Hyu12

good for you!!

Amajorityofone

Congratulations!

I am on day one....for the 379th day in a row.

My secret?

There is no "try."
There is only do, or do not.
And all we have to do is not drink today.
Simple.
Powerful.
Achievable.

Why jump over a hurdle when you can walk over a stick?

Excellence then is not an event. It is a habit. We are what we repeatedly, do.
-Aristotle.

Good luck and God Bless

lizw

I tried to get interested in other people which seemed like a bit of a paradox as I had so many problems in my life (as we do when we get sober) I felt like I should be fully focused on myself! But there were a lot of thing in my life that I could not 'fix' immediately so had to learn to leave them alone.

But I spent TONS of time with other people in recovery, talking, comparing stories, going to meetings, drinking coffee, having arguments over the 'right way' to recover etc...

We helped each other and learnt together and I stopped feeling lonely as despite having a partner and child, I felt loneliness hugely.

That's one of the great things about this website is we can come on here anytime and spend time with each other.

All the best my friend

Johnnyles

I have been sober three years and it required drastic life changes, but I want to share some of the little things that made a difference:

- When I see something that is beautiful in nature or in human behaviour I try to write it down and remember them, let them soak in, because it was those images of beauty I was unable to see when using

-As others say I made my home a peaceful, clean clutter free environment, a sanctuary so I would not become stressed or made to feel guilty and could process my thoughts without distraction

- I started doing things more for others. Addiction is selfish and I was lucky that people had stuck by me as I forgot their birthdays, ignored their calls. I made an effort with these people in my life because they deserved it and I deserve to cultivate relationships.

- I make tea at night, a new ritual where I find my favourite tea cup and enjoy the process. It is calming and I look forward to it. Very simple but important to me.

Thanks
Emily

johnatahn1

Im looking to join a football club get socialising and playing my hobbies and passions without the need to drink

Soberpotamus

These are great suggestions on this thread! Thanks everyone

I am getting ready to celebrate my six months pretty soon, and thinking about what I'm doing to change things around and support my sobriety. These are the things that stand out: SR reading & posting, meditating, journaling, therapy, reading books, moderate exercise, healthier eating, vitamins, volunteering at a local women's shelter.

But what isn't so easy to articulate as an activity: listening... really staying open enough to listen, observing... without judgement (which turns out to be VERY difficult!), accepting (reality), not getting overwhelmed, realizing I can only live TODAY, forgiving (this one is the hardest.. and I am only beginning to "go there").

Peace111

I am on day 15. Last night Friday night was very difficult for me. My friends and roommate always go out and drink on Fridays and Saturdays...it was my social outlet. But I would drink too much and black out after saying "oh Im only going to have one drink". So last night was hard. But I went grocery shopping afterwork then came home and read about recovery until I was tired and went to bed. How nice it was to be able to wake up NOT hungover and feeling guilty or not remembering anything! I feel good today.
And huge KUDOS to everyone staying sober. We can do this!!

liftandrun

Since it's 4am here I guess I'm on day 6- which means I survived the first Friday and Saturday nights of not drinking. Yay! I'm one of those isolated drinkers, because it worked out better that way, less embarrasment. So, this weekend I've been reaching out to the people in my life more. Friday I texted with an old friend who is far away, and a new one from AA who is very encouraging. I also cleaned and freshened up the house.

Saturday, I kept busy with my dog at the park, and visited friends and then family. Watched a recovery video, napped, woke up with that uh-oh feeling: bored and Saturday night. So I found a meeting sort of far away to go to (eats up more time that way) and made it. I plan to check out a different meeting today to see what it is like.

GracieLou

Good for both of you!

I have had these times when I am not sure what to do with myself. All this extra time. I never knew there were so many hours in a day, especially the weekends. In the past they seemed to go by so fast and blurred. It was Monday before I knew it and I had nothing to show for it except another empty bottle and a half a carton of smokes.

It sounds like you both are on the right track. Keeping busy is important. I think I am going to take my dog to the park today, scratch that, I AM going to take my dog to the park today. I am also going to an AA anniversary with a lead I have been waiting to hear. I did chores yesterday, time for fun