinking is now in that category, made it simpler for me and leaves me free to think about my future.
Hope you are well.
P
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