tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post7707400232019730268..comments2023-12-23T04:12:18.041+11:00Comments on Sober in 100 Days - Bren Murphy's Blog: Your Story - Your TurnBren Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15484789907845282383noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-84475660912516202542017-10-27T09:23:54.279+11:002017-10-27T09:23:54.279+11:001. Have you stopped drinking?
Yes
2. How lon...1. Have you stopped drinking? <br /><br />Yes<br /><br />2. How long ago? <br /><br />19 months ago<br /><br />3. What was the final straw?<br /><br />I spent about 8 years drinking alone, isolating myself from family and friends, being afraid of people, thinking about suicide, hopeless things would ever get better, and being completely unaware what my problem was. It never occurred to me I had a problem with alcohol or that it was negatively affecting my life and my mental state. Unable to quit on my own, I started to realize I had a problem, and then by chance met someone who described the disease of alcoholism to me and suggested trying AA.<br /><br />4. How are you feeling right now?<br /><br />Right now I'm at work, so 6 out of 10. I am scheduled for ankle surgery in 3 weeks which I'm nervous about. On average, since getting sober I feel really really good. I can connect with people now, I can laugh, I can cry, I can ask for help, I can offer help, I can apologize, I'm more active, I've lost weight, I get invited to parties and sometimes I go to them, I'm in love, I clean my apartment, I'm trying to be better with money, and I've reconnected with my family and old friends.<br /><br />5. What works for you staying sober?<br /><br />AA's 12 steps, weekly therapy, yoga, cardio, healthy eating, setting boundaries, getting out of my comfort zone, meditation, prayingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-24303150436371545332014-06-20T14:17:21.703+10:002014-06-20T14:17:21.703+10:00Wow - this is powerful. I just started a blog on b...Wow - this is powerful. I just started a blog on being in a painful relationship with an alcoholic. I'd love folks' feedback and comments about it. I'm only giving my perspective and it would be nurturing for me to hear others' thoughts on my experiences. Thank you. dearjohnnarron.wordpress.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-85940425557580896942014-06-11T08:39:20.104+10:002014-06-11T08:39:20.104+10:00My post in the form of a video:
http://player.vim...My post in the form of a video:<br /><br />http://player.vimeo.com/video/97622113Peterhttp://www.soberingstories.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-1890733233093320532014-03-12T12:55:47.251+11:002014-03-12T12:55:47.251+11:00the week of sick unproductive time is what keeps m...the week of sick unproductive time is what keeps me sober - I can't handle the anxiety of being hungover anymore.Tigers on a Gold Leashhttp://soberin100days.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/tigers-on-gold-leash.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-87859399913143157392014-03-03T05:39:40.433+11:002014-03-03T05:39:40.433+11:00I love this blog and its so great to hear your ama...I love this blog and its so great to hear your amazing story. I just started my own blog similar stuff, I want to quit and i have a progression blog started today so if anyone wants my story and to follow my journey, Id love for everyone to check it out. http://smalltownnatalia.blogspot.ca/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08365866204239991209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-67352147372323535472014-02-17T07:17:08.508+11:002014-02-17T07:17:08.508+11:001. Have you stopped drinking?
YES!
2. How long...1. Have you stopped drinking? <br />YES!<br /><br />2. How long ago? <br />November 2, 2013, 106 days today<br /><br />3. What was the final straw?<br />My final straw was a culmination of things over the past two years. I didn't drink every day. I'm a binge drinker, drinking ever other weekend (when I'm away from my youngest daughter). The propensity to binge drink has always been there but I had periods where I didn't drink for years. <br /><br />I was married for 20 years and after divorcing I found that dating always meant drinking. I found a great guy who unfortunately has a drinking problem as well and that's what we did together for the last 4+ years. We went from sharing a fifth of booze over a 3 day period to the point where we were both drinking a half gallon of hard liquor each over a 24 hour period. <br /><br />About a year ago, I woke up after a binge with the most horrible case of anxiety. I wanted to crawl out of my own skin just to get away from myself. The hangovers where incredibly debilitating for days if not an entire week after the binges. After figuring out that alcohol was causing my anxiety, I tried moderation to no avail. One drink led to days of blackout drunks. I figured out that if I stayed drunk, the anxiety stayed away. <br /><br />All of this drinking led to many fights with my boyfriend and since we don't live together, caused me to drive over an hour back home. I always waited hours before driving but realize now that I was still legally drunk and how lucky I am to not have killed someone with my car. <br /><br />I got tired of lying to my teenage daughter when she asked how I had bruised myself so badly. I couldn't tell her that I had no recollection after having been black out drunk for days. It's a wonder I didn't break anything other than my pride.<br /><br />4. How are you feeling right now? I'm feeling pretty great. I'm able to be productive every day instead of losing days to the dreaded hangover.<br /><br />5. What works for you staying sober? <br />Sleeping always helps me when I'm feeling like I want to drink. I don't think I would be here without the help of sober bloggers. I know that I one drink will lead to a week of sick unproductive time. So, the fear of hangovers also helps me stay sober.SignGurlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07637199338513235368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-54619042325298969952013-12-06T13:23:11.220+11:002013-12-06T13:23:11.220+11:001. Have you stopped drinking?
Yes, I've st...1. Have you stopped drinking? <br /><br />Yes, I've stopped <br /><br />2. How long ago? <br /><br />It's bee 2 years<br /><br />3. What was the final straw?<br /><br />Police officer arresting me. <br />Lose my driver license and getting fired.<br /><br />All the same day.<br /><br />4. How are you feeling right now?<br /><br />Feeling ok, I always some kind of little thirst.<br /><br />I do not feel I've done something wrong yesterday loll.<br /><br />5. What works for you staying sober?<br /><br />I don't have headaches related to drinking. <br />I know I'll be in shape in the morning. <br /><br />I do not feel I've done something wrong yesterday loll.<br /><br />PhilipInpatient drug rehabhttp://www.nonfaithbased-drugrehab.org/longterm-inpatient-rehab.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-72451281216467633052013-11-08T14:47:21.429+11:002013-11-08T14:47:21.429+11:001. Have you stopped drinking?
Yes
2.How Long Ago?...1. Have you stopped drinking? <br />Yes<br />2.How Long Ago? <br />April 5, 2013<br />3 What Was the Final Straw?<br />Tired of everyone complaining about my drinking, I "ran away" from home (at age 35). When I went to check out of the hotel at what I thought was the end of the weekend, I found out I'd been there for 9 days. Four days later, I had my last drink in the parking lot outside the admissions office of a treatment center. <br />4. How are you feeling right now?<br />Healthy, optimistic, overwhelmed, scared, grateful.<br />5. What Works for You Staying Sober?<br />AA - not just going to meetings, but really working the program, gratitude, getting plenty of sleep & eating a lot of candy (I'm tapering off the candy, but damn was that important for the first few months!) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-2091336634898100702013-10-21T15:09:21.227+11:002013-10-21T15:09:21.227+11:00Don’t know what I can say. I am no more aware of j...Don’t know what I can say. I am no more aware of justification than anyone that seeks it from me. I am explained so painfully perfectly in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. My difference is I am still drunk. <br /> I have attended thousands, truly thousands, of AA meetings and witnessed the authentic miracle in others of a free and glorious life without liquor. I believe some of them were as hopeless as I am. <br /> I have so many loving and admiring friends willing to help, whatever is needed or wanted. Yet, I know that won’t help. And the act of being a careless drunk amidst ones who I know have suffered as I have seems like another unwelcome outcome I am supposed to bear. <br /> I have learned “fade out” it not an option in this world I know, yet I long for it. <br />To exit before one grows old and tedious. <br />Too late for that. I have become both. Just ask me. <br /> So is my answer in this writing?<br />suelee44https://www.blogger.com/profile/05904943951607668979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-90231216323667145932013-10-21T15:02:45.705+11:002013-10-21T15:02:45.705+11:00My life as an alcoholic has left me dry. My first ...My life as an alcoholic has left me dry. My first experiences with intoxication probably occurred before I had cognitive memory. My last experiences came with little memory, as well. <br /> I have no illusion that I am not suffering from the lethal form of alcoholism. I am as sure of it as I am the face I see in the mirror. Yet, that has not arrested the shameful and senseless demise I am surely facing.<br /> I have attended over three treatments and thousands of AA meetings, all calming to my condition, yet I am as bound to return to the drink as the sun is to rise. Hopeless is the term, I believe.<br /> What I don’t understand is the senselessness of the harm I cause others. I do not approve of assault weapons, and would absolutely never use one, yet the impact I cause is just as vast and random. <br /> I want to be whole or, at the least, not feeling excruciating discomfort by merely existing. Alcohol by no means cures this, but it does alleviate enough to return to sleep. <br /> There is no one to blame or attach responsibility. The impulse to assign a catalyst towards my relentless approach to self destruct is attractive. But, in all truth, no person or condition would have any impact on the power that alcohol has had over me.<br /> Just as not being able to experience another childhood, I am only familiar with a life that has always been ruled by alcohol. Whether it be consuming it or the steadfast actions to keep it at bay. <br />It will always be driving me. <br /> Angry and hopeless. Where is the purpose in taking a genuinely kind and helpful woman and bestowing her with this loathsome condition. I am faced with trying to understand or logically accept, yet I am forever intoxicated. Thus logic and understanding are not frequent visitors. <br />suelee44https://www.blogger.com/profile/05904943951607668979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-62694946028698227522013-10-21T15:01:27.936+11:002013-10-21T15:01:27.936+11:00Don’t know what I can say. I am no more aware of j...Don’t know what I can say. I am no more aware of justification than anyone that seeks it from me. I am explained so painfully perfectly in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. My difference is I am still drunk. <br /> I have attended thousands, truly thousands, of AA meetings and witnessed the authentic miracle in others of a free and glorious life without liquor. I believe some of them were as hopeless as I am. <br /> I have so many loving and admiring friends willing to help, whatever is needed or wanted. Yet, I know that won’t help. And the act of being a careless drunk amidst ones who I know have suffered as I have seems like another unwelcome outcome I am supposed to bear. <br /> I have learned “fade out” it not an option in this world I know, yet I long for it. <br />To exit before one grows old and tedious. <br />Too late for that. I have become both. Just ask me. <br /> So is my answer in this writing?<br />suelee44https://www.blogger.com/profile/05904943951607668979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-82886929104209431972013-09-24T15:36:53.570+10:002013-09-24T15:36:53.570+10:00" it's easier to make better decisions an..." it's easier to make better decisions and strive toward goals rather than drink to quiet my fears and self doubt." <br /><br />Whoever wrote this is a fucking legend.Alcoholichttp://australia.gov.au/topics/health-and-safety/drug-and-alcohol-usenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-62413485672113438382013-09-05T05:04:09.489+10:002013-09-05T05:04:09.489+10:001. Have you stopped drinking?
Yes
2. How long...1. Have you stopped drinking? <br />Yes<br /><br />2. How long ago? <br />September 1, 2013<br /><br />3. What was the final straw?<br />Over the past 15 years, I have had an on-again/off-again relationship with alcohol. When it's on, it's REALLY on. As in, spent a month in college completely wasted. As in, this summer I spent more days drinking/recovering from drinking than I did with my family. It's a disgrace and a mess and I decided on September 1st that I'm tired of using it as a way to deal with negative feelings. I'm 27. I'm too old to be running from this.<br /><br />4. How are you feeling right now?<br />Angry with myself for letting things get this out of control. Sad for my family and friends. Pathetic and weak. Really, really tired.<br /><br />5. What works for you staying sober?<br />When cravings are bad, I squeeze handfuls of ice until it hurts. It helps take the edge of the cravings off and isn't something that will literally hurt me long term. Also, going to bed and establishing a regular routine and channeling my energy into volunteer work/extra time with my kids also helps.Amynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-23226818062974592982013-08-07T17:41:27.680+10:002013-08-07T17:41:27.680+10:001. I stopped drinking, but haven't decided it&...1. I stopped drinking, but haven't decided it's for good. It's just something that no longer works with my life.<br /><br />2. I think it's been a few months by now, but after having multiple sobriety dates in the past, and then huge relapses based around the guilt when I lost them, I decided what's important is today.<br /><br />3. The final straw was that I was heading for a "deeper bottom" and decided I didn't need to get all the way there to react. <br /><br />4. I feel strong, and independent. I feel like I've finally taken control of my life.<br /><br />5. I play music, write songs. I'm currently working on a Kickstarter project to fund studio time to record a concept album surrounding my experience. Maybe you could relate to some of the songs?<br /><br />http://kck.st/13yC74Y<br /><br />Thank you for the time,<br />Danny Stipe<br />www.stipesongs.comDanny (DJ) Stipehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05199962868439560049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-14670153568574105762013-02-06T04:11:54.240+11:002013-02-06T04:11:54.240+11:001. Have you stopped drinking?
I am hoping to s...1. Have you stopped drinking? <br /><br />I am hoping to stop today. I am trying to stop today.<br /><br />2. How long ago?<br /><br />My last drink was a half-glass of wine around 4 am this morning, which is absolutely horrifying.<br /><br /><br />3. What was the final straw?<br /><br />This morning I awoke on the coach, still wearing my clothes from the previous day with the blue glow of a DVD that had ended on the television and a half-glass of red wine on the coffee table, which I downed like a champion before getting into the shower. I tore apart my purse searching for cigarettes, which, had I been even remotely less disgusting I would have remembered I ran out of at some point between putting the kids to bed and my nightly drinking myself to sleep which is basically when I collapse on some piece of furniture in the living room and snore away until I wake up with the need to urinate. Hopefully, anyhow.<br /> <br />At the beginning, my drinking seemed to me romantic. Because as unbelievable as it may seem, I knew from my first drink that I was an alcoholic and I FUCKING WANTED IT. I was a boring kid who did well in my private school and came from a white suburban neighborhood in goddamn New Jersey with smiling parents who never got divorced and no one went to prison or traumatized me unduly. I wanted to be a writer, and in some insane case of drunken logic, I convinced myself that my excessive drinking made me a more interesting and complicated person.<br /><br />But today, today I am tired. I am tired of passing out before brushing my teeth. (Yes, this is a disgusting factor in my life.) I am tired of awkwardly avoiding all human contact after 8 pm because I know I’m going to be incoherent. I am tired of taking out the trash that clatters and clinks down the steps with bottles each week. <br /><br />I am tired of being tired. <br /><br /><br />4. How are you feeling right now?<br /><br />Embarassed.<br /><br />5. What works for you staying sober?<br /><br />I do not know yet...<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-68590372865980136792013-01-29T13:16:05.657+11:002013-01-29T13:16:05.657+11:001. Have you stopped drinking?
Yes I have stoppe...1. Have you stopped drinking? <br />Yes I have stopped drinking and using drugs.<br /><br />2. How long ago? <br />I have been sober for just over 5 months!<br /><br />3. What was the final straw?<br />The final straw was when I got arrested at the school of my dreams, SMU. I was also slipped 'Xanax' (it was in my drink) and overall had an awful night. I was kicked out of the school a few days later, which meant I was only enrolled for less than a week. I went to a sober living home right after that.<br /><br />4. How are you feeling right now?<br />Right now I feel amazing. I am heading to work in 6 minutes. So there's that, the full time job. I run my own blog on sobriety, my own forum on addiction, associate with other alcoholics and stay active (I bike every day for the most part). <br />I feel awesome!<br /><br />5. What works for you staying sober?<br />Well what I listed above works great. However, I feel so proud of myself for doing what I thought I would not ever do.<br />Exercise is a huge thing for me, along with routine. The scheduled hours for work keep me in line, exercise makes me happy, and the blog and forum I run definitely add some responsibility that I never want to give up.<br /><br />www.beingsober.org is my blog<br />I'd like to invite you, or anyone else, to share their story there as well.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08992621053326793283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-90806567381919991762012-12-01T05:12:11.297+11:002012-12-01T05:12:11.297+11:00I wish you the absolute best of luck.. not that it...I wish you the absolute best of luck.. not that its luck that keeps us in the zone but hey.. a tattoo wow. thats commitment. I dont think I could do that. you bloody well stay strong then eh? I wish I could have a fraction of your willpower :)<br /><br />I have a 7 year old boy who isnt mine but whose dad doesnt seem to be interested to care for. I didnt have a care in the world responsibility wise before hand. It's like ive suddenly sprouted a child, one that needs me. that really helps. i just decided it was about time i was a grown up. im not drawing paralells... but i think you got a similar kick. :) best of luck babes and love to your family.<br />Shadley Haxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11780796354969413578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-17110361760288358142012-12-01T05:08:32.959+11:002012-12-01T05:08:32.959+11:00totally what Bwendo said. there is a massive camel...totally what Bwendo said. there is a massive camel hump to get over. people think it will take a few days but it doesn't, it takes bout a week give or take. get over that and its the first part of the battle done. <br />The next bit just takes willpower. stay away from drinking peeps. I have so many friends that seem to think its ok to invite me to a pub... duh ;) not yet. one day maybe. Shadley Haxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11780796354969413578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-62285981380353503852012-12-01T05:05:57.864+11:002012-12-01T05:05:57.864+11:00good luck on your trek dude (dudette.. sorry, I re...good luck on your trek dude (dudette.. sorry, I reread.. my bad ). The honesty is awesome. I had real problems when i quit because my persona was the same. I drank, took drugs, partied like I couldnt die... i was friggin awesome.... but to be fair the drugs were less damaging than the drink... and the drink was more addictive. I gave up the drugs no worries.. the drink.... well. :/ <br /><br />good luck babes. explore, be adventurous, have fun. ;)Shadley Haxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11780796354969413578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-68422076249988548172012-12-01T05:02:19.394+11:002012-12-01T05:02:19.394+11:001. Have you stopped drinking?
-----------------...1. Have you stopped drinking? <br />-------------------------------<br />I stop and start. I spent the best part of 10 years drinking myself silly. then I stopped for 2 years. since then I've struggled with it. As I write this, I have been 12 hours or so, sober.<br /><br />3. What was the final straw?<br />---------------------------------<br />I couldnt get out of bed properly to get the alcohol I needed to stop myself from going into a terrifying withdrawal. I hallucinated so badly on withdrawal it was like I was living a terrible dream. I think at the time I preferred that feeling to living my actual life no matter how terrifying it was. I also got a friend that only I could see. bonus right? :s wrong. the hallucinations were the warning that the doctors needed to pop me into bethlam hospital and prescribe me with the librium I needed to sober up.<br /><br />4. How are you feeling right now?<br />--------------------------------------<br />Horrible. I need to build things, to make stuff, to be constructive but I can't spend money on materials I dont have. I'll find something else to do. I'll live :)<br /><br />5. What works for you staying sober?<br />-----------------------------------------<br />Being busy. walking, geocaching, creating, tameshigiri, whatever it is, it has to grab my attention and the best things are those things that you walk away with something at the end of it; something physical that you can look at and remember the sobriety that led you to its acquisition or creation, something that you can hold on to for a second and realise that its only you thats really led you here to this better place. :) stability in my life also works... if someone rocks the boat I get dead crochety... and then I drink.<br /><br />the bitch with this is that the game changes and what kept me sober last year wont work this year. ive gotta keep moving and keep interested. my mind babbles away at me and theres nothing I can do to stop it.. short of a drink. so I have to keep it occupied. <br /><br />i dont know if anyone else gets that.. *Shrugs* we're all in this together, each and every one of us, individually.. alone. or at least thats how it feels.. without a drink. <br /><br />good luck people. ;) peace.<br /><br />also as an end note, I spent two years sober. thats a long time. I realise that diatribe sounded quite down and desperate.. its not. its one day at a time sure, but there will come a point where you can look back and be proud... :) <br /><br />Shadley Haxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11780796354969413578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-29498160877980920372012-09-11T11:43:16.493+10:002012-09-11T11:43:16.493+10:00Hello :
I am in Recovery 28 years. I am writi...Hello :<br /><br /> <br /><br />I am in Recovery 28 years. I am writing a book. I want to publish a second book. " The Little Big Book, " - 30 - 40 stories /<br /><br /> <br /><br />3500 - 5000 words. submit here , follow link for details.<br /><br /> <br /><br />http://www.alcoholicshare.org/2012/09/04/the-little-big-book/<br /><br /> <br /><br />thx : Thomas Gillis<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933339476611155116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-723954124868458992012-08-09T23:01:49.142+10:002012-08-09T23:01:49.142+10:001. Have you stopped drinking?
Nope. But I am pla...1. Have you stopped drinking? <br />Nope. But I am playing with the idea.<br /><br />2. How long ago? <br />Not applicable, dude.<br /><br />3. What was the final straw<br />Too many close calls. I've wrecked my car twice in three months; the first one I totaled. I've seen my family struggle with alcoholism and swore I'd never drink because of it. But curiosity got the best of me. I drink almost daily, and quite excessively. I'm 24, so people attribute it to my age. I have used that excuse, too. I've mentioned my drinking as problematic and have expressed concern that I have a problem, but "friends" make excuses for me, saying, "It's just social. You just know a lot of people. You know how to have fun." What they don't know is that it isn't uncommon for me to drink 2-4 glasses of wine before I head out to the bar for my Jameson and cheap beer. (I started drinking Jameson straight to slow myself down, but it's not working anymore.) I black out constantly, embarrassing myself. I've dated the worst guys ever and put myself in questionable situations. To many, this sounds fairly typical for someone my age. But I feel myself slipping. I've read the stories of other drinkers, and while I may not have empty bottles shoved under my bed and I haven't been to jail, I feel like I'm on that path. <br /><br />4. How are you feeling right now?<br />Conflicted, because I actually can't imagine my life without alcohol. I didn't start drinking until I was 19, but my life has basically revolved around drinking since then. I have sort of based my identity around drinking and being a wild party girl. It's fucking fun. <br /><br />5. What works for you staying sober?<br />I haven't figured it out yet. I am leaving the Midwest this weekend for the mountains. I hope to travel around the U.S. and possibly the world and since making the decision to embark on this adventure, I have cut back on my drinking some. It's given me something to focus my energy (and finances) on. But then again, I have about $250 less than I had planned to leave with because of going out, keeping a stock of wine and having to replace a tire.Candrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03618339301731597330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-12906046811714665222012-07-22T08:35:29.593+10:002012-07-22T08:35:29.593+10:001. Yes, I've stopped drinking
2. This is my se...1. Yes, I've stopped drinking<br />2. This is my second day without a drink<br />3. Getting pissed at work dinner and offending a collegue who made a compliant about me. Could cost me my job. Such an idiot.<br />4. I've done six month before, I just need to always remain vigilant. Moderation is a joke, just a slippery slope. Just need to say no.<br />5. Can't say yet. Started a blog of my own to remind myself of why I want to stay on course. Hopefully it helps me, and perhaps others. <br /><br />I'm thinking of attending a meeting or some such, but it something I havnt done before.<br /><br />Http://facingfactsaboutmyself.wordpress.com.<br /><br />Read your blog from the start last night. Great effort and really appreciated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-66571192728806377392012-06-01T15:40:35.154+10:002012-06-01T15:40:35.154+10:001. Have you stopped drinking? Yes
2. How long ag...1. Have you stopped drinking? Yes <br /><br />2. How long ago? 3 days<br /><br />3. What was the final straw? There have been a few final straws in the last few weeks: Falling asleep wasted with my baby girl next to me in my bed with no railing. She could have easily fallen off. Stupid. Also the piss poor state of my relationship with my husband. Most of our fights are alcohol fueled and I can't make sense of anything anymore.<br /><br />4. How are you feeling right now? Hopeful. Reading the stories of others is giving me confidence. <br /><br />5. What works for you staying sober? I'm not qualified to answer this yet. I think the thing/person that will help me stay sober is my daughter. Not being a loser for her.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481487535671538648.post-66573618266083635232012-05-16T03:19:30.612+10:002012-05-16T03:19:30.612+10:001. Have you stopped drinking?
Yes
2. How long...1. Have you stopped drinking? <br />Yes<br /><br />2. How long ago? <br />93 days. I had my last drink in the early hours on February 11, 2012.<br /><br />3. What was the final straw? <br />For more years than I can count, there has been a voice in my head telling me I had a problem. Over the course of those years, I have made a few attempts at “moderating” my drinking, but moderation, for me, always eventually failed. Then, after a long night of drinking at a bar, and not eating dinner (a normal occurrence), I slipped and fell on the sidewalk. I broke my top front tooth, lacerated my lower lip, and scraped and bruised most of the right side of my face. A police officer happened to witness my fall, and stopped to help me as I stood bleeding heavily all over the place. He called me an ambulance, and I ended up spending the remainder of the evening, into early morning, basically sobering up in the emergency room. Luckily, a friend was allowed to ride along with me in the ambulance and keep me company while I was in the ER. Luckily, nothing worse happened. My blood alcohol level was .27.<br />4. How are you feeling right now? <br />Grateful. Aware. Awake. Clear. Open. Connected – to the earth, my body, my emotions, my family. It hasn’t all been easy, but I prefer feeling the emotions I’m feeling now, to the numbest and anxiety I felt when I was drinking.<br /><br />5. What works for you staying sober? <br />For the first few weeks, sleeping, watching television, reading, and eating the right foods was all I basically did. I holed myself up on the couch, and let myself ‘heal’ as if I had just gotten over a major sickness or had surgery. I still worked and went through my dialing routine, but I just let myself ‘be’ for a while. I saw a therapist a few times, which helped me tremendously. He recommended some really helpful books, and was knowledgeable about, and helped me to understand, the physical and emotional changes I was experiencing. He also helped me to realize that, although I felt alone in this journey into sobriety, I was not alone in my condition. All the changes I was going through, and still am going through, are shared by many. When I feel weak, or have doubts, I read blogs, or google “sober 1 week”, “sober 2 weeks”, “sober 90 days”, etc. I read personal memoirs about sobriety. I read abstract and philosophical books about nature. I began taking yoga classes again. I began walking at least 2 miles a day, especially when I’m feeling frustrated, or need to clear my head. I make or order myself ‘fancy’ drinks when socializing – my recent favorite is cranberry and tonic water. <br />To be completely honest though, the biggest thing that helps me to stay sober is the sound and the visual memory of my face hitting the sidewalk. I can’t bear the thought of how I would feel about myself if I ever were to put myself in that position again. I know now that I can’t even have one drink, because one drink for me eventually leads to many.Pam from PAnoreply@blogger.com