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I am a recovering alcoholic/addict looking to talk to others with longer term sobriety about how they stay sober. I have been sober 7 1/2 years.

Hi WenD!

Congrats on the 7 and 1/2 years sober! That is a great accomplishment! My drug of choice was crack. I have not had it in 7 and 1/2 years. Awhile after I went off the crack, I started drinking and got into trouble with it too. I have not had a drink in 3 years.

I am very dedicated to my recovery and I work a recovery program of my own making. I don't attend AA or NA, but I have borrowed a few of their ideas and adapted them to work for me.

I hope to hear more from you. Maybe we can share some ideas about our recovery and such. But, right now I have to cut this short because I am still at work. See you around!

hello and welcome to pc

Hi WenD,
Congratulations on the 7 1/2 years...
one day at a time does add up, doesn't it?

By grace, I have not found it necessary so far to take a drink today...by grace, I have not found it necessary for the last 25 years. I'm a very grateful recovering alcoholic.

Usually I don't mention months or years because the most important to me is today.
I am fiercely protective of my sobriety, WenD.

Welcome! I'm looking forward to your posts.
Share when you are ready...

Cap

Hi WenD...and welcome to PC.

My name is Lenny and I AM a gratefull recovering alcoholic.

Like our meetings this forum discusses issues relative to staying sober and helping another to find the same..

I encourage you to share and comment...

We need each other...We can't do this alone.

With Care,

Lenny

hi wend , good for you!!!71/2 years. we're all glad you joined us at this forum! i like to say the person who got up this earliest today has the most "time", cause we only have "today".
i've been active in a 12 step program for some time and would be happy to know you! you can pm me any time too. in the process of moving to another state as of sat.if ever i can be of help just let me know. it's a "we" program.

Thanks for the reply. I too am dedicated to my recovery although as the months and years go on I don't focus on it the way I once did. I don't have the urge to drink but I also realize that the minute I think I can let my guard down I am in big trouble. I got sober by the grace of God and with the help of AA although I realize that 12 step programs don't work for everyone. I am intrigued by the program of your own making. I need to learn about alternatives to the common programs because some people are not open to the 12 step programs no matter what.

I am finishing up my bachelors degree in social work and hope to work with people with substance abuse issues when I am done with my masters which I will start next year. So I am always looking for ideas because people have the right to recover in whatever way works for them.

Good for you for fighting the fight! Crack is a tough one and you are blessed to have found recovery - by whatever means you have done it!

Thanks for the reply. I like your analogy about having the most time...my greatest achievement in sobriety is to learn just that - how to stay in today! My anxiety issues are what really drove me to abuse alcohol and drugs and I am proud of the fact that I have found others ways to help me cope. It is a life long process as you know and I need to be vigilant every day!

Good luck on your move. Hope to hear from you again.

Hi Lenny -

Thanks for the reply. One of the hardest lessons I learned in recovery is that you can't get and stay sober alone. I appreciate the encouragement. My favorite word now is GRATITUDE and I use it to anyone who will listen. I too am a very grateful recovering alcoholic!

I heard early in sobriety that you can't get cocky about sobriety time and I was even reluctant to type it for that reason. When I was newly sober I was so in awe of people with long-term sobriety and did not believe that I would ever be able to say I had more than one day. So one of the reasons I tell people is for that reason...to be encouraging that sobriety is possible even though it doesn't seem like it in the beginning.

I believe sobriety is a gift and often wonder why I got it when so many others don't. That's why I've dedicted the current chapter of my life to preparing myself to help others get and keep the gift. I'm very blessed.

Looking forward to more.....

"Thanks for the reply. I too am dedicated to my recovery although as the months and years go on I don't focus on it the way I once did."
i'm just curious but why don't you still focus on recovery as you once did?

madisgram,
jme, but as time went on, it was the way I focused on it that changed...I learned to be grateful and protect my sobriety.
I guess you could say I matured a bit in my sobriety. It became very clear to me that it was not some kind of game...it was life or death.

Cap

Well WenD, hear it again--don't get cocky about your sobriety time--there's plenty that'll do that for ya! If it's pertinent to the conversation, then you use it. If you use it for selfish reasons, that's different. I find learning about all the selves and self's is the hardest task of all.

I'm glad you're here. The more, the merrier! I was very much in awe of people with long time sobriety too. I am even more so now! I think back and wonder how any of them put up with me! I was a miserable wretch just picking for a fight. And I picked at everything and everyone. Nothing was sacred. Out of all that, my not drinking today became my next breath.

Life is a kaleidoscope and full of smoke and mirrors. I live where success and failure are difficult enough to live through much less predict. Taking my next breath demands explicit allowances for uncertainty. I have to prepare for those times in advance.

I have a card that an old timer gave to me. I keep it where I'm sure to see it & read it frequently. Maybe you'll like it--it didn't scan so great but it's a little dog eared.

2 separate paragraphs pulled from:

Alcoholism as a Manifestation of Allergy

W. D. Silkworth

1937

"It is noteworthy also, that such patients may be deprived of liquor altogether for a long

period, a year or longer for example, and become apparently normal. They are still allergic,

however, and a single drink will develop the full symptomatology again...

It is true, of course, that psychologically much assistance can be given. Wrong methods

of thinking can be corrected. Extroversion rather than introversion can be encouraged;

but fundamentally this individual must stand on his own platform, come what will – social

and financial troubles, heredity, etc., not withstanding."