I relapsed
Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 3,163
I am with Forever fuzzy -- 1 night mistake doesn't undo months of sobriety, don't let it phase you. Get back on the horse and back on track.
And with Quiet Today --You can do this. If you're not comfortable with counting days or thinking of this as a day 1, then don't
And great great post by Ultra, thanks for that.
Main point is --you did not do look at this like I did my diets when I was young -- Ive blown it now, might as well eat the whole cake. You got back on the saddle.
Good for you. You definitely can do this, but you already now that. I would look at it like you have got 4 months minus a few hours and move on. Just don't let the whole cake tempt you...
And with Quiet Today --You can do this. If you're not comfortable with counting days or thinking of this as a day 1, then don't
And great great post by Ultra, thanks for that.
Main point is --you did not do look at this like I did my diets when I was young -- Ive blown it now, might as well eat the whole cake. You got back on the saddle.
Good for you. You definitely can do this, but you already now that. I would look at it like you have got 4 months minus a few hours and move on. Just don't let the whole cake tempt you...
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,226
Originally Posted by ScottFromWI 
Welcome back C4G. Admitting you drank is difficult, kudos for doing so. As far as words of encouragement go, I think you are already aware that you have the tools and strength you need to stay sober, your past has shown that.
Regarding your first comment though, i hate to break it to you but you have to take the bad with the good. It's certainly helpful to move on and look at the positives, but we need to learn from our mistakes too. You say that you have a plan and are working with your doctor, but obviously your plan wasn't functioning last night. Look back to see where it went wrong...most times it's well before the actual act of drinking takes place..sometimes weeks before.
I noticed that you haven't been on the site in several months either, was SR part of your plan? If not maybe you could add some daily time here -I found it to be very beneficial for my recovery, and still do.
Regarding your first comment though, i hate to break it to you but you have to take the bad with the good. It's certainly helpful to move on and look at the positives, but we need to learn from our mistakes too. You say that you have a plan and are working with your doctor, but obviously your plan wasn't functioning last night. Look back to see where it went wrong...most times it's well before the actual act of drinking takes place..sometimes weeks before.
I noticed that you haven't been on the site in several months either, was SR part of your plan? If not maybe you could add some daily time here -I found it to be very beneficial for my recovery, and still do.
I became increasingly frustrated with posts that recommended, "See a doctor." Or more maddeningly, "See YOUR doctor." Really? We assume that some of our fellow alcoholics have a doctor? We speak from a place of privilege that this is an option.
I spent two weeks working with alcoholics on the streets. Women and men who would never seek help in an ER, because they are treated so poorly and end up in a ward where they have to detox without supervision. I know of two individuals who stroked, and never came back to the people they could be.
So, I took a break from here to reconcile the great advice with pragmatic advice, and find a path that made sense for people who don't have the same access to resources, money, and health care that I do. Our health care system is broken in the US.
I am sober tonight, and stayed at AA today for three meetings. I don't know if this is the right path for me, but it keeps me sober.
Please know that I appreciate and value all that is offered here. I am just working through some things that are pertinent to myself, and my contribution here.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,416
I became increasingly frustrated with posts that recommended, "See a doctor." Or more maddeningly, "See YOUR doctor." Really? We assume that some of our fellow alcoholics have a doctor? We speak from a place of privilege that this is an option.
I personally recommend people see Drs because life and good health is more important than any thing else.
I found this out because I suffered several mini strokes in my last detox.
If I could go back in time, I'd gladly pay whatever it would have cost me to get medical treatment, even if I had to put myself in hock to do it.
I would have waited for hours in the ER had I known my health would never be the same again.
I'm not speaking from 'a place of privilege'.
I'm speaking from a place of regret that I did not take the array of medical attention that was available to me.
Of course I'm not American, but I know the US health system is not perfect, anymore than the UK or even Australia.
I'm sorry for whatever experiences you've had, or people you've known have had, with the US health system, but we aim to help here.
Telling people that the health system is broken and that cold turkey is probably their only option would be a cop out because I know thats not true for 99.99% of us.
Sometimes it takes a little hunting to find the help we need, but if your well beings not worth a little effort what is
Anyhow..the bottom line tho here is actually something else entirely C4G.
The US health system, or me asking you about your plan, are not the things keeping you drinking.
We both know that.
I think whatever those things are?
That's what you really should be getting het up about here, C4G
D
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,416
It's not my intention to be heavy 
It's taken me the last half an hour to write what I think is a fair post.
The important part of my post is - use your passion and energy C4G...
desire, and work for, a different outcome, and you'll find it.
D
It's taken me the last half an hour to write what I think is a fair post.
The important part of my post is - use your passion and energy C4G...
desire, and work for, a different outcome, and you'll find it.
D
Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 6,224
Change4good good for you for coming back and owning up to your drinking, it takes guts to do so, it's something a lot of people avoid. Your honesty with us and with yourself will serve you well.
I caution you on something...
Do you need to rethink this work for the present? You said you took a break to reconcile the advice you're hearing on SR with "pragmatic" advice and you're trying to find a medical treatment pathway for people suffering from alcoholism who are on the streets.
That is a big ask. An admirable one but a very big ask. What about your needs as a recovering alcoholic?
Volunteering amongst the hungry is just one example of where a person needs to put their own needs first. A mother flying with her child must put on her own oxygen mask before she can help the child. As an alcoholic no matter how I feel for others, no matter how much I want to help them, I have to put my sobriety and recovery first.
And so do you.
You do have a plan Change you said so, it needs some reinforcement, let us help you to do that.
I caution you on something...
I spent two weeks working with alcoholics on the streets. Women and men who would never seek help in an ER, because they are treated so poorly and end up in a ward where they have to detox without supervision. I know of two individuals who stroked, and never came back to the people they could be.
So, I took a break from here to reconcile the great advice with pragmatic advice, and find a path that made sense for people who don't have the same access to resources, money, and health care that I do. Our health care system is broken in the US.
So, I took a break from here to reconcile the great advice with pragmatic advice, and find a path that made sense for people who don't have the same access to resources, money, and health care that I do. Our health care system is broken in the US.
That is a big ask. An admirable one but a very big ask. What about your needs as a recovering alcoholic?
Volunteering amongst the hungry is just one example of where a person needs to put their own needs first. A mother flying with her child must put on her own oxygen mask before she can help the child. As an alcoholic no matter how I feel for others, no matter how much I want to help them, I have to put my sobriety and recovery first.
And so do you.
You do have a plan Change you said so, it needs some reinforcement, let us help you to do that.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NC
Posts: 1,737
Change,
I am glad you're back.
I think it's really important to remember exactly what that last drunk was like. Mine was in December 2009, and I remember clearly the events in the final days that led me to rehab. I never drank again. But the truth is, there were many times along this road that "a couple of drinks" sounded really nice. But I know in my heart and mind that I can never have the couple of drinks I used to enjoy when I was younger. We all know what it was like - it's the reason we are here today. We kept going back for years, seeking what became ever more elusive, until we found ourselves in that hell of not wanting to drink but needing to drink because stopping was too physically and spiritually brutal.
I still get that "tug" every once in a while. But I believe I can never go back to those early days when alcohol made me feel whole and content. I believe that because I have seen what it has done to my friends who tried it. A couple of them paid with their lives, this is the reality of our disease. Instead, I go to my meetings, talk to like minded folks, read, sleep, or pray. Almost always I am at peace with what remains, how my life has evolved since those days in December 2009. But I never forget, because I know that the next time I pick up a drink I will not find myself in the wonderful early1980's when this all started... I will end up right back where it all fell apart. There hasn't been a single day in sobriety that I would trade for those days at the end of my drinking.
Good luck, and welcome back.
I am glad you're back.
I think it's really important to remember exactly what that last drunk was like. Mine was in December 2009, and I remember clearly the events in the final days that led me to rehab. I never drank again. But the truth is, there were many times along this road that "a couple of drinks" sounded really nice. But I know in my heart and mind that I can never have the couple of drinks I used to enjoy when I was younger. We all know what it was like - it's the reason we are here today. We kept going back for years, seeking what became ever more elusive, until we found ourselves in that hell of not wanting to drink but needing to drink because stopping was too physically and spiritually brutal.
I still get that "tug" every once in a while. But I believe I can never go back to those early days when alcohol made me feel whole and content. I believe that because I have seen what it has done to my friends who tried it. A couple of them paid with their lives, this is the reality of our disease. Instead, I go to my meetings, talk to like minded folks, read, sleep, or pray. Almost always I am at peace with what remains, how my life has evolved since those days in December 2009. But I never forget, because I know that the next time I pick up a drink I will not find myself in the wonderful early1980's when this all started... I will end up right back where it all fell apart. There hasn't been a single day in sobriety that I would trade for those days at the end of my drinking.
Good luck, and welcome back.
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