aaronraguse

Atleast 15 times relapsed. Longest streak was 10 days, I'm serious this time, and only back on Day 1. Good luck

dogged14

Currently on day 2. I've told myself I would quit more times than I can count but this is only my 3rd serious attempt. No more excuses.

Amy2011

I have been sober since I went to AA in March of 2011. That was the first time I committed to sobriety and not moderation. Before that I always said I would control it better, drink less, not drink as often, etc. I knew that when I went to AA I was done trying to control my drinking and make deals with myself about my drinking. AA made the commitment to not drink real for me. Keep pushing forward. Good luck!

EADGBE

I had failed so many times over fifteen years I decided to lie to myself and call it just a break. I told everyone i was " on the wagon", but inside I knew it was time. I slipped up two times, both times i thought I could take a drink but I got nauseated and couldn't stomach a beer. I had half a beer both occasions, both within three months of being " on the wagon".

A little over three years after my last drink I am doing great, I have way more focus, climbed slowly out of debt, a feeling of satisfaction with my life and my wife is wayyyyyyyyy happier with sober me!

Alcohol never gave me that.

NoJimmy

My first drink was at 13, my last drink was roughly 100 days ago at 48. That's 35 years minus the 5 I didn't drink in my 20's. I quit once in my 20's, and I quit once 100 days ago and I intend to be done for good. Wish I never started again.

savarna

Many times for me also I got two years up once but you gotta want sobriety more than the drink and take it one day atta time

GreenBottles

I got so tired of non-alcoholic people "trying to help" by saying I should go to AA. I actually got so tired of it that it even became part of motivating me to give up.
My Ex-girlfriend told me if I didnt got to AA she would break up with me. So I told her to break up with me (And she started hitting me about AA when I had not had a drink for 3 days. What is it that when you are on withdrawal those close to you decide its time to start talking alot about your PAST drinking and bash you around for it. I mean, if the come down isnt annoying enough how about everyone wanting to talk about drinking with you.....While I am trying not to think about drinking, and programming my mind to think about surfing and cooking, and engineering....oh, my girlfriend just wants to talk about drinking...so I dumped her!)

DoubleBarrel

I'm a very hard headed individual.

I tried quitting back in about 1995. Now I'm almost a year and a half sober.

I kept trying to believe that I could handle it, that I could moderate, but the reality was that I really couldn't imagine a life without drinking. It was my entire personality, since I started at 13.

Only when I hit my own personal bottom,where it really looked like I was going to die,did I get the motivation to stop. And even then, it was a horrible six month roller coaster of relapses that landed me in hospital a couple times.

Taking5

I lost count. I had hangovers where I swore I'd never drink again, only be be tying one on that night. In terms of real efforts to stop, where I'd go 5 days at a minimum without a drink, I've done that probably 25 times.

Shoebox62

Great point, Ethos. Arrogance is what did me mean, too. I thought I had "beaten" the disease. That led me to dropping my vigilance, losing my focus...and inevitably, back to the bottle. I feel humbler this time around. I better understand the power of the addiction and have come to know I will never really beat it, just have to manage it, like any other disease. I've also come to feel much more compassion for anyone else cursed with the disease in whatever form.

FreeOwl

this has been a really great topic. Thanks everyone for the responses.... it's been inspirational and helped me stay sober today!

Nonsensical

All of them.

Perfect sobriety (100% abstinence) is my goal. It doesn't matter how many times I tried in the past. It only matters that I get this try right.

tootsl1

For me I had to be ready to accept a lifetime commitment. I couldn't do it one day at a time, I had to believe I could enjoy life without ever drinking again. I would never have succeeded to this point without SR and without owning my problem. Never say never, I know. But for me the choice is simple; life and family or sad early death.

ClearMind

If you fail... just get back up and dust yourself off and try again, taking what you've learned from the previous failure. I read that Edison "failed" over 10,000 times before perfecting the lightbulb. He finally got it right though.

2bhappier

Thank you all for your replies! I got a lot of interesting replies and it makes me feel a lot better to know I am not alone in trying so often. Thank you. Great support here.