How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

[keyners]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

Thank you so much for your kind words. I will stick to being dry. Day 9 when I'll wake up in the morning. It is not easy. My average consumption this year was 21 glasses of red wine per week. I feel like it is not the end of the world, but it is 3 drinks EVERY day, and I don't go dry for months at a time. I feel it is a problem for me because of the cost + driving while drinking + the calories. Thanks again, Patrick.

[spuddleduck]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

everyone is different on the time scale. for me the first thing i really loved was waking up without a hangover/guilt/feeling crap. whatever i went throught the rest of the day that feeling was so wonderful it was worth keeping at it

[Kimberley]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

Babysteps, thanks very much for reproducing Johnny's post here - it is always useful to remind ourselves to 'reframe' the situation and see it as it really is, especially in those moments where things are going wrong and our alkie brains tell us that one drink will be the solution (not that it ever is one, mind!)

Keyners, I am glad you are choosing to stick with it - it is worth it in the end. As the saying goes, nothing worth having comes easy. While you may not see yourself as having as big a problem as some on here with the amount you drink, it can be a slippery slope and if anything about your drinking behaviour feels wrong, then you are right to want to change it. Good luck!
K x

[gyco]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

life time

keyners;949634 wrote: Dear Board, I have been sober for 7 days and I am tired of it already. How long does it take to actually not miss alcohol anymore? Thank you.

hi key, a life time,ive been doin this since 1999 when my 13 year old had to drive the vehicle home after i drank b4 goin home from his hockey game,i ran a stop sign and could of killed us all,al 3 of us the 13 year old and 10 year old,remember it took many years to get to where your at in your drinking career,ibeleive the key to success is to find things to preoccupy ones self,i no in my case at one time everything i did involved having alchohol invlved,thinking back now there was in many cases no need,your doin a :goodjob:i wish you well as i say to many,modding or total abstinance is all in your hands,there is a skill to both,im proof gyco

[babysteps]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

Good morning Wichy, PD and Keyners,

Keyners, all I'll say is it is not all that many years ago that I was 'you' as to drinks. Somewhere in there a day came where I just went from 3 to 7; couldn't believe it, then 9, and have actually had a high of 12 (which basically means up all night drinking wine). And it became very hard NOT to drink. So I think the earlier you nip it as a problem, the better you'll be and the easier. I know I could go further down the dark road but really don't want to try it.... Good luck! I'm off to an AF day and a long holiday AF weekend! Unfortunately with funeral included.

[Change]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

KTAB;949650 wrote: remember our bodies have been hammered.

Have they ever. After about 6 days AF and pain free, i had my first binge last night and my legs and muscles are aching like they used to. It has been really aweful and an almost final confirmation for me about how detrimental the effects of this horrible substance are...

[OverIt2007]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

Hey Keyners!

Hope by now you are starting to see the benefits of sobriety more?

How about the next time you wake up hangover free you say to yourself "Damn, it feels good to not be in bondage to alcohol anymore!"

Hopefully that might do the trick?

Overit

[Peacefull]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

10. Cultivate and woo enjoyment of sobriety.
a) how good it is to be free of shame and guilt
b) how good it is to be free of the consequences of a drunk just ended or of a coming drunk you've been never able to prevent before.
c) how good it is to be free of what people have been thinking and whispering about you, and of their mingled pity and contempt
d) How good it is to be free of fear.

This is what will help me make it....I am sick of the shame, guilt and anxiety....It only made me drink more to forget and the amount it took to forget was getting to be too much for my body to handle

Peace

[Jane Thompson]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

I haven't used these forums for a few weeks - I've been sober for 8 months now and have gradually felt stronger and more able to manage without them. For the first 3 months they were vital to me - the support and wisdom was the only help that has ever worked for me. So, here are my thoughts about how my thinking has changed over the last 8 months - hope it helps somone...

I have a mental image of myself standing on a high place: a green, grassy, natural place ? space and air and sky all around and of me standing, exposed but standing tall, feeling and seeing the weather coming towards me, encompassing me. Warm, low sunshine, blastingly hot sunshine, gentle wind, raging storms, cold, driving rain, snow, hail, fog, or just calm still air ? all these things buffet me at different times but now, instead of cowering from the storm, or being knocked over by the wind or burnt by the sun, instead of turning away, covering my face, protecting myself, now I feel strong enough and brave enough to face it all.

Some of it hurts, some makes me laugh and feel good, some is shocking and unexpected, but I now know I can deal with all of it. Not just deal with it but really face it, experience it, make it part of me, learn from it and connect with it. I feel free and calm and grounded in a way I never felt when I was using alcohol to steady me, protect me, keep me warm and safe ? or that?s what I thought it was doing.

Now I know it was keeping me from really living ? letting me think that the weather coming towards me was frightening, or something I couldn?t cope with ? making me believe I had to hide, cower, crawl into a hole to protect myself. This ?weather? is the weather of life and now I want it to find me, wash over me, become part of me ? and I can cope because I am here, living it, part of it. Alcohol was a trick, a sham ? all it ever did was stop me living and feeling.

[goingsobermum]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

You could try amino acids to help rewire the brain. Vits and mins to replace the stuff you have been destroying with alcohol and get some endorphins flowing - walking, running, sex, laughing etc should help that.
Also be proud of yourself for what you have achieved. One day you'll look back on your drinking and think 'thank goodness I don't have to do that crap anymore'.

[hillsidetime]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

Hi Keyners, I believe that for me, it took about 3 months to be comfortable with it. The first two months, with all the social occasions, hockey tournaments etc was tough. Changing the habits was tough. Missing the booze was tough. After about 3 months, for me, the new lifestyle was setting in. I am at 7 months now, and I enjoy being sober. It's hard work, but it is worth it in so many ways. All the best,
Hill

[luvmypups]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

Patty, may I borrow your quote and use it as my mail sig? (It's not about how often you get knocked down, it's about how often you get up again.) Need that one right now!!!

[keyners]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

Thank you guys for your words of encouragement. It has now been 12 days since I stopped drinking. The gradual change in my brain is occurring and I am feeling a lot more stable, content, emotionally balanced and happy. I think it is much more chemical than emotional, and the cravings are gone. I feel a LOT less emotional and just more in peace and harmony.

Take care. Patrick.

[Popeye]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

Good to hear Patrick...
Far as I know, after the initial craziness, it just keeps getting better.

[Sunnyvalenting]

How long does it take to enjoy being sober?

Keyners,
IMO it is neurochemical. The emotional stuff is secondary to the mess we make of our lives on Al. Glad to hear you are feeling better. Welcome to your life!
Sunny