The Road less trodden, Weekenders 01 - 04 April 2022
Magsie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 26,665
The Road less trodden, Weekenders 01 - 04 April 2022
The Road less trodden, Weekenders 01 - 04 April 2022
Welcome to the Weekenders
If this is your first weekend sober, or many, come join us for support and chat...as we know the weekends can be a struggle sometimes. (We’re here all week too!)
“Suddenly we are faced with ourselves, who we really are. Someone we haven't seen or got to know in a very long time. We may not know how to react. To ourselves or to others. Look in the mirror and say glad to meet me.”
An SR member said these words to me when I was newly sober. I was floundering and unsure of myself and really didn’t know who I was or what to do as a sober person!
And it’s true! We start again on the sober road and a dollop of hope and faith.
I felt like I was taking steps into the unknown, on a road less trodden.
And slowly we begin to find ourselves and find life gets better without the booze.
They went on to say to me
"Someday" is not one of the days of the week, and "hopefully" is not a plan. Now is the time to start.
If this is your first weekend sober, or many, come join us for support and chat...as we know the weekends can be a struggle sometimes. (We’re here all week too!)
Welcome to the Weekenders
If this is your first weekend sober, or many, come join us for support and chat...as we know the weekends can be a struggle sometimes. (We’re here all week too!)
“Suddenly we are faced with ourselves, who we really are. Someone we haven't seen or got to know in a very long time. We may not know how to react. To ourselves or to others. Look in the mirror and say glad to meet me.”
An SR member said these words to me when I was newly sober. I was floundering and unsure of myself and really didn’t know who I was or what to do as a sober person!
And it’s true! We start again on the sober road and a dollop of hope and faith.
I felt like I was taking steps into the unknown, on a road less trodden.
And slowly we begin to find ourselves and find life gets better without the booze.
They went on to say to me
"Someday" is not one of the days of the week, and "hopefully" is not a plan. Now is the time to start.
If this is your first weekend sober, or many, come join us for support and chat...as we know the weekends can be a struggle sometimes. (We’re here all week too!)
Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: UK
Posts: 3,514
Originally Posted by Mags1 
We’ve got some snow here Robbie.
We've finally got a semblance of winter in spring...
Member
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Canada
Posts: 6,865
Thanks for this new chapter Mags 
About "Look in the mirror and say glad to meet me"
It was difficult to find myself in front of me without artifice, without the numbness of alcohol to conceal my emotions.
I often repeat the words of a CSN&Y song ♪♫ "Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now"♪♫
I'm not a 12-step program fan but I must admit that their steps 4 and 5 seem to make sense...
Count me in for another sober weekend (278th consecutive one!) ☼
About "Look in the mirror and say glad to meet me"
It was difficult to find myself in front of me without artifice, without the numbness of alcohol to conceal my emotions.
I often repeat the words of a CSN&Y song ♪♫ "Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now"♪♫
I'm not a 12-step program fan but I must admit that their steps 4 and 5 seem to make sense...
Count me in for another sober weekend (278th consecutive one!) ☼
Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,422
Reflecting more, I think that the avoidance of having to "meet me" in the mirror was part of the attraction of getting waisted all the time. It was the easy way out. It feels overwhelming sometimes. Anything is better than that old cycle of drunk, sick, drunk, sick though.
Giving up is NOT an option.
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 7,808
I'm IN!
Cityboy, I know that part of why I drank was to avoid having to "meet" myself. Most of my life, I felt so little self-worth. My deluded brain figured I was better drunk than I was sober. More fun to be around, more interesting, less awkward. All lies, as it turned out. But when you become an adult having always used alcohol as a social lubricant, you really have no idea what it's like to face others without it. And over time, I couldn't face MYSELF sober, because I grew to actually HATE myself. I avoided mirrors like the plague. I avoided facing up to the harm I was causing to myself and others. I didn't know who or what I would find if I got sober, so it really scared me. What if I really liked myself less sober? What if nobody wanted to spend time with me anymore? How was I going to face up to people and apologize for the damage I had done? Super scary stuff. Finally, though, I was more scared to keep drinking than I was to quit. I reached a tipping point. And I remember the exact moment I got there. Clearly. It was like a voice in my head said "you can do better. You don't have to keep doing this to yourself. Be brave. Nothing could be worse than the way you feel in this moment." I felt such a rush of relief and almost happiness in that moment. Of course, the days and weeks immediately after that were really really difficult and there were times I wondered what the heck I was trying to do, but I just kept going back to that moment in time when I was at that absolute bottom, and the universe intervened and showed me that there was a way out.
I met myself, it wasn't so bad, I can look in the mirror again now and not hate what I see. Over time, I'm learning who I actually am, and she's really OK. Pretty good, in fact.
Cityboy, I know that part of why I drank was to avoid having to "meet" myself. Most of my life, I felt so little self-worth. My deluded brain figured I was better drunk than I was sober. More fun to be around, more interesting, less awkward. All lies, as it turned out. But when you become an adult having always used alcohol as a social lubricant, you really have no idea what it's like to face others without it. And over time, I couldn't face MYSELF sober, because I grew to actually HATE myself. I avoided mirrors like the plague. I avoided facing up to the harm I was causing to myself and others. I didn't know who or what I would find if I got sober, so it really scared me. What if I really liked myself less sober? What if nobody wanted to spend time with me anymore? How was I going to face up to people and apologize for the damage I had done? Super scary stuff. Finally, though, I was more scared to keep drinking than I was to quit. I reached a tipping point. And I remember the exact moment I got there. Clearly. It was like a voice in my head said "you can do better. You don't have to keep doing this to yourself. Be brave. Nothing could be worse than the way you feel in this moment." I felt such a rush of relief and almost happiness in that moment. Of course, the days and weeks immediately after that were really really difficult and there were times I wondered what the heck I was trying to do, but I just kept going back to that moment in time when I was at that absolute bottom, and the universe intervened and showed me that there was a way out.
I met myself, it wasn't so bad, I can look in the mirror again now and not hate what I see. Over time, I'm learning who I actually am, and she's really OK. Pretty good, in fact.
s ❤️
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