Originally Posted by Dee74

Congrats Delilah and Bandicoot on 4 years sober

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Originally Posted by Delilah1

Just posted his on the Newcomers Forum, but wanted to share it here as well.

Today I Celebrate Four Years Sober!

Happy New Year to my amazing SR Family! I am so excited to start the new decade by hitting my four year milestone.

The new year is always a great time for reflection, and I have spent some time thinking back on the past four years this week, and how grateful I am for my sobriety.

I have experienced huge successes and terrible losses over the last four years, and I felt every emotion associated with each.

I have learned to slow down, live in the moment, and that no matter how difficult the situation, there is always something to be grateful for. Mindfulness and gratitude are part of my daily routine. I am actually really excited to begin my new gratitude journal today!

I know I can not control what others say and do, only how I respond to them. I have also given myself permission to distance myself from people who are negative, and unkind. I wish them nothing but happiness, however, I refuse to invest energy on relationships that bring me stress and anxiety. This was not an easy thing to do, but it was important to my recovery.

I am much more comfortable and confident in my own skin. I try to eat healthy and head outdoors for a walk each day. I no longer look in the mirror and think “I wish I was...” I am the very best me I can be today, and that’s good enough. I am no longer afraid to share my opinion, or to speak up when it’s needed.

Humor! This is another big one for me. I have found that laughter can make even the most difficult situation a little better. I like to think I have a good sense of humor, even if I’m the only one who finds my jokes funny!

I have a job I love. It is challenging, but in a way that allows me to continue to grow and learn. I love the people I work with, and I also have the flexibility to be able to attend my kids sporting events, and other activities. I have been in this position for two and a half years, and would not have been able to prepare myself to be ready for this role if I had still been drinking.

I am a better mom and wife. My kids are getting older, and my days really do revolve around them, and I wouldn’t trade that for a minute. I love watching all three of my kids follow their passions, they are all so different, and I cannot wait to see the path each of them chooses to take in life. I love that when my teenagers need a ride somewhere, or to be picked up late at night I’m always available to be the driver, although I do admit I’ve picked them up in my jammies many nights!

I spent my college years and my 20s drinking to fit in with everyone else. In my 30s and early 40s I fell into drinking wine to be able to relax after a crazy day of work/kids. In retrospect, alcohol was the thing causing my anxiety and stress. I have also found the real me without the disguise of alcohol, and I like her, imperfections and all!

The older I get the more I realize how precious each and every day is. I have lost both of my parents. My dad died at 68, he was a great guy, and he was an alcoholic. My mom died at 75, she had health problems for several years, she had lupus and several other underlying conditions. Neither of my parents exercised or paid much attention to eating healthy. I am also quite sure neither of them thought much about mindfulness. I cannot guarantee doing these things will ensure that I’ll live to a ripe old age, but I am sure as heck going to keep doing them, and hopefully I’ll still be reading and posting daily on this forum when I turn 100, I just may need to enlarge the fonts on my keyboard for my old eyes.

I have done some research on what constitutes long term sobriety, and everything I have read mentions five years. So as I begin year five I am going to continue to learn and grow so on January 1, 2021 I will enter long term sobriety with even more wisdom than I have today.

Thank you to all of you who have supported me on this journey. I look forward to celebrating many more years of sobriety with all of you!

❤️ Delilah