EternalQ

Realize that alcohol has REALLY skewed your thinking. It lies and tells you that you are helpless. It lies and tells you that your life is worthless. It lies and tells you that your problems are hopeless.

I know. It happened to me.

BUT the longer you DON'T drink, the more you feel you ARE worthy to have a fulfilling life, you ARE capable of creating it. Your problems HAVE solutions..

Drinking lied and made us look for the quick easy way out of coping with life. So we have to relearn the promise and value of working toward something and delaying gratification.

We didn't GET here overnight. So we won't find our way OUT overnight. But we WiLL find our way. Just, DON'T DRINK.

Remember, DRINKING LIES.

mwstylee

Something helpful to me personally: shift your addiction from drinking to being healthy. Join a gym - it's really freakin addictive. I feel guilty if I don't go to the gym one day. I avoid junk food because it would undo my achievements from time spent at the gym.

gaffo

I work out regularly but during my early days I ate a lot of bad candy. Tootsie Pops were my favorite. It really helped. Thankfully I have lost those cravings. I drink massive quantities of fresh black coffee. Yum. I make an effort to avoid sweet sodas.

sandra756

These really helped me too. I:

- made a daily list (and kept updating it throughout the day) of gratitude
- made a daily list (and kept updating it throughout the day) of ways I am taking care and loving myself (and 'not drinking') was a recurring item, and how life is better
- I remembered the person I was, and made goals for the year (do a 5k run-race, meditate an hour a day, lose weight and feel sexy again, learn filmmaking etc etc)
- I was in a difficult situation with my partner then, and I used that anger to fuel my own recovery
- I found support in groups
- Everytime I wanted to drink, I just kept thinking 'Why throw away your 28 (or whatever) days? Remember how hard it was to quit?'
- *I TRULY believe that I am an alcoholic, that if I took that first drink, I can't stop nor be 'normal' (not matter how much I wanted- each relapse convinced me more)


What made me relapsed (that NOW I am doing differently):

- being complacent (after some weeks, I try to question * above)
- during my long travel business trips, I didn't have a different plan nor anticipate the different situations
- not having MORE support

I am only on Day 4, but I am on another travel trip when I usually relapse, so I am being even more vigilant than ever. It is a moment to moment battle, but not so much 'not drinking' as total recovery, which I consider a spiritual journey. And that is a beautiful opportunity that non-alkies might miss...

WINNC

Ignore all the statistics and negative people. Lots and lots of people recover and lead happy fun lives. I know my life is much better after 14 months. I try to avoid negative people as much as possible

whiskeyman

grab a piece of paper and write down three things that you are good at, three people that love you and three people you can call when you feel like you want a drink

Notmyrealname

I agree with that, going to bed early helps me, too. I take a non-narcotic supplement of melatonin/GABA/valerian/chamomile before bed, get in bed early, and read for 45min - hour. If I'm appreciating feeling good in the morning for a change, I may as well make the best of it

I try to drink a lot of water, and make sure I'm not hungry. After all these years of drinking around dinnertime, I associate hunger and thirst with drinking; best to just avoid that altogether.

And, of course, I come read the forums, and try to participate a little bit here and there by adding a Thanks or an encouraging word. Good thread!

freshstart57

Relapses are not part of recovery. If a relapse should happen, it must be an opportunity to learn and change.

Get sober because you can do it. You are going to succeed, even if you are the first person ever in the whole history of the world to give up alcohol. Nothing will stop you. Nothing will come between you and the life of peace and self respect you deserve.

nonblondechef

Sobriety = shamelessness

KyleCO

I kept a few of my "drunk text" messages on my phone to remind myself of what an idiot I could be when I let myself lose control of my actions.

EternalQ

Everytime you catch your thoughts revolving around alcohol,
ask yourself: What is it I need?

If the answer is: a drink,
keep asking yourself : What is it I need?
until you get the answer alcohol is hiding from you.

Vantrina

1. Read SR every day. You can learn much from the postings of others.
2. I gave myself permission to drink sweet non-alcoholic drinks (lemonade was my favorite) and to eat cookies as needed when trying to kick the initial sugar cravings and break established drinking routines. Yes, I gained weight, but now I'm into six months of sobriety, no longer crave sugar like I did in the early months, and am now losing the weight.
3. As cliched as it sounds, really take it "one day at a time"... Swear to goodness, this helps.

Good luck to you...

EternalQ

When you read SR realize that you learn something about your own state of mind everytime. Whether you agree with someone or not, it teaches you about where you are in your own sober recovery. It reminds you sober recovery is an ongoing process which teaches you so much about yourself by observing your own reactions when sober. Try using HALT in the early days: if you crave or have an uncomfortable feeling tell yourself this will definitely pass, and ask yourself if you are Hungry, Angry, lonely or tired, and take care of the real problem accordingly.

lonestarTH

Let go of the past but never forget where you came from.

dube

Get a sponsor. Hang around a lot of meetings - clean and sober people. If you want to be a pro football player who do you hang with? Practice with, Work out with? If you want to be university educated, who do you hang with, study with?
Because if you want to be an active drunk or junkie, well I know who I was hanging with. And they have no place in my recovery until they seek treatment.
I don't have what it takes to babysit them while they hit bottom. And I don't need untreated fuctional alcoholics/addicts and non alcoholic/addicts telling me "Oh no you don't need to quit, you just need to slow down." Because I already tried that and there ain't no governor on my machine! Thank you sister Ignatia for the advent of the recovery centre.

SSIL75

The only reason YOU want to drink is because you're an alcoholic.

It's not because you are stressed or tired or you like the taste of that wine or it's Thursday or Monday.

YOU want to drink because you're an alcoholic.

ENOUGH!

Zencat

Having an addiction treatment plan. Below are a few that I have found very helpful.

regeneration

Learn to ask for help. A lot. When you start getting well you can always return the favour.

Sounds obvious, but the reason I could never stop before is I never knew how to ask for help. I thought others "magically did it". Now I've got to day 83 by asking for help when I've wobbled (online, called friends, or face to face). People have always been there to catch me when I've asked, and the next day I've always been so grateful that I reached out.

Notmyrealname

I made a point of keeping a journal when I was drinking. Now I can go back and see how bad it was, and that reminds me I never want to be back there again.

Sapling

I did too and I lost it....I think it was with my wallet and my house keys.