Beginners slip
 

I've slipped after just one week. Please help

Background
 

Sober for most of my life except for the past 1.5 years...It went from a cocktail in the eve to half a bottle of tequila a day.
The triggers that caused it were a recent divorce, a weird, "abusive" boss situation,
Multiple Sclerosis, selling my home and moving in with family(blessing!:) Blah, blah, blah. We all have challenges. :)
Anyway, thanks for any help, guys.

Hang in there it will get better

Hi and welcome Rubyrosemalone :)

I'm sorry for all those trigger points but you really can deal with life, and whatever challenges it brings, and do it sober :)

SR really helped me to stick with my recovery - I know we can help you too. Post as much as you like and read around - and remember when cravings call we're here to help :)

D

[QUOTE=Shonno;5570114]Hang in there it will get better[/QUOTE

Thanks, Shonno. That simple sentence means a lot. :)

Thank you, D. It surely caught me off guard, but at least I know what caused it today. Much gratitude to you. :)

Hi rubyrosemalone....welcome! Try again...stick with us here on sr. You will find lots of support and encouragement here.

Hang in there. You CAN face your problems sober and it will totally be worth it. I am new to recovery and feel better already. Thinking more clear. Sleeping better. I was sober most of my life too, so I know alcoholism can start at any age. It's never too late to start the journey of sobriety!

In a way, you have a good reference point to reflect on because you can think back to how you felt for so many years as a sober person.

Welcome Rubyrose, that's a lot to deal with, but life's problems are so much easier to handle sober. There's a lot of support here. Hang in there.

Stay focused!

It's surprising how quickly alcoholism can sneak up on us!

I'm sorry for the problems you're dealing with, but we can help support you as you try to stop drinking.

Your encouraging messages are inspiring. I send, out to you guys, the most earnest gratitude. One moment at a time. :) xo

I had a slip last February after a long-ish period of sobriety.

I was so upset afterwards, and my Grandmother (who I was extremely close to and who passed away two months ago) said to me that it is ok to stumble as long as you get back on the horse straight away.

So do that. And we are here to support you :grouphug:

I am so very sorry for your loss, sweet one, and must simply send you a few smiles and winks for your kind, and "to the point" message. Wise woman, your beloved Grandmother. :) xo

Have you got a plan ?

It's a tricky balancing act. Relapses should not be an option on the table for you as your Addictive Voice will always try and take advantage of that, and you're right to be disappointed by one. Equally, you should never let a relapse be used as an excuse to give up your journey to sobriety. A relapse doesn't wipe out all the benefits you gained from the days you were sober. Those were all victories to be proud of. You now just need a plan to figure out not just why you slipped up, but how to make sure the same thing won't happen again.

Good luck with your journey to a new sober lifestyle!

I can't even remember how many times I made it a week or a few days and then drank again.

Most of those times, though.... I hadn't been serious. I had been trying to 'moderate'. I hadn't been seeking to embrace sobriety.

Eventually, I had really and truly had enough. I had beaten myself up enough. I had been through enough consequences and had big and scary enough consequences looming that I could no longer avoid facing that it really was time to embrace SOBRIETY - not just take a break from drinking for a while, or moderate, or drink more responsibly or whatever other thousand-and-one subtle variations on denial I tried to use on myself.

It was when I really believed that I needed to be sober, when I got help, when I made changes, when I set out on a drastic and total transformation from the addicted man I was to the sober man I am becoming - that it worked, and my life got better.

You can do it too... have you begun to make the changes? Have you really embraced the sober you that you WANT to become? Have you reached out for support? Have you taken active steps to move every day in the direction of sobriety?

It isn't easy, it takes courage and hard decisions and change and action.

you can do it.

:grouphug:

Thanks guys. Yes...I am dedicated and felt that enough was enough. I have spoken to my family about it and have been very open about it. That feels sooo good...much better than a drink. My plan is to obseve the cravings as simply temporary and hold firm to the reality that drinking is simply not an option. Just not. You all are so very loving. Group hug emoticon! :)

It won't be easy, that's for sure...but I am excited to get back to the person I was...or have always been, yet was pouring drink over. Xo

Something that I heard once really resonated with me after I had been "slipping" and sliding and so on. And had done this "slipping" for years.

Slips have nothing to do with sobriety and everything to do with active addiction."

I remember how much that stung. But it was true. I wanted to quit, sure, but I wasn't willing to do ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING to stay that way.

I had to take a long hard look at myself and become honest. I wasn't slipping, I was chosing to drink.

I hope this helps you as much as it did me.

XO AO