Al34

soupcon

Probably because for an alcoholic, even one day is a huge achievement. It builds self-confidence in our ability to achieve sobriety in the early days. One day at a time.

C0ntr0ls

Never really thought of it but maybe as a reward/goal of one day at a time.

But now, I've kind of stopped counting now but will occasionally check my totals or wait for SoberRican to post and subtract 62 days from his.

soupcon

Probably because for an alcoholic, even one day is a huge achievement. It builds self-confidence in our ability to achieve sobriety in the early days. One day at a time.

AAPJ

Counting is pretty common for a lot of things. Birthdays and anniversaries come to mind.

Dee74

I dunno about 'we', but I counted because I was a little bit amazed I could stay sober for a consecutive string of days.

After a whole tho it just became sober life and I stepped counting.

Some people count, some don't - the important thing is to stay clean and
sober

D

VinnyMcM

Sobriety is a long grind. Unfortunately I severely lack patience so I count days because that gives me instant gratification every day.

Sober45

My longest quit was 53 days. This was years ago but I remember i used to write the # on my wrist every day. It served as a constant reminder and was like a daily reward as others have said.

Funny thing is stopped writing the number on my wrist several days before falling off the wagon. How easily we forgot.

August252015

Lots of reasons to count and for me, that kind of focus on "accomplishment deadlines" including interim goals has always been motivational.

I've never looked at a day count and thought, sheesh wish it wasn't that many.

And sometimes the most random markers have been pretty awe-inspiring. The 100s as I called them...then 1000...1324...all served as small yet huge reminders that i'm doing pretty great.

Surrendered19

I count because I am exactly 200 days behind SoberRican and I need to stay right there. I'm sure I'll eventually quit counting the days, but right now I have fun every day doing it. Us self-centered boozers need our daily rewards!! LOL!!

Al34

VinnyMcM

I have come to accept that alcohol will always be in my thoughts. It was a big part of my life and would be impossible to just forget about it. I don’t necessarily count my days as being alcohol free. I more think of it as the amount of days that I started a new life.

dpac414

Mm. For me, it *is* a reminder of alcohol. Same with AA. It's like sleeping with a gun under your pillow. Keep it close so you don't forget about it, and remember that I hold the power to choose to pull the trigger or not. It helps me stay active in my recovery, talk and connect with other alcoholics, and grounds me each day to only focus on today, one day at a time.

I wouldn't say I actively count my days, but I do have a sobriety tracker on my phone that I will check from time to time. At the beginning, I used to pledge each day and check in at the end to reflect on my cravings, how I was feeling, triggers, etc. It really helped at the beginning to stay grounded. I think especially in the beginning, we need strict structure to get through the days.

These are just some of the reasons why I do what I do for my own recovery plan. Obviously different things work for different people. But I find that if I don't stay active in my program, I'll forget why I'm an alcoholic and go right back to drinking. Nature of the beast.

doggonecarl

Count...don't count...alcoholics will obsess about alcohol--especially in early sobriety. A count of sober days is one way to mark one's victory over that obsession.

Counting is not a rule of recovery. If you think counting is one of the reasons you struggle, then don't count. Let us know if the obsession with drinking is lifted.

NerfThis

If it's not harming me or anyone else, I don't see the issue with other people counting. I don't count each day, but I have an app on my phone that was activated on my quit day and it reminds me of the day I'm on every now and then (it used to be more often, but now it's every few months) and I'm pleased when I see the reminders.

I definitely don't think it's 'Obsessive' to have a daily count. I'm sure the members here who post daily are inspiring others to keep sticking to their sobriety too (they inspire me). I'm confident that what it does for other people is help them.

August252015

Sure.

And that is generally easier as we go along, and not just re days.

If something serves as a good reminder - ie, what I have gained by being sober, not lost because I can't drink - then I use it. Days generally do that.

But like the rest of my program and life, it's not a conscious awareness of being an alcoholic, how long, literal stuff, etc. My life muscles are different.

Also I think lots of us quit on random days so maybe like me, it helps to keep some kind of track The third wk of the month is special but I don't always remember the 21st!

least

I like to know how long it's been since I drank. It feels good to see the days/weeks/months add up.

August252015

^^^it makes me grateful, least

Steely

I'm grateful for my 44 days. Thank goodness I'm not counting backwards.

saoutchik

To begin with it gave me encouragement to be able to add a day to my total and I would get a boost from the mini milestones of a week, double figures, a fortnight a month etc. That was true right the way up to a hundred days. After that of course they became less important and I stopped counting except to note another month and now it is only the annual soberversary that I really count.

Some people can take or leave it. I do not believe counting your days to be harmful or negative.

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