Mountainmanbob

In my mind I wasn't sober on my last day of drinking
thus, I started my counting of sober days on my first day without a drink.
MB

benice

I had wine last night, so today is day one.

Somehow, posting this makes it real....so it's taking me extra long to hit the "enter" button! Here goes...

Steely

Hope I'm not counting days in 50,000 years time that'd be a bit of a worry. I count my sobriety date as my first full 24 hours sober but all approaches are fine by me and all have their own logic. And today we are sober. I like counting days (not obsessively) but it does give me focus and incentive in these early days. I also like the 24 hour thread not just so I can clock on another 24 hours but because I feel completely humbled when I look at the scroll of people's names, all committing to this most difficult (in the beginning) task of finding sobriety. It makes me feel really tearful when I look at all of our names. I'm 60 days today if my clock ticks off from 22nd December 2015. A broken clock is always right at some point in the day.

MikeM

The way I see it, the day you quit, even in the midst of a binge, is your date.

But everyone can choose to determine this for themselves.

BUT... in the end it doesn't matter. The fact that you quit and stayed sober is what matters. I'll probably remember my date forever since I tend to remember those type of things. But if you quit, got a date and years later you remember it as being "somewhere in the summer of 2015", that's just fine. The important part is... you're sober!

If, in 10 years or long I can't even remember the date or the year, that's fine by me. I will be living the happy sober life. Right now, being on day 9, it helps me to keep track. But I guess that might change over time.

A lot of rambling, one point. What matters is that you're sober.

Mountainmanbob

An interesting thought.
So we would call that one day sober ?
I just can not wrap my head around that, counting a day when I was out of my mind ?
Really doesn't matter I guess as long as some days add up with time ?
Makes more sense to me to starting on the day in which I had no booze (at all).
MB

Delizadee

I had quite a few non-drunk days in before I chose my date. I was tapering off slowly. The day I chose as "my date" was Valentine's day. I had one drink to help ease the anxiety I was feeling around supper timeish. After that I was done. It will now forever be a special day for me, when I used to loathe that day.

chrcarlson

I was drunk Dec. 8 That was my last drink. I wasn't sober Dec. 8 so how could that be my sobriety date? It can't. I haven't drank since so Dec 9 is The date. I suppose I could lie about it but whathappens when they find out??? And they always do! They'll make me start all over again and probably pay a big fine. Anyway I'm not about to fork over more money so maybe a good buffer would be Dec 10. That way I'm covered "six ways to Sunday!"

The exact date doesn't matter to me, how I felt that day does. That's what I need to remember. Having some time pass is good to think about but in truth my Sobriety Date was today. I pray tomorrow will be another one.

Vinificent

I have pondered this as well and understand both sides, but for me it was the first 24 hours that gave me the confidence to believe sobriety is possible. It was New Year's Eve, so it was a really tough day to kick off the journey, so one I won't soon forget.

Delilah1

I tried on and off from October of 2012 to stop drinking and had several stretches of sobriety, however, ended up beginning to drink again for several stretches as well. On NYE I decided I was done, so I count January 1, 2016 as my date.

I very much agree with what Dee said. I am currently counting days because it is an accountability for me, and the o my perso no am in competition with is me. I think of it like when I used to run marathons and other traces. I was never going to be the first to cross the finish line, I was more a back of the pack kind of girl, and the only improvement I was looking to make was one my former time.

Today is 50 days for me, which to me is a big deal, I like to keep track for now, once I hit a year I will probably stop counting days and think more along the lines Es of months and then years, but for now the counting helps me.

;-)

MikeM

Technically, a period of 24 hours is one day sober. But on here, often the moment we quit is called day 1. For me, the morning I woke up and decided to not drink anymore, is day 1. But... that same time the next day is actually being one day sober.

That's why I see day 8 as a week sober. But I'm just fine with day 7 being called a week. It doesn't really matter to me. It's not that important, being sober is the important part.

And everyone can determine what is true for themselves. There is no actual rule for this.

Dano1975

I don't think it really matters, but I did pick an easy to remember (if not cliché) day to have my last 6 pack (December 31st 2014). So if anyone asks I can just say "I haven't had a drink since 2014".

aasharon90

The first full 24 hours sober is the
day I use as my sobriety birthday.

I entered rehab August 10th, hours
after I returned home at 2AM under
the influence of alcohol and downing
a hand full of pain pills. After I was
admitted into rehab and slept the night
there, I accepted my addiction and began
my new life in recovery on August 11, 1990.

I spent 28 days in rehab with a 6 week
outpatient aftercare program added,
listening, learning, absorbing and applying
knowledge of my alcohol addiction and
receiving a program of recovery placing
me on my path in life for a many one days
at a time sober for 27 yrs now.

Continued recovery maintenance in your
life will allow you to remain successful beginning
with your first full day sober free of all poison,
mind altering substances in your body.

stephengb

6 months out of 9 AF so far this year. Hopefully make 9 out of 12. Last year I did aggregate of 4 months.

Stronger2017

I have an app now which calculates it for me as I got fed up trying to work it out on my fingers. It starts from the following day at 0. Like a new born baby! I'm happy with that😊

Outonthetiles

Feb. 3. I probably drank before midnight on Feb 2 so I probably technically had alcohol in my body early on Feb 3, but Feb. 3 was the first day that I didn't buy more booze after work.

MindfulMan

I use the day I entered inpatient rehab, even though I drank a half bottle of wine that morning to get me through the shakes and sweats and potential seizures long enough to start a valium taper.

Some people use the day that they finish any benzos used for blunting the withdrawal symptoms from alcohol.

May 9th 2017 is the day I entered rehab, which is the day my life changed. That's the date I use.