Kittenkirk,

I'm about 6 weeks out of a relapse, myself so I can relate to the frustration of having to reset my sobriety date. But I don't look at it as starting all over. Yeah I've lost my continuous sober time, which is important, but it doesn't take away the year and a bit that I had sober, and it certainly doesn't take away the 8 years you had sober. The important thing to remember is that even though you slipped you admitted it, AND THEN GOT SOBER AGAIN. You didn't let one setback take you out completely. That shows huge courage and strength. I know I was really embarrassed to go back to my home group after a relapse (And I've had several) but they've always been super supportive and I haven't been judged. If your sponsor isn't willing / able to help you work through this last relapse, by figuring out what led up to it, and what you could do differently in the future should you find yourself in the same circumstances, then perhaps it's time to think about finding a new sponsor. But that's just me.

I really like the attitude of one guy who used to be in my home group. Whenever somone asked how long he'd been sober, he'd answer "since I got up this morning". He had something like 18 years sobriety but took one day at a time very seriously.

Take care.

---splitimage