4 Years ...
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Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Northwest U.S.
Posts: 778
4 Years ...
Yesterday was my 4 year mark of sobriety. Some thoughts ...
One Day. Sobriety is just putting together one day after another without booze. Of course it gets easier as time passes. I still think about alcohol and my former drunken life, but I'm not tempted and I don't want that life back.
Black & White. So much of life is a big shady gray area. This is not. I don't drink. Period. There's no ground to give, no decisions to weigh, no trade offs, no compromises.
Opportunity for Success. Sobriety alone doesn't make whatever problems that you created during your drunk years go away. I suppose I'm lucky that I never hurt myself or anyone during those years and my issues were mainly financial and I have mostly dug my way out, but it hasn't been easy. I like to think that sobriety gave me the opportunity to solve these problems. Without sobriety, they would surely be much, much worse by now.
A Fine Line. It's not terribly hard to stay sober, but it is also really easy to have that momentary lapse of judgment for everyone. Even now, I constantly remind myself of this and "play the tape through."
Exercise. Nothing has been more important to sobriety than exercise.
Dreams. I'm fascinated with the progression of my drinking dreams, because it tells me what my AV is doing. My dreams are infrequent, but they still come. They are complex and always involve some sort of compromise that I have made (allowed to drink a limited amount or on a certain day or in a certain place). The AV is clever and never (at least for me) goes completely away, but is definitely tamed.
Present. I love being present. For my kids. For my wife. For my work. For myself. I'm always here. I experience the emotions of life without alteration. I have learned to cherish this aspect of sobriety.
If you are newly sober or trying to get sober, keep at it. You can do it and you will not regret a sober life.
One Day. Sobriety is just putting together one day after another without booze. Of course it gets easier as time passes. I still think about alcohol and my former drunken life, but I'm not tempted and I don't want that life back.
Black & White. So much of life is a big shady gray area. This is not. I don't drink. Period. There's no ground to give, no decisions to weigh, no trade offs, no compromises.
Opportunity for Success. Sobriety alone doesn't make whatever problems that you created during your drunk years go away. I suppose I'm lucky that I never hurt myself or anyone during those years and my issues were mainly financial and I have mostly dug my way out, but it hasn't been easy. I like to think that sobriety gave me the opportunity to solve these problems. Without sobriety, they would surely be much, much worse by now.
A Fine Line. It's not terribly hard to stay sober, but it is also really easy to have that momentary lapse of judgment for everyone. Even now, I constantly remind myself of this and "play the tape through."
Exercise. Nothing has been more important to sobriety than exercise.
Dreams. I'm fascinated with the progression of my drinking dreams, because it tells me what my AV is doing. My dreams are infrequent, but they still come. They are complex and always involve some sort of compromise that I have made (allowed to drink a limited amount or on a certain day or in a certain place). The AV is clever and never (at least for me) goes completely away, but is definitely tamed.
Present. I love being present. For my kids. For my wife. For my work. For myself. I'm always here. I experience the emotions of life without alteration. I have learned to cherish this aspect of sobriety.
If you are newly sober or trying to get sober, keep at it. You can do it and you will not regret a sober life.
Thanks for the encouraging message. 
.
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Join Date: May 2018
Location: Where I’ve longed to be all my life…..here, now.
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Originally Posted by soberandhonest 
Yesterday was my 4 year mark of sobriety. Some thoughts ...
One Day. Sobriety is just putting together one day after another without booze. Of course it gets easier as time passes. I still think about alcohol and my former drunken life, but I'm not tempted and I don't want that life back.
Black & White. So much of life is a big shady gray area. This is not. I don't drink. Period. There's no ground to give, no decisions to weigh, no trade offs, no compromises.
Opportunity for Success. Sobriety alone doesn't make whatever problems that you created during your drunk years go away. I suppose I'm lucky that I never hurt myself or anyone during those years and my issues were mainly financial and I have mostly dug my way out, but it hasn't been easy. I like to think that sobriety gave me the opportunity to solve these problems. Without sobriety, they would surely be much, much worse by now.
A Fine Line. It's not terribly hard to stay sober, but it is also really easy to have that momentary lapse of judgment for everyone. Even now, I constantly remind myself of this and "play the tape through."
Exercise. Nothing has been more important to sobriety than exercise.
Dreams. I'm fascinated with the progression of my drinking dreams, because it tells me what my AV is doing. My dreams are infrequent, but they still come. They are complex and always involve some sort of compromise that I have made (allowed to drink a limited amount or on a certain day or in a certain place). The AV is clever and never (at least for me) goes completely away, but is definitely tamed.
Present. I love being present. For my kids. For my wife. For my work. For myself. I'm always here. I experience the emotions of life without alteration. I have learned to cherish this aspect of sobriety.
If you are newly sober or trying to get sober, keep at it. You can do it and you will not regret a sober life.
One Day. Sobriety is just putting together one day after another without booze. Of course it gets easier as time passes. I still think about alcohol and my former drunken life, but I'm not tempted and I don't want that life back.
Black & White. So much of life is a big shady gray area. This is not. I don't drink. Period. There's no ground to give, no decisions to weigh, no trade offs, no compromises.
Opportunity for Success. Sobriety alone doesn't make whatever problems that you created during your drunk years go away. I suppose I'm lucky that I never hurt myself or anyone during those years and my issues were mainly financial and I have mostly dug my way out, but it hasn't been easy. I like to think that sobriety gave me the opportunity to solve these problems. Without sobriety, they would surely be much, much worse by now.
A Fine Line. It's not terribly hard to stay sober, but it is also really easy to have that momentary lapse of judgment for everyone. Even now, I constantly remind myself of this and "play the tape through."
Exercise. Nothing has been more important to sobriety than exercise.
Dreams. I'm fascinated with the progression of my drinking dreams, because it tells me what my AV is doing. My dreams are infrequent, but they still come. They are complex and always involve some sort of compromise that I have made (allowed to drink a limited amount or on a certain day or in a certain place). The AV is clever and never (at least for me) goes completely away, but is definitely tamed.
Present. I love being present. For my kids. For my wife. For my work. For myself. I'm always here. I experience the emotions of life without alteration. I have learned to cherish this aspect of sobriety.
If you are newly sober or trying to get sober, keep at it. You can do it and you will not regret a sober life.
Thank you. Well said
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