newme11

Who doesn't struggle? I do.
Who thinks 'It will never happen to me' when faced with the possibility of a future without your family/career/home? I do.
Who has a really hard time even beginning, let alone achieving any length of sobriety? I do again.

So if you wouldn't mind, could you furnish me with your stories, be they of happiness, woe, heartbreak, tragedy, excitement - I am sure many will cover most of the emotional spectrum and they might just help me to consider more carefully before I think 'Nah, not me, one won't hurt'. Because that 'future' me - who does not drink at all, who can say no and not feel like I am missing out, who is happy in her booze-free life - has not yet arrived and I fear it never will if all I do is wait for it. I need to relate to other's experiences and recognise that I am on the same well-worn path.

Please, all greatly appreciated.

andyh

there's a whole sub-forum of people's stories here:

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/stories-recovery/

Laura3

Losing everything is only the beginning. I had a bad upbringing and unfortunate events already lost everything before my addictions got the best of me. What's worse is living day to day without a purpose, wishing for death and slowly killing yourself which most people do eventually.

least

Here's mine, at one year sober. This December it will be nine years.

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...ory-least.html (My story - least)

D122y

New,

I nearly crashed my car, while sober, because I had some sort of pancreas, low sugar convulsion or something. It happened a few times and caused me a ton of stress. I had PTSD from the stress of that.

I was so physically addicted that it took over a month to clean up. PAWS and kindling followed. I still have PAWS.


imo...the best advice I got here was as long as I don't drink, it gets better.

Drink, it gets worse.

There is a reason there is such a low success rate with folks trying to quit drinking.

Booze causes brain damage and us ex drunks will suffer the crave for the rest of our life.

I never did meth or heroin before, but I heard that the first hit is the best and then addicts chase the buzz, never quite getting the same one, until they do themselves in or quit.

Us addicts chase the buzz. I tell myself I am educated and I never will drink again, but as I continue to heal, I can see how I relapsed over and over since I was a little kid.

I drank to drink. I didn't need a reason, any reason was good enough. Of course, give me a good reason and I was sure to be the drunkest guy in the room.

Now I still crave, but it goes quickly. But, my av is always there, telling me to slip. It whispers.....Who cares.

I care. Drinking was a bad habit.

I have grown out of drinking.

Whatever it takes to stay clean.

Thanks.

Dee74

I ended up an all day every day drinker, so quitting drinking was really hard for me, one of the hardest things I had to do.

Having said that the bottom line is pretty simple. Don't drink.

I'm not saying it's easy but it is simple. Remember that part in Allan Carr where he says think about what you want that drink to do for you.

Is that a realistic expectation. Are there other healthier ways to get whatever it is you want?

That little exercise saved my bacon hundreds of times in early recovery.

I started day by day..I leant on the support here...I asked for help, I gave help to others.

Soon those days became weeks and then years. if I can do it anyone can

This is a great link where you can work out what a recovery action plan might look like for you

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...very-plan.html (What exactly is a recovery plan?)

D