b0glerd69

Hi All,

I joined SR back in October 2017 after another drunken blackout, this time in front of international colleagues after a work conference in London.

I woke up the next morning full of the horrors we all know well: anxiety, depression, shame, regret, fear, etc.

I decided then and there that I was stopping drinking.

This incident was just another example of repeated incidents and I was out of ideas. I had tried moderating which for me meant relatively long spells of sobriety (4 - 6 months at a time) with occasional drunken binges.

I'm pleased to say that I have managed 20 months alcohol free and I am now a lot happier. I've been through all of life's stresses and strains over the last couple of years and coped and I've even been to bars, clubs, gigs including meeting old friends (people I've know for 30 years + but rarely see) and stayed sober.

This is just a short note to say to Newcomers that sobriety can be achieved. It's not easy, it takes commitment and support but it can be done.

I read posts on this wonderful site every morning to remind myself of the deadly affliction we are all battling against and I empathise with everyone that posts on this site.

Happy sober Friday, friends!

AAPJ

Congratulations! Thanks for the success story. Can you tell us what you do to stay sober? Is it just the Sober Recovery Forum, or something else? Advice is always appreciated.

BrianK

Thanks for this! I've been reading on here in the mornings as well and it feels like a good addition to my day. Nice to hear you'r'e still doing it with a longer stretch of sobriety...helps me to make it more of a solid habit

b0glerd69

Hi AAPJ and BiranK, thanks for the responses

To stay sober, I practice AVRT, I don't feed the beast and I 'play the tape forward' regularly. I also read SR daily. I've no issue with attending AA but I've never felt the need to. I think I can work what I have learnt so far. However, AA is something I have been thinking more about as a long term safety net.

I've been through so many drunken incidents that it only takes me a fraction of a second to realise why taking a drink is really not a good idea for me and exactly where I'll end up and that it would be a disaster, ultimately. I'm in my 40's so I've had long enough to work this out. There is a clear and unmistakable pattern for me.

For me personally, a lot of my drinking was habit, e.g. it's Friday night, therefore I must buy 2 bottles of wine and get smashed.

When this routine is broken for a while the insanity of it is easier to see. Once broken, the effort is to refill that space with more healthy and happy pursuits.

This has been the challenge for me and I'm still hard at it, 20 months on. One re-discovers a childish sense of wonder about some things, little things, but it does take a bit of time :0)

Dee74

Congratulations on your sober time b0gler

D

Tailai