WingsFan13

Well it's been 3 excellent weeks for me since i decided to give up alcohol once and for all. AVRT has been working excellent for me and life has been beautiful without all the troubles that alcohol brings.

It's only been 3 weeks but I feel like I have a new perspective on my life and im looking down the road years from now being happily sober, without forgetting that I still have work to put in on a daily basis.

I'm sure it's different for everyone but when did you no longer feel like a "newcomer"?

Weasel1966

I am still very new.... Only days.... But I feel that the first full year is important and should be a newcomer. Let myself go through a full cycle of holidays.... Parties.... Events that will challenge my sobriety.

Congrats on three weeks!!!

Keep going strong!

Ken

WingsFan13

I completely agree. For me, it will be 1 full year. I've done 30 days before with no problem, but never with the intention of giving up alcohol for life. I always knew I could drink again on day 31. I'm definitely still a newcomer and will be for the next year

frances2011

For me, it's 1+ years. I am now doing things for the *second* time sober, and having the chance to reflect on the changes in how I think/feel/respond from *early sobriety* to where I am today.

Every time I do something for the second time sober, my Recovery gets a little bit stronger.

flutter

I'm about three and a half years in, and I sure don't consider myself an 'oldtimer' by any means!! Maybe a newcomer with some experience to share

sugarbear1

I'm 6 days shy of one year....I'm still a "newcomer" of sorts.....maybe by 5 years (I've seen too many go back out drinking around 5 years of sobriety) I may not consider myself a newcomer.....of course, ten years is another tricky time for many....

I hope to always stay "new" and to remember where drinking had taken me.

Congratulations on 3 weeks! It all keeps changing! If you feel great now, it gets more clear as time passes.

Best wishes,

BillyPilgrim

I think for me new means not becoming complacent, whilst still enjoying the springtime of sobriety

Sapling

I don't know...For me....It's not really important. I consider myself a permanent alcoholic. I know one drink will most likely be the end of me. So I just have to practice the principles of this program I work and one day at a time I stay sober and happy. So I guess for today I consider myself a newcomer...A recovered alcoholic and a walking miracle....All wrapped into one.

Freeport

Three years for me today, and I still consider myself a newcomer. Still face challenges and hurdles, but they seem to get easier than a day ago, a week ago, a year ago, or three years ago. One of my main goals when I quit was to raise children in a household where they didn't see alcohol abused or part of daily life. I've achieved that, but like a marriage or any other commitment, sobriety demands work and nurturing for as long as you make it a priority. I've never been happier to be sober.

CaiHong

I am coming up to one year sober and I don't feel like a newcomer as I am not struggling with the same issues as I did early in sobriety. I don't crave alcohol, my life is on track and my emotions are stable. My first priority was not to drink, now it is to lead a sober and spiritual life and focus on how to achieve that on a daily basis.

caiHong

least

I'm over two years and still feel like a newcomer sometimes. As long as I'm learning, I'll be new.

GirlFromCO

I agree with the others - my 1 year date is next month but I definitely consider myself a newcomer.

Dee74

wow congratulations on 3 years Freeport

I'm still learning - I'm not the same as I was when I got here, but I don't mind still thinking of myself as a newcomer

D

omegasupreme

Bringing a newcomer's attitude keeps me humbly teachable. The more I think I know the more I create a barrier preventing anything new. All that stuff I think I know then turns into a rope...I don't need much rope to hang myself.

instant

I used to gaze in awe at people who got to 90 days, 6 months etc. It seemed like an eternity. As I got on and those miles stones were passed, new perspectives and issues came up. I have come to think of it as a journey that never ends.

I have not had cravings for ages and life has been so much better starting every early after the dramas of the first week or two. I am a year next week and still consider myself in early recovery.

I think there is a danger in assuming 'expert' status based on time in recovery. Complacency and forgetting can kill, so staying engaged on a personal level is important.

And.............that the journey is a grand adventure

Zebra1275

Although I've got a couple years this time around I'm still a newcomer. When I go to meetings with some of the oldtimers (20+ years) I realize I still have a lot to learn.

One of the oldtimers I knew had 42 years. Everytime he introduced himself at a meeting he said "I'm Joe and I'm an alcoholic and I've been sober since I got up this morning." After 42 years he was still living life one day at a time.

onlythetruth

I don't know that feeling that one is a "newcomer" or "oldtimer" is the important point. To me it seems that the real question is when we started feeling comfortable with our new lifestyle...when it started feeling natural to be an abstainer instead of a drinker.

For me, I was pretty comfortable with the non-drinking life after a year or so.

eJoshua

Well I've got 13 months tomorrow, and I still feel like a newcomer.

I think if you ever feel like you've nothing left to learn that's a bad sign.