November 4th

[Guest]

Up late and thought I would start the thread for today. I know that all of us have different lengths of time on this board....my question is what is it in sobriety that you are cherishing the most...something that you would have to give up if you went back to your old ways?

For me it is Freedom. Freedom from self destruction. Freedom from headaches, upset stomach, guilt, shame and remorse. I don't miss any of those things--but know that they all would be back in a flash if I pick up that drink. I love that I am getting my life back and I am feeling like a real person-rather than the walking dead. I have yet to have one bad thing happen because I stopped drinking---yet I know I could have all my misery back in a minute. Freedom from the misery is such a wonderful gift. I know in the US we pride ourselves on our freedom--yet I was imprisioning myself to a life of hell. And all I had to do was put down that stupid drink. I don't miss it one iota. I don't even wish I could be a normal drinker anymore...this freedom I feel is such a wonderful replacement---and to boot it is free of charge.

So what is it that you cherish the most about not drinking?

Kim

[skootiemom]

November 4th

Great ?!

We tend to focus on what we miss about drinking... and trust me, there are things I do miss about the buzz.... BUT- the energy that I have for my kids, increased patience and FUN that I am having with them is priceless. I no longer wake up and feel dread about how I am going to make it through the day.

Skootie

[mikeupnorth]

November 4th

What do I cherish the most about not drinking?

Being able to look at myself in the mirror and respect the person I see. Being the kind of person who keeps his word and lives up to his obligations. NOT being a person who makes plans with people and backs out because of hangovers. NOT being a person who has to call in sick or make excuses for being late, because he was up late drinking. NOT being a person who makes promises to himself and breaks them over and over and over again. NOT being a person who, thinking back on the night before, wonders "How could I have done or said that??"

In other words, what I cherish the most about being sober is having a shred of self-respect.

Thanks, Kim, for making me stop and think about that for a minute!

Mike

[xtexan]

November 4th

Compadres:

What is it about sobriety I cherish?

This morning, I woke up at about 6:30. My usual wake-up time on the weekdays, is about 6:00. So I slept in just a bit. I made a little pot of coffee (still gotta have it), and noticed the house was cold.

I have a computer thermostat that turns down the temperature, or raises it at night while I sleep, to save energy. It has a special weekend setting, and it's been set not to come on until 9 AM for weekends for a very long time. I just noticed this when I woke up today. During the spring and summer months, I did not notice it, because normally the house would not get warm that early in the morning. Now that it's fall, and the early AM temperatures are starting to get very cool indeed.

Thats because last year this time, I had not planned on getting up this early on a Saturday. In fact, after the Friday night drinking spree, I would usually sleep in til noon. I usually drank into the wee hours of 4 or 5AM, and a lot of times, would sleep in the bed all day until the afternoon. Then I would hit the hair of the dog on Saturday evening.

So to wrap it up, I have TIME back. I have hours of life, that were once lost to a state of being effectively crippled. I have plans this weekend, to work on some things in my garage. I've been remodeling it on a long term project, turning it into one of those ultimate dream garages like you see on the motorhead shows for the high performance car enthusiast.

So it's time I have gotten back. Many hours of life, to really do the things I want to do. Hours that I used to lose to being hung over, or obliterated. I could regret all the hours lost in the past, but the best thing I can do now, is to get moving forward.

So now, I am going to reprogram that thermostat. It's been that way for so long, and now I wonder if it will freak out after being set for 10 years the same way.

Hours of LIFE reclaimed. That's what I have now.

Neil

[spacie]

November 4th

Hi everybody, did you miss me...I missed you. Got back late last night from a work trip and feel really good about the work and not getting blasted. The hotel staff delivered a bottle of wine to my room as a gift - yikes. I gave it away to one of my collegues and they didn't even ask why!! Went to the bar a couple of times with associates and ordered ginger ale, and raspberry ice tea. Worked out each morning a bit too early I'm having a hard time sleeping through the nights. But, that's okay I couldn't sleep very well before when I was all tanked up, but at least now I don't feel or smell like dung.

To answer today's question, I have self respect and with that comes joy.

Have a great day!
spacie

[Guest]

November 4th

as with kate
ditto kim
ditto neil
ditto mike
ditto spacie
ditto kate

and best of all, I reckon that I'm now happy and I'm ok to be me.
nice eh.
brigid

[SophieS]

November 4th

....my question is what is it in sobriety that you are cherishing the most...something that you would have to give up if you went back to your old ways?

What a fantastic question! For me it's mornings. I think I've missed them for years. They didn't exist unless they had to and they were blurred, painful, rushed. I never saw the beauty in them. The time to yourself if you get up early enough, the leaves on the trees, lights coming on in houses with people waking up to the days ahead of them. Food! A scone and jam! having a clear head to listen to the news, talk to people without worrying about smelling of alcohol. Lots and lots!

SophieS

[helen mary]

November 4th

Mornings - Yes! To get out of bed without holding your head - paracetemol by the bed! Reading, Reading and Reading, couldn't give that up.