My Healthy Addiction!
 

Hi!! Long time lurker here. I don’t want to take up too much space on this very helpful and insightful forum. I did however want to express my gratitude to the many beacons of hope and strength on this site. You guys have been my motivation, support system and truly one of my many healthy addictions. I have managed to remain sober since February the 16th of this year. Simply put, I got tired of being tired and decided that alcohol was no longer welcome in my world. What once was my go to for dealing with anxiety and the daily fracas that life brings became the very source of it. I have lost jobs, blacked out and woke up in gutters, got into unnecessary physical altercations and destroyed relationships that meant the world to me. I have felt shame, guilt, depression, pain, hatred, and resentment because of ALCOHOL. The decade+ I invested in this addiction is time that I can regretfully never get back. The road to recovery has been an emotional roller coaster for me to say the least. After 10 years of numbing/suppressing “feelings” with alcohol a wave of emotions just came crashing down on me. Without a doubt, it is with the help of the wonderful folks on this website that I navigated through those turbulent times unscathed. And it indeed gets better with time. I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. The words of encouragement to the many first-time posters became encouragement for myself also. PLEASE, never stop doing what you guys do, it is truly indispensable. I feel at home with every visit. For any lurkers like me, stick with this site even if you don’t post just read and absorb the wisdom provided on a regular basis by these fine folks. Thanks Again.
Here’s to sober living and many more Healthy Addictions!

:tyou

:thanks

:You_Rock_

Welcome to posting SoberBender :)

It's not like there's a finite amount of support here. Please feel free to post some more, as much as you like.

The same invite goes out to any other lurkers too :)

D

Hi SB. Please keep posting as well as reading. Your experience and input is as valid and helpful as anyone else's as we're all on the same journey.

Wishing you all the best for your sobriety and recovery. BB

Dee and BerryBean thank you for your well wishes and for welcoming me here. For the very first time in my life I feel liberated enough to share my struggles, all made possible by you all. And yes I do intend to post and read more….You guys are stuck with me :herewego

Sober,

Is this the first time you quit?

Oh, good for you!!!!!

I posted here the first time on day 26. Today is day 516 and it's 95% because of this forum and what I have learned and the subject I have found here.

Rock on with your bad sober self and WELCOME!!!

Good stuff SoberBender :)

D

Hello D122Y,
in 2014 I managed 8 months sober and started smoking MJ with the idea that it was the lesser of two evils. That quickly escalated to full blown addiction (7grams + a week) for me also, and I found myself right back to drinking again eventually. I would stop drinking after every bad hangover and black out sessions with the promise to never drink again. As soon as I felt better, it was right back to square one. I stopped smoking MJ for good in November of last year. In doing so my intake of alcohol increased from a pint a day to about 750 ml every two/three days. And that’s not even counting the 24oz Coors cans (4 a day). My health quickly deteriorated. When I did manage to not have any alcohol in me, I would shake like a leaf to the point where I could barely hold a pen to write my name. My anxiety level was sky high. I would go out of my way to avoid people because I frankly couldn’t hold a conversation. I nearly passed out on a few occasions while walking to and from work. I had to stop and take a cab else I wouldn’t have made it home. I was badly dehydrated that my skin became dry and started flaking. I was in terrible shape. Felt like death was knocking at my front door. If I didn’t stop when I did, I’m certain that things would have gotten a lot worse.

Thank you Aries and congrats to you!!! You are my motivation. I can't wait to post those kind of stats. This place is one of a kind. I have searched everywhere and no other site comes even close to the camaraderie offered here. I'm forever grateful.

Here's to 516 plus more days of sobriety for you!!
:c011:
:You_Rock_