stavros212

Anxiety is tapering off. Depression is setting in. Still determined though.
I have to find ways to have fun without booze, but it's hard when all my friends either drink or smoke weed. Just want to stay sober. The best thing for me right now is probably just to steer clear of situations until I feel confident that I won't be tempted. Lonely, but healthy

Anna

Hi Stavros,

Things will get easier, and I'm glad you're getting through the day.

I think part of recovery, is learning to enjoy life, in ways that don't involve alcohol. It takes an adjustment, but it's worth it.

FHB1

Hi Stravos - congratulations on day 4! I am on day seven and have been feeling the same way - lots of ups and downs. Like you all of my friends party too. I've been trying to avoid hanging out too much until I get this sobriety thing under grips. To pass the time I've been hanging out here and getting a lot of exercise. I find that exercise helps with the depression and clears my head. Do you have a bicycle? If you do, I highly recommend hitting the road for a few hours. I guarantee you'll feel much better! Anyway, stay strong and stay sober. Keep posting and reading. There are a lot of people here to help. I know - they are helping me too!! Have a great day!!

Dee74

Hi Stavros

I had to make a few lifestyle changes for sure - but there's time enough to consider all that, I think...

at day 4 I was still focusing on not drinking, and hoping to feel better

take it easy on yourself
D

stavros212

Thanks for the ongoing encouragement everybody. Exercise has always helped me to deal with stress and to stay sober. Just ran and went to the gym. Feeling a whole lot better - not so down as before.
I just hope and pray this time is different. When I have abstained from alcohol I always hit a wall around two weeks where I just didn't care anymore, but I think I was trying to quit for others and not myself at that point.
This time I am not just wishing I could fast forward life to one month sober, as I did before, bc I know I won't learn anything that way.
The person I was trying to stay sober for before is not so much my incentive anymore as I don't think keeping up sobriety will get her back.
So now I am just hoping that sobriety this time around will open new doors for me and change my way of thinking.
I hate being obsessed with alcohol, but it's a hard thing to do when you live in a culture that is obsessed with it and relates it to good times.
I like to drink socially, but I am definitely not a social drinker - always thinking that more booze will help the night get better, but then I'd just end up blacking out, doing something stupid and hating myself in the morning for it.
It's been good to write here on this board, bc as crazy as it seems, the people who love me either don't want to hear it or cannot relate or have heard it all before.
But another night staying in and staying sober, so I'm doing good.

sugarbear1

My good times ended with alcohol. Iadhere to the allergy concept, it helps and I mute or look away when ads or stores are near...

adore79

Hey good job on day 4! finding replacement activities is one of the most difficult parts of quitting but stay with it and you will get there. Whatever you do just dont pick up!

quickbeam

Congrats on day 4 . I just got through day 2. My mind is stiill obsessing and paranoid. I feel heavy inside.

On the good side today I ignored a phone call from friends who I knew were gonna invite me out for drinks. I left it ringing



Keep it up mate

twilli59

Just had this discussion about what I do now that I'm sober. For me, meetings and working the steps are the foundation - the focus that helps me remember I'm on a mission. Then, the thing he said is to rewind back to all of the things that being wasted robbed you of - go back as fqar as you have to - and pick one of those passions to start with. For me - shooting hoops, swimming, writing. And hitting some of the fam gatherings that I had skipped. It changes slowly, but it really does change.

stavros212

It's tough - I've had a few friends call me to come hang out and drink the past few days. It sucks cause I'm bored by myself. Thought about just going to hang out and not drink, but it never ends up that way. Best to just steer clear of the entire situation right now and not put myself in that environment.
Day 5 starts - The bad anxiety was definitely the worst for the first 2 days and then started to fade around day 3. Keep it up!

stavros212

I definitely stopped reading books pretty much entirely - time to pick up a good one. And artwork - I used to be really into it but have stopped that too. Replacing bad habits with constructive ones that will make us better people...

stuartp

My first week not drinking was the longest week ever!!!! I realized that if I added up all my drinking/drunk time, I had an extra day (24 hours of sobriety).

A whole extra day in the week for living! That was amazing!!

NewDayNewWay

Day 4 here as well, been busy all day, but tonight instead of getting blitzed I will be continuing to check out all the Kagyu dvd's I bought a while back, but was always too drunk to bother watching.
Most of my jitters seem to be from missing coffee, So I switched to Yerba Mate