Yowsers! Here we go!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Ca
Posts: 29
Yowsers! Here we go!
Hola! I've posted on this board a few times a while back and never was able to stick with my decision to quit. It's amazing how coming back and reading all the threads hit home and i've never been more excited to stop poisoning myself!
I woke up at 2am this morning had a bottle of wine, went back to bed, woke up for work and muddled through the day until about 12:00 when my body just screamed "TAKE CARE OF ME PLEASE!". The shakes, the sweat, the stomach pains, the overall ickiness freaked me out. What AM I doing to myself? I'm 26 and this is not life! Life is spending quality time with my husband, enjoying my cycling, running, hiking and being just plain happy and healthy! That definitely conflicts with this life of pain, secrets, guilt, sickness, panic attacks, depression... wow, that really looks bad written down.
Tonight I am going to put my focus 100% on having a great time with my husband who deserves the person he married last July. For our anniversary in July I'm going to give him the gift of knowing that his wife has been sober for 2 months (since I'm starting today). I'm already very excited.
Quick question: How do you make a habit out of "not" doing something? I usually think of habits as things that you do, rather than not do. Living sober means that I will not be drinking - what have you replaced it with?
thanks for your support!
I woke up at 2am this morning had a bottle of wine, went back to bed, woke up for work and muddled through the day until about 12:00 when my body just screamed "TAKE CARE OF ME PLEASE!". The shakes, the sweat, the stomach pains, the overall ickiness freaked me out. What AM I doing to myself? I'm 26 and this is not life! Life is spending quality time with my husband, enjoying my cycling, running, hiking and being just plain happy and healthy! That definitely conflicts with this life of pain, secrets, guilt, sickness, panic attacks, depression... wow, that really looks bad written down.
Tonight I am going to put my focus 100% on having a great time with my husband who deserves the person he married last July. For our anniversary in July I'm going to give him the gift of knowing that his wife has been sober for 2 months (since I'm starting today). I'm already very excited.
Quick question: How do you make a habit out of "not" doing something? I usually think of habits as things that you do, rather than not do. Living sober means that I will not be drinking - what have you replaced it with?
thanks for your support!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Roxboro, NC
Posts: 544
Congrats on the decission to stop drinking.
I replaced my nights drinking with AA meetings. Talking to my sponser. Reading and posting at SR and taking it one day at a time.
Keep coming back here and reading!!!
I replaced my nights drinking with AA meetings. Talking to my sponser. Reading and posting at SR and taking it one day at a time.
Keep coming back here and reading!!!
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,385
I didn't replace my drinking with anything really chickonabike...instead I looked at why I drank.
I looked at what I could do to finally once and for all heal the void in me I'd tried to fill with alcohol for 20 years.
Accepting I was an alcoholic...and I could never drink again if I wanted to be the person I wanted to be was an important step for me.
Committing to doing whatever it took not to drink again was the other part of that.
Whatever way you decide to go, take it day by day - it's a Journey - every day we learn more
D
I looked at what I could do to finally once and for all heal the void in me I'd tried to fill with alcohol for 20 years.
Accepting I was an alcoholic...and I could never drink again if I wanted to be the person I wanted to be was an important step for me.
Committing to doing whatever it took not to drink again was the other part of that.
Whatever way you decide to go, take it day by day - it's a Journey - every day we learn more
D
Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: The Trenches, Texas
Posts: 778
At age 25 I made a decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of a God that I still do not understand today...day in and day out I am still blown away by the miracles that happen in my life. You may already be asking how? I followed a few simple suggestions from some very loving, very tolerant folks in Alcoholic's Anonymous.
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,476
I didn't replace my drinking with anything.
The thing is, you need to look at the underlying issues. It's not about stopping drinking and that's all. That's just the beginning. Now you need to begin to look at what has caused you to become an addict. Then the healing can begin.
I do think that changing daily routines can help. I drank at home, alone, so I made a great effort to plan ahead and avoid those times. When I stopped drinking and started to heal, I began doing healthy things like reading and taking long walks.
The thing is, you need to look at the underlying issues. It's not about stopping drinking and that's all. That's just the beginning. Now you need to begin to look at what has caused you to become an addict. Then the healing can begin.
I do think that changing daily routines can help. I drank at home, alone, so I made a great effort to plan ahead and avoid those times. When I stopped drinking and started to heal, I began doing healthy things like reading and taking long walks.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 873
Yeah you don't have to replace it with anything, just live a better life.
What I will say though is that now that I don't drink, I have more and deeper conversations with my kids, don't fall asleep during movies (ie. enjoy them more), read more often and for longer periods, and get stuff like laundry and dishes done more frequently. So in a way all of that has replaced the drinking.
Congrats on your decision though and best of luck.
What I will say though is that now that I don't drink, I have more and deeper conversations with my kids, don't fall asleep during movies (ie. enjoy them more), read more often and for longer periods, and get stuff like laundry and dishes done more frequently. So in a way all of that has replaced the drinking.
Congrats on your decision though and best of luck.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 1,061
Originally Posted by Reset 
Yeah you don't have to replace it with anything, just live a better life.
What I will say though is that now that I don't drink, I have more and deeper conversations with my kids, don't fall asleep during movies (ie. enjoy them more), read more often and for longer periods, and get stuff like laundry and dishes done more frequently. So in a way all of that has replaced the drinking.
Congrats on your decision though and best of luck.
What I will say though is that now that I don't drink, I have more and deeper conversations with my kids, don't fall asleep during movies (ie. enjoy them more), read more often and for longer periods, and get stuff like laundry and dishes done more frequently. So in a way all of that has replaced the drinking.
Congrats on your decision though and best of luck.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: I'm exactly where I should be.
Posts: 1,889
Welcome Chick.
Getting out of the habit means creating new habits. For me I replaced drinking with living. I no longer wrap myself around buying, hiding and lying about booze...now I wrap myself around waking up every morning sober and living life like 'other normal people'.
Looking inside of yourself and finding out why you drank is a good idea. Was it anger, frustration, boredom, a control issue? There are many reasons why we initially start but don't even realize until its too late. There is a fine line that we don't realize is crossed until its too late. I found many issues of why I drank and because of a huge change in my life I don't feel I 'need' alcohol to reason with myself. I released it...it is gone.
But that doesn't mean that I don't struggle sometimes -especially knowing that I can never drink...not even one. Ever. It is ultimately a life long sobriety. I have no choice. Its only been alittle over 100 days....so I have a long way to go.
Good luck on your journey. Everyone's is so different yet everyone's the same.
Wishing you peace and strength.
Getting out of the habit means creating new habits. For me I replaced drinking with living. I no longer wrap myself around buying, hiding and lying about booze...now I wrap myself around waking up every morning sober and living life like 'other normal people'.
Looking inside of yourself and finding out why you drank is a good idea. Was it anger, frustration, boredom, a control issue? There are many reasons why we initially start but don't even realize until its too late. There is a fine line that we don't realize is crossed until its too late. I found many issues of why I drank and because of a huge change in my life I don't feel I 'need' alcohol to reason with myself. I released it...it is gone.
But that doesn't mean that I don't struggle sometimes -especially knowing that I can never drink...not even one. Ever. It is ultimately a life long sobriety. I have no choice. Its only been alittle over 100 days....so I have a long way to go.
Good luck on your journey. Everyone's is so different yet everyone's the same.
Wishing you peace and strength.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 144
Funny you should ask that! I like to think of not doing a thing as DOing a thing, rather than not doing a thing. The thing I'm DOing is getting healthier, increasing my stamina, getting back my waist, having my evenings free to do anything, having mornings free of hangovers, etc... I see it as a kind of project with tangible results. To me, that is actually doing something!
That thought helps me a lot. Hope to see more of you around here!
That thought helps me a lot. Hope to see more of you around here!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego
Posts: 4,451
I replaced drinking with enjoying my life. Seriously.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Ca
Posts: 29
Thank you everyone! Your suggestions have really helped me out already today. The common thing that I am noticing from everyone is how living a full life is what is "replacing" the drinking. My life today is already full of plans to have fun with my husband by going out and doing and trying awesome things. I'm excited by the optimism I have gained just today from waking up fresh and new and feeling free. I forgot what this was like.
Thanks for your help!
Thanks for your help!
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