My First Sober Year

[hippie37]

Many congratulations on a year of sobriety Zen.

Maybe you should write a book entitled "Zen and the art of.....STAYING SOBER!!"

Again.. well done mate and here's to many more years.

Love and Happiness
Hippie
xx

[1967]

hey.. thanks for posting. i imagined myself counting the weeks for the rest of my life so i would remember not to take that first drink. i read somewhere that stopping drinking is like any other habit.. .u just have to develop it! thanks for confirming it is possible. ah.... lovely!

[Mags]

ZM

Your story and your humility about it brings tears to my eyes. I know what sheer guts and resolve it must have taken and lots and lots and lots of hope. And now look where you are - a SOLAR ORBITER!!! I am so happy for you - just so happy for you. And I hope you are extrememly proud of yourself.

Many huge Magsie hugs being sent your way.........

[Miss October]

ZenMetal,

Congratulations are defintely in order !! You must be feeling so awesome physically and mentally.

This is exactly what we need......hope and inspiration. Thank you for sharing.

[Heavenly]

WELL DONE

I admire you not even counting after a few months too.....

[bestlifeldms]

Zen, Amazing! Congratulations! You give those of us who are in our infancy of sobriety, great inspiration! Thank you for sharing, and continued success!

[Bandit]

Zen,
Congratulations!
Did you honestly not notice it was a year, at what stage did you stop counting?
I think that for me is the most hopeful part - that you actually stopped thinking about alcohol full stop and stopped counting.

Bandit

[ZenMetal]

Originally Posted by Bandit

Zen,
Congratulations!
Did you honestly not notice it was a year, at what stage did you stop counting?
I think that for me is the most hopeful part - that you actually stopped thinking about alcohol full stop and stopped counting.

Bandit

I think it was around the six month area (I'm honestly not sure!). Keeping busy is a good thing to do, as I do think that boredom is a dangerous thing for people like us. I think that we all tend to define ourselves too much by this illness ("I'm an alcoholic"). Now, that may be true, but we are all - every one of us - SO much more than that. In my case, I'm a recovering alcoholic, yes - but I'm also a father, a guitarist, a film-buff, and a really bad but enthusiastic cook. We are all so much bigger than this thing, if we could just be gentle with ourselves and stop punishing ourselves.

Not thinking about alcohol is genuinely liberating. Now, it's just something I used to do. But I'm equally cautious about over-confidence, and not being mindful about this illness. I might not think about drinking very much these days, but I'm not sure I want to forget what it did to me. It is, quite literally, sobering.

Peace,

ZM

[Mags]

WOW Zen Metal

Those are some of the wisest words I have ever read on these boards. I really mean it. And I've been around here a long time. We are so much bigger than alcoholism. We just need to get beyond that and learn to put that part of our lives behind us and live the rest of our wonderful lives to the fullest. I think that's what you are saying. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I think I still live too much in my alcoholic past. I've been sober quite a while, but don't think I've yet gotten to that wonderful liberation point that you have. You really have inspired me tonight.

Thanks so much for sharing your story. And once again - Congratulations!!

[tlrgs]

awesome job way to go