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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2015 8:24:03 GMT -5
Hello Yvan, it's so good to hear from you. And yes, the forum seems weird to me too.
I'm happy to hear how well you're doing. You're certainly an inspiration for anyone who's not quite sure whether the fight to stay sober is worth it. Stay well, my friend, and as Daryl used to say ... never let anyone take away your joy.
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Post by ron on Oct 10, 2015 8:38:01 GMT -5
Great to 'see' you again, Yvan. That was one excellent post!
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Post by Sam on Oct 10, 2015 9:18:52 GMT -5
Hey, Yvan, it's good to see you, I enjoyed reading your post this early in the day. You give an example of how it's possible to go from darkness to light. Recovery is not easy especially in the early stages, but as you explained it's well worth the efforts and it's doable. The one constant benefit for me is waking up with no hangovers, I can't get over how nice it is to wake up fresh and energetic, no Tylenol, no Alka Seltzer, no drinking a gallon of water and feeling bloated, no dragging myself around and being in a bad mode all day, I look forward to that every morning. Welcome back,
Sam
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Post by bethanne711 on Oct 10, 2015 12:08:10 GMT -5
Hi Yvan, what a beautiful and heart felt post. I am so very happy that you have found peace and serenity within your sobriety and took the time to share with the rest of us. I'd really like to see you pop in when you can and share your inspiration. Happy for you ! Beth
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Post by achilles1957 on Oct 10, 2015 16:35:56 GMT -5
So lovely to see you Yvan, I loved your posts, refreshing and inspirational. You're right, life has its ups and downs, sobriety doesn't guarantee perfection (as it doesn't exist) but it does allow one to deal with situations to the best of one's capabilities .. without the fog/black cloud of alcohol. Nearly two years sober, your children must be so proud of you and I'm sure you are proud of you, you should be. All is as it should be, accepting the things I cannot change and letting life be, works for today.
Hugs to you Yvan
Jenn
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Post by Sam on Oct 10, 2015 23:11:06 GMT -5
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Post by JoeY on Oct 11, 2015 4:41:37 GMT -5
no and haven't been for over 10 years now
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Post by yvan on Oct 11, 2015 5:11:50 GMT -5
Hi all. Yes Sam it's so good to wake up every morning fully alive and not telling ourselves never again, until the next morning we tell ourselves never again, until the next morning......Thousands times in 30 years I said never again! I am so happy the madness is over and I'm glad you are well. Yes PJ the fight to stay sober is worth it, fight means duration, that's what my friends don't get yet, they want it all without fighting. It is a fight, it's a journey and I know it will end with my last breath. Knowing it, it reminds me every day that I am an alcoholic and will always be. Recovering, not recovered, simple, and I like it this way. Brett, yes I still do my running among the cows but they will vanish soon, the cold weather is on its way. I've got a job completely different to what I used to do when I was a care-assistant, it's a company selling secondhand books all over the UK and also around the world. It's a huge company. I like my job, not much to make my brain working hard and I like the people I work with. We laugh a lot. I need that. I love my shifts, I finish everyday at 2.30 pm and I have my weekends off. I never had weekends off when I was working in healthcare. I cycle to work, it takes about 1/2 hour, it's all flat, by the seafront, going to work looking at the sea, headphones on, heavy metal music! It's beautiful, it keeps me fit. When the weather gets bad I'll see, so far I love it. I still see the little boat everyday on my way going to work, same place. That boat saw me drunk many times and falling asleep on the beach or just falling, can't remember which one came first! You are right JoeY, there's never a good time to quit smoking. It's great to see an old member back, especially for the ones who know you. Beth, we all can say farewell to to the poison. The most important is not to say Hi again. I did and it took me a long time to recover. I don't forget and I don't want to. I don't want to forget that I forgot once how bad it was. Hope you are recovering well from your fall. Jenn you look like a star having holidays in the south of France. Lol. To me as well sobriety guarantees a different and a better future because we deal with life and situations with a clear mind. It doesn't mean we won't make mistakes but we don't escape anymore. Not escaping reality anymore has brought me a great strength, peace and serenity. Me too, I accept things I cannot change, I have learnt this one and it works, it has made my life less complicated and finally I don't need much to be happy, happiness is a feeling, an emotion, a sentiment, it's an inner thing, it belongs to me and after the darkness I was living in, this feeling is priceless, even little things in life are little miracles. That's how I see life now, nothing is for granted. So many people suffer hell on this planet, I am grateful of what I have, and yes my children are very proud of me. They don't have to worry about me anymore, I was very selfish, but it's the past, it's today that counts. I am proud I brought some peace in their lives. There is a life after alcohol Jenn, we know that, but for that it has to be a life without alcohol. As simple as that. I should have thought of it a long time ago and JFDI. lol Have a good day-night all. Hugs.
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Post by JoeY on Oct 11, 2015 6:59:48 GMT -5
quite in inspirational post yvan and your perseverance to succeed in this has really paid off. when people say you didn't get that way overnight so you can't expect to recover from it quickly they mean it. too many want 10,20,30 years of drinking to just go away in a week. from my experience nothing happened overnight it took years and years for me to have the peace of mind i had always longed for. have it now ain't lettin it go.
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Post by Sam on Oct 11, 2015 11:08:42 GMT -5
A lot of alcoholics do not know what to expect when they choose recovery, I didn't. When I first realized alcohol was damaging my life and decided to stop drinking I expected my life to be normal again, after all I blamed alcohol for everything that was wrong with my life. When that did not happen I went back to the bottle. Not knowing about PAWS made me relapse over and over again, the way I saw it what was the point of quitting if I was going to continue to feel miserable anyway. It took a long time and much education for me to realize recovery is much more than giving up alcohol
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Post by achilles1957 on Oct 13, 2015 6:24:04 GMT -5
A star you say Yvan, you are too kind, as I said to Beth, it's amazing what a bit of lippy will do.. but I thank you.
You're right, it is as simple as that.."a life without alcohol" .. however, in the grasp,of active addiction, nothing is simple. The dramas and complexities of obtaining, hiding and consuming alcohol is anything but simple, it takes a huge effort. Even my busiest most challenging days are now quite simple, just doing the next right thing, accepting this moment only, without the desire to change or improve it.
I want to start painting again but I'm a damned perfectionist so I don't even pick up a brush in fear of it not being good enough. I don't know what to do with that trait, it restricts me. I know in my mind that there is no such thing as perfect .. but the "not good enough" feelings haven't left me, as yet. A work in progress.
Take care for today All, Jenn
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Post by Sam on Oct 14, 2015 14:31:40 GMT -5
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Post by JoeY on Oct 14, 2015 15:39:37 GMT -5
Where are the regulars, is there another forum I don't know about? where's our good buddy ICON?
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Post by Sam on Oct 14, 2015 16:32:42 GMT -5
He was banned, tried to come back with many different screen names going around the ban, but Buddy T would not go for it. Buddy gave him a chance to apologize for his name calling posters as a condition to return, it got worse.
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Post by Sam on Oct 14, 2015 16:37:51 GMT -5
Joey, click on that last pic I posted and see if it enlarges.
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