So true, Tom. I never wanted to be the person who developed a problem and needed to get sober, but here I am 30 days AF just doing it. And I’ll be doing it for the rest of my life.
Thanks for reading. It took a long time for me to articulate this perspective. In the beginning, I just kept my nose down and did the work, and I’m still here to tell you about it.
Such truth here. I had a series of rock bottoms over two decades before I finally was so sick of feeling the way I felt that I knew I HAD to quit. I thought my life was over, even then. That was over 5 years ago and life keeps jetting better. So thankful for all the bad that finally kicked my ass into sobriety.
Wow Tom. Umm I can say big kudos for your dad!!! That must have been very hard for him as a parent. Dont mind me, Im a mom! Anyways, this was a great read, thank you!
"I wanted a better life ..." sums it up perfectly for me. The time spent planning to drink ... the time drinking ... the recovering from drinking... it all started adding up in combination with bad decisions made while drinking. It was hard to admit just how much effort, time and work it was. It wasn't every day, or even most days.... but it was certainly every weekend. It took a "rock bottom" event to open my eyes and say to myself, "WTF am I doing?" Then I stopped. 9+ months now, and not a drop of alcohol since, and I realize I am lucky ... not the case with every one.
I wanted that time back. I wanted good moods back ... and not of the alcohol-induced variety. Could I have one? Maybe. But I don't have the urge to find out .... it's a slippery slope. I also think that is why I am here ... to reinforce the commitment, if I am being honest with myself (not always my strong suit).
I definitely fall in the category of "One is great, two is better, so 3,4,5,6 might be incredible". I think back to an episode of The West Wing where the Chief of Staff was an alcoholic, ended up having a drink, and couldn't stop. Seemed extreme to me back then, but I realize to a lesser degree, that was me. I think I knew that all along, and didn't want to admit it. A comment here said "all that bad kicked my ass into sobriety" ... perfect description.
So true, Tom. I never wanted to be the person who developed a problem and needed to get sober, but here I am 30 days AF just doing it. And I’ll be doing it for the rest of my life.
Thanks for reading. It took a long time for me to articulate this perspective. In the beginning, I just kept my nose down and did the work, and I’m still here to tell you about it.
Great post! I am a friend of Bill W., love your perspective!
Thanks for this. I am also part of the friend group. And, I love baseball.
https://open.substack.com/pub/tgentry/p/baseball-gave-me-somewhere-to-belong?r=724hg&utm_medium=ios
Such truth here. I had a series of rock bottoms over two decades before I finally was so sick of feeling the way I felt that I knew I HAD to quit. I thought my life was over, even then. That was over 5 years ago and life keeps jetting better. So thankful for all the bad that finally kicked my ass into sobriety.
Wow Tom. Umm I can say big kudos for your dad!!! That must have been very hard for him as a parent. Dont mind me, Im a mom! Anyways, this was a great read, thank you!
Thank you!
"I wanted a better life ..." sums it up perfectly for me. The time spent planning to drink ... the time drinking ... the recovering from drinking... it all started adding up in combination with bad decisions made while drinking. It was hard to admit just how much effort, time and work it was. It wasn't every day, or even most days.... but it was certainly every weekend. It took a "rock bottom" event to open my eyes and say to myself, "WTF am I doing?" Then I stopped. 9+ months now, and not a drop of alcohol since, and I realize I am lucky ... not the case with every one.
I wanted that time back. I wanted good moods back ... and not of the alcohol-induced variety. Could I have one? Maybe. But I don't have the urge to find out .... it's a slippery slope. I also think that is why I am here ... to reinforce the commitment, if I am being honest with myself (not always my strong suit).
I definitely fall in the category of "One is great, two is better, so 3,4,5,6 might be incredible". I think back to an episode of The West Wing where the Chief of Staff was an alcoholic, ended up having a drink, and couldn't stop. Seemed extreme to me back then, but I realize to a lesser degree, that was me. I think I knew that all along, and didn't want to admit it. A comment here said "all that bad kicked my ass into sobriety" ... perfect description.