RidingHood

Hi yall I am 9 days into my sobriety ( I was a 2-3 times a week binge drinker) anyway whatever you call it or use it it's still not good but I do have a question now that I have decided not to drink it seems like now I am not consumed with wanting to drink but it seems like now I am consumed all day with thinking of NOT drinking and counting my sobriety days like a count down to Christmas or something, is this normal? does the constant thinking of my sobriety go away after some time? because this is a little annoying too. I mean I can do things during the day and its all good but it seems like 100 times a day I am thinking about...don't drink today dont drink today dont drink today please tell me eventually I wont drink without thinking about it...I have no desire to drink at this point but the quitting thing is like the addiction now I wish I could explain it better but thats the jist of it. thank you all for your support I appreciate it

Sapling

As long as you are not drinking...I don't think it matters what you think about...It's the action on those thoughts that will get you into trouble.

doggonecarl

Perfectly normal, RidingHood, to be consumed in early recovery with NOT DRINKING. For me, for the first few months I was either thinking about drinking or thinking about not drinking. Got to be quite exhausting, really. But I didn't drink, and it got better. Way better. Now, at two years sober, it isn't even a issue anymore.

I don't drink. It's not a battle anymore, it is a fact, one that I don't question anymore.


It got better for me, and it will for you, as long as you don't relapse and start the whole cycle over again.

bbthumper

Congrat on your 9 days. Thats great!
I got sober through the 12 steps of AA. One of the many beautiful promises we receive through working the steps is that we "Cease fighting anyone or anything. Even alcohol."
I think about sobriety everyday, but not in a way where I am constantly saying to myself "I cant drink, I cant Drink, must stay sober today.." I give thanks for sobriety daily and pray that I can help another find it. It is not a struggle though. I am able to enjoy so many things in my life without having to count sober days or worry about not drinking.
People get sober with different methods. AA is what worked for me and its given me so much more than just sobriety. Maybe you can find help there too?
Best wishes!

onlythetruth

RidingHood:

It is normal and actually good at this point to think about the fact that you are quitting alcohol. It's a tough thing to do, and most likely requires that you re-think a lot of your routines, social life, friendships, etc. This will likely continue for a while, but eventually you will reach a "new normal" and your thoughts will not be all tied up with this like they are now.

Just relax and give yourself some time. You're doing fine!

Scolova

It took me one last 4 month bender (not suggesting you should nor have to) on my first serious attempt at sobriety, I made it 12 days of 'Think about drinking, think about not drinking'... I ended up d@mn near purging my guts out to my death, I finally gave up at that point, came to the realization that there is no future 'with' alcohol. Completely separate are we, never to meet again. That's one big part AVRT that really struck a chord with me.
It really hard early on and everyone is a bit different, but learning to shut that voice down quickly was a huge help for me.

freshstart57

I hear about just staying sober for today, just today, but that would not work for me. My mind, pesky little critter, would start working on Christmas, New Year's, my birthday, surely I am going to have just a couple on these days, right? Then it would start on me with vacation, and payday, and then Friday, and then the days of the week with a 'y' in them. Yikes!

It is the realization and acceptance and relief that I never have to drink again and that I never will drink again that has been the foundation of my sobriety. Well, that and the belief that I can do this, I have the ability to do it, so let's just get on with this, shall we?

There is some heavy mental lifting to be done certainly. It's simple though, and the degree of difficulty is up to you. Hard or easy, it is our choice. Just like drinking.

flutter

Totally normal. I remember way back in the beginning, I would even take breaks from coming to SR because I felt like obsessing about my sobriety was it's own form of addiction for me... BUT, it's scary and dangerous to become complacent in recovery too. Over time and with lots of hard work, it can really become effortless.

hypochondriac

That's totally normal RidingHood. I used AVRT to start with which doesn't recommend counting days.. why would you count the days of something you don't do anymore?? But I couldn't help it, and eventually I came to just see the milestones as a marker of my achievement. The obsession with not drinking died down after a few months though. I agree with Flutter though as well. It is better to be vigilant than complacent. Don't worry about it for now x