100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

[NoSugar]

Well, then, CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU!! Way too many to cash in now, right? Who would want to anyway? Living this way is SO much better in all ways. I'm glad we're both still here, Sam :hug:.

[Samstone]

You right, NS. In the past I've stopped for about four years and then decided to have a beer one day.... 5 years later I found MWO in desperation. Now I am feeling like this is the quit, today. Kinda always on my guard in drinking situations.

I'm glad we're both still here as well.

[Pavati]

Hi, Addy and Mary. Welcome to the triple digit club. So happy to have you both here.

YAY, SAM!!!

I am so happy to celebrate this momentous occasion with you. Thanks for leading the way for those of us coming behind.

Pav

[All done drinking]

You right, NS. In the past I've stopped for about four years and then decided to have a beer one day.... 5 years later I found MWO in desperation. Now I am feeling like this is the quit, today. Kinda always on my guard in drinking situations.

I'm glad we're both still here as well.

Yes, Sam, that stuff kills me, how many of us can have quits for so long and then boom! Gone in 1 day. How and why did we do it? I know for me, I had moved from one state to another and lost my AA support group. Online stuff didn't exist then. Still stayed strong in my quit without the support for 3 years I think, so had learned some solid things in AA and had the big book and other books by Hazelton that I read that helped reinforce my quit. But, without other people helping me (lost all my non drinking pals when I moved and didn't meet new ones) it just wasn't a safe thing to do (to not find another group. A 7 year quit gone in one night because some family member kept encouraging me to have a glass of wine at family dinners. That one glass became a night out with the girls (where I totally overdrank the first night out), and it just kept going downhill from there. After 4 years, am curious (if you're willing to share) what made you decide to have that beer? Personally, I feel we need to constantly work this program and never get too comfortable. Easier to slip than people realize.

Addy~

[Samstone]

Addy
what made me start up was an old friend who I had not seen for a couple of years stop by with his guitar and a 6 pack... we played tunes and enjoyed the beer. Then I kept on enjoying daily after that till it escalated to frenzy drinking. I'm so glad that's the past.

By the way, my friend is still just that and we are able to play tunes, he can drink, I don't and there's never been any pressure to "come back" to the dark side.

[Byrdlady]

I was talking to Jane yustaday, and we agreed that we operate out of fear. It has served us pretty well. It's stories like these that keep me glued in with my support system. I worked TOO DAM HARD to get this one to stick to even THINK of testing the waters. I got no more Day 1's in me. Thank you so much for sharing your stories and Samstone, 900 is amazing!!! You are a super-stah!
:horse:

[jane27]

Go Sam! Xxx

[available]

Congrats Sam a great number

[Elvis]

Great job on 900 days Sam!

[TJAF]

Nice job Sam

[TJAF]

It really boils down to a deep understanding that drinking isn't an option. When I see a drink now I realise without question that it isn't a question about a second or third. I also don't romanticize my drinking days.. It was just so damn exhausting. I also remember how I felt day in and day out. It wasn't good. Today there aren't any lies. I am not sitting in shame I'm just living a real life with real emotions. Yup it's good to be sober

[abcowboy]

Wow Sam, I can't even count that high! Congrats!

[All done drinking]

Addy
what made me start up was an old friend who I had not seen for a couple of years stop by with his guitar and a 6 pack... we played tunes and enjoyed the beer. Then I kept on enjoying daily after that till it escalated to frenzy drinking. I'm so glad that's the past.

By the way, my friend is still just that and we are able to play tunes, he can drink, I don't and there's never been any pressure to "come back" to the dark side.

Wow, thanks for sharing that story Sam. I have to admit it shook me to the core. Just that realization of how dang easy it is to relapse. Old friends, old times, heck years have passed without drinking, and that little thought lurks "why not just one with him?" It would be even harder if he didn't know you had quit, and for that one night you just felt like you didn't want to share that info, and well..."look how good I've been. No drinks in 4 years. I can control it now...just one..."

I shared this over on the quit thread and don't want to reinvent the wheel. The subject was about relapsing and here's what I shared over there which may be of interest to some over here.

What I learned from my first quit many years ago, is it's so darn easy to get complacent when one quits for a long time, cravings are gone, and life is pretty wonderful without alcohol. Then all of a sudden some event or some person pushes alcohol into our faces and we think because we've been doing so well, we could handle it if we "only had one". I always think it's a dangerous thing for folks to get super comfortable in their quit and stop coming here or somewhere else for support. I even wonder how many haven't returned back to drinking as it's so easy to do that without other like minded people reminding us why we shouldn't.

Thanks again for answering my question Sam and a huge congrats on your big numbers. :welldone:

Addy~

[All done drinking]

It really boils down to a deep understanding that drinking isn't an option. When I see a drink now I realise without question that it isn't a question about a second or third. I also don't romanticize my drinking days.. It was just so damn exhausting. I also remember how I felt day in and day out. It wasn't good. Today there aren't any lies. I am not sitting in shame I'm just living a real life with real emotions. Yup it's good to be sober

Thanks for this post TJAF. I especially enjoyed the line about not romanticizing your drinking days. That has been my hardest challenge in quitting and it helped to hear someone say they don't do that. Pretty soon I'll get there as well.

Addy~

[Samstone]

when it gets right down to it, it is hard to romanticize a hangover, one of those get god awful, throwing up, dehydrated, feel like the flu hangovers.