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    Just thinking out loud..pls don't judge

    Hello All,
    I?m still going along quite nicely on the path of moderation, having only a few drinks every month or so. After 20 + years of heavy and unhealthy consumption I didn?t think it was possible but yes it is and so far I?m going strong. However on this particular day I miss al and want to share my reasons why.
    I miss my youth. That must sound like such a colossal whine but it?s the truth. I miss the days when I could drink and smoke and never think of the consequences. That may sound very disordered but please hear me out.
    I miss the days when there was no such thing as a hangover, or the associated guilt of having too many drinks or of my behavior when I drank. I miss being able to wake up the next day fresh as a daisy and never feeling tired or sick or worry that I may have embarrassed myself under the influence. Alcohol used to be fun once and something to be used merely as social lubricant. Somewhere along the line, that all changed when in my late 20?s, I had to face the fact that al began to use me.
    The music (I was a musician), social life, friends I was not to shy to make and wild abandon is what I miss. Can I still have them? In a word..No not really because my 41 year old body and mind yields the consequences of my actions to stop me short thank god. It?s all very funny when you?re 20 but becomes just downright sad when you?re in you're 40's. For those of you who can in some way relate, the al free version is not really the same. I should at this point, state that I unequivocal that I understand and appreciate what I?ve gained in my moderation but every now and then in my quiet times? I look back without regret and would like to be that girl again minus the downward spiral. I would not have been everyone?s cup of tea back then but I was so carefree by nature and lived my life to the fullest, one moment at a time. I had to grow up sometime right? but why is that when I took responsibility for my life, the fun stopped? What is it I?m missing?
    I haven?t forgotten about what happened next. I haven?t forgotten about the hell that ensued, the physical debilitation, the hospitals, the horrific detox and the medication, the embarrassment. I haven?t forgotten the career that I stuffed up because I became an alcoholic or the relationships I lost in the process. I have a very clear view of the fact that I saved my own health and sanity by kicking al for the most part, to the curb. It?s the best thing I?ve ever done but the memories of a different time remain. I need to find a balance and some useful perspective.
    Obviously this post is not for those just starting out or those in crises and so I?ve posted it here, hoping to just have an opportunity to vent. On this particular day, I miss my youth and alcohol was a part of it. It?s a precarious dance I do today. Some would say that I?m romancing a mirage of events but no, it was that good AND then soooo bad. Surely I can?t be the only one to feel this way?
    Please don?t see me as superficial. I?m on a journey just like you and this is part of my story in progress.
    Don't tell me it can't be done until I'm finished doing it.

    #2
    Just thinking out loud..pls don't judge

    Hi Shanny, i don't see you as superficial, would i like to be 20 and do it all again?..... yes....but life changes and so do we. I look back on the past and often think that they were the best times of my life. My problem was at that time it was just another day and didn't feel any different. I have come to the conclusion that right now unless i stop and take time to live in this moment and see how good it is, it will be just another day, another time frame that i will look back on and think "shit they were good times , i didn't know how good i had it"
    AF 5/jan/2011

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      #3
      Just thinking out loud..pls don't judge

      life is what it is

      Shanny5;1119979 wrote: Hello All,
      I?m still going along quite nicely on the path of moderation, having only a few drinks every month or so. After 20 + years of heavy and unhealthy consumption I didn?t think it was possible but yes it is and so far I?m going strong. However on this particular day I miss al and want to share my reasons why.
      I miss my youth. That must sound like such a colossal whine but it?s the truth. I miss the days when I could drink and smoke and never think of the consequences. That may sound very disordered but please hear me out.
      I miss the days when there was no such thing as a hangover, or the associated guilt of having too many drinks or of my behavior when I drank. I miss being able to wake up the next day fresh as a daisy and never feeling tired or sick or worry that I may have embarrassed myself under the influence. Alcohol used to be fun once and something to be used merely as social lubricant. Somewhere along the line, that all changed when in my late 20?s, I had to face the fact that al began to use me.
      The music (I was a musician), social life, friends I was not to shy to make and wild abandon is what I miss. Can I still have them? In a word..No not really because my 41 year old body and mind yields the consequences of my actions to stop me short thank god. It?s all very funny when you?re 20 but becomes just downright sad when you?re in you're 40's. For those of you who can in some way relate, the al free version is not really the same. I should at this point, state that I unequivocal that I understand and appreciate what I?ve gained in my moderation but every now and then in my quiet times? I look back without regret and would like to be that girl again minus the downward spiral. I would not have been everyone?s cup of tea back then but I was so carefree by nature and lived my life to the fullest, one moment at a time. I had to grow up sometime right? but why is that when I took responsibility for my life, the fun stopped? What is it I?m missing?
      I haven?t forgotten about what happened next. I haven?t forgotten about the hell that ensued, the physical debilitation, the hospitals, the horrific detox and the medication, the embarrassment. I haven?t forgotten the career that I stuffed up because I became an alcoholic or the relationships I lost in the process. I have a very clear view of the fact that I saved my own health and sanity by kicking al for the most part, to the curb. It?s the best thing I?ve ever done but the memories of a different time remain. I need to find a balance and some useful perspective.
      Obviously this post is not for those just starting out or those in crises and so I?ve posted it here, hoping to just have an opportunity to vent. On this particular day, I miss my youth and alcohol was a part of it. It?s a precarious dance I do today. Some would say that I?m romancing a mirage of events but no, it was that good AND then soooo bad. Surely I can?t be the only one to feel this way?
      Please don?t see me as superficial. I?m on a journey just like you and this is part of my story in progress.
      hi shanny5,you are not alone on how you feel my dear,i can't say i d like to do this all over again,as you say many of the times were good,funny thing is when our bodies and mind were young it could take the punishment of drinking,as we age we get our just rewards,i havent been in my forties for years,but i do remember when i hit 45,hell broke loose,thro all the doctors and hospital stays,the answer was very simple,i drank to much,i sellf medicated with alchohol,not until i was 55 the truth was learned,i was sent to a wonderful facility and was programmed that what i was tot from early days was not totally true,only you can decide what to do,you seem to have made a difference with lerning moderation,time will ,by the wayi am also modding,it takes practice,i wish you well,,gyco

      Comment


        #4
        Just thinking out loud..pls don't judge

        I kind of know and feel where you are coming from. 2 years ago I hopped on the Life is too short bandwagon. Being 51 now, life does indeed seem too short and I opted to turn up the heat in my life and got involved in some things I never thought I would and I started drinking heavily again. I have returned here in an attempt to reorient my brain to a more rational thought commensurate with my age and a lifestyle that I think I need to live a longer, healthier and happier life! I wish you well in your journey!
        Is Addiction Really a Disease?
        Watch this and find out....
        http://youtu.be/ekDFv7TTZ4I

        Comment


          #5
          Just thinking out loud..pls don't judge

          Hi Shanny,

          Two things spring to mind:

          1. The analogy of our relationship with alcohol being like our relationship with a partner who maybe starts out great but ends up abusive. We've invested a lot of time and effort in the relationship, been together for years, had some great times - and some terrible times. When you end the relationship because they are bad for you and you just can't live with them any more, you will still think about that relationship, maybe remember the good times when you're feeling a bit low and wonder if it was the right thing to do to throw them out. Maybe if you got back together it would be different this time... (Which, of course, we know it wouldn't).
          The point is the relationship was a huge part of your life and you won't forget him/her/it overnight.

          2. Are you happy in your life now - with partner/friends/job/family etc? If things are not working in certain areas it's only natural that you'd get wistful about the "good old times". Maybe you could look at where you are now and where you'd like to be in the future and work on that?

          Best wishes
          sigpic
          AF since December 22nd 2008
          Real change is difficult, and slow, and messy - Oliver Burkeman

          Comment


            #6
            Just thinking out loud..pls don't judge

            Hi Shanny, so glad you shared, your reasons why and yes i can relate and your not on your own.. I look back at my young teens and think how good it was, and how bad it got at the end and sometimes i say to myself if i was to go back i would do it all over again how crazy is that....... The think is when i did have responsibility i did not care about the consequences of my family or friends around me how i effected them.
            Sometimes i do find a balance now, but not every day. I have to work at it and if i work too hard am not balanced out on a right level.
            Only you will know the answer to what is missing, maybe your moving forward.

            Thank you for sharing part of your Honest story in progress and wishing you all the best.x
            Formerly known as Teardrop:l
            sober dry since 11th Jan '2010' relapse/slip on 23/7/13 working in progress ! Sober date 25/7/13 ( True learning has often followed an eclipse, a time of darkness, but with each cycle of my recovery, the light grows stronger and my vision is clearer. (AA)
            my desire to avoid hitting bottom again was more powerful then my desire to drink !

            Comment


              #7
              Just thinking out loud..pls don't judge

              Hi Shanny,

              No judgment here. It is interesting what you posted as I was feeling a little like that last week. I had a lot of fun times drinking as a kid. Most of the fun times stopped with the alcohol at around 25. After that, they were few and far between. And the consequences were more and more awful.

              It got me thinking about what it was I really missed. And I came to the conclusion that it was mostly not the alcohol after all. It was the freedom, the lack of responsibility, feeling like you had all the time in the world. Alcohol was a part of that, but really not the be-all and end-all.

              So yeah, it sounds like the freedom you're missing. Any way to regain a part of that? I'm thinking about this myself.

              K x
              Recovery Coaching website

              "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." - Carl Bard wl:

              Recovery Videos

              Comment


                #8
                Just thinking out loud..pls don't judge

                Very interesting topic. I read it yesterday and have been thinking about it. After refecting, my strongest thinking for myself is along the lines of what Kimberly said. If a Genie popped out of the bottle right now and said I could have one wish, I might want to go back and relive my life from 18 on - WITHOUT AL. Your post made me realize that where I'm at today in my sober journey - I don't miss the "fun" of AL. (and I DID have a LOT of fun before the consequences started kicking in big time). I regret all the time I wasted having "fun" with AL. I don't allow myself the unproductive indulgence very often of wishing for retroactive change LOL. But opening the genie door just for a moment here - that is what I would wish for. A chance to do all those years again, sober this time.

                DG
                Sobriety Date = 5/22/08
                Nicotine Free Date = 2/27/07


                One day at a time.

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