4 months, 122 days
 

Hello,
4 months today and I am pretty damn proud of this..I have done similar stretches but this time I feel I am more resolute.

I am 43 with a drinking career spanning almost 3 decades, and have (like most of us on here) drunk to much, to often and prioritised it above all else.

I do have some concerns and possible scenarios which I need to be aware of, I have to go back to the UK for a couple of months and leave my wife and 5 year old in Asia (school and work commitments do not allow them to come with me). I am terrified of the flight, not the physical act of flying, more that it’s a fully stocked, free bar in the sky..13 hours of it.. I am downloading audio books, pod casts etc..my wife has given me pictures of us all and letters written by them both to read if I get tempted to drink.. the other scenario is of course when I am back in my home country and seeing old friends, i think I will just be honest with them.. then the 3rd situation will be the fact I will miss my family like crazy, and I have never spent a prolonged period away from them... it will be interesting to see if I trust myself and be the guy I want to become.

Sorry for the long post..just felt the need to get some of my fears immortalised on SR so I can reread this or any advice if I get tempted or need to refocus

I don’t post much but I do read pretty much everything on this sub forum and want to say what an amazing job you all do, not just admin, mods but the community as a whole genuinely cares for each other and importantly doesn’t judge..I feel privileged to be here

Congrats on sober time I am at 118 days myself. Hey man dont worry about it go with thw. Flow apply what you been doing to stay dry for the 4 months. Bring ot back a notch .instead of one day at a time go one hour at a time . have a little confidence in yourself. Ask your higher power to watch and guide you. You gor this brother. ✌

Haris, perhaps join some of the threads in the newcomer's forum? I joined the Class of March '16 thread when I first found SR and apart from a few days with poweroutages/viruses- post daily. There is a Class of August thread. You could make it part of your daily support routine. I do - morning and night.
Support to you.

Congratulations! I'm going to SE Asia at the beginning of next year and my fear is aboard the flight where alcohol flows freely. I like the idea of one hour at a time.

This is all great news, Haris.

It helps me to remember, when I fly or when I stay in a hotel with an honor bar (like I did earlier this week), that the alcohol is not there for me.

It's there for other people.

Sobriety comes incrementally, so I would not necessarily expect to immediately become the man you have always wanted to be.

All things take time.

I would strongly urge you to consider finding and working a trusted program (or plan) of recovery and to not just try to do it on your own.

Doing so will make it much better from multiple perspectives and will likely enhance your prospects of success.

Please keep us posted.

4 months is fab! Right to be proud. I loved reading how supportive your family are too.

Will you be flying business class? :)

Hi Haris

I think a good recovery can stand, regardless of circumstances - any circumstances

I'm sure the flight will be long but it's also a finite period,

Go into it with a good plan - strategise likely scenarios...thinks of ways to keep your mind occupied.

You can do this :)

D