Olive1

I stopped drinking a couple of times. But when I quit drinking for good, I quit drinking for good.
It did take me about ten times to finally quit smoking for good.

Inca

I don't think AA is recommending that relapse is part of recovery but rather uses the statement to encourage those who slip to come back and get back on the wagon.

For those who "get it" the first time, that is by far the best recommendation because quite frankly, relapsing sucks big time. You feel like **** and the drinking picks up where you left off so lots of damage in very little time back out there. It did take me more relapses than I can count to finally get it so I'm glad that it's almost considered a "norm" but I would not recommend relapsing to anyone. It's not fun...

Correy

Ditto least!!

I realized, while I believed I was "sober" for the last year (before my recent relapse, I put an end to 98 days ago) that I was, in fact, full of it. I got drunk and than was sober for 27 days, than drunk again just to be sober for 55 days and... you got the picture.

I had quite a long streaks of sobriety - for a guy who started to drink a minute upon waking up - but that's most likely only because I can't drink anymore, so I needed to "recover" substantially before I can get drunk all over again. So to me, that was neither sobriety nor were my drinking days relapses. I was still a drunk, only I drank less often.

No I hope not to ever again enter that pattern...

IreLander

I was in AA/NA for 7 years and relapsed...5 years later I am trying to pull myself out of another hole. Today is day 1. I just pray I can make it through to day 2.

NEver heard that statement before in any AA meetings. But I have heard sponsors tell their people after a relapse that its OK, time to get back on that train.

Wastinglife

There are very few alcoholics/addicts who got it right the first time. Very few.