day 44, just an update
 

Hi guys I am still here and sober. Not gonna say hanging in there, because that has changed so much. I no longer want to drink, no desire to drink, infact, I am quite disgusted with the whole thing. I guess its because I am having some real time to separate myself from it, instead of it being ingrained in my life and never questioning it. And thinking of being drunk now, compared to how i felt a few weeks ago is massive. I DONT feel I am missing out anymore, I had thoughts of what being drunk felt like last night, for some odd reason. And all I could think was the swimmy head, things not processing in my brain properly, feeling out of control of my body. How did I ever consider that fun????!!!

I will never drink again, and i now know it to be true without any doubt. No matter what comes my way. I'm loving my life right now, there is no comparison.

Hello to everyone joining and in their early days, keep going, its sooo worth it!

Congratulations on 44 days that's fantastic

Great job and thanks for sharing.
What are you doing to maintain your sobriety and keep going strong and sober?

Take care of yourself. You can do this.

Good job! It is amazing how much better you feel. Keep it up.

i m working my recovery plan properly, not letting myself slip for a moment. Not getting lazy, or feeling that its a good day, so i don't need to do that part of the plan today etc etc. i read here before 'you need to put more effort into being sober than you did your drinking'. And that is 100% true. Its the best advice i had read. You can make all the recovery plans in the world, but if you become slack, or over confident they are worthless.

Congrats on day 44! That is an awesome achievement! Your post described me to a "t". I am just ahead of you on day 71 today. I feel like a huge load is now off my shoulders. Keep going it just gets better!! :You_Rock_

I think everyone is different. For me I have done this solo. No AA, No plan, No support. I have no desire to drink, or ever drink again. I woke up one day and said enough. I am confident in me. That is all I need. Day 71 today and feel a whole new world is opening up. Coming from a member who drank for over 30 years!

There are so many different roads to take that lead to the same destination.

Congrats on your sober time. Keep up the AMAZING work!

Hello all...im new to this forum, but I just wanted to see what these are all about...Im coming up on 18 months on 9/5..clean and sober on my own recogition of myself that it was necessary in my life....The colors of the world are so vivid now that my mind is so clean and clear....anyway, I just wanted to post and say hi and I hope to hear from anyone on here. Not sure if I am posting correctly, if im not please let me know...thanks and peace

Congrats on day 44 noturningback - you sound determined :)

D

i haven't used AA or any recovery groups other than here on SR. I didn't rule it out and I still don't, if I feel I will need it. I feel as you do, I have confidence in me, but ive seen people say that on here, and then relapse when a situation arose and they had no plan in place to deal with it, and so hit the booze again.

As you say everyone is different heavencanwait, maybe some can give up without a plan, if that's possible I think that's great, whatever works for you is fantastic. Personally I couldn't, and I had lurked on here for a long time before joining and seemed to find the people with the plans in place had the most success long term. So I guess I figured it was my best chance without setting myself up to fail at, but I also realise the same as you, one day you wake up and you just know that enough is enough. I'm sure glad I realised that after 2 years of out of control drinking and it didn't take longer!

Said respectfully- what will you all do when you do want to drink?

Welcome to SR jcgreek1 :)

These are my thoughts on plans and why I think everyone needs them (nothing to do with dogma, promise )

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ery-plans.html
D

i have a list on my phone I add to everyday, I add 1 thing every night I am thankful for in my sobriety. It can be tiny or big. I don't romanticise drinking anymore, but when I did I found it helpful to read through that list and add 5 more. I logged on here and read my first post again, I watch a couple of documentaries that i find hard to watch (I have to be careful, some were triggering strangely enough as I thought I 'wasn't that bad'). Callum Best 'brought up by booze' is very difficult for me to watch and to want to continue drinking.

In my plan, if I feel a situation is leading to a temptation/thought/longing/romanticising/anger/jealousy, I leave where I am at that precise moment. I can fake not feeling great, or I forgot to turn something off at home, anything, I don't need to explain to anyone, just leave.

HALT is vital to me daily. I have to take care of those basic needs. Most thoughts I had regarding drinking was due to hunger and boredom.

To do something that takes my mind off of it, which I suppose relates to urge surfing, of which I found incredibly useful, as well as playing the tape forward. I have interests and getting stuck in those passes the time and so the thoughts also went. There is usually a reason we want to drink, its finding what that is, and then working another way around it.

Its been over a month since I had wanted to drink, I considered myself a dry drunk at that point. Now I have my life back there is no place for alcohol in it, so there is no devil on my shoulder telling me to remember the 'good'times, there is no bargaining chip the AV has over me. The plan I work makes the life I have now so much more meaningful and fulfilling than what alcohol ever gave me, and being present in it is wonderful.

I no longer 'want' to drink, but if the moment occurs and I do, these are the plans I have. As said before I haven't attended meetings, but if I felt that desperate I don't have any shame in finding one. Lurking on here and reading through other peoples plans and the stickies that Dee adds made me think a plan was the best way forward. Or I think I really would have remained a dry drunk and very miserable personally.