This time is different

Recovery
#1

I’ve been planning to be sober for ten years. Wanting to be sober for five years. Trying to be sober for two. And needing to be sober for one.
This last year I’ve buckled down and done a million things for self growth. It always lasts a couple days and then there’s one more time.

I’m only on day four. But things are different this time. I’ve accepted the peaceful lifestyle, I view the days as more painful than the nights I would typically use, and I focus on the joy to come in the weeks long future instead of the immediate pleasure while finding the beauty and happiness in my world. For the first time I feel confident I can do this.

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#2

Welcome. Sobriety is no easy. You really want to have it for it to work. Do you have any recovery resources? Meetings? Sober friends, counselor, recovery coach? These are what you need to maintain. I would have never been able to do this without all of my recovery people.

#3

You can Evan! I’m an AA guy and found it requires action!! I was so sick I went to 760 some odd meetings my first year and the Steps saved my life!!

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#4

Hi Eric. I’ve personally never found an AA meeting that fit for me. Though I do enjoy the refuge recovery meetings and dharma recovery. Same 12 step concept but meditation based instead. Unfortunately there aren’t as many of those where I live so you have to attend online more often than not.

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#5

You certainly can do it!! Just keep up the good attitude and effort.

#6

Hang in there and good luck to you.
I tried most everything and found recovery in the rooms of AA. If what you’re doing isn’t working. You might try doing something else. Even if you don’t really want to.
I was eventually given the gift of desperation. I needed and tried to be sober for years. Finally I wanted sobriety and was willing to go to any length necessary. Today I have a life in sobriety that is beyond my imaginings.

#7

Nope. I can’t seem to establish that here. Refuge recovery meetings yes. But different people attend every week. I can’t find sober groups and with full time work and two kids my time for socializing is quite limited. I have some very good friends who have agreed to challenge me and support me despite that they themselves aren’t sober people.

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#8

As long as they understand what you are trying to do and they will stand by you, that’s wonderful.

#9

You can do it for sure. Something I realized recently is that whatever drug we take doesn't create all the good feeling or escape or whatever it is that we sought; rather, that is the placebo effect since we were around fun persons and or doing fun things when we used. So the pleasure is really in the things we do and the persons we're around, not the drug. We don't miss out on anything but the drug withdrawal when we choose orange juice instead.

#10

Oh yeah. They’re fifteen year long friendships. People who want me healthy more than anything. Not drinking buddies

#11

That’s wonderful and I do hope to get to that point. Confident I will.