jjc81

As you said for many it may not seem as an "accomplishment" but to me it's amazing ! Some feel the same way about birthdays....just another day. Again to me another day sober is enough reason to celebrate, take pride in your personal power of making the right choices CONGRATS ON 60 DAYS !

Lost3000

Yeah, you are right about that!

Lost3000

That's an interesting take. Thanks for that.

soberjim

Lost... I think Fenis makes a very good point. Speaking as someone still looking to reach 30 days..I think 60 is a huge milestone.

Jim

Snarf

Lost3000, those other events you described, getting married, buying a home, receiving degrees, they all took a lot longer than 60 days to accomplish. They were things that took years and indeed an entire lifetime to work toward. They were huge milestones in your life that were evidence of achievement and perseverance. I think it's a little much to ask for that same sense of fulfillment after 60 days of not drinking.

By no means am I discounting your time in recovery. 60 days is AWESOME. But just hang in there a little while longer. The true blessings in recovery, at least in my experience, take a bit longer to materialize. And one day you'll like back and not think, "Wow, I've gone X number of days without drinking," but rather, "Oh my goodness, look at all the blessings I've received in my life since I put down the booze!" My progress in recovery isn't measured by the amount of time I've put together without a drink, but the ways my life has changed since I had my last one.

Good on you for trying to turn your life around. Unfortunately it doesn't all happen immediately. It's like you were barreling down the highway 100mph in a fully loaded 18-wheeler, and you realized the road was out ahead of you. You know you've got to turn that thing around, but you can't just rip the emergency break and pull a 180. You've got to slow down and start carefully attempting to turn around that massive beast that's running fast and nearly out of control. But once you get there, you'll see nothing but open road ahead of you.

MrsBrown

if it means anything, you give some of us newbies hope. congratulations

MrsBrown

you shifted my focus with that one. thanks for that

Dee74

I didn't feel it much when I got 60 days either but I had been so far down the hole I was still tunnelling towards the surface I think.

when I first got here the people with 30, 60, 90 days were amazing to me - the people with years I looked at like...woah...seriously?

I'd drunk all day every day for at least the last 5 years before getting here - one day sober was an achievement to me.

Seeing others hit milestones gave me - someone who had no hope - hope.

I still remember that - I think it is an achievement and I hope I never lose that attitude

D

bryangt

New name-- Journey ? RightonTrack ? The whole first year is a roller coaster ride with ups n downs...Plus you have changed, but people at work, who you deal may have not...so you are reacting differently now....anywho--Congratz & keep up the great work!

Snarf

I couldn't agree more with Dee. I thought going 30 days without booze was nearly impossible, and I looked at people with years in recovery and thought 2 things: 1) Is that even possible? 2) Those people must not be very much fun at weddings and ballgames and such.

Turns out we can actually have MORE fun when we're not drinking. Not only that, we can actually remember it!

Always remember that minutes and days and months and years are nothing more than measurements of time. It's what you do with that time that truly matters. Would my ~2 years without alcohol really mean anything if I didn't improve my life and be a better husband and father and brother and son and friend? If I kept being destructive and making bad decisions that had a negative impact on me and those around me, what would be the point?

I've known people who have gone decades without alcohol, but their type of recovery is not the kind I want because I don't see happiness and helpfulness in them, only abstinence from booze. I want my recovery to be filled with doing good things and making good decisions and bringing joy to others. That's what life is really about, not following some strict guidelines about what I can or can't put into my body. It just so happens that something I enjoyed putting into my body was keeping me from doing the other things. So it had to go.

Dee74

welcome back bryangt

D

katrinka

60 days is great, tomorrow is my 60th day. I guess feeling like it's just a normal day is what we're striving for, to just be living. I say you do some on-line shopping.

FlyerFan

Congrats lost. You have come a long way. And you're right, we don't need a party to celebrate these things. Hell if we did that I'd have drank at 1 week, lol.

aussieblue

60 Days is awsome!!! Congratulaions. I remember those early days and how hard it was to stay sober every day was a struggle. Your doing great.

Lost3000

Hi everyone! Thanks for the well wishes and positive thoughts!! I think that lately things have been hard for me due to work. And this morning I realized, part of the reason that it's so hard for me to deal with work is because before, I'd drink away the feelings! And now I don't have anything to smother them away.

So I'm working through it. I'm considering a slight career change, or at least another job. It's not easy to do in my field so I'll concentrate on that while keeping up with the day to day stuff. It could take me 6 mos to a year to move into another position and even longer than that if I want to change my career.

I realize that I want what I want NOW. LOL. And that's just not going to happen. Things aren't going to work out just the way I want just because I decided not to drink.

This morning on the way in to work, I drove in with my husband. We were talking about our lives, how we have to work another 25 yrs before retirement, and what we are going to do about our unhappiness at our jobs. I thought, wow, this conversation is so clear to me. I'm so aware. And I truly love this man. These thoughts were just so clear to me. And I know it's because I'm not boozing.

Thanks again everyone! Love you all - even if I do seem annoyed and irritated at some's posts.

Fenris

That's awesome Lost. I'm really happy for you. That clarity is pretty great, isn't it?

soberjim

Hi Lost3000..(or should I refer to you as Found3000?) You post is very positive. I believe you have hit on an important point. It is easy to forget the trouble of the day simply by escaping in several drinks..This makes is easy to become complacent which can lead to additional discontentment.. which leads to more drinking.. which lead to even more discontentment...ect.

Jim

PaperDolls

Lost3000

PaperDolls: Thank you!!! I got my chip yesterday at a mtg. My husband looks at it with equal amazement - he thinks it's super cool.

SoberJim: Yeah...makes me wonder how long I've been this discontent at work! Although about a year and a half ago, I worked very hard to secure a promotion. And that's been very rewarding until the last few months.

Fenris: The clarity is amazing. I'm really surprised at it.