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Post by quitat54 on Aug 20, 2017 0:30:00 GMT -5
Just stopped by to say that this past week I celebrated my 2 years of sobriety. Want to share this, as many of you were instrumental in my success. With your wisdom, sharing of your journey and practical advice, you helped me tremendously. It is the early stages that are very difficult. The temptation is always there, the memories are fresh, the skills to stay sober are not developed yet. There is a lot of doubt that one can succeed as the goal of permanent sobriety seems unsurmountable. That is the time when every day can be a straggle, when those errant thoughts can easily lead to resignation and self destructive behavior, and back to the abyss. Your advice and witty comments helped to get through. Now I am at the point when I don't think about drinking. I don't feel the need, I don't feel the desire. I learned to deal with life stresses and challenges and joys without having to drink. I truly don't need to drink. I am in control. I still experience the same challenges as before, like loneliness, aging, sickness, and other ups and downs that make up life. But I face them without alcohol. I don't need to escape to temporary oblivion, I don't need to self-medicate with booze.
I realize that this forum is not frequented by and active. But if there are new people that occasionally drop in, and are serious about changing their life, I want to say you owe it to yourself to try. Just do it, and the do it again, and again. Keep doing it until it sticks. Because it is worth it. Sober life is so much more enjoyable, so much fuller than a life of an alcoholic. And people who know both lives can appreciate it so much more.
All the best to everyone.
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Post by gwampa69 on Aug 20, 2017 10:57:32 GMT -5
Hi J Great post and great to see you moving forward. Congratulations on 2 years! Thank you for reinforcing some important facts about living a sober life. It's particularly important to acknowledge that life keeps on happening, the good and the not so good, regardless of whether we are sober and sane or drunk and compromised mentally. I think if folks believe that everything is going to be rosy after they put the plug in the jug, it can be a trap for relapse when the going gets a bit tough. The trick is how we react to adversity after we choose sobriety. My personal approach in the beginning was to remember that booze never ever solved anything. And always always always made my problems worse. All I had to do was be honest with myself about the condition of my life toward the end of my drinking. Eventually, I didn't have to go through the conscious evaluation of my past to fend off the urge to drink every time a stressor showed up. This only happened after time passed. With the passage of time, I didn't have to think about it at all. That is the gift of sobriety.
I'm happy for you man. Truly.
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Post by jeyu0422 on Aug 20, 2017 19:28:24 GMT -5
J, Two years is a big deal. For me, it was about the time I felt like I had gone through enough periodic near relapse experiences, and fought through them successfully, than I began to have some confidence that I could make it through anything that life could throw me without alcohol. I have actually had to laugh at the few cravings that I've had since then. My addicted brain may never completely give up alcohol, but I have. As you well know, it's a good feeling. Congratulations!!!! Mark/Jeyu
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Post by angelina1512 on Aug 21, 2017 16:28:18 GMT -5
Hey J,
Well done on 2 years of sobriety. It's nice to know that with support and being truly honest with oneself alcohol doesn't have to run our lives. I think what both Brett and Mark wrote is truly how it feels. It does take a lot of hard work at the start, but it is so worth it. I joke with people now if I am stressed and say " if I was a drinker I would probably need a scotch now". It truly is satisfying to know that I don't need or want it.
I'm sure now your life will get better, you truly have to believe in yourself.
Well done and cheers to you lol.
Angelina/tutu
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Post by yvan on Aug 27, 2017 5:14:04 GMT -5
Hi J 2 years sober! Wonderful. i remember that it was about that time I didn't have anymore the need to remember my drinking time. I will be 4 years sober in December, I have learnt to be another guy without being self-medicated. Alcohol is a topic I don't have much to say about otherwise that I have become myself since I stopped drinking. I don't need alcohol to be me, my life is good and altogether, it's just amazing everyday. It took me years before I made it but it's never too late to be free from that horrible addiction if we want to. Life is full of surprises, many doors that were shut when we used to drink are open. Always staying positive has played a huge part in my recovery. Being optimistic makes a big difference to everything. Believe in tomorrow J. Being sober, it can only get better and better. CONGRATULATIONS.
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Post by quitat54 on Sept 4, 2017 1:27:12 GMT -5
Good to hear from you guys. The old crew - my mentors and my inspirations. Yvan sums it up well. I also don't think much about alcohol. Go about my life without it and look with compassion on those who still drink. I am not arrogant in my freedom and always aware that the difference between this sober and drunk is one drink away. That is why I don't believe that moderate drinking is ever possible to people like me. It takes many attempts to come to that conclusion, but it sunk in. I realise why we seldom visit this site. Not much to say anymore about the topic other then more of the same. This site (in its old form) helped me to stop drinking and stop smoking. It is sad that About.com did not see the wisdom in continuing to help people. For whatever reason there was much more traffic. Anyway, good to hear from you guys. Don't know where you live at, but I hope that things are ok with you my Texan friend and Harvey did not get to you Mark.
J
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Post by pamelaparker on Dec 31, 2019 8:23:30 GMT -5
Congratulation on your sobriety.I wish you stay sober for your lifetime. Enjoy a great alcohol/drug free life with your friends and family. Drug Addiction is now a global problem. Thank you for sharing your journey of sobriety. It definitely will keep people away from trying it. One of my friend was a drug addict, now he is total cure.
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