augustwest

i quit counting after 90 days. i made note of what day i reached the 6 and 9 month milestones but don't count days. not counting the days is a great feeling!

RobertHugh

My opinion: there's far too much focus on time in recovery. Full disclosure: I was sober 11 years when I relapsed, so I might be biased.

But the truth is that, lately, I generally see more of what I want in people with single digit sobriety than I do in people with far more time. It's just my experience and observation.

I also get very concerned when I hear someone with 15 years saying that they felt like drinking. That's not what I want.

I now look at the 11 years I maintained sobriety as good for my liver and other organs, but other than that, not really worth too much in terms of my recovery. I was an untreated alcoholic.

lildawg

Off topic, and probably unwelcome: I am sometimes so scared of doing this, the ultimate self-sabotage, to myself after all this time.

To answer the question at hand:

My sober time is easy to count because I quit on the first day of the New Year in 2008. For matters of full disclosure, I did this so I could party on New Years Eve of 2007. I had in my mind a picture of Ray Liotta in Good Fellas as he gets in the car after a night of partying and says, "Okay. Take me to jail."

Sometimes, when I want to know how long I've been sober, I add it up. I don't count each day, though. Not anymore. Sober is my new normal, so it doesn't seem necessary to count each day.

TexasNative

Hmmm...good question. I'm still counting minutes because like you LF I'm working on my first 30 days. But as far as the future I can see myself still acknowledging months but not days or weeks. I'll most likely keep track of it forever!

augustwest

Whoever woke up first this morning has the most clean time.

GettingStronger2

LaFemme --

I think it just depends on the person. For me, it is about days. Yes, months and years are/will be milestones, but for me it is each day sober. Some people continue to count days, some only go by years once they hit the one year mark. My home group for AA does 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 6 months, 1 year, and each year after that. I have been to meetings that do a few more.

I read a story about an old timer who kept a journal. On the day he died, he had as his last entry the number of days he had been sober.

So, I guess it just depends on what you want to do!

RobbyRobot

You know, its different for all of us, I think. Time counted in a happy and sober life is a joyous experience. A life of just not drinking and marking the time seems to be hell-on-earth. I've been in both situations over my years of sobriety. The last cake I took publically was at five years. It was a grand celebration. Since then I've been less public and more private in my celebrations. To each their own. There is no right way or wrong way in counting days, imo. Whatever is more honest that is the way to go.

After reaching ten years I went the way of being even more private. At twentyfive years I had a small little private party. It was good to be thankful and happy with others for a shared moment of accomplishment. I'll have thirty years next July and I'm thinking maybe having a cake once again.

Quality over quantity absolutely. But I gotta say here, nothing beats knowing you have been sober for more than a generation of time passed. It rocks!

Best Wishes Everyone!

RobbyRobot

Harry01854

Robby I really like your reply and your sincerity about it.

I counted days until I got to 30 and then the months till 6. Where I live they give out the chips for One Day At A Time, for the newcomer and then 3 - 4 - 5 - and 6 months. Then it is medallions for years.

My home group has presentations for those with a year or more and then will ask those people to share their experience, strength and hope to let the newcomers and those struggling know that they don't have to drink again and if they stay sober that things do get better.

I do like the idea of letting people know, especially anyone that is struggling, that by just staying sober one day at a time and by following the suggestions of the 12 Steps, that they too can one day say that they have so many years and that they have a good and happy life without alcohol.

I also agree though that it is the quality of recovery and not about the amount of years of sobriety.

Keep coming,

Harry

smacked

Honestly, counting days only made me aware of how far away the last drink was, not how close the next could be. I know my "last drink" date, as its rather etched in my mind, but other than that I've decided to move forward with my life instead of always looking back.

CarolD

I stopped counting days when I got to 1 month
I stopped counting months at 1 year.
I'm still counting years....I keep my current AA
medallion in my billfold....

By continueing to depend on God and the AA
Steps each day.......I'm know I will be celebrating
22 years next April.

LF....this old woman has never watched a Wold Cup
but we all have our turning point....glad it worked for you.

DayTrader

I was NEVER big on counting days, weeks, months or even years.

As far back as I can remember, I've never marked a calendar off for # of days before vacation, end of school, or anything "important" like that. Dates, days behind me or days ahead of me just don't mean much to me. I didn't really get any sort of good feeling about being sober for any amount of time other than the first couple days and then again when I hit a year. That 1yr was important to me for a couple days but that was about it.

My 2 homegroups don't give any tokens until you've got a sponsor and hit 1yr. Thereafter, it's on your yearly aa birthday that you get a new token (assuming you didn't go back out).

I might be wrong but I believe the old way was you'd get a 1yr token, a 5yr token and then a 10 yr token. I don't think there was a 15yr (but I might be mistaken). From there it was 20yrs, 30yrs, 40yrs and so on.



At meetings / tables... I do announce my Last Drink Date but that's almost exclusively because my sponsor does, his sponsor does, his sponsor does and I was told to. I tell my guys to do the same as well.

soberbythesea

I intend to keep on counting individual days as long as it makes me feel good. Right now, I am getting a major boost when I wake up each morning and one of the first things I think to myself is "Hey, now it's day __!" I am definitely going to be focused on it at least until I hit 30 days. 30, 60, and 90 days will all be big milestones for me I think... and then 6 months, and then 1 year and every year after. (God willing that I get that far.)

LaFemme

Carol, I think it was the fact that I spent most o the WC at a bar and that I mixed way to much booze at the final that I made myself so sick that I just couldn't drink any more that did it...:-D

SBTS, I know you are going to make all the anniversaries you want to, I have a good feeling about it.

I wasn't particularly interested in what peoples programs emphasized in terms of counting, more what people felt helped on their own quest for freedom:-)

Peace, LF

Dee74

it's tomorrow here lol

D

AlwaysGrowing

I stopped counting days after two months... Just too many numbers,,, was yesterday 63 or 64 Kind of thing.

With years it was from 7 to 9, 10 was big, 11 to 18 went quick. Knocking on 19 years but I really only keep track now more because of this forum and more writing/typing..

Today I just say I'm sober today. I'm gratefull for evey single one of those days. I'm also one who believes AA is a path to incorporate us back into society where we have positive direction not a draining one. So I guess after typing this it has become more than just 'how many days/month/years,,, but how am I using my sobriety today.

I still today carry my latest chip on my key ring. I drill a hole in it every year. I don't care who sees it as it is a very big part of me today.

AG

NewMe11109

LaFemme -

I love the saying "If you got up earlier than I did today, then you have more sobriety than I do."

I like this because it reminds me that I must focus on today and that is all that matters. I am still just one drink away from being back where I was. Since my alcoholism is still progressing (even while I am in recovery), my sober time doesn't matter at a certain level.

So, I do celebrate my major birthdays, but I don't count anymore.

SlvrMag

I don't count anymore.

For the first few months I used the "Sober Time" counter on the home page

SoberRecovery : Sober Time Sobriety Calculator


It was cool to see how far I had come. The last NA key tag I got was 18 months. I have them hooked together in order, it's rather pretty (to me!)

firsttimer

I woke up and thought I haven't had a drink in 15 hours... I can't imagine counting days, months or years yet.

Dee74

Welcome to SR firsttimer

D

LaFemme

Congrats on 15 hours and welcome:-)