ArtFriend

Love that story about Rose! (tears). Thank you!

doggonecarl

Sobriety is indeed the first and foremost thing you need to focus on. You can think about the future, about changing your life. But get and remain sober first. You accomplish that and fear will no longer be an agent in your decision making, because if you can get and stay sober, you can do anything you set your mind to.

JanieJ

Art, take heed of your own signature. Become who you are.

It will take time and yes, sometimes it will be scary. Other times, though ,it will be miraculous and full of synchronicity.

Dip a toe, when you're ready.

Think everything has been said already on this thread, by those who have experience, but for me, at 52, I'm gonna keep right on trucking Xx

Newpathway

I haven't heard that one! It's great...I'm going to use it to help me talk through my anxiety attacks. Thanks for sharing that.

Hevyn

All the good stuff's been said . Everyone's right AF - never too late, and things can be more wonderful than ever. I was afraid to let go of it too - so much so that I clung to it for decades and almost lost my life. Come out of the bottle and get free. We're here with you.

CAPTAINZING2000

Man with no legs and arms - Inspiring story - YouTube

OklaBH

I wanted to change and remember thinking "what's the point now?"
Of course I did and you will too. I looked at it this way : I can change for the better, little by little and be happy and proud of myself. OR continue drinking and accept the change that came with it. Job loss, DUI, dibilitating health issues, etc

Rina

Thanks for starting this thread..I struggle with this a lot. Especially with all of the "look at how wonderful my life is" posts on Facebook. I've been having a hard time believing things can get any better. I'm so used to just barely hanging on and living life on pause that I have no comprehension of how to move forward naturally.

strategery

I feel the same way that you do in many regards ArtFriend. I have not been happy with the ways things were. I had to make some hard decisions and push myself out of my comfort zone. All I can do is plug forward with what I want to accomplish in life. For awhile I wasn't sure what I wanted, but it has come to me in the last year. Some of this has meant completely starting over. However, I am much happier. Some days it feels like maybe there was a reason for everything I have gone through since it got me to where I am at now. So no, it's never too late.

Dee74

I completely changed my life at 40.
Com.Plete.Ly

scary? confronting? yes...sometimes the fear was nearly overwhelming...but I had support and I used it...and I had faith that this was the right road for me.

I rediscovered an old me, and I've built a life that continues to make me happy content and serene.

It's definitely worth a shot AF

D

PurpleKnight

If Dee can turn things around at 40 and others around these parts can start at 50 and 60, then I'm pretty confident I can at 30!!

Life is What Happens To You While You’re Busy Making Other Plans

Live in the present and make it happen Art!!

FreeOwl

If you are still breathing, you can start a new life.

Nonsensical

Change is possible, therefore hope is reasonable.

Mountainmanbob

As long as we are still breathing it is not too late.

My Sponsor sobered up at around 56 and has 25 years of sobriety.

My cousin sobered up at around 47 and now has 14 years sober.

I sobered up (this time) at 57 and just got my 7 year token.

Come join us in this (much better life).

I also think that sobriety in most cases adds many years to ones life,
if they drank as I did.

MM

AcceptingChange

I wake up with fear every morning. Its horrible. It's less horrible than it was when i was drinking, but it didn't just stop when i quit drinking.
There are some good free podcasts that you can download on ways to work with your very real emotions, emotions that are felt by the majority of people. Feeling your emotions is frightening, especially when we didn't develop skills on how to handle it. But it's a skill you can learn, like you can learn to paint with different textures on different canvases. Learning something new feels scary at first, but with effort, focus and determination, you can learn it. You'll learn that fear can be broken down into parts, and those parts are composed of energy. And as you look closely at the energy that composes the emotion we call fear, you learn to not react to it as scary. It's our reaction to the energy, our habit of calling the appearance of that energy "fear", that generates the repulsion and desire to flee from it. So you learn not to react so strongly, like cowering from a barking dog. And with every attempt, you'll get better and more confident. As your friend said, "That which doesn't kill me makes me stronger."

EndGameNYC

awe·some adjective \ˈȯ-səm\: causing feelings of fear and wonder: causing feelings of awe: extremely good

Full Definition of AWESOME

1: expressive of awe <awesome tribute>
2a: inspiring awe <an awesome task> b: terrific, extraordinary

Very few people who reach the age of 87 will tell you that they did too much in life.

Briar

When my dad got sober, he had already drank himself into a terminal illness and only lived a couple more years. But in those brief couple of years, I actually got to know who he really was and see him enjoy life. I never saw him more alive than when he was dying. I knew him drunk for 20 years before I knew him sober, and if I had to choose, I would give up those 20 in a heartbeat to keep those 2. It doesn't matter how much time you have, it's worth it to spend it sober. It's never too late.

SoberLeigh

Never too late to start again. You likely have decades of life ahead of you with an abundance of wonder yet to experience - with sober eyes wide open.

Go for it, ArtFriend!!!!!