goumcanes

My first post here....hello to all. Starting to feel a TAD desperate so I sought out this forum...already glad I found it.

Last 2 days I have been feeling the 'calling' if any of you know what I mean. I choose to ignore it and it went away yesterday. Came back tonight...causing my mouth to water...and actually to 'miss' the drink. Experienced this pretty fierce in the early stages of recovery...then it went dormant for years...guess its back tonight.

Already feel a bit of relief that I just posted this..think I will go watch some netflix to take mind off things.

Glad to be a part of this community.

lostinthetrees

Hello goumcanes. Great to have you here! I'm sure that your extraordinary accomplishment of 4.5 sober years will be an inspiration to many newcomers here, as it is to me. Hang in there! No thing is worth giving up those 1643 days...

Raider

Wow that's great!

least

Welcome to the SR family. We got sober about the same time. I'm glad you joined us and I know you'll find lots of support here.

biminiblue

It really makes a huge difference to say it, doesn't it?

Welcome, very glad you joined us.

Enjoy your Netflix. I love Netflix. Seriously I would marry it.

melki

Great to have you here. Glad you posted! Screw that drink, not worth it!

Found anything good on Netflix?

Kitkat331

Welcome.

I'm curious if there's anything you connect to the awakening of the "calling"? Anything you've done recently that is a trigger or reminds you of your drinking days? Or anything you've stopped doing that was working for you?

Enjoy your netflix! Lots of ppl here have recommended "The Anonymous People".

MythOfSisyphus

Welcome to SR, goumcanes! What methods have kept you sober til now? Maybe time to recommit or look for some other tools for the toolkit. I have just under two years sober and I would rather die than go back to drinking like I did before! I guess I am not fully able to comprehend the urge. When I decided to stop I found AVRT and it really crushed my cravings.

Hang in there! If you're an AA person maybe look for a meeting. I encourage a peek at AVRT. Do something, just don't take that drink!

Mags1

Hi goumcanes welcome to sr. Wow 4 1/2 years that's amazing.

Hang in there, you sound like you have a back up plan and now you've found us, lots of help and experience here. Welcome aboard.

goumcanes

Thanks for the kind words folks. Toolkit consisted MAINLY of a huge desire to stop and help from my local AA group and family. Does not help much that wifey has beer in the trunk and drinks an occasional one in the house. We have discussed it and I dont feel like it should always be about me. She can drink like a normal person...I cannot....and she should not have to be penalized for my misfortunes.

Honestly what keeps me on the right paths is this: When the craving(s) occur, I just look back and pick one/or more than one, of those times It really sucked...sick..headache..fights..all of the preceding..OR...re-live the initial realization that I had a problem and had to go away for 30 days...verbally sparring with the counselor that checked me in...denial...denial...then WHAM..im a drunk..holy @$%#.

THOSE are my main toolkit components....and that thought process gets me RIGHT back to where I need to be.

Feels nice to just be able to post about it.

thanks...feel better today

Lostinhk

Well avoided!

neferkamichael

Goumcanes, 4.5 years sober is FANTASTIC, congratulations. I just turned 4 years sober on the 10th and have been floating around up in the clouds since. Perhaps its time to come back down to earth and get on with living. Thanks for the thread, rootin for ya.

PurpleKnight

Welcome to the Forum!! Great to have you here!!

Thepatman

Glad you joined 4.5 years is really a huge accomplishment.

I'm sure you will be able to help others with some tips and tricks.

FreeOwl

I'm glad you're here. 4.5 years is a wonderful, solid foundation of sobriety. It shows me that even when we have that kind of established brickwork holding up our choice of the sober path - life happens and sometimes we feel that old familiar urge. It confirms for me once again that we have to reaffirm that choice regularly and not let the memories of WHY we find our lives better in sobriety to get too far from our awareness.

This is a great place, a tremendous asset in the toolkit.

Welcome aboard and thank you for speaking up. You may have come here as a way of helping yourself - and I sure hope that is already working. But I want you to know you also - by coming here and sharing your truth - have helped me reaffirm my choice to live sober, and to stay sober today.

Thank you.

Keep it uP!

HeadLump

A very warm welcome from across the pond, goumcanes Many congratulations on 4.5 years - and for keeping it real, too! Pleased to have you with us

goumcanes

Id have to say that I had two major triggers. One being the REWARD of being super busy and making $$....REWARD with drink after work...then just before after work..then during work...then noon...etc.

The second (and my current state) is NOT being busy and NOT making $$. You can see the slippery slope I slide on. Its been REEEEELLLLL slow. I read TONS of books...spend lots of time outdoors but at night it sneaks up on you like a silent sniper in the weeds.

Anna

Welcome, and it sounds like you're handling things well.

ESD907

I sort of look at recovery like remission from cancer. It could come back..and if it does, I'll fight it again and again. THIS is a disease,treat it as one.. IF you could halt cancer, you would..same here.