I've never used this before,I've had some ups and downs and now have finally put the drink down ,I have an amazing sponsor,best friend and good group support,anyone have any suggestions on how they are coping in recovery?
Life is full of amazing challenges. Some of those challenges can make or break us given the proper motivation. I've personally experienced my share of anxious moments; including Interpersonal conflicts, emotional turmoil and post traumatic stress disorder. It's a part of everyday life that we simply cannot ignore. Some of us can go their entire lives without experiencing the slightest hint of remorse, while others experience hardships on a continual basis. I fall somewhere in between.
When it comes to hardships; some of us, including myself, experience what I call prolonged abuse. It's when a trusted parental figure or guardian misuses their authority, causing physical and emotional pain that can last a lifetime. What generally follows is path of self destruction, like drug and alcohol abuse. It was something I had to cope with during the first year or two. After I retooled my thinking, the pathway to success became relatively clear. I had to rely on the good graces of the A.A. program and the wisdom of numerous alcoholics before I was finally able to achieve emotional sobriety. Now it's all about maintaining both simultaneously.
I know from similar experiences how hard it is to balance sobriety and emotional turmoil early on. I used drinking as a coping mechanism for so long that it was nearly impossible to make the necessary adjustments in the first 6 months of sobriety. So when it came time to developing a more constructive dialogue I had to rely on some friendly advice instead of my limited wisdom. It's been a recipe for success since day 1.
I don't know why exactly, but I suppose any hardship, whether real or imaginary, is a cross we all have to bear. It's like the person who tries to outrun a storm instead of hunkering down and weathering it. You keep ahead, but it's always right there nipping at your heels. The same can be said about unchecked emotions. If you don't make the correct adjustments early on then suffice it to say you won't achieve any lasting results. If you can change, however, and then face life with the same unwavering commitment as you do sobriety, you have a fighting chance at survival. If not, lean on someone who can, even it only lasts one day. From my perspective, it's the best advice I can give. Onward
-- Edited by Mr_David on Sunday 6th of March 2016 08:52:12 PM
Thanks David. For me that loving sponsor got me through my 1st few years in sobriety. Or else I would have never made it. I had all of what you had, but i did not know what was wrong with me or where to seek help.
Thankyou so much for that lovely advice,everything you talked about was me.
Its true what you said about relying on the good grace of the AA programme,the people I've met are amazing and the advice priceless.
Im taking it one day at a time and relying on the people in the rooms and my best friend who is older than me with a lot of sobriety and also my sponsor who is excellent.
Im looking forward to the future one day at a time.
I have so much hope and today I feel blessed,protected and loved.
This is the kind of news I love to hear S50, ... The 'One Day at a Time' attitude made it possible for me to recover ... glad to see you hi-light that ... I could not fathom the rest of my life without a drink, but I could damn sure make it 'one' freak'n Day ... that and the Serenity Prayer several dozen times a day did the job ... (along with the daily meet'ns ...) ...
Love ya and God Bless, Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Happy you are here. A couple things that bothered me in early sobriety was patience and overthinking. At a meeting I was sharing (more like complaining or self pity) and a member suggested I practice more patience. I was ticked because I thought hey, I'm going to meetings, reading a ton of literature along with the big book, praying, meditating. Now, when is something concrete going to happen? When are the promises going to happen to me? I was waiting for the big boom. After I let go, stopped overthinking everything in the program like, do I have to think and read and talk about drinking throughout my entire day? Do I have to hang out after meetings and talk about stuff which comes back to alcohol all the time? What about contradictions (these steps are only suggestions but we find if the steps are not taken you might drink again and you could die)? When I finally let go, held back any expectations except trying to not take a drink for 24 hours. When I listened to everybody but used only the information that was good for my program and didn't try to make sense of it all. When I finally found a person I could trust enough to open up to and he with me, did things start to happen. Patience came (ever so slowly), serenity, clearer thinking (ever so slowly) and the biggie for this drunk, faith. Faith in the program, in myself, with my world and fellow man and with my higher power. I practice what I've learned in the program everyday like a kid's dream to be a major league player knowing that even if I don't make the major's I'll be a better player and that's enough for me today.
