Bruno1979

Hi guys,

I've got a confession to make, I've read many threads on here that have suggested as a test of alcohol dependancy to go a full 90 days without alcohol,

I have been taking part in my own little experiment to see if I could do this, I'm now fastly approaching the 90 days make and haven't had any alcohol during this time,

I've had the date marked on my calendar as the time when I can start drinking again with a guilt free mind thinking that I'm definitely not an alcoholic. The date that I have circled has been my foundation for my sobriety so far. Now I've almost reached this date I'm at a major X roads in my life,

Has anybody else been here before?

Please help,

Bruno.

Xune

I've never been then before, but I will ask you one question.

What benefits will drinking alcohol bring into your life?

I wish you well in the choices you make.

soberclover

There must have been a reason why you stopped drinking for the 90 days? Was there something going on within your life that wasn't "right" because it involved alcohol? As a drug and alcohol clinician I've never heard of "if you don't drink for 90 days then you don't have alcohol dependency". There are a variety of factors involved in a diagnosis of an alcohol problem, alcohol abuse, or alcohol dependency. There are also a whole range of other alcohol-related issues. I'm psyched that you were in fact able to make it to 90 days! I would rethink why you embarked on this experiment in the first place.
Again...congrats on 90!

Jeni26

And has being sober brought any benefits? How has your life changed? Was it better when you were drinking? Why did you choose to stop?

If you can honestly say you were in a better place emotionally and physically when you were drinking, that your relationships were more real and honest, then it will be a harder choice than it was for me. There was no way I wanted to go back. I still had cravings. I almost believed the lies my alcoholic brain fed me. But in my heart I knew I was an alcoholic.

What is your heart telling you Bruno?x

Bruno1979

Thank you for your replies,

Basically the decision has been made not to drink, and I won't drink. Its a similar scenario as the end of the mayan calendar where everyone thought that the world was going to end.

I hadn't made any plans to get beyond this date as I never thought that I would get there.

But I have.

Vodkasaurus

Congrats on your achievement. But as the others mentioned what made you decide to not drink for 90 days?

doggonecarl

Congrats on almost 3 months.

I think you may be misinterpreting the "test" for dependance. It's not so much getting there, but the struggle. This from your first post:

I have been struggling with alcohol for that past 10 years or so and have tried to quit drinking no fewer than 20 times.

And you went on to have months of struggling staying stopped.

Don't mistake the current run of 90 days as a sign that you don't have alcohol dependence. Take it as a sign that you finally showed yourself that you can live a sober life.

zeroptzero

"Many people do not realize how close they are to success when they give up."

Sound familiar? Don't give up when you are a living example of success each day.

hypochondriac

I never liked the 90 days suggestion because things got harder for me at 90 days, not easier and the benefits of sobriety weren't all that obvious. I'm not sure you have had my experience though Bruno and I am sure you have seen some benefits to being sober. How about you just rejig your time scale and aim for 6 months now. Instead of one day at a time you can do 3 months at a time x

Gal220

I have never had anyone suggest to me that if I could stay sober for 90 days that meant I wasn't an alcoholic. I'm so glad! If so, I might have gone back out drinking! It's not about how long you can go without a drink, it's what happens when you do drink. The fact that you have it marked on your calendar and are looking forward to being "able" to drink again would be a huge red flag to me.

MIRecovery

My defination of an alcoholic is some who continues to drink despite repeated negative consequences. 90 days sober has nothing to do with whether or not you are an alcoholic or not. Quiting is easy staying quit is a whole different story

AngelBabe

So many different yet valuable responses for you to consider. I would get rid of that calender page with that date circled and get a fresh one. Then just keep taking each day as it comes. You could always make a list of the positives and negatives. See which side benefits you the most.

Riel

Anybody that is fooling around with tests like this is kidding themselves. People who have no problem with alcohol don't need verification of that.

Bruno1979

Very true,

ivegotsunshine

This post came at the perfect time for me. I keep thinking I'm "cured" everytime I think about drinking I have this argument with myself. Thanks 1979 for reading my mind. And everyone else for reconfirming all my reasons fore sobriety. Happy weekend!

YouRmySunshine

The only "end date" to my sobriety will be the day I go to Jesus I guess. My plan is to never drink again.

veryready

Good job Bruno. Dee has said this a few times, but it is worth repeating. You quit this time and you did great. If you think you could start drinking again and then quit again at some time in the future, 'don't be so sure'. A bird in the hand my friend. I quit for 7 years at one point, but here I am at almost 90 days. And it wasn't easy.

fini

Bruno,
once, i decided to not drink for six months. and that at the end of this period, i would re-evaluate.
the six months were fairly easy. and that's because there was the "permission-thing" of knowing i could drink again on that day without breaking my committment.
did i give any thought to the fact that it was odd that i was aware of the end-date the entire time? no. was i surprised when i drank again after that time? no, of course not.
proving to myself that i didn't have a problem was only necessary because i had a problem. not only that, but of course i was greatly and ludicrously relieved to find that i didn't have a problem!! the fact that i therefore immediately bought booze didn't strike me in the least bit as anything to be concerned about.
messed-up mind.
maybe you're different; that was me.

sugarbear1

Go for another 90 days sober and see how you feel then

Threshold

recovery is like learning to breathe right, not hyperventialting, not seeing who can hold their breath the longest, nor threatening to hold our breath until we turn blue in the face.

We learn to breathe in and out and keep pace with our lives.

A 90 day trial run would feel to me like I was testing to see how long I could hold my breath...and when the 90 days are up, BOY OH BOY am I going to be gasping for air, but 90 days of recovery time...and I'd already be headed towards a more balanced life.