Red78

It is said that we are the most intelligent species on this planet... I beg to differ..
We know alcohol isn't good for us, we want to quit yet we go back too it every day. I do also understand that this is the nature of addiction and the way our brain chemistry is..

So today would've been day 3 but its not..
I had just over 2 months sober and it was wonderful, I loved it. It was also hard and a struggle but I made it through as the reward every morning when I woke was worth that struggle..
Then I made a wrong decesion not realising how bad that was for me.. It was a weak moment in dealing with a massive amount of stress and hurt. I haven't got myself in trouble or done anything wrong but my consumption has increased right from that 1st drink I took 10 days ago, I refuse to be stuck here again. My life is doomed if I don't fight hard now..
So today is day 1 and today I will be accountable for that and I am gonna get my hungover self out of bed on this lovely Sunday morning and tip all the booze down the sink as a start..

least

Make this your last day one. Put all your effort into it. You can do this!

Anna

That sounds like a great plan for today.

I'm glad you have decided to turn this around and to work on your recovery.

Dee74

I think addiction is a primal thing - it feeds on things like fear and desire which can sometimes short circuit intelligence, for all of us, not just you Red.

we can call upon our intelligence tho - and the intelligence of others - to beat and subdue those baser primal instincts.

It might take a lot of effort initially - I had to make a lot of changes around the way I dealt with problems, or 'bad' feelings' or socialising - but it will get easier.

Starting a journal thread is a good start Red - what else are you planning to do/change?

D

Red78

What will I do different Dee... Good question..
What was working for me this last time was knitting and I also started running as the stress got worse and worse.. I need to add active journelling when I feel any stress rising and also posting here 1st when a strong craving hits..
Also I will go out of my way to avoid the triggers.
I think starting spring cleaning will help keep me occupied too..

Lucinda2

Great you came straight back Red.

I did the same recently ref accountability and it has not been such a struggle this time around. Hopefully, you will find the same.

Red78

Thanks Lucinda.. I'm hoping if I can put it out there that I'm doing this rather than hiding inside another thread it might work better in the long run..

Dee74

all those things are good but I recommend focusing on the hows whats and why of not drinking,... think about the feelings, situations and problems that 'make you' drink and try and find other healthier solutions to those things.

If you've not seen this before its good - if you have I still think it's worth a re-read

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...very-plan.html (What exactly is a recovery plan?)

D

nez

Goodatcha for this! You don’t drown by falling into the water. You drown by staying there.

fini

great start, dumping the booze, getting up and showing up here.

i knit every day, and it is a great activity with something lovely (hopefully)to show for it at the end...i find it calming and peaceful.
but as Dee points out, it is not as such a “sobriety tool”, and as you know, SR is full of suggestions for those tools and plans and methods and programs....sticking around and being accountable here can be a good part of that.
welcome back

Red78

I've made it past the witching hour, whoop whoop!
So I can almost say day 1 is down. I had a elderflower tonic in a wine glass as my evening beverage..
Lasagne is in the oven, lunch for tomorrow is in the fridge, about to fold the washing and I might read a book after dinner.. ​​​​​​​
I'm very lucky that after 20+ years of daily drinking I don't have withdrawal from alcohol, this makes my 1st few days easier than for some of you here and I am so thankful for that.

​​​​​

Dee74

really good news Red

D

MantaLady

Glad you found your way back Red and you’ve made a huge step forward even if it doesn’t feel like it. I relapsed the same way, had really enjoyed sobriety for a month and on Day 30 had a stressful day, drank and was so annoyed with myself. Dee has given some great tips and for me, when I decided to get back on the wagon, I started to look at the “why” and more of the emotional stuff rather than just using the distraction tools. That has so far helped keep me sober for 15 months. We all fall down from time to time, but that is not important, what is important is how many times we get back up so be proud of yourself, you can do this! x

Red78

It's lunchtime and the sun is shining, this makes my AV jump up and down. Im at work but it has the whole afternoon to go to work on my resistance so I cave after work.. I however know that I can't let that happen...
Im going to come up with a selection of non alcoholic beverages that are semi exciting that I can have.

Misssy2

Gatorade is my new exciting beverage...I put it in the freezer and it gets ice chips....lol.....I like your avatar...and I wish life could be like that all the time but it is not....but we have more days like that sober...than drunk.

Hevyn

I just saw this thread, Red. I'm here cheering you on too.
Let me know if you find any semi-exciting non-alcoholic beverages.

ShiftHappens

I am trying to do what Dee said.

Red78

So defo not going to drink today but I ate too much sugar and choc and now have a stomach ache and feel like crud..
I just want to feel motivated to do something instead of laying bed watching Netflix and reading..
Oh well, one day at a time..
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Fusion

Hi Red, don’t worry about the sugar for now, I found it’s my body seeking to replace the sugar content of drink. Better sugar in foods, than drink.

So what is your plan for today, when the AV raises its ugly head. My AV loves it when I feel bored, static....it has a field day of adverse commentary, which ends in only one solution - drink. My AV lies, and so does yours, if you don’t mind me saying. There is nothing a drink will make better, in my experience

Obladi

Hi Red! Day 4 is it? I'm glad you didn't drink, and I'll bet you are too.

I always figured I'd eventually get bored of bed and Netflix, but I'm not sure I ever did. Instead I made a decision to Do Things. It wasn't a ton in the beginning, but writing a schedule for the following day really helped. Meditate, post on SR, take meds, eat breakfast, sweep the kitchen floor, read something to support staying sober, eat lunch, do a crossword, go to a meeting, eat dinner. When I had a fairly successful quit two years ago, I decided to not spend any time watching anything or in my bedroom until bedtime. I'm back to that now, and it feels good to at least be upright! (Though the rules are relaxed on streaming. I'll put something on for background noise while I'm doing other things and spent last weekend primarily on the couch watching garbage. I figure that's ok for now because I'm back at work and that's exhausting.)

With AVRT, I learned that the response to the AV is, "Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't drink, so that's a hard no." In AA, I learned that it's helpful to send a "Please help me to not drink today" in the morning and a "Thanks for helping me to not drink today" message in the evening. AA says send it to God, but that's too narrow of a concept for me. The sticky note next to my toothbrush simply says "Please and Thank You." Throughout the day, I find myself sending those simple words out into the ethos - and it helps!

I'm betting getting through this next day is going to help you to start feeling like you can really do this thing. Most of us feel well enough by the third day to contemplate actually drinking again. Break on through to the other side!

O