Back in the Saddle Again!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 83
Back in the Saddle Again!
I may keep falling off the wagon, but I can always run fast enough to jump right back on. I'm white-knuckling it this time. There's a thirsty demon inside of me that isn't going to be getting anything but diet Dr. Pepper. Today is Day 2. CriticalMass > Alcohol...now that's snazzy math.
Everyone has a sob story...but it's no excuse; it's what we do with it.
So...in order to give people things to look forward to as they progress in their sobriety, I thought maybe some more seasoned members can throw in some of the pros that have been bestowed upon them since kicking the bottle. (e.g. losing weight, no more redface, no hangovers, no "who did I text last night and what did I say?!") Basically anything at all. If this has already been run to the ground just send me to that thread. Thanks guys. Glad to be back after almost a year.
Everyone has a sob story...but it's no excuse; it's what we do with it.
So...in order to give people things to look forward to as they progress in their sobriety, I thought maybe some more seasoned members can throw in some of the pros that have been bestowed upon them since kicking the bottle. (e.g. losing weight, no more redface, no hangovers, no "who did I text last night and what did I say?!") Basically anything at all. If this has already been run to the ground just send me to that thread. Thanks guys. Glad to be back after almost a year.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: California
Posts: 624
Clarity. Confidence. Trust. Self esteem. No hangovers. No regrets.
Freedom. Openness. Joy. Health. Empathy. Peace.
There are a million new things I've found about me in the last 20 days. But the best one is that I finally like myself, I can look myself in the eye and not cringe or feel sadness. I feel I'm on the up - not the downwards spiral I thought I would be forever sucked into....
Good luck with your quest - glad you are back!!!
Freedom. Openness. Joy. Health. Empathy. Peace.
There are a million new things I've found about me in the last 20 days. But the best one is that I finally like myself, I can look myself in the eye and not cringe or feel sadness. I feel I'm on the up - not the downwards spiral I thought I would be forever sucked into....
Good luck with your quest - glad you are back!!!
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 551
Ok Beneifts:
No more red face after a few weeks
No more bloating and jumping when I saw myself in the mirror and wondered who the heck I was looking at!
No more inner our outer shakes - they were mortifying and I lost a lot of confidence, Now my confidence is back!
I lost over 4 months 35 pounds!! most came off in the first two months! wow, now my Dr has encouraged me to eat more, so I am now enjoying chocolate and yummy things.
My eyes are bright and the sadness has gone
I smile naturally with out having to put it on to make it through the day.
Much more, a peace inside that I know I am treasuring my body and life, it goes so fast, you need to embrace each day and realise you are really truly worth it!
No more red face after a few weeks
No more bloating and jumping when I saw myself in the mirror and wondered who the heck I was looking at!
No more inner our outer shakes - they were mortifying and I lost a lot of confidence, Now my confidence is back!
I lost over 4 months 35 pounds!! most came off in the first two months! wow, now my Dr has encouraged me to eat more, so I am now enjoying chocolate and yummy things.
My eyes are bright and the sadness has gone
I smile naturally with out having to put it on to make it through the day.
Much more, a peace inside that I know I am treasuring my body and life, it goes so fast, you need to embrace each day and realise you are really truly worth it!
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 551
Also I just said in another post, that what worked for me is making this a mission getting sober, taking action, making a plan and then getting actually excited about what the benefits will be. Truly the way I feel and look now is like a high and does not come anywhere near to the high of drinking, you just need to get past the first couple of weeks and then start to see the benefits and it propells you. Also SR is a rock for me and it is part of my recovery. It may not be easy but gosh is it so so so worth it.
MIND OF DESTRUCTIVE TASTE
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 744
I'm fairly new into my recovery but here goes...
Clear mind (although at times a bit daunting)
Weight loss
Learning to respect myself
The joy of knowing my daughter has a sober/clean mommy
Learning to make healthy choices instead of negative, self destructive ones
Being able to wake up and not turn for my morning pill to get me started...realizing that I can still be supermommy without a $hitload of pills.
Not being consumed by thoughts of "when's it time for my next dose" & not having my day revolve around pills
Having the chance to get to know the real adult me, something I have never had the chance to do over the last 11 years while I was drowning in my addiction
Now I am consumed with cleaning/organizing...a bit obsessed, perhaps but it feels great being really productive and going to bed each night with a clean home and waking up to one.
That's all I can think of for right now. Pretty darn good for being early in my recovery It can only get better from here on out so I look forward to what life has to offer me as the days continue to add up!
-Jess
Clear mind (although at times a bit daunting)
Weight loss
Learning to respect myself
The joy of knowing my daughter has a sober/clean mommy
Learning to make healthy choices instead of negative, self destructive ones
Being able to wake up and not turn for my morning pill to get me started...realizing that I can still be supermommy without a $hitload of pills.
Not being consumed by thoughts of "when's it time for my next dose" & not having my day revolve around pills
Having the chance to get to know the real adult me, something I have never had the chance to do over the last 11 years while I was drowning in my addiction
Now I am consumed with cleaning/organizing...a bit obsessed, perhaps but it feels great being really productive and going to bed each night with a clean home and waking up to one.
That's all I can think of for right now. Pretty darn good for being early in my recovery
It can only get better from here on out so I look forward to what life has to offer me as the days continue to add up!-Jess
SR Fan
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 7,910
wow - great responses so far!
Benefits of sobriety for me include:
Feeling connected to life and people again.
Much less fear and anxiety.
I don't get frustrated with every little thing that goes wrong.
Getting back my sense of humor.
Feeling good about myself.
Return of spirituality in my life.
Gosh, golly - there's just too many to name........thanks for the thread!
Benefits of sobriety for me include:
Feeling connected to life and people again.
Much less fear and anxiety.
I don't get frustrated with every little thing that goes wrong.
Getting back my sense of humor.
Feeling good about myself.
Return of spirituality in my life.
Gosh, golly - there's just too many to name........thanks for the thread!
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 218
Oh I could write about this forever!
1. No daily guilt eating away at me.
2. True friendships
3. I'm not lonely any more
4. Spritual growth - I have a higher power which I never did before
5. I get to be a better mom
6. Crying tears of joy and rarely tears of sadness
7. Depression (struggled for years) all but gone
8. Better relationships with family and friends
9. Feel like the world is essentially good - before I hated everyone and was cynical as he!!
10. No more red eyes every day
11. I have experience, strength, and hope to share with alcoholics who still suffer
12. I'm no longer afraid to be alone.
13. Not always broke (just sometimes
14. I sleep so well at night.
15. I have my dreams back.
Thanks for this idea! This is awesome. I love recovery and I wish you the best.
1. No daily guilt eating away at me.
2. True friendships
3. I'm not lonely any more
4. Spritual growth - I have a higher power which I never did before
5. I get to be a better mom
6. Crying tears of joy and rarely tears of sadness
7. Depression (struggled for years) all but gone
8. Better relationships with family and friends
9. Feel like the world is essentially good - before I hated everyone and was cynical as he!!
10. No more red eyes every day
11. I have experience, strength, and hope to share with alcoholics who still suffer
12. I'm no longer afraid to be alone.
13. Not always broke (just sometimes
14. I sleep so well at night.
15. I have my dreams back.
Thanks for this idea! This is awesome. I love recovery and I wish you the best.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: I'm exactly where I should be.
Posts: 1,889
There is not one specific thing that has done it for me. Every aspect every corner every fiber of my life has been deeply affected with my sobriety. Since drinking my whole adult life I have now found myself, my life and my connection with the world. It is just an awesome thang.
Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Sweden
Posts: 1,649
I have discovered an astonishing idea that never occurred to me: that life is for enjoying. That I am supposed to be happy. That every day is not meant to be a slow plodding into darkness and pain, but a dash to seize the amazing things life has to offer. And if I am not fast enough, I might miss all the good things coming my way!
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: San francisco,ca
Posts: 112
The more time you stay sober to more you will notice the physical and mental improvements. And it is so worth it. Fighting urges to drink is difficult however with a recovery program you will gain the tools to help you fix that. Aventually the urges will go and you don't have fight so hard to stay in the saddle. I highly recomend the 12step program. It's not eazy and unfortunately it's been very diffucult for me to find the right person that actualy knows how to teach it. I've been through 4 sponsors and only one really understood how it works and exsplained it to me well. I met with him 1 month ago and have learned more in the past month then in the past year of aa. Even though I've been to over 600 meetings, I never really learned "how it works".
The individuals that I have met, that have throuroghly worked the 12 steps,and continue to work steps 10 & 11 are on a whole different level. The phychological changes that take place will not only make you feel better, you will feel better then you have in you entire life. Hard to imagine, but it is true.
Visiting this website, and going to aa meetings can help you to stay sober, but they will probably not keep you sober. Some can do it with just that, but I can not and would not want it that way for myself. I myself have gained the physical rewards of not drinking for a while, and have gotten coments like "Wow, You look great!!". However I'm more focused on working the 12 steps. I am not done with them, but I have already noticed great changes in the way I feel. Even though there are a lot of things in my life right now that I would normally freek out about, I honestly can say that I have absolutely no stress, at all!! I can not remember the last time I felt this way. Another thing that is hard to beleive, but it is true.
Dune
The individuals that I have met, that have throuroghly worked the 12 steps,and continue to work steps 10 & 11 are on a whole different level. The phychological changes that take place will not only make you feel better, you will feel better then you have in you entire life. Hard to imagine, but it is true.
Visiting this website, and going to aa meetings can help you to stay sober, but they will probably not keep you sober. Some can do it with just that, but I can not and would not want it that way for myself. I myself have gained the physical rewards of not drinking for a while, and have gotten coments like "Wow, You look great!!". However I'm more focused on working the 12 steps. I am not done with them, but I have already noticed great changes in the way I feel. Even though there are a lot of things in my life right now that I would normally freek out about, I honestly can say that I have absolutely no stress, at all!! I can not remember the last time I felt this way. Another thing that is hard to beleive, but it is true.
Dune
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 83
Thanks guys!
I can say on Day 3 that a plus is that I don't roll out of bed at the last possible minute so I have more time to pick out something decent to wear and look more "put together." This is a plus even to a guy
Something I was wondering: If someone relapses and has one night of drinking after going through withdrawal and stopping...can the addiction begin again in just one night? Would all of that withdrawal have to be gone through again? I have no intention of relapsing. I was just curious if addiction can strike back after a single occurrence.
I can say on Day 3 that a plus is that I don't roll out of bed at the last possible minute so I have more time to pick out something decent to wear and look more "put together." This is a plus even to a guy
Something I was wondering: If someone relapses and has one night of drinking after going through withdrawal and stopping...can the addiction begin again in just one night? Would all of that withdrawal have to be gone through again? I have no intention of relapsing. I was just curious if addiction can strike back after a single occurrence.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,438
Welcome back CM
For me, there was no such thing as one night's drinking. Every time I drank I went right back to square one...maybe not that first night, but I'd drink again, and again...eventually losing weeks, months, sometimes years...
I almost always withdrew after too, no matter how little I drank.
For the original question - for me the main pro is I like myself and my life. For the first time as an adult, I'm happy.
I had to work on that, and it took more than just not drinking, but you can't beat that
D
For me, there was no such thing as one night's drinking. Every time I drank I went right back to square one...maybe not that first night, but I'd drink again, and again...eventually losing weeks, months, sometimes years...
I almost always withdrew after too, no matter how little I drank.
For the original question - for me the main pro is I like myself and my life. For the first time as an adult, I'm happy.
I had to work on that, and it took more than just not drinking, but you can't beat that
D
...is learning and growing...
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 573
The mental obsession re where will I get my next drink, when will I drink it, how many can I drink, do I have enough supply and for how long...?$&@()! Not having to deal with that alone makes it worth it for me...plus I agree with all the other responses 
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Arizona
Posts: 76
I have quite a few, but one of my favorites is being able to read in bed before going to sleep. Kinda hard to read and retain anything all blurry eyed! Oh and remembering what I watched on TV the night before and being able to discuss it at work! I could go on and on......
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
