Addiction & Recovery
Related: About this forumWell, my wife went out of town for 5 days and I was tempted
to do some drinking. It was way in the back of my mind. However, I decided to cook some gross food like potato pancakes, get some carry out, and watch a bunch of movies instead. I made it the whole time without having a single sip of booze!
WhiteTara
(29,703 posts)Now you know you don't need a caretaker to make sure you are true to yourself. Congratulations, you are stronger today.
This reminds me of the Buddhist story about a teacher who gives 3 students a chicken each and tells them to go kill the chicken where no one can see. The first student goes out behind the barn, looks to see if anyone else is there and kills his chicken. The second one goes to the woods to a secluded place behind trees and kills the chicken. The third one brings it back to the teacher and says, I couldn't do it. Everywhere I went, the chicken could see.
Buddhism is the one religion I can believe in. When I walk down the street, I actually look down to make sure I don't step on ants. No one else would know I killed an ant. But I would.
Karadeniz
(22,500 posts)Walleye
(31,008 posts)dem4decades
(11,282 posts)a headache.
I know.
bif
(22,697 posts)My life has significantly improved since then. I'll have an occasional sip of my wife's wine. but have haven't really had a drink since then.
tazkcmo
(7,300 posts)Suddenly, I have money! Also, I quit fishing. Turns out that fishing, for me anyway, is very boring when I'm sober.
Congratulations and continued success!
Irish_Dem
(46,918 posts)1. You maintained your sobriety.
2. You demonstrated that your power is from within yourself.
Not outside. Like the previous poster stated.
In psychology, this is a very important concept, called internal locus of control. It signifies that a person is mature, advanced and high functioning.
Guilded Lilly
(5,591 posts)niyad
(113,259 posts)wryter2000
(46,036 posts)I really like your solution.
Atticus
(15,124 posts)onecaliberal
(32,824 posts)c-rational
(2,590 posts)XanaDUer2
(10,643 posts)Farmer-Rick
(10,154 posts)I don't have any problems with drinking. It's just that alcoholism runs in my very Irish family. So I always watch myself. And turns out according to this recent study it can lead to happiness in old age.
"Watch your drinking. Alcohol abuse is strongly correlated with smoking in the Harvard study, but plenty of other research shows that even by itself, it is one of the most powerful predictors of winding up sad-sick. If you have any indication of problem drinking in your life, get help now. If you have drinking problems in your family, do not take your chances: Keep that switch turned off. Although forgoing alcohol can be difficult, youll never be sorry you made this decision."
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/02/happiness-age-investment/622818/
Here's hoping you have a long happy life.
orangecrush
(19,532 posts)Just went through some stupid drama, myself, that 7 years ago I would have handled by drinking myself into a stupor.
It's called, "I'll show you, I'll hurt me".
Now, instead I'm like, " OK, this sucks, I'm angry, hurt, and feel powerless, but if I drink it will still be there when I sober up, only worse, and my problems will rapidly multiply.."
Since anything I do will be wrong, I withdraw, and trust the wisdom of divine intelligence, and wait for something positive to fill the void that was created.
Congratulations!
Rhiannon12866
(205,183 posts)And same here, sober since April 30, 2009. Just went to an unusual meeting tonight. My regular meeting wasn't being held, the chairman couldn't make it, so I went with a friend to the closest meeting to me. What made it unusual was that it wasn't held in a church basement or Sunday School room, but in an actual church itself since that was apparently the area that was heated. And the topic was appropriate, it was humor in sobriety.
orangecrush
(19,532 posts)Or, warm, if you prefer!
I hope the meeting didn't turn into heated discussions!
wendyb-NC
(3,322 posts)gademocrat7
(10,654 posts)Take care.
CaptainTruth
(6,588 posts)IbogaProject
(2,804 posts)You're on your way to not even thinking of it other than in passing.
kozar
(2,109 posts)Response to bif (Original post)
Post removed
DownriverDem
(6,228 posts)I drink a glass of wine a day and really enjoy it.
bif
(22,697 posts)It always ended up a bottle or more. So yes, that's what I wanted to do.
Response to DownriverDem (Reply #24)
Iggo This message was self-deleted by its author.
bif
(22,697 posts)Did you happen to notice the name of this forum?
Iggo
(47,549 posts)Sorry about that.
barbtries
(28,787 posts)psst...she would have known if you relapsed and I'm so happy you beat the craving.
gab13by13
(21,304 posts)I love them but I want to stay at 173 for the winter and when I eat them it takes a couple of days to get back down.
Iggo
(47,549 posts)billh58
(6,635 posts)Bill W congratulates you for making a great choice.
Permanut
(5,602 posts)27 years sober here, and no longer tempted. I know every day that I can't go back though.
sdfernando
(4,930 posts)CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
BadGimp
(4,015 posts)eom
USALiberal
(10,877 posts)sprinkleeninow
(20,235 posts)DEbluedude
(816 posts)I do what you did. ANYTHING, but drink. There's nothing out there for people like us, NOT A THING, that will be made better by taking a drink.
Congrats!
Camaromjr
(42 posts)I've some ~35 years of sobriety. It becomes easier and the reward is in every day when you wake up.
ailsagirl
(22,893 posts)PS Welcome to DU!!
calimary
(81,212 posts)CONGRATULATIONS!
Proud of you!!!
ailsagirl
(22,893 posts)Rhiannon12866
(205,183 posts)And you did what's helped me from the beginning, "move a muscle, change a thought." I learned to distract myself and that still works for me, even after more than 12 years.
PatrickforB
(14,570 posts)resisting the urge to drink when you were alone is a major accomplishment.