It’s been awhile since I last posted on this forum but I felt the need to share a little of my story, both successes and struggles in reaching my 2 year mark. I’m a 36 year old male who has struggled with addictive behavior as long as I can remember. My addictive nature lead me down the path of significant substance abuse that started with smoking pot everyday, then eventually daily alcohol and cocaine usage. By the age of 34 (July 13th 2016) my life had become unbearable and I was left with the choice of either getting myself sober or eventually killing myself with my substance abuse. I never truly believed that I could do it on my own as I had tried over and over again to get myself sober and would fail each and every time! Unlike my previous attempts at sobriety I decided I needed to rally friends and family around me by being 100% honest with them about my struggles and the depth of my addiction. I changed who I spent time with, surrounded myself by positive people and used my addictive personality to spent most of my free time working out.
Looking back at the early days I think I was on a sober high for the first 90 days… I was so pumped that I made it that far without a relapse that I was high on life. Then the real work came… Keeping myself sober became secondary to trying to figure out who the hell I was and trying to change my entire thought process. It was as if somebody had launched psychological warfare on my brain and I was just trying to stay afloat. Yeah great I wasn’t using but life was a daily struggle and I was battling severe depression and anxiety. I was scratching and clawing to get to the 1 year mark (my next goal I set for myself) but knew I was one bad decision away from relapse. I decided I needed more professional help and started seeing a psychologist on a weekly basis to help me work thru my emotions and struggles which helped me out big time!!
The last 6 months I feel as though I have finally started to really hit my stride and have get use to living my new life. I’m in the best shape of my life, have positive people surrounding me and my mental health has finally leveled off to a point where it is manageable.
I realize that I could easily write a book about my early childhood trauma and struggles with mental health and substance abuse throughout my life (as I’m sure many of you could as well) - but the goal of my post is to share a bit of hope with those who are currently struggling (especially in the early recovery period). There is a light at the end of the tunnel and if you put in the work and are 1000% honest with yourself you can make it thru this.
Even though I’m not on this forum as often as I’d like to be I’m most definitely open to anybody reaching out via personal msg if you need somebody to chat with. Have a great day and stay strong!
Thank you for sharing this and congratulations for all of your hard work !!! I to use working out as a means to stave off my addictions, I am an alcoholic and have managed to keep up working out regularly sometimes irregularly (due to hangovers) I have done this for to long and decided I wasnt getting anywhere with my body. Just at a stand still. Since quiting only 9 days ago im actually already seeing a difference, in my performance at the gym mainly as I am doing hour long high intense circuits of cardio and strength training. I was only able to do one or the other as a drinker. But also I am not bloated(dam alcohol really helps keep the pounds on)!!! Which for somebody who puts in as much time working out as I have forced for the last couple years was a real bummer and partly led to the reason I finally gave up drinking, my core is looking finally normal. And I hope to achieve a leaner more toned body as soon as I can…Anyways enough of that crap (pretty much bragging here) but your story gives me allot of confidence in my ability to stay on the sober track. thank you and congratulations on all of your success.
You have know idea how much I needed to read this. I’m on day 110 and things are just starting to even out. Thank you x 10000 for this post and congratulations on your 2 years, absolutely amazing ️
Best advice I ever got was to focus on getting thru each and every day. Don’t worry about reaching month or year milestones as it often becomes way too overwhelming. Keep yourself busy and focus in figure out your triggers if your trigger is going out with friends to a pub or group gatherings then avoid them at all cost until you are able to manage them. I very rarely set foot in a pub and IF I do I make damn sure it’s with many positive and understanding people around me. If u feel triggered I remove myself from the situation immediately. I cant stress enough how much exercise and working out was a saviour for me. Good luck and stay strong!
Wonderful @Auddy! I am so happy for you & excited for your future! Years 2-5 were so amazing for me! It was the first time I ever felt like a mature, respectable grown up in my life. Perks started rolling in. Lots of growth occurred. Goals were set, chased & achieved in education, fitness, relationships, finances & careers. It’s a time when often credit is repaired, cars or living quarters are upgraded, careers may be switched, relationships are real, honest & a good reputation is now the new normal.
Remaining humble, grateful & vividly aware that it could all be taken away in the blink of an eye with just one sip…helped me stay the course as I navigated the unfamiliar, but beautiful safe waters of sobriety. I hope you enjoy your voyage
Thank you for sharing great advice and the encouragement! Looking back at the past 2 years it’s really incredible how much I’ve grown as a person and learned about myself. I’m looking forward to continued growth and working towards more goals that I’ve put off far too long :I
What an inspiring post! I agree that focusing on the day you are in has been super important for me. Looking into the future only makes me anxious and not present with today. Thank you for posting!!
Thank you .
Your words and timeline seem in many ways to be parallel with my personal story , as I’m sure it is for many others.
Well done and best wishes.
thank you and congratulations on all of your success.
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