brighterday1234

Recovery = short-term pain for long-term gain.

You will have to go through tough times, work through difficult thoughts/feelings/emotions, change your social circle, cut ppl out of your life, be bored sometimes (especially early on) etc.

The reward for this is a wonderful life of peace of mind and serenity in recovery. The sober life truly does keep getting better.

Drinking = short-term gain for long-term pain.

You may get a brief ‘rest-bite’ from life, uncomfortable emotions etc but you will only get pain as a consequence. Nothing positive in the long-term
will occur as a consequence.

Grateful to be sober and to SR and AA.

thomas11

Well said. Applies to so many things in life. I have not been active in 6 weeks due to closures, bought a bike yesterday. Just got off of it. Legs are burning, lungs are burning, but ultimately the benefit outweighs the pain.
Same can be said for those studying to get into med school or law school, or getting certified to get a good job. Short term pain, long term gain.

brighterday1234

Absolutely!

lessgravity

Yes, especially in early sobriety. I have found the longer I am sober the less "pain" there is in maintaining and remaining sober. In fact, the good stuff, as you say, keeps getting better and the rewards of sobriety are manifold.

Wastinglife

I have not been able to make it to a year sober yet. 10 months and 6 months are my longest. The loneliness, isolation, and boredom always seem to eventually break my resolve. AA helps a lot but with no meetings, no job, and living alone,, I just don't know if I can stay sober during this pandemic. I wouldn't care if I died from this virus to be honest. I have no life to go back to anyway once everything passes.

brighterday1234

There is always hope if one is sober. Countless seemingly hopeless cases have recovered from alcoholism in AA and indeed SR too. Indeed all alcoholics are hopeless before they recover. In getting sober and being open to recovery one gains hope.

BeABetterMan

I really really really relate. Longest I’ve gone is 6 months. I actually love sobriety, but loneliness, isolation and boredom. It’s like you’re stealing my thoughts. But as I read them from your thread, it makes me realize maybe we’re not doing it right. Maybe we need to find a way to get sober in the company of others. It’s hard I know, because when I’m sober I’m basically hiding out and hunkering down. Nothing sounds fun. And I’ve screwed up or screwed over all the good sober people I know so when I call it’s not like they’re rushing to my side. We’re in a tricky spot. But I want to live for my kids, so I’m gonna keep trying.

BeABetterMan

Great post by the way BD1234. You’re so right and I liked the way you stated it.

Surrendered19

Great post BrighterDay. You are so right.

WL & BABM, I challenge both of you to spend some time reexamining labels. Boredom and isolation can be transformed into calm, quiet and solitude. It is all in how you fill that time. When I became comfortable and content with my own company, and embracing all parts of that, people began to come back around. And now my alone time is precious to me. I value it. And I am never bored. If I have a day where my obligations are low and nobody is around, I have learned that those days have intrinsic value by themselves. Peace and quiet are good for us nag-headed addicts unless of course we label those days as isolated and bored.

wiscsober

Great OP and following posts... thank you

Mamatembo

Great post. I needed it. I'm tearing up a little

freedomfries

That's my biggest problem. I want instant gratification which alcohol provides

MLD51

I was going to say something similar to this. I thought I was going to really struggle with being alone, lonely, bored in sobriety. I hated my own company most of my life. Being alone was horrible for me. That's why I went out to bars to drink. Anything to not be sitting alone at home. One thing I did right away when I got sober was to FORCE myself to go to meetings and outpatient treatment so I had some sober people to talk to. It was WAY out of my comfort zone to go and sit in a room with a bunch of people I didn't know and talk about my messed-up life. But I did it. Because I wanted sobriety so much, I was willing to do anything.

Now, I really love my alone, quiet time. I don't hate myself anymore, so being home by myself isn't torture. I see it as serenity and peace now, to be sitting quietly and reading, looking out the window, napping, whatever. Walking alone in the woods is one of my favorite things now. It's not loneliness and boredom. I had to re-frame alone time as something good, not something bad. Maybe that's why this pandemic isn't as rough for me as it is for a lot of people. Don't know. But it's definitely a mind-set thing. If you think something is going to be bad, it is very likely to feel bad. And vice-versa. I know that sounds trite. And it took time and work on my part, to get to that place.

PeaceManic

I just got a bike too. A few hills almost killed me as I havent exercised in fifteen years, but it's good fun, and brings back loads of good memories of when I was a kid and freedom, before life turned to rubbish in my teens
If you've got a modernish phone Strava is a good app to download, it records where you go, how fast etc.

brighterday1234

Thanks for all of the posts.