nyala

Hi John,

I can without doubt say that SR has be a fundamental part of keeping me sober this time.

By being part of a class, I feel if I am accountable to others, then I am less likely to engage with that Addictive Voice ( AV ) that is bullying me into doing what IT ( not me ) wants me to do .

If and when times get hard, you can always post in the newcomers thread and someone will be there to offer support often within minutes. It is quite wonderful.

Welcome back, you are going to crack it this time !

Best Wishes

Fradley

Hevyn

Johnt - My just one turned into 7 yrs. It was hell to get myself back together. I was older and found it much harder the second time. It has stuck, though - and this time I truly know that I can't touch the stuff. Glad you are back with new resolve.

RogerD

In newcomers forum. Welcome. You can do this

Alynn

Glad you are back! My one drink turned into a 6 day binge. It's good to be here on be sober side! So much better

SoberLeigh

Welcome back, johnt99. Here is a link to the Class of August:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...st-2015-a.html

thomas11

Great to see you back. I would just say that something very valuable can be learned from your experience. And although its quite simple, I'm sure its easier said than done, and that is you can't pick up because you are unable to stop? I picked up every single week, and I was able to put it away every saturday night, but those 2-3 days per week were gnawing away at my quality of life, and made me stupid. So I know I needed to do something about it.

johnt99

Exactly! Seems so simple right, you'd think I would've learned my lesson by now, but that d*mn voice telling me otherwise can be so brilliantly convincing. Well, I do think we actually get stronger each time we fail. We learn something new that we hadn't known before. For one, I learned that I should keep coming to this site for motivation and support. It also reinforced the fact that "just one" isn't an option for me.

Soberwolf

Have a nice day John

TroyW

I can relate as well. The worst is when you realize what's happening. It's almost as if you're watching yourself from outside your body, saddened, and wondering "so how long is it going to last this time? 1 week, 3 months, 6 month, couple years, what are we in for?". Then you just watch yourself keep going.

FreeOwl

Welcome back.

Sobriety is one simple choice away for you today.

DaSilverSurfer

First John, good to see you take action to come back here. Second, I've done exactly that previously and the results have always turned out the same. The saying is insanity is doing the same things in the same ways and expecting a different result.

I'm not going to sugar coat things here because for me to really get my sobriety on track and not this start/stop journey I had to get real with myself and I suggest you do the same and ask yourself. HOW BAD DO I WANT THIS? Kinda sorta's and maybe's won't cut it my friend because when that voice speaks to you, which it will, what is going to be your reasons to shut it down. You are doomed to keep repeating this cycle until you really get the reasons why you drink and why you need to stop.

Respectfully, it seems like you haven't learned the lesson yet because you are still doing the same things. This is coming from someone who has done the same cycle and I will admit to you that the more you go through the cycles the less will power and confidence you build in yourself to make it stick long-term.

So before you make a vow that this time will be different I ask you WHAT ABOUT YOU WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME? Remember, you can have excuses or you can have results...YOU CAN'T HAVE BOTH!!!

johnt99

Thank you for this. It's exactly the kind of advice I need. Honestly, I'm not sure I have the answers to those questions at this moment. However, I know you're right, and it gives me some things to really reflect on over the next few days.

endlesspatience

DaSilverSurfer talks tough but in a way he's right to ask "What about you will be different this time?" I know the following things look very basic but they help me to avoid the first drink.

1. Eating three proper meals a day without snacking
2. Not smoking because the two addictions were linked for me
3. Going to bed quite early and waking up at the same time each day
4. Not using computers and mobiles phones too much
5. Reading and doing a diary in the morning (I used a book called Daily Reflections from AA)
6. Thinking each day how I can help other people so the sense of responsibility grows and I don't want to undermine it with booze.
7. Speaking daily to other people in recovery. This for me includes AA meetings but this Forum is obviously part of that.
8. Not going into places that serve alcohol if I'm on my own including restaurants (I love coffee shops)
9. Reading books
10. Going to church. I know that's not for everyone but a lot of people in recovery speak with conviction about how a sense of a Higher Power and a community help them.

You may not be able to do it all straight away but if you can make a few of these things part of your recovery programme, you should be able to defend yourself from getting sucked back into the addictive cycle.

johnt99

That's great advice endlesspatience, thanks for sharing!

Findingtheway

Welcome Back. And i can totally relate. I had ONE drink over New years that exploded into 6 days of non stop drinking.

From sun up to sun down...Very Scary.

Don't give up. Check in DAILY. That's helped me immensely.

Findingtheway