Taking the plunge....again
 

Last March I committed to sobriety and got 70 days under my belt before I started drinking again. Since then it's been on and off again with mostly moderation with the occasional binge. Even those haven't been like they used to be. All that said, I grew up in an alcohol abstinent family and community and feel the call to sobriety because I know I have a problem with alcohol.

I've always resisted AA, but yesterday I had coffee with a friend who has a long relationship with AA. We had a great chat, and we both laughed and were somber together as I shared with an honesty I've never shared before. I've asked her to be my accountability partner, and she's thrilled to be asked and involved. She's an introvert like I am, so as first steps she's going to get me the AA book this week and suggests I read a chapter a week and we meet to discuss.

She mentioned the importance of starting by getting stated intentions out into the world, so I'm here to state I'm not drinking today.

I haven't posted for a long time because I felt it would be hypocritical to post on a sobriety forum when I wasn't committed to sobriety, but I've still been lurking and reading posts. It's nice to be able to post again from a place of intention.

One thing I am happy to share is that I quit recreational drug use the same time I quit alcohol in March of last year after a 10+ year habit. I'm 8.5 months 100% drug free, so I've already proven to myself that I can do sobriety.

Hi Lance; welcome back. Glad you are giving sobriety another go.

Congratulations on 8.5 drug-free months; that's huge.

Welcome back Lance. I am glad you have decided to give sobriety another go.

The plan you have laid out seems like a good one to start and it involves action. Discussing the chapter afterword is a great idea.

Get a highlighter and write down questions as you go. If you are anything like me I get wonderful inspiration and then boom it is gone and I can’t remember a thing I wanted to ask or comment on. Writing these down is a good way to remember and you can refer back to them later.

Congrats on the sober drug time! Keep coming back! :hug:

PS: The AA Big book is available online for free if you wanted to glance at it before you meet back up with your friend. Might as well jump right in. It may give you some time to start writing down any questions or comments you have.

Good on you!
Just about all programs work on the basis of not drinking one day at a time in a row. While in that mode I needed to constantly be honest with myself about my drinking and accept the fact that I/we cannot drink in safety. It’s that simple! Didn’t say it’s always easy.
A good suggestion made to me years ago was instead of reading the BB, study it every week like a textbook because it’s not a novel and seems to change each time we read it in some form or another= I didn’t see that before, even after years of reading it.

BE WELL

I'm glad you're back, trying again. :)

Congratulations 8.5 Months drug free is awesome.!

Congrats....amazing! I'm on my second day 1, and even though I failed last night I am still pushing to beat this.

Hi, Lance, good to meet you. I was also against AA, but went and listened with an open mind, and so glad now that I did.

Look forward to reading your future posts .

Keep trying Lance good to see you back

You can do this Lance!! :)

Way to go, Lance!


This is a fantastic post and you're on your way to a deeper, richer, more joyful life!!

Actually... You have arrived at that!

It just keeps getting better.

:)