First draft just done - and all written without a drink! Can't tell you how much of a big deal this is for me. Fever Tree tonic water in a champagne glass to celebrate!

That is great SSOH! Congratulations :D

Awesome SSOH. Enjoy your success!!!

Have a great weekend Helen.

I've been very busy cleaning but had to take a break to celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary and then a 60th birthday party. To my surprise I had a great time at each event.

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone.

I'm really pleased for you SSOH :)

D

Hi folks.

Just got home from a weekend at Mr. Troy's. Had a really nice Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. My stepson was in Europe over Thanksgiving so we did another one :) No one was drinking although we all had that French carbonated fruity stuff Costco sells and drank it out of wine glasses. A good time was had by all.

Lots of cars in the ditch on the drive home still from yesterday's snow storm. Now I need to go shovel my sidewalk. Not sure if I am ambitious enough to tackle the driveway, we will see.

Have a good one everyone.

This is exactly what I needed to hear. Still sober.

Do you think that generally, one drink is out of the question? Do you think that this will always be something that we will have to be wary of?

If I take a drink again - even one drink - I'm opening the door on a whole mess of stuff I want to leave behind.

I have a toxic relationship with alcohol - always have, always will.
Alcohol changes me. I don't want to be that person.

I have so much experience now of a happy not drinking life, it would be sheer madness to believe the lie that I might be able to get away with one drink.

For what? I never drank 'just one drink' in my life....

It might be sooner, it might be later but I know I'd find myself back in that dark place again.

Hello 1000 ships.

Do you ever get tempted at all or has it got much easier?

The past few days I have been tempted but the thing that has put me off is the fear of how bad my MH will be after it. I've had a couple of cravings but am a bit worried about doing it. Surely this is a good thing.

I like to think we all have each other's backs here :)

I do believe that having one drink is a pipe dream. For two reasons. In a university class on substance abuse I took a couple of years ago we learned about research that shows the physical changes in the brain with repeated use of drugs or alcohol. It has to do with neurotransmitters and dopamine and uptake and other mumbo jumbo. So if I had only been a rare drinker up until now perhaps it wouldn't be a problem but I have caused my brain to need more once I start. Or at least that's how I understand it. I know when I drank the last time I was instantly craving more and more like I couldn't get enough.

The second reason is because as long as I allow myself to believe I can or will have a drink at some point in the future I obsess about it all the time. I think that the more I am obsessing the more opportunity for me to cave. The flip side of that is that since I have decided I can never drink again I don't obsess about drinking anymore. It is amazing, really.

Honestly it's been a long time since I had a craving.

Last time was a few years back when I was in pain and not sleeping.

After weeks of this nerve pain one night the idea of a drink at 3am sounded really good - but I managed to get some sleep and things looked a heck of a lot better in the morning :)

The more situations I deal with sober the less of a toe hold my 'Inner Addict'/AV has :)

D

...and it's never "One Drink"....never was and never will be for us.

Had a good Monday. So glad I went to the doctor. I was SO sick. I knew I was sick but didn't realize HOW sick. The medicine is very strong but is really working.

Hope all serene and happy,
Lee

Hi All,

I haven't been on this board or posted in some time... and wanted to stop by to see who all remained from the class of September 2016.

Today marks 73 days sober for me.. and I am truly am grateful to the members of Sober Recovery for getting me through those first rough days.

Not all of those days have been the best days of my life - but being sober has allowed me to approach each day clear headed and prepared to actively engage with whatever life has in store for me.

The urge to drink has greatly eased with time and I have learned to identify places, people, and things that trigger cravings which lead to urges... and write in my journal every day that urges can not hurt me, will pass, and will not make me use...

I have done an amazing amount of work dealing with why I needed to drink and learning to change my thinking and behavior - what an amazing journey that has been and will continue to be going forward.

I wish all of you the best in your sobriety and a wonderful life as you continue on your journey...

Thanks again,
Snarly

Good to hear you're doing well Snarky :)
D

Snarky- good stuff.
'Just one drink?' becomes two..three..nine..blackout, car crash,falling, deat- Why wake up a sleeping, ravenous tiger, just to see if it WILL eat you? Go figure.

Good morning folks.

Hi Snarly! Good to see you doing so well :wavey:

PJ what a great quote about the tiger! I may have to use that.

I did get the driveway shoveled as well as the sidewalk last night. By hand even, because it was really wet heavy snow and my snowblower doesn't work so well with that. I usually take the attitude that I have 4 wheel drive so who cares if I do the driveway, but then I have both Mama Troy and Daughter/Grandaughter Troy coming over for dinner today and I don't need anyone slipping and falling. See what a grown-up I've become since not drinking? lol

Have a good one everyone.

Hi Martin1 - I find myself asking those questions too. Now I've gone 3.5 months sober, I'm on top of it, right? I could drink moderately now...

I really don't know. I think if I drank today, I could leave it at one. And I'd probably do the same a few days later. Then I'd leave it at one or two. Then it would be Christmas, so although I'd be drunk, it wouldn't really count... Same at New Year. My suspicion is that within a few months, my alcohol consumption would be right back up there.... Doesn't stop me thinking about it, though.

1000 ships, i kind of think it is a bit like that.

Never confuse abstinence for control :)

My life is great now because I made a decision to sober....I know if I drink again, the old toxic relationship will return

No amount of time can change or reset that .

I've tried.

D

100 days today!

I spent much of the past year trying to moderate and I failed miserably. Not to mention it was torture. I don't ever want to be so consumed with something ever again.

My boss and a co-worker both told me that the changes they have seen in me has inspired them to look at their own drinking. Wow, never saw that coming.

Helen glad you had a good weekend. I'm grateful we only got a dusting of snow here so no shoveling required. Can't say the same for my daughter in Chicago. That girl never shoveled a day in her life when she lived at home. She could have used the practice.

Snarly congrats on 73 days!

Dee thanks for the reminder that abstinence is not control. I'm working on that.