I've learned a lot from SR
 

The two biggest things being:

In order to stay sober, I must want to be sober more than I want to drink.

And the second thing is Gratitude.

When I got the first concept down pat, I was on my way to a sober life. But it wasn't until I started practicing gratitude every day that I felt 'solid' in my recovery and in a better frame of mind to maintain it. :)

The members here helped me get to the first concept. They kept after me to try again, to never give up. It took me a while, I'm sorry to say, after joining here before I got sober for good. But the important thing is that I did! :)

As for practicing gratitude - I can't say enough good about it. It changed my whole life for the better. :) My perspective has been altered for the good, that is to say, I see the good in things I used to dismiss. I am much more positive than I used to be and it's because I practice gratitude. :)

To anyone starting out, or starting over, the best advice I could give you would be to practice gratitude every day!


I thought of a haiku about it. :)


Expect nothing and
appreciate everything -
thus will life be sweet. :)



I've also made some wonderful friends, and even got a lovely little cat from one of the members. :)

Thanks for sharing that least and congrats on your recent 11 year milestone :a122

D

So grateful to be sober least. Grateful for the little things. Peace.

Did not realise you had only just celebrated 11 years. Congratulations least.

I love your haiku. Everything and nothing. It's all there.

We're lucky to share SR with you @least!:thanks:scoregood:dance1a:

Wow, least, 11 years! What an achievement. Congratulations.

I learned a lot from SR too.

For me, SR was like a massive toolbox full of different tools to aid recovery. It was from members here that I learned about triggers, and I started to identify mine. I found really handy practical ideas like surfing the urge, or playing the tape forward, and they saved me quite a few times.

I also learned that there were quite a lot of people who were like me, who had gone through the same kind of drinking experiences I'd been having and were successfully sober. It was from these people that I realised: (1) drinking the way I had been would lead to the end of me and (2) it was possible to stop drinking and build a happy life.

The realisation that people could drink as much as I did (or more) and then go on to lead a life where they didn't need to drink ... I just thought that was impossible at first. But I kept reading their stories and I found out that, not only was it possible for them, it was possible for me. From SR, I first began to envisage a life without drinking, and I think this was the push I needed to finally stop denying my problem. Real life people on these pages inspired me to do it.

I also have learned so much form this site but above all it gave (and continues to give) me HOPE.

So many people who have been through the same as me but have managed to lead happy sober lives. It felt impossible, utterly impossible as I failed on loads of day ones. But I found hope and at the time it was all I had to cling to

EDIT - congrats on 11 years. Amazing!!

I think my learning has only just begun.

"Getting rid of toxic relationships" has been hard for me, but today was able to say "no more" to someone. More peace for me because I realise I am worth it. Groundbreaking stuff. :)

11 years is awesome, congratulations. And that Haiku rocks. Thank you for that!!

Least, I've learned a tremendous amount on SR. Not just about all aspects of alcohol dependency, but I've learned a whole new classification of support.

Congratulations on 11 years, Least! When I think of SR, I think of you:) Thanks so much for all your support and encouragement!!

It’s not too often we get a haiku in these parts. :)

I always enjoy your words.

Be well least!
I hope you’ll enjoy many moons of sober contentedness, one day at a time.

Oh what the heck! It's a celebration, let me roll out my favourite haiku (not the first time on this site but it's a goodie!):

There was a young man
From cork who got limericks
And Haikus confused

This may sound lazy but... Ditto what everyone else said!

Congratulations, least on 11 years!

Thanks for the great post, Least, with your good advice. :)

Least - We took similar paths to sobriety. I, too, knew I was on my way to making a big change in my life - but it took me a few months & a couple false starts.
I am grateful for the overwhelming relief I felt from all the support & understanding.
Grateful, too, for your friendship & kindness over the years. :hug:
Congratulations on your 11 - here's to many more shared sober years.

Awesome post, Least and huge congratulations on 11 Years 🎂! Because of your Gratitude recommendation, every morning when I awake, and every morning before I fall asleep - I say a list of things that I'm grateful for. And I know it helps to rewire my brain towards a positive bias, not a negative one. Thank you!

I hope it's ok to post in this section, when I post, it's usually in F & F, as my son is my ALO.
Gratitude, and realising what I have to be grateful/thankful for, has helped me so much in my recovery. Accepting what I cannot change, but appreciating that I can still function and live my life and experience joy, despite my sons addiction. I can still have hope, without expectations.
Bute

Good on you Bute.

You are welcome here, always.

Hi Least! Congratulations on your 11 years. I believe over the years you encouraged people to try 90 days and then I saw it progress to practice gratitude. I see you welcoming newcomers, and people like myself who keep having day 1s. It’s a simple message, Practice Gratitude!, and one that is true. I thank you for welcoming all of us in these boards for so many years!

Congratulations on your 11 years Least & thank you for the gratitude reminder!! You were one of the first to welcome me to SR and I'll always be GRATEFUL for that. :grouphug:

I've let gratitude take a back seat lately and needed your reminder to put it back in the front seat.

Thanks for your post and congratulations on 11 years sober! Grateful to be sober 🙏

Be123, I'm still laughing at that haiku you posted. So very funny. So very good.

:Xmasla

Great post lest :grouphug:

SR has taught me:
Never Give Up. No matter how trying and difficult achieving sobriety can be, never give up on yourself.

Gratitude. That's a big one in my daily wellness practice. Even when the chips are down I make it a point to find thankfulness and beauty in my daily life. Its a pure blessing to practice and perceive gratitude day to day. As some might be inclined to say that's having God on your side;)

Tolerance. I'm a slow learner (also opinionated bullheaded dunce :)work-in-progress:)) but I was willing to practice a tolerant behavior towards others that had conflicting views to my own here at SR.

Introspective. SR helped me take a deep and long look at myself to ask the question 'How do I define my purpose if I still suffer'.
Its the o'le got right your own ship before you can sail into the hearts of others. I looked and found places in my heart that needed mending. Grateful for SR, other members here at SR, the Mods and the whole shebang really:), a Buddha-ish path to walk along and stop to smell the flowers. ;)Love me some flowers ya'll;).

Congrats and great post!

Almost forgot how dare me
 

A SR member once posted this bit of wisdom. I immediately recognized this as clinging an important Buddhist concept referring to "attachment, clinging, grasping". It is considered to be the result of taṇhā (craving), and is part of the dukkha (suffering, pain) doctrine in Buddhism. Craving and suffering! all here at SR can relate to this one way or the other.
IMO The poem was written by a Bodhisattva. In other words my teacher. Letting go of addiction means you don't fight it, it doesn't fight you. I see it as shedding old behaviors in place of healthy behaviors and the transition will best achieved without holding onto the old.
Blessed be from :)Zenny (Will.G)


:)She let go:)
Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of fear. She let go of the judgments.
She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.
She let go of the committee of indecision within her.
She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely,
without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a
book on how to let go… She didn’t search the scriptures.

She just let go.
She let go of all of the memories that held her back.
She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.
She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go.
She didn’t journal about it.
She didn’t write the projected date in her day-timer.
She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.
She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.

She just let go.
She didn’t analyse whether she should let go.
She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.
She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.
She didn’t call the prayer line.
She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.

No one was around when it happened.
There was no applause or congratulations.
No one thanked her or praised her.
No one noticed a thing.

Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort. There was no struggle.
It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.
It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be.
A small smile came over her face.
A light breeze blew through her.
And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.

— Reverend Safire Rose

Gratitude is such an important part of my everyday life too Least, and I am very grateful that I have gotten to know you through SR! Congratulations on 11 years!!!

You are the best, least!