For Us Competitive People . . . If they can do it . . . .
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For Us Competitive People . . . If they can do it . . . .
In my first few weeks of sobriety, when the cravings were really hitting hard, I thought of two people in my family who had quit drinking for good. The first was my great grandmother who was a German immigrant with very little education. She didn't attend AA or read books or have an on-line support group. She recognized the problem alcohol caused in her life, so she quit drinking for good. I personally never witnessed her drinking alcohol. The other was my cousin, the first in my generation of my family to admit she was an alcoholic. She entered rehab 4 years ago and hasn't drank since. She also battles a heart problem and bipolar disorder, yet she is able to stay sober. This took a lot of guts because most everyone else in my family are heavy drinkers in heavy denial. We were all treating her like the "poor alcoholic" with a problem (I cringe when I think about that), when in reality many of us in the family have major issues with alcohol.
Bottom line is, I knew I was every bit as strong as these women, but on top of that, I had more education, resources, and incentives to quit alcohol. If they could do it, I had to do it, in my mind. Stick with the winners is one of the slogans that stirred my competitive spirit. When I was struggling about a month ago with wanting to drink, I wrote a post suggesting I probably wasn't an alcoholic because I had made it to two months on my first attempt to quit. I had an overwhelming response of SR community members who had quit for many years (some decades) with their first attempt to quit drinking. If they could do it, I knew I could, too and I wanted to be in the winners' circle.
If so many us consider ourselves "high functioning", then surely we are up to this challenge!!
Bottom line is, I knew I was every bit as strong as these women, but on top of that, I had more education, resources, and incentives to quit alcohol. If they could do it, I had to do it, in my mind. Stick with the winners is one of the slogans that stirred my competitive spirit. When I was struggling about a month ago with wanting to drink, I wrote a post suggesting I probably wasn't an alcoholic because I had made it to two months on my first attempt to quit. I had an overwhelming response of SR community members who had quit for many years (some decades) with their first attempt to quit drinking. If they could do it, I knew I could, too and I wanted to be in the winners' circle.
If so many us consider ourselves "high functioning", then surely we are up to this challenge!!
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: London
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I have been quit for over a decade but it took me decades to quit. Therefor I consider my sobriety a success. Not sure about being a winner!! I'm a proper naughty person at times, even in sobriety, but I don't care xxxxx
xxxxx
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I am not suggesting that anyone who has a slip is a loser (it could easily be me some day, any day), but don't quit trying!!! Think of someone who inspires you, someone you relate who has met a lot of challenges in life and who has overcome them. Know that you have what it takes to overcome. We all do!!
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Mid-Atlantic
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Yes, yes, yes, DD--I can identify with this post in many ways. I think it's important for us to feel comfortable using whatever tools that work to help us achieve our goals.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Edited to add: During the first few months after I stopped drinking, I devoured personal accounts re: people who had quit. A few of the books that I found to be "inspiring," included: Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery by Christopher Kennedy Lawford and Sober for Good: New Solutions for Drinking Problems -- Advice from Those Who Have Succeeded by Anne Fletcher.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Edited to add: During the first few months after I stopped drinking, I devoured personal accounts re: people who had quit. A few of the books that I found to be "inspiring," included: Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery by Christopher Kennedy Lawford and Sober for Good: New Solutions for Drinking Problems -- Advice from Those Who Have Succeeded by Anne Fletcher.
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 11,417
Originally Posted by KateL 
I have been quit for over a decade but it took me decades to quit. Therefor I consider my sobriety a success. Not sure about being a winner!! I'm a proper naughty person at times, even in sobriety, but I don't care xxxxx
xxxxxWish we could go dancing and drink fruit smoothies on a tropical beach somewhere someday
Maybe others would like to come too?
On the competition vein, I still really am but it is getting better.
I made myself stop counting days, but I do compare myself to my father who stopped cold
around age 60 and never took another drink.
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: London
Posts: 5,243
Originally Posted by Hawkeye13
Me too! You sound like fun.
Wish we could go dancing and drink fruit smoothies on a tropical beach somewhere someday
Maybe others would like to come too?
On the competition vein, I still really am but it is getting better.
I made myself stop counting days, but I do compare myself to my father who stopped cold
around age 60 and never took another drink.
Wish we could go dancing and drink fruit smoothies on a tropical beach somewhere someday
Maybe others would like to come too?
On the competition vein, I still really am but it is getting better.
I made myself stop counting days, but I do compare myself to my father who stopped cold
around age 60 and never took another drink.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,777
Originally Posted by DoubleDragons
In my first few weeks of sobriety, when the cravings were really hitting hard, I thought of two people in my family who had quit drinking for good. The first was my great grandmother who was a German immigrant with very little education. She didn't attend AA or read books or have an on-line support group. She recognized the problem alcohol caused in her life, so she quit drinking for good. I personally never witnessed her drinking alcohol. The other was my cousin, the first in my generation of my family to admit she was an alcoholic. She entered rehab 4 years ago and hasn't drank since. She also battles a heart problem and bipolar disorder, yet she is able to stay sober. This took a lot of guts because most everyone else in my family are heavy drinkers in heavy denial. We were all treating her like the "poor alcoholic" with a problem (I cringe when I think about that), when in reality many of us in the family have major issues with alcohol.
Bottom line is, I knew I was every bit as strong as these women, but on top of that, I had more education, resources, and incentives to quit alcohol. If they could do it, I had to do it, in my mind. Stick with the winners is one of the slogans that stirred my competitive spirit. When I was struggling about a month ago with wanting to drink, I wrote a post suggesting I probably wasn't an alcoholic because I had made it to two months on my first attempt to quit. I had an overwhelming response of SR community members who had quit for many years (some decades) with their first attempt to quit drinking. If they could do it, I knew I could, too and I wanted to be in the winners' circle. If so many us consider ourselves "high functioning", then surely we are up to this challenge!!
Bottom line is, I knew I was every bit as strong as these women, but on top of that, I had more education, resources, and incentives to quit alcohol. If they could do it, I had to do it, in my mind. Stick with the winners is one of the slogans that stirred my competitive spirit. When I was struggling about a month ago with wanting to drink, I wrote a post suggesting I probably wasn't an alcoholic because I had made it to two months on my first attempt to quit. I had an overwhelming response of SR community members who had quit for many years (some decades) with their first attempt to quit drinking. If they could do it, I knew I could, too and I wanted to be in the winners' circle.
If so many us consider ourselves "high functioning", then surely we are up to this challenge!!I commend you for your strength. You have realized a truth for yourself that is powerful and life changing. Yes, you can be sober and live a stellar life without alcohol. You have two people in your family that said 'Enough is enough" and went about to change what I only know to be a battle of epic proportions. You can and will do this. We all can. Thank you for this post.
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