Welcome to a fantastic site for aiding in recovery from addiction to alcohol. I saw your first post on the "New Here" thread below and thought I would bring it out in the open. Hope you don't mind.
You sound as though you have a good amount of conviction to get sober and "be in control". The latter part is tough. I've been attempting complete sobriety now for over a decade and believe I've finally achieved it. So many times I had thought to myself "O.K., I've got this under control now and can have a drink or two infrequently and still maintain my control." How wrong I was! When I start, I continue...maybe not right away, but within a couple or few months I was right back to the standard routine. And you're right. A lot of people can't tell if you've been drinking of not; that's the way they come to know you with that slight glow on. The only path I've found that works for me is complete sobriety...and it is a wonderful life. If you can travel and maintain yourself on the road you seem to wish to travel, my hat's off to you and I wish you good fortune...Tim
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"We posess the eyes through which the universe gazes with wonder upon its own majesty."
Welcome to MIP. It's a great place to belong to and the folk are so friendly and helpful. I do hope that you'll stick around and keep posting to let us know how things are going for you.
When I first stopped drinking I was so frightened to think about the future and everything seemed so very scary. But, AA has taught me that it really is all about one day at a time. All that I have to do is to keep sober for today. That thought really helped me.
Getting to regular AA meetings is also great for me. It helps me to be with other folk who have the same disease that I have. And, it's the only way that works, for me, in keeping sober.
When I first stopped drinking all I could think about was alcohol and getting my next drink. But, Milo, it really does get better.
Please don't feel ashamed of your 'problem' and feel free to post here as much as want. We all have the same mental and physical addiction as you. You are not on your own.
Take care,
Carol
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
Hello Milo, I also noticed your post on "New Here"
Welcome and I hope you stick around too. The group, "Alcoholics Anonymous", does have a wide following with a wildly successful recovery rate. I would not be alive and free today if it were not for AA. The program makes promises of freedom, happiness, no regrets of the past, not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it, comprehend the word serenity and to know peace, The promises go on. There are many more. Self-seeking will slip away. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. There are even yet more promises, and they are not extravagant promises. They are being fulfilled among us, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them. Milo, This information came right from the Big Book. This is just a piece of it out of context, but it is surely true, just as sure as I speak to you now. Go to some meetings and see what they have to offer. When I was court ordered to attend AA many years before I ever sobered up, the chair person at the meeting signed my slip, (to prove I was following my court order), and said, "Try it for 30 days and if you are not completely satisfied, we will gladly refund your misery".
Welcome to MIP, Milo. I hope you stick around. There's alot of very good sobriety here, and an incredibly wide variety of thoughts on things that may come up. You'll learn alot here, and the support is great. Chris
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"Never argue with an idiot... They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience..."
I was touched by your honesty in the post from new here. I am so proud of you that you have broken the shell of denile. Telling you're husband was a big step. I still have temptations to slip back in the shell and pretend that everything's OK, "I'm normal". Keep coming back and I hope you get to some "real" meetings. Take care.
