How Do We Motivate Ourselves to Get Sober?

[Sober Visitor]

Hi All,

I thought the attached article might be good food for thought for all of us no matter where we are on our journeys. It's from one of my favorite recovery websites, Spiritual River, and just one of hundreds of articles available there on addiction and how to build a new life in recovery, along with free ebooks to download.

Reader Mailbag: How do we Motivate Ourselves to Get Sober with the Idea that We Can Have Fun Again Some Day?

I've been sober over 3 years now, but like the author, it was not the promise of a good life in sobriety that motivated me to stop drinking. It was all the pain and misery that my life had become and the promise that more misery, pain and DEATH would be my fate if I continued down the path I was on. So, even though I was terrified to live life sober, and I was, the fear of continuing to drink is what finally forced me to give 100% of myself to sobriety.

This statement from the article really resonated with me and was exactly how I felt on March 16, 2009 when I decided I had had enough:

“I do not know if I can be happy in recovery, but I know for sure that I am miserable in my addiction. There has to be a better way than this.”

So, yes, while I needed to hear about how wonderful it was on the other side for other people who had made it there, the only way for me to fully believe it could be true for me was to experience it for myself, and I'm so glad that I gave myself the chance.

How about you? What's your motivation? And, if you're stuck, what do you think is keeping you there? Are you more afraid of continuing to drink or never drinking again?

Sheri

[Juja]

How Do We Motivate Ourselves to Get Sober?

Sheri,

After finding MWO to be too much work and taking too much of my time, I went AWOL. Oddly enough, I decided to check out the Newbie's Nest this morning. Lo and behold, there was your post staring me in the face, and you're talking about my conundrum--motivation.

I will read the link tonight.

Thank you.

Juja

[Sober Visitor]

How Do We Motivate Ourselves to Get Sober?

Oh good, Juju! Would love to hear your thoughts after you've read the article. Sometimes just putting them down in writing really helps to bring clarity about where we are versus where we want to be, how to get there, and the commitment it's going to take.

I think one of the things that kept me stuck for so long is that I didn't have a site like this to come to where I could post my thoughts and learn from others. Instead, they just ruminated around in my head taking on a life of their own with AL in the driver's seat, which is never a good thing.

I think wherever we are in our journey brings us closer to where we want to be. Perhaps some of us are still spiraling down the rabbit hole, I know I certainly did, but that ultimately led me to where I am today. Had I not spiraled down, I might still be stuck in the drinking rut. I see now that it was a necessary part of my journey to get from there to here.

I wonder if that's the same for others.

Sheri

[aihflvt]

How Do We Motivate Ourselves to Get Sober?

Thanks for sharing. Excellent article, although I'm coming from a bit of a different angle. I drank (I should say "drink," since I came crashing off the wagon recently) to medicate. As folk musician Crabmeat Thompson said in one his songs about alcohol, "it's amber glow protects us from the spotlight glare of harsh reality."

I read a decent (not the best read, but has a lot of good info in it) addiction book called "Unhooked: How to Quit Anything," and the authors stress the concept of finding and developing what they call "core pillars of strength" as alternatives to your addiction. I've yet to find and develop any "core pillars" but actually having a relationship with my family and being able to rely on them and vice versa would probably be a good place to start. Another insightful observation was not to fall into the trap of substituting one addiction for another.

[Enough!]

How Do We Motivate Ourselves to Get Sober?

Great article. Thank you for posting.
Enough!

[Juja]

How Do We Motivate Ourselves to Get Sober?

Well, the article doesn't apply to me.

I don't think it's cool to get wasted, and don't believe sober people lead boring lives.

I need a different perspective, I suppose.

I do know I lack the core pillar (see aihflvt) needed to beat the call of the wild, but I hope to develop one.

Thanks for sharing, Sheri.