Clean&Sober_Poll
 

Hey my name is Martin & I am an alcoholic, this is strictly an opinion poll here and nothing more. I would like to find out how many people feel about drinking while being "Clean" and doing "Mind altering drugs" while being "Sober".

Now this is strictly my opinion, but for me to say I am sober means that I also need to be free of any mind altering drugs unless I am prescribed them by a doctor and I am taking them as directed.

I know it's absolutely NO WAY for me. Sober is being totally clean for me. :)

Great question. This is one I learned the hard way on.

Recovery first time round from me was from compulsive overeating (specificially my carbohydrate addiction) but I continued to drink alcohol, because I didn't think I was an alcoholic and more importantly because "I had given up enough" ....."the alcohol is my little treat" ......"it's mine, you (God) cannot have it"

Well I had recovery and it was great. I abstained from my addiction, my health got better, I was happier (before the alcohol got real bad)..........But now I have given up the alcohol and I can now see that I was missing out on so much by clinging to something which I thought was my right, justified because I had given up so much. Recovery this time round has sent me into a whole new dimension!

Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of working these steps , we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

I have emphasised the last part of the step. If we are practising these principles in all our affairs, how can we be putting something harmful in our bodies or carrying out behaviour which is harmful? This is not God's will.


From the book Being in Balance by Dr Wayne W Dyer

Although I am a non drinker now and also no longer do any drugs smoking up never lead me to drink so it would not now effect my ability to stay sober.
As with drinking I just have no desire to do it anymore.

This is really basically baloney. While I think "working a program" is great for some, living life to the fullest is the goal. For many a program is not needed nor wanted. There are also others so wrapped up in program they forget about fully living life.

You think?

A program can be anything, really. I mean... one could say a program of living is setting the alarm clock, getting out of bed, having a cup of coffee, going to work.... :)

Mark

Totfit that was her opinion, last time I checked we all have a right to one without others belaying it.

You have your opinion. like I have mine, so does serenityqueen, part of my recovery is the acceptance & tolerance of others opinions even when it does not jive with mine.

For most people a program is necessary, alcoholic or not...they just don't know it...i feel very sorry for them indeed...

And of course a person can't claim to be sober and still drug or drink :e136:

Just a fact that happens to coincidentally be my own opinion...:a122:

Clean & sober to me means no drinking, no drugs and no active addictions such as to nicotine or to prescriptions medications.

It is different for me. My antidepressants and anti anxiety meds are very necessary for me to maintain good mental health. They are not addictive or abused and are taken as directed, so how is that 'addiction'?? It could be said that I'm addicted to seeing a counselor once a week. I depend greatly on my hour to vent and get feedback and advice. I am distraught when I don't have my appt to look forward to.

Thinking of addiction/alcoholism like the disease that it clearly is, let's imagine that a person has cancer, a disease. This person has very advanced cancer and needs chemotherapy to "cure" their disease and to live a cancer free life. OK now, on the other hand we have a person with less advanced cancer or a different form of cancer for whom chemotherapy will not be necessary in order to be cured and live a cancer free life. Of course, cancer, like alcoholism or addiction can be progressive and it might come back and/or get worse and the second person might need chemotherapy down the road but doctors do not order chemotherapy for every cancer patient regardless of type and stage; and simply stated not every person with a drug & alcohol problem needs treatment, AA or 12 steps in order to be cured, and to live a clean & sober life.

Just as the disease is different for everyone, so is the cure.

I hear ya least, I'm equally addicted to eating healthy foods, taking vitamins and working out. Fitness and good health has become my addiction. I was referring to people who abuse their medications, prescribed or not because once they leave the pharmacy, these incredibly powerful drugs are out of the control of the doctor and sometimes into the hands of recovering addicts/alcoholics. And really, I think doctors prescribe way too much stuff to too many people, for too many things. Just my opinion tho, I have a great distrust and disdain for the pharmaceutical industry...

i have chosen to remain clean & sober by not drinking and not drugging for four years. At first, the decision was motivated by fear of what my life would return to if i picked up. Later on, it was because the desire to recover was stronger than any thoughts of wanting to use. Lately, the decision is rooted in a spiritual awareness of everything that's much more satisfying than any method of "Instant Gratification" i could 'use' to satisfy a self centered obsession.

How other people chose to continue playing into their disease or surrender to the God of their understanding is up to them.

clean and sober to me is free from booze and the same as you martin any mind altering substance.i went out alot when i was younger and took alot of party drugs.i had some great times and i was never addicted to these drugs.these days i live in the spiritual solution and do not need to take anything mind altering and choose not to.i would not consider myself sober if i did this,even though booze was my problem.today it isnt!

I cannot be high and sober at the same time...:c022:

dooof!
Having done both in my past, I would have preferred to check 2 boxes
(stupid poll wouldn't let me)

I couldn't be clean or sober...if I did drugs or drank........

okay, clarification done :)

Charmie in my youth I smoked a lot of dope, what stopped me from continuing to the point where I could not stop smoking dope was drinking. When I quit smoking dope it was mainly fear, in Va. one could get 5 years hard time for a single jay, back then the worse I could get drinking were all misdemeanors, Drunk in Public, Underage drinking, or a DUI. Back then even a DUI was not a big deal as long as one did not hurt or kill some one, heck in some circles I was in it was kind of a right of passage.

I may be 4 years clean but I believe I have to abstain from alcohol in order to live a wholesome life. I also know what I don't want to do is judge others and then label them with some nasty classification. Sure, there lifestyles of people I don't want for myself but I would rather have empathy for them than contempt.

I totally agree.

To be sober, is putting down the drink and drugs.