Timeline of recovery
 

I am curious as to how the stages of recovery unfold for people.

For expample, what someone experiences after 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, a year, 2 years etc. What feelings come up at different stages and how do you grow?

I have a mere 45 days behind me. I have to say that I do feel a lot better, wondering if I should expect any major changes in the furure

Hi eddie...well it's so individual....

I love to hear how people are doing and what they go through cause it helps me when i hit similar stuff...but I'm gonna try to not have expectations or try to fit myself into some idea of where i think i should be or how i think i should feel at any particular point.

I'm on day 5 again....And this day 5 is diffent than any of the previous one.

Thanks for the post :)

I am at 6 months and feel empowered and set free. The first few months I had some grief to go through and my fog was lifting. Now I feel better spiritually, physically and emotionally than I can ever remember.

My wife got me an interesting book,"First Year Sobriety: When All That Changes is Everything". Author is Guy Hettelhach and published by Hazelden. Many stories shared during different sobriety periods over a year. You can probably get it cheap at Amazon.com used.

Welcome to SR, Eddie. I don't think there is an easy answer to that question....I wish there was. Recovery is as individual as the person.

For myself, I think I was still in a 'fog' for about 3 months....very careful, very aware of drinking. As time progresses, that disappeared. At a years sobriety I rarely think about wanting a drink. In fact, the smell of beer on someones breath turns my stomach. BUT, I'm still very aware that alcohol can take over my life in a moments notice.

Ananada.....I'm wondering why/how this day 5 is different?

I would like to know the same eddie. Thanks for posting this!

Maybe threads could be started for different stages to help walk us through our own unique recovery, yet still providing a broad set of unofficial standards. "What did you experienced your first month"..... "your first two months".... etc. I think it could make some very helpful posts as long as they are regularly updated. People are having anniversaries all the time.....they shouldn't become stagnant or stale. Right?

Hi Bjork,

In the Newcomers Daily forum, there are lots of threads for various lengths of recovery. Maybe you will find something there that helps you out.

Very deep and resonate topic to me as the hope for me and all of us is complete recovery. A respected person with alot of sobriety, wisdom and experience shared something very important on this topic. She has seen it happen many times in the past 41 years. Luckily I was listening that day.:biglaugh: What she shared was this:

That we heal in the reverse order that we destroyed ourselves:
Destruction
1.Spiritually
2.Emotionally
3.Mentally
4.Physically

Healing
1.Physically
2.Mentally
3.Emotionally
1.Spiritually


From my experience this has helped me to understand the process I am going thru. It may take me years to figure out how I got there, the bottom, but my healing has followed this pattern. (Physically) It took me around nine months to get my serotonin and liver back to a manageable level. By not drinking and beginning to eat/sleep better. Another friend told me directly at around ten months that I was as physically sober as I will ever get. (Mentally) I have begun to bring the battle between my ears to a standstill and it started with honest self examination/meditation and will continue daily as it is ongoing. Recently at around the eleven month mark I have felt my (emotions) bubbling up to the surface and dreams are getting more intense I am just starting to heal in this regard. (Spiritually) I have felt more peace, joy, contentment and a connection or awareness of something very big for the first time in my life. Since I began and God is working on me to remove the things in the way. This I have not clue when it will really happen but I have a hopeful felling that if I continue doing the things that have worked for me this phase will manifest.
Thanks for this post as recovery for me has been working on a discernable timeling and a series of white light experiences.:ring

Thanks firehazzard, that is a very insightful post! I feel kind of the same... The physical addiction is over. The mental addiction is slower for me. The spiritual one is the key really. i suppose that we are all learning that lesson.