Hey guys Day 1
This is my first time ever seeking support and advice for my 15 year addiction to alcohol and 10 year old addiction to methamphetamine. The thing that has shocked me into action was the realisation that I am totally and undeniably a SLAVE to my addiction and I can feel my spirit eroding every time I indulge my demons. So for the first time in my life I’m admitting I am an addict to the one person who needs to hear it, me.
So if you kind folks have ANY advice please I’m all ears and in need of wisdom (even the simplest things like where to lay my boundaries, restructuring your life,support/rehab literally any knowledge that will help me work toward Sobriety.Thank you for reading this
Welcome Marly!
For me, sobriety (and health generally) has been about learning the basic human skills I ignored in my addiction. These are things like: how to “ride the wave” of life events and emotions, without running to my addiction to numb them; how to have self-awareness and set goals and work toward them; how to work together & relate to other people; and how to communicate my emotions to others, and to listen to others communicate theirs (this is especially true with my wife - learning to live present, and clear [sober], and learning to communicate like that, has saved our marriage). There are other things too but these are the ones that stand out.
I’ve used a combination of tools, including counselling, adult ADHD support groups (I have ADHD), and sobriety groups. I’ve also sought medical and psychiatric assessments (I have mild depression which I numbed with my addiction; I’m now treating it effectively with medication and counselling).
I’d suggest checking out some groups in your area:
https://www.na.org/meetingsearch/
There’s also online meetings if you prefer (there’s so many of these you can usually find one any time of day):
Keep it simple and remember, the priority is staying clean and learning to live life sober. You have permission to do anything that’s safe and legal, to stay sober. You can cancel plans if you don’t feel good about the plans (like if you have plans with friends but you’re worried about it), you can go to 3 meetings a day, you can eat pizza for 3 days, you can take 4-hour walks, you can visit Talking Sober any time, etc etc.
The key thing is to stick with it and take it one day at a time.
Proud of you. Today is always a great day to be sober. I’m sure you will get much advice, mine is simple, try a meeting and let others help you. It’s going to be ok. You got this.
Welcome!
Lots of info here
I personally tried online programs and “quit lit” to try and quit alone. I managed a few months but then relapsed. In the end it was AA that clicked. I would say the two most important things are connection, that is meetings such as AA, Smart, Recovery Dharma to share with other addicts, and personal development, to look at your past and tendancies, and how they affect you, which I did with the AA steps, but could be therapy, cbt, etc.
Hey there and welcome! Great posts above and Matt linked a meetings link. Definitely utilize this forum and because you are willing, go to some meetings. Willingness and acceptance are keys to sobriety for me.
i was lucky i wanted to get sober and went to AA my first attempt and it worked still sober wish you well
Welcome! You came to the right place for support!
Welcome Marley
Hey everyone thank you all sooo much for your replies I’ve been reading through alot of posts and working in silence, it’s been a rough week I relapsed for 3 days and I’m kicking myself for it. The problem that I face though is my health due to 14 years of HEAVY alcohol use has left my pancreas in total ruins and cirrhosis of my liver, and guess what?! I’m 29 years old! f_$k! So I’m biting the bullet today and getting on medication to assist with my abstinence as rehab is not an option currently due to availability and my housing situation…(yea you can’t go to rehab if you don’t have somewhere to go after WTF?) So I’m gonna do the best I can with what I have for now and hopefully things align very soon for me… again thank you all for being so welcoming much love