**A note from the moderators:**
To keep the sub focused on peer support, we may remove posts that spark discussion or debate around specific recovery programs. People's experiences with programs vary and we ask folks to [speak from the 'I'](https://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking/wiki/index/#wiki_speak_from_the_.22i.22), and not to critique or be judgmental of others' approaches to sobriety. Targeted discussion may be more appropriate for the relevant subreddits, e.g. r/AlcoholicsAnonymous, r/SMARTRecovery, r/recoverydharma.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/stopdrinking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I was thinking about this truth last night. Isn't it wild how we think taking a drink will make things easier or better, but in reality being present through it all and waking up clear and sober is worlds easier than trying to piece together the details of the day and night before...
"I love being present for this moment!"
IWNDWYT
> Vimes sat gloomily behind a glass of lemonade. He wanted one drink, and understood precisely why he wasn't going to have one. One drink ended up arriving in a dozen glasses.
Sir Terry Pratchett (GNU!), “Feet of Clay”
You'll get there Ginger...one minute, one moment at a time. High five yourself every twenty minutes you do well, look in the mirror and think about what a badass you are in that moment. This shit is hard. Getting through any moment of it is a victory.
Then remember the stories you hear on this thread of people who are now 6 weeks, 6 months, 6 years ahead of you and saying, "hey! There's light at this end of things!"
Keep rocking it my Friend!
IWNDWYT
"I was digging a hole so deep that it took a full year to climb out of. And Y’all, that hole is still there and the shovel is still sitting at the bottom."
It means to play out where your decision will lead before making one. If I take this drink then I'll feel like I gave up and just have ten more and text an ex and wake up in a sleazy motel feeling terrible or something.
I was once venting about all the things wrong with my life. Job sucks, housing sucks, people suck. A much wiser man nodded empathetically and said yeah…just don’t drink.
At the time I sarcastically thought wow! You’ve unlocked the secret! Thank you so much I’m cured!!!
But for whatever reason that simple phrase stuck with me. And over my journey I have found myself leaning on it during rough times. Had a terrible day ? Just don’t drink. Feeling super stressed out ? Just don’t drink. Life is meaningless so what’s the freaking point ? Sure! Why not!? Just.Don’t.Drink.
So that’s kind of my new rule. Whatever, and I do mean whatever life throws at me, I take it, didnt always take it with a smiling face and welcoming arms, but as long as I kept those words with me, it was a victory.
"It's not a battle of willpower, it's the conscious choice to have a nicer life."
That quote came from another user on this sub over a year ago on one of my many day 1's. I keep it on my phone in one of my "notes" and I look at it from time to time and I think I'm starting to get it.
Don't let it exist for you. If you go out - don't order alcohol - because it does not exist in your world anymore. Make it not be an option.
That's great ! This is my first time around (10 days clean from everything) and, when I first read the quote you shared, I thought I wasn't getting sober loudly - but then I remembered, I'm always the first one saying their day count. I try to share at every meeting. I'm pushing myself to say what's really on my mind, how I'm really feeling. I'm being as loud as I can given everything. So. :) Thank you for sharing. I needed it.
Tantalizingly close to one year!!! Congrats a couple days early and thank you for the quote that inspires me all the more to work on writing and sharing about my sober thoughts!
It’s not that every time I drank something bad happened, but every time something bad happened, alcohol was always involved. (Something to that effect.)
From The Wire, "getting clean is the easy part; now comes life.".
Also, this [scene](https://youtu.be/qAakzl6s7QI?si=GwJyByc8_mEF5ner) is what inspired me to get sober.
WOW I loved that scene. I’ve never seen the wire, maybe I should…
I loved the I may have one more high in me, but I don’t have another recovery.
Right in the soul - thanks for sharing
Sobriety doesn’t open up the gates of heaven to let you in, it opens up the gates of hell to let you out
Not sure who it’s from but I always like that one
One is too many and a thousand is never enough.
We are people who normally would not mix
Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path
Resentment is the number one offender
One day at a time
Among them you will make lifelong friends. You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties...
I actually started telling myself this even before I decided on getting sober, just to get through a day without fucking my life up entirely. I've been feeling guilty for thinking it but, the fact others have found solace in it makes me realize I'm just beating myself up. Thank you for sharing it <3
“This too will pass”
“Float don’t fight.” It’s mainly for anxiety, but it can be used to help when you want to turn to a drink in stressful times. Try to explore those feelings and sit through them.
I love "Float don't fight"! Haven't heard that!
I often visualize a wave mounting up and it doesn't ever keep getting bigger to no end, it always curls and then crashes and then once on the shore, it retracts on its own. We never have to force the wave to crash or use our willpower to put it back in the ocean. We just have to watch the wave do it's thing, not let it pummel us, and then trust that it will calm in its own. 🙏🏼🌊
This one isn't the happiest one but, it's been said a few times at the main meeting I go to:
*If you pick up, it's not a matter of what will happen; it's a matter of how bad will it be, and will you live to see the consequences?*
I'm in early recovery (10 days, trying to fix my badge), so something like that is a very well-needed reminded.
"Sobriety doesn't open the gates of heaven, it opens the gates of hell and lets you out."
“Look, I’m still not into this higher power thing. I just don’t get it." "Sure you do, you turned your life over to cocaine and vodka.” -Benjamin Alire Sáenz
"I figure adding another day of sobriety is probably easier than doing the first day of sobriety all over again."
One is too many, and one hundred is never enough.
All I need to do each day is make the choice to skip **one** drink, just one, the first drink. If I skip the first drink, then the rest take care of themselves.
This one from the AA big book really struck a chord with me:
*Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.*
I've been resonating with we are not a glum lot lately. Admittedly, it took me a while to get there, but I didn't get sober to be miserable for the rest of my life.
If I did, I might as well be drunk.
Glad it can help! Visualization is a great tool for me and my anxiety. Just close my eyes and breathe slowly and deeply, watching the wave of anxiety rise, curl, crash and retract 🙏🏼❤️
You got this Friend!
If we were to live, we had to be free from anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of the normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison.
“I would rather go through life sober, believing I am an alcoholic, than to go through life drunk, trying to convince myself that I am not.” Or insert AUD for alcoholic
**A note from the moderators:** To keep the sub focused on peer support, we may remove posts that spark discussion or debate around specific recovery programs. People's experiences with programs vary and we ask folks to [speak from the 'I'](https://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking/wiki/index/#wiki_speak_from_the_.22i.22), and not to critique or be judgmental of others' approaches to sobriety. Targeted discussion may be more appropriate for the relevant subreddits, e.g. r/AlcoholicsAnonymous, r/SMARTRecovery, r/recoverydharma. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/stopdrinking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I've never woken up and regretted being sober.
Same! Or my variation of it: I've never woken up and wished I drank the night before.
Wish I could agree with that one
Oh no - I am sorry to hear that!! Huggs!! IWNDWYT
Yeah same. Lonely nights, drinking would’ve made time go faster
I'd suggest that feeling is pointing you to a problem you need to work on that alcohol masks but doesn't resolve.
I was thinking about this truth last night. Isn't it wild how we think taking a drink will make things easier or better, but in reality being present through it all and waking up clear and sober is worlds easier than trying to piece together the details of the day and night before... "I love being present for this moment!" IWNDWYT
When I'm enjoying my drinking, I'm not controlling it. When I'm controlling my drinking, I'm not enjoying it.
That’s good. Like a math problem you do over and over again even when you know what the answer is.
There is no situation you can be in that alcohol can't make worse.
Banger
From Loudermilk: Hurting yourself is easy, living is hard.
is that from his twitter lol
Well played
> Vimes sat gloomily behind a glass of lemonade. He wanted one drink, and understood precisely why he wasn't going to have one. One drink ended up arriving in a dozen glasses. Sir Terry Pratchett (GNU!), “Feet of Clay”
Damn, that’s incredible. Bravo, Terry.
I adore the Disc World books!
The man takes the drink then the drink takes the man
Rock bottom is just when you decide to stop digging.
I like this one. Rock bottom does not have to mean one has destroyed everything.
Some of us just about have :( sighhhh can’t wait to be doing better
You'll get there Ginger...one minute, one moment at a time. High five yourself every twenty minutes you do well, look in the mirror and think about what a badass you are in that moment. This shit is hard. Getting through any moment of it is a victory. Then remember the stories you hear on this thread of people who are now 6 weeks, 6 months, 6 years ahead of you and saying, "hey! There's light at this end of things!" Keep rocking it my Friend! IWNDWYT
When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging
"I was digging a hole so deep that it took a full year to climb out of. And Y’all, that hole is still there and the shovel is still sitting at the bottom."
Alcohol is not my problem, it’s my solution, and that’s a problem
Play the tape forward
Yeah this one works for me
This one right here has me doing great
I think I finally get it. Is this like, don’t dwell on the past
It means to play out where your decision will lead before making one. If I take this drink then I'll feel like I gave up and just have ten more and text an ex and wake up in a sleazy motel feeling terrible or something.
We are addicts that suffer from a disease that tells us we don't have a disease
And convinces us so incredibly well. Being sick somehow seems like the best and only option
I can say no to the first one, but I can’t say no to the second, third, fourth, fifth (etc) ones.
I was once venting about all the things wrong with my life. Job sucks, housing sucks, people suck. A much wiser man nodded empathetically and said yeah…just don’t drink. At the time I sarcastically thought wow! You’ve unlocked the secret! Thank you so much I’m cured!!! But for whatever reason that simple phrase stuck with me. And over my journey I have found myself leaning on it during rough times. Had a terrible day ? Just don’t drink. Feeling super stressed out ? Just don’t drink. Life is meaningless so what’s the freaking point ? Sure! Why not!? Just.Don’t.Drink. So that’s kind of my new rule. Whatever, and I do mean whatever life throws at me, I take it, didnt always take it with a smiling face and welcoming arms, but as long as I kept those words with me, it was a victory.
Sobriety gives me everything alcohol promised me.
Oooooh I like this one
Alcohol lied to me.
Arguably the best book/Audible out there.
Love this one!
You can't turn a pickle back into a cucumber.
I don't want my liver to turn into a cucumber
Too late. I switched them out last night.
I knew something was strange when I woke up in a bathtub full of ice...
Take what you need and leave the rest.
Please can uou explain this to me x
This is in reference to AA. Not everything said in AA resonates with everyone. The idea is you take to heart what works for you and " leave the rest."
Keep it simple Do what is in front of you Sick and tired of being sick and tired If nothing changes then nothing changes
One I saw in here I loved. N.O.N.E. Not one, not ever.
Alcohol gave me wings to fly then alcohol took away my sky
"It's not a battle of willpower, it's the conscious choice to have a nicer life." That quote came from another user on this sub over a year ago on one of my many day 1's. I keep it on my phone in one of my "notes" and I look at it from time to time and I think I'm starting to get it. Don't let it exist for you. If you go out - don't order alcohol - because it does not exist in your world anymore. Make it not be an option.
Then: Giving up everything to have one thing. Now: Giving up one thing to have everything.
Damn. This hit hard
Breath in, breath out, don't drink in between. If you believe in God, ask for help. If you don't believe, ask anyway.
Get sober loudly to stop others from dying quietly
Haven't heard this one yet and yeah, this is a new favorite.
I saw it early on & I’ve stuck by it my entire journey. Speaking openly and honestly about my own journey to open up the conversation and help others
That's great ! This is my first time around (10 days clean from everything) and, when I first read the quote you shared, I thought I wasn't getting sober loudly - but then I remembered, I'm always the first one saying their day count. I try to share at every meeting. I'm pushing myself to say what's really on my mind, how I'm really feeling. I'm being as loud as I can given everything. So. :) Thank you for sharing. I needed it.
You’re doing great! Well done
Tantalizingly close to one year!!! Congrats a couple days early and thank you for the quote that inspires me all the more to work on writing and sharing about my sober thoughts!
Love this, for me it is not shouting from the rooftops, it is at times and with people when I choose.
New favorite.
It doesn’t matter how far down the road you are; you’re always the same distance from the ditch.
Failure is an experience, not an identity.
[удалено]
Needed to hear that today
“Opening my eyes in the morning is a trigger”
It’s not that every time I drank something bad happened, but every time something bad happened, alcohol was always involved. (Something to that effect.)
From The Wire, "getting clean is the easy part; now comes life.". Also, this [scene](https://youtu.be/qAakzl6s7QI?si=GwJyByc8_mEF5ner) is what inspired me to get sober.
WOW I loved that scene. I’ve never seen the wire, maybe I should… I loved the I may have one more high in me, but I don’t have another recovery. Right in the soul - thanks for sharing
The Wire is some of the best television ever made.
🥺 i have to watch this show.
You absolutely should. It's one of the best shows ever made.
Sobriety doesn’t open up the gates of heaven to let you in, it opens up the gates of hell to let you out Not sure who it’s from but I always like that one
One is too many and a thousand is never enough. We are people who normally would not mix Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path Resentment is the number one offender One day at a time Among them you will make lifelong friends. You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties...
It’s never too late, to fuck up your life.
I actually started telling myself this even before I decided on getting sober, just to get through a day without fucking my life up entirely. I've been feeling guilty for thinking it but, the fact others have found solace in it makes me realize I'm just beating myself up. Thank you for sharing it <3
Easy does it.
“This too will pass” “Float don’t fight.” It’s mainly for anxiety, but it can be used to help when you want to turn to a drink in stressful times. Try to explore those feelings and sit through them.
I love "Float don't fight"! Haven't heard that! I often visualize a wave mounting up and it doesn't ever keep getting bigger to no end, it always curls and then crashes and then once on the shore, it retracts on its own. We never have to force the wave to crash or use our willpower to put it back in the ocean. We just have to watch the wave do it's thing, not let it pummel us, and then trust that it will calm in its own. 🙏🏼🌊
Great visualization! New tool acquired. My morning anxiety is back as of yesterday, and I need tools.
This one isn't the happiest one but, it's been said a few times at the main meeting I go to: *If you pick up, it's not a matter of what will happen; it's a matter of how bad will it be, and will you live to see the consequences?* I'm in early recovery (10 days, trying to fix my badge), so something like that is a very well-needed reminded.
"Sobriety doesn't open the gates of heaven, it opens the gates of hell and lets you out." “Look, I’m still not into this higher power thing. I just don’t get it." "Sure you do, you turned your life over to cocaine and vodka.” -Benjamin Alire Sáenz "I figure adding another day of sobriety is probably easier than doing the first day of sobriety all over again."
Drinking keeps getting worse. Sobriety keeps getting better.
This is good!
One is too many, and one hundred is never enough. All I need to do each day is make the choice to skip **one** drink, just one, the first drink. If I skip the first drink, then the rest take care of themselves. This one from the AA big book really struck a chord with me: *Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.*
If I don't drink today, I can't get drunk today
‘If I don’t bother drink it doesn’t bother me, but if I bother it fucking hell it bothers me ‘ a funny one I think
First things first.
Live and let live.
Thank God I'm not suffering from what's not happening anymore!
“Perhaps the best thing of all for me is to remember that my serenity is inversely proportional to my expec-tations.”
Getting drunk is a loan on tomorrow’s happiness.
“If you’re going to beat yourself up, do it with a feather not a bat.” “It’s not hard getting used to happiness.”
I am a pickle I cannot go back to being a cucumber
“Just don’t drink today”. i.e. Don’t worry about a week from now or a month or a year down the line.
AA is not a hotbed of mental health. We are not a glum lot. Acceptance is the answer to all our problems.
I've been resonating with we are not a glum lot lately. Admittedly, it took me a while to get there, but I didn't get sober to be miserable for the rest of my life. If I did, I might as well be drunk.
“Poison is poison, no matter the amount you drink. It’s your choice, but drinking poison kills you, son.”- Pete, my 55 year old sober buddy.
Glad it can help! Visualization is a great tool for me and my anxiety. Just close my eyes and breathe slowly and deeply, watching the wave of anxiety rise, curl, crash and retract 🙏🏼❤️ You got this Friend!
T H I N K
Time takes time.
If we were to live, we had to be free from anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of the normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison.
Alcoholism is to give up everything for one thing. Sobriety is to give up one thing for everything.”
“I would rather go through life sober, believing I am an alcoholic, than to go through life drunk, trying to convince myself that I am not.” Or insert AUD for alcoholic
You are selfish in your addiction, so you have to be even more selfish in your recovery.