I noticed REAL recovery today
 

When I was drinking my days consisted of work and drinking. I grabbed beer on the way home, drinks at the bar, more beer to drink at home.

I was lethargic and apathetic.

Fast forward six months. I left work at the normal time after a 10 hour day, fought traffic for another hour and got home.

OK... here's the miracle. I had an amazing desire to do something so I grabbed my 8 year old son and took him fishing. Not just normal fishing -we had all the salmon gear and tackle and hiked about 1500 yards on a narrow trail through thick brush to the river in my own secret spot to chase that 40lb Chinook or just a couple of Pinks.

We fished for about 2 hours until the sun started to set on the western ridge and packed it all back out. We didn't catch anything tonight but we had a wonderful time. We talked, told stories, and just enjoyed each other's company.

I never could have done this in my drinking days. My mind and body are healing and my relationship with my children is growing as well. I even still had energy when I got home from fishing. I'm tired and worn out now and it's bedtime.

For those that are brand new here - it really does get better! Quickly you'll notice the good days outnumber the bad.

And it's okay to reward yourself with chocolate cake once in a while!

You sobriety is the greatest gift you can give to your kids. I'm so happy for you.

That sounds fab, I have been trying to find a thread where someone says they have more energy, because I can actually remember when my days were hectic but I thrived on the hussle & bussle. I liked life that way. I dont have the energy these days & not much gets done.
And as for the cake, I agree, alcohol has given me a couple of extra stone in weight. Losing the alcohol we can easily afford a big chunk of choccy cake! When people give up smoking (i'll tackle that one later) they need to avoid the extra food if they dont want to gain weight, at least giving this up actually helps us lose weight! Sounds shallow maybe, but that's what I am looking forward to. My confidence has gone right down with weight gain. Hey I am female lol but I eat anything & everything when drunk, sugarry, fatty foods, being drunk seemed to have me craving food & removed the full feeling. So I am going to eat cake, but it wont be on the same level yet will be just as nice as it used to be! x

SPG
Inspirational post. It sounded terrific and I am sure your son will have a lasting memory of it as well. !!

You just named the best thing about being sober for me... Being a good parent and actually ENJOYING time with your kids. Well done!! :)

Thanks, St. Pete, for your story of hope for us newbies!

Great post StPete. Last night my 22 year text me and asked me if we can hang out of Saturday. She has been doing that a lot lately. My girls and I have been spending a lot more time together. If we don't see each other, we text or call each other. They really enjoy spending time with me now. It's a beautiful thing.

That's great!

Awesome post! Sometimes I feel grateful to be an alcoholic because I think the lack of real joy I had in my drinking days allows me to enjoy normal life so much now! And to think I thought it was lame ;)

Good for you. You remind me that every step when I was drinking was a challenge. There just wasn't energy available to me. Now I'm likely to do something, and it's more fun. We think that alcohol makes things more fun, but it doesn't. It makes everything less fun.

Thanks for posting Pete!

what a great post.....I'm hoping you inspired many.

Thats awesome!!! I'm currently in a relapse mode and back in recovery but I am eager for those days where I can enjoy simple things without needing a drink. Congratulations on your amazing progress!

Thanks for the post!

Thank you. What an inspiration. Being clean and enjoying that time is priceless. I'm just now starting to get it back. Greatest gift to our children is our recovery as someone else mentioned.

Jess

Thanks for the post! So true! REAL love is so crisp and clear when sober.

Thank you all for sharing on this. It helps me too - reinforcing all the good sobriety has brought while quieting my addicted mind every day.

20 years of daily drinking down the toilet.

Wishing peace and strength to everyone tonight. And as we fisherman say -may your lines be tight.

Awesome Post Stpete, and wish you many more times like this with your son.

Road/fisherman

PS: Please do tell where that secret spot is...:)