KAD

That's where I am already. Tomorrow will only be 2 weeks for me but I've already invested so much of my life and time drinking, thinking about drinking, thinking about not drinking, just having booze on the brain that sometimes I get sick of it! I know there is no undoing all the years of self-destruction but I get really impatient for a time when it's not even a passing thought anymore. Does that day ever arrive? And if it does, will I once again be in danger of thinking I could handle a drink? Wishing it would all just...go...away...

Ugh...

Stoogy

Hi, I wish I could say there will not be a time when you think about drinking or wishing you could have 'just one' this of course is my own experience and not necessarily everyone will feel the same way, but the cravings do become less and less as the days go by and you will eventually feel more comfortable in your own skin when around alcohol generally.
I wish you well buddy.

PurpleKnight

Hey GetMeOut, I do think it subsides with time, compared to how I was at 2 weeks until now, though those with 20/30yrs that I've spoken to have said to the contrary of "I could handle a drink" . . . they now don't think about drinking at all, or can even imagine drinking in their life ever again, as their lifestyle has been completely revolutionised into one that is Sober . . . that gives me a lot of hope!!

Hang in there!!

firstymer

Give yourself more time, GetMeOut. If you do, I promise that two very good things will happen. First, sobriety will become the new normal for you. You will start to fall into a routine of doing things that sober people do, and your thoughts of alcohol will become less and less frequent.

Second, the benefits of sobriety will help you recognize that, even if you aren't constantly THINKING about alcohol, that doesn't mean that you forget what a mess it made of your life.

So, rest easy. You are exactly where you should be, doing exactly what you need to be doing. Just keep doing it.

Stay strong.

SonomaGal

You will probably think about drinking for quite a while, but with time you will find that the cravings part (which I think are the hardest) are very infrequent, and not hard to deal with. You'll get the benefit of creating new ways of dealing with stress, fear, challenges, celebration, holidays, etc. You will learn so much about yourself and this is a great thing. Quitting can be a real gift, partly because it's so challenging. Keep going, it will get better!

Mrrryah1

I can only speak for myself when I say that it went away for me. And it was crazy! I didn't even realize it had gone away, until one day I realized "What the -??? I haven't thought about drinking in a long time :| When did that happen!?!?!" For me, it happened around the 3-4 month mark. Which in the big picture of life & given the length of time I spent in my alcoholism- is super fast!!!!

Again, I can only speak for myself, but I know I have to be vigilent about attending meetings and keeping in contact with other alcoholics (whether through AA or SR or my sponsor or whatever) because yes - that is exactly when we can find ourselves in a sticky situation and decide that maybe our alcoholism has "gone away" since we aren't suffering with the same glaring symptoms we were before.

A life long battle - yes. But the gifts of recovery can far exceed the rewards of any other life journey. And I for one am grateful for that

Nonsensical

For me it was around day 84, I think. I was getting ready to go to bed and it occurred to me that I hadn't thought about drinking all day.

The realization enveloped me like a down comforter. My decades of bondage had finally ended.

Will I ever drink again? You'd have more luck offering me shackles. They look easier to get out of.

Keep going. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it is glorious.

KAD

Gives me hope, too. Sounds like a dream come true!

FreeOwl

I'm not sure it ever goes away completely... but almost 6 months out now, I haven't been struggling with it anymore.

I have fleeting moments, thoughts, occasional little experiences of a sense of loss, but it's all pretty brief and mild.

I think somewhere around 3 months was a turning point for me where it became less constant, less a burden.

One thing that has really helped for me has been a constant focus on all the GOOD things about living sober. Rather than focus on NOT drinking.... I have relentlessly focused on the benefits of sobriety.

This time around... that has made all the difference. It's been a subtle but critical shift in focus and perspective that has kept this less of a struggle and more of a celebration.

hypochondriac

Read your avatar It does get easier but yeah you will have to stay vigilant. But that's not as hard as it sounds. It won't always be as intense as it is now. Hang in there. But remember to give yourself a break too. Part of undoing the years of self destruction is learning to be nice to yourself. Do something nice for yourself that doesn't involve alcohol x

KAD

I think my biggest problem is impatience. I've been down this road so many times and just wanna get the months and years of sober time behind me right now, and finally feel like I'm getting somewhere. I know I am getting somewhere, one day at a time, by being sober again, but the impatience kills me sometimes.

AlcoholFree66

Hi GetMeOut

I am experiencing relief from the AV even now and my sobriety date is 8/5/14. But you have answered a good question and I look forward to the responses of people with solid recovery. I know it is vital I never become complacement and let the thoughts begin and then escalate 'oh maybe I could drink normally after I've been sober for some time'. I did exactly that I deceived myself that I could drink again after over 6 years of sobriety (ok - I had experience the drawn out death of someone close). It has taken me nearly 5 years to get to this point. Alcoholism is such an insidious affliction. I know I will always need to be on my guard. I will never be able to drink 'normally'. As soon as I pick up my mind becomes obsessed with thoughts of alcohol, rationalisation of drinking and I become a secretive, dishonest person.

davidw86

You're doing great, just keep doing what you're doing!!

Nuudawn

The beginning is always the hardest...in everything my friend. Two weeks is very much still in the beginning.

But speaking of impatience..as I too am in the very beginning...
Only moments ago, I wanted to strike (or at the very least, scream profanity) at an elderly man for laughing when another elderly man knocked over my strawberry banana smoothie.

I did neither. I gave them both one of those "I'm not really happy but I'll smile anyways" smiles.

I know it gets better.

biminiblue

One day in my first month of sobriety I was pouting around pretty much exactly like you are now. "I want to feel better now."

Someone after a meeting said, "Time takes time." I also like knowing that I am in God's care and I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now - today, this minute.

I've stopped stomping my feet. Everything is going to be okay, of that I am certain.

KAD

I have to keep reminding myself what I've told so many others: I became a drunk one day at a time, so why would I expect recovery to be any faster?

GracieLou

I want what I want and I want it now!

The hardest thing to get used to is having patience. I was so used to instant gratification from booze and life does not supply instant gratification. It takes time and that sucks!

It does get easier so hang in there. I do not think of drinking at all anymore. I do have times where I want to hide and run away but that is when I go to an AA meeting and get out of my own damn head. It is scary in there!

There will come a day when instead of drinking to release the stress something else comes to mind. It happens but it happens gradually.

Tough it out, just one day, 24 hours! Go to a meeting, call another member or stick close to SR!

KAD

I think that's it in a nutshell. Addiction is all about instant gratification, isn't it? Takes too much time and trouble to really work for something, so immerse yourself in a bottle of booze, or pills, or gambling, or whatever. Displacement for what we ought to be doing instead. This really is all about retraining my brain to think in a different way. In a more mature way, really.

cardoon

Yeah, there will be a day when you say to yourself,"I didn't think about drinking today."
You get there by not drinking today. My best suggestion at two weeks is to just relax.

mmuse

I feel the same way i just want this to hurry up. It seems like forever when its not and the waiting game is not one i play well. From listening to others tho if u rush it then you are for sure to fail. And well i can't fail. I will do this forever if i have to

Megan