johnnybsober

1. I never considered myself an alcoholic until 7/11/14.

2. There is nothing wrong with alcohol. There IS something wrong with me. I can't control alcohol if I drink it. I can completely control alcohol when I don't drink it.

3. I relate my AV to dealing with a spoiled rotten child. I say no AV tries again. I say no. AV throws a tantrum. I say no again. AV holds its breath. I say no again. AV goes off pouting. Its kinda funny and kinda sad too. I said yes so many times in my life to alcohol.

2. It really isn't that hard to say no to the first drink. Saying no to drinks 4 through 10 was much much harder. Saying no to drinks 10-16 almost impossible. Saying no to drinks 17+, yeah I don't remember that.

4. Only way I knew how much I drank was to count the empty cans next day.

5. When I switched to vodka it turned much worse.

6. Being sober is better. But I am always going to be an alcoholic.

HeadLump

Great post, johnnybsober - I love it! I particularly like number 3 and agree entirely with number 4

It took me a lot longer than 21 days to appreciate all that, though! I think you're doing brilliantly

PurpleKnight

21 Days is fantastic!! Keep it going!!

Imabuleva

I can relate. I turned to vodka right away.

IOAA2

Congratulations with your 3 weeks sober time. I agree with much of #3 and add that I was undisciplined so wanted things my way until I accepted “life on life’s terms.” Translated for me that I cannot drink in safety.

BE WELL

SoberHoopsFan

Good list, but I strongly disagree with #2. Alcohol is an addictive poison made from ethanol that causes erratic, irrational, and immoral behavior in those who consume it. There is plenty wrong with it. If it was invented in the past decade, it would for sure be illegal in the US (not sure where you're from, but probably there too)

johnnybsober

Soberhoops there are many people out there who can drink with out all that bs. Us alcoholics simply can't handle it. It kinda like an allergy. I love cats,but for some ppl cats cause real bad reactions. Not the cats fault.

I stand by my number 2. Hasn't yet happened that a bottle of booze has committed a single crime or moral wrong.

SoberHoopsFan

You give any human being enough alcohol and they will not behave, and eventually suffer ill health effects and become a danger to others. Some may not choose to intoxicate themselves to that level (and are able to make that choice), but the effects of significant alcohol consumption on any human being are well documented and observable to just about anyone. Alcohol is terrible for society, whether it is legal or not. I know countless non-alcoholics that have suffered negative consequences from certain nights of heavy drinking. No one is immune, it is a poison and harmful to anyone if enough is consumed.

Acting like alcohol is harmless for most people is an untrue statement. The only people who have suffered no harm at all from their drinking are non-drinkers or perhaps people who have never been drunk, which is a very small portion of society. But even those people have had to deal with the fallout alcohol has causes. Society would be a lot better without it, to me it seems like you are still romanticizing the drug but dismayed that you can no longer have it. Which is fine, as long as you accept that you can't have it. However, I choose to no longer romanticize it, it's an addictive poison, plain and simple.

least

Congrats on three weeks sober.

Sasha4

I love your thoughts.
I'm a list maker too, so I love that even more.
However all my lists have to have 4 points or multiples of four in them!
Four is my favourite number!

I would say...

1. Yep we have the problem. Not alcohol. Although I dislike alcohol. And as I have come to understand my problem I see that there are others with the same problem. Like the man at the all inclusive holiday I went to shaking and sweating in the morning at breakfast whilst drinking an extreme energy drink.

2. Vodka makes everything worse. Vodka is hideous. Vodka should be used as an antiseptic and nothing else. No-one I know drinks vodka for the taste of it I don't think. The ones that are vanilla flavoured or apple flavoured are just masking the vile smell.

3. When I opened my eyes in the morning in my drinking days, I didn't decide my mood until I had wobbled downstairs to check how much I had drunk. Too much = bad, guilty mood. Not too much = elated! I didn't have a problem after all!!

4. The 1st drink was always my downfall. I couldn't just have 1 drink. Thats an odd number, I needed to have 2. Then one more was 3 so I had to round that up to 4.

I hope you post some more thoughts fellow list maker!

Wishing ou the best xxxx

hayley86

Congratulations on three weeks!

Charlieburris

Congrats on the 3 weeks, Put as much desire into getting well as you did to get drunk and let God handle the rest!

johnnybsober

Alcohol never did anything. People did. You seem to want to blame the alcohol. Guns don't shoot people. People do.

Do we demonize knives because people have done terrible things with them?

Blame lies where it belongs. On the person who cannot HANDLE the affect that alcohol has on their own body.

People who CHOOSE to drink, and can't control themselves are the problem.

Read #2 again and if you want to demonize alcohol go ahead. I have no romantic thoughts about alcohol. I don't blame alcohol for my problems. I am perfectly aware and accepting that my problems were never CAUSED by alcohol. They were clearly caused by MY inability to control MY response to alcohol.

I believe that this is something that is very important for alcoholics to comprehend. We have the ability to say NO.

I am 47 yrs old. I have been a drinker for over 30 years. Never in all that time did alcohol or anyone else tackle me and pour a beer down my throat. I did it. Every time I did it. Tens of thousands of time I did it.

Blame alcohol? Might as well blame the bartender and the guys who worked at the beer distributors and liquor stores. And don't forget who made the booze and the truck drivers. So on and so on.

It was my fault I drank. I own that. I CHOOSE not to now, not one drink. It works for me. After all this is my sobriety!

Nuudawn

Interesting debate here between you and Soberhoops regarding alcohol. I tend to believe that alcohol, by it's very definition is indeed toxic...
But...
None of my business whether or not folks choose to ingest this legal, taxed..substance. To me, demonizing and blaming something I have no control over is somewhat fruitless. I don't blame alcohol. I am a being with a right to choose. I could drink myself dead if I chose to.

I guess when it comes down to it, I would probably defend my right to "choose" over someone else determining what is best for me.

Lucie29

Hey Johnny, just wondering if you feel the same way about coke, heroin, meth, weed, etc, as you do about alcohol? Alcohol is probably the most lethal and dangerous drug out there, yet it is distributed and regulated by our government, so it became accepted and encouraged in our society. It is just as terrible a poison as hard drugs in my opinion, and therefore alcohol IS the problem. How can you compare tolerance of a man made drug to a cat? A cat is a loving creature of our world, who happens to have dander and makes you sneeze. Alcohol is a man made poison that does physically and mentally harm all that consume it! In my opinion, the problem is alcohol, society, the government, and ME, an alcoholic. Just my opinion.

johnnybsober

People seem to want to put blame on inanimate objects. Drugs, alcohol, guns, etc. Personal accountability is what is needed.
My son is addicted to heroin. He is on his way here from 500 miles away to try to detox. I don't blame heroin. He has been through this before. I blame him for using again. That's why they call it doing drugs. The drug never jumps on you and holds you down. Yes addiction is horrible. But it still boils down to personal choice. Both my son and I knew that there was danger in doing what we did. But we chose it

BTW I also think that drug and alcohol testing should be required to receive public assistance.

dwtbd

Congrats on 21 days
From a fellow 47 yr old, current and future non drinker

dwtbd

We cross posted , sorry to hear about your son's situation, wish you both well

Dee74

Congratulations on 21 days Johnny - great stuff!
Continued prayers for you, and for your son

D

johnnybsober

Thanks for the support all. It has made a difficult situation seem handleable.