40 days, 40 nights

Well here goes another attempt, 3 resets, this month. Downloaded a Bible app, going to do some reading everyday during Lent, and my work schedule is opening up that i should hit mass every week. :pray:

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Giving up alcohol for lent in 2020 was how i started my journey. I could not imagine being sober for 40 days. But i took it one day and
sometimes one minute at a time. But waking up without a hangover is amazing. Good luck. You can do it. Just check in here frequently.
Hugs

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Spirituality has helped a good number of people get sober, but faith without works is dead.

You’ve been on this forum a long time with the same M.O. the entire time. You show up all gung-ho and then usually fade pretty quickly only to show up some weeks later acting shocked that doing the bare minimum has not worked. Surely you have learned something on this forum so what’s preventing you from actually putting it into action?

Honestly I think lack of consistency and lack of effort are probably your biggest issues but it’s up to you to figure that out. Getting sober is not some big mystery. The path is simple. It’s hard but simple. So you have to figure out why you’re not willing to put in the work required for sobriety.

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Same. Mine was 2019, but the reality was that me giving it up for lent was just the smokescreen publically. The real work happened behind the scenes in my personal life and on here. I think that just like new years or sober october, lent has no magic cure in itself any more than just getting up and not quitting on myself. That time it stuck (unlike the 2018 lent attempt where i was dry for a month then lost another 11 months of my life). I do thank God almost daily for this gift so i dont mean to badmouth whatever magic that made it stick, but @Bears515054 much like fitness or housework, occupying ourselves with a positive influence isnt the same as working recovery. I tried for years to find happiness and balance like this in hopes i could either be sober or happy or moderately drink, but i just spun my wheels in the mud and lost more time. Energy/work without focus on the goal doesn’t get us closer to the goal my friend. You can do this and i think part of you really wants to, as for spiritually i believe you can find the holy spirit in church but its probably more present on weeknights in the basement during the local AA meetings than sunday mornings. Just my two cents, keep fighting brother and keep praying.

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You have a great point. Saying you’re quitting drinking for lent, new years or any significant event isnt enough. It’s just a day. I wanted to stop. I was sick of the hangovers and honestly drinking for no real reason. I truly wasn’t enjoying it anymore. Saying you’re going to stop is the easy part. Committing to it is where the work and benefits begin.
Hugs

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Yikes. The truth is painful but true. Hoping he didn’t want to cry or drink after reading it. I know as someone who has done the same thing with my sobriety I would be crushed to read this. As true as it is. Hopefully it was received with love and openness. I know you were just telling the truth

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I think the problem is what is your mentality going to be once the 40 days and nights are up? If your doing it as a kick start great but beware of it coming to an end then feeling like rewarding yourself with the obvious, instead of doing it for lent maybe try stopping simply for u and because u deserve a better life, i did a sponsored 90 days dry once for charity…i did it but guess what…i was sat there vodka in hand waiting for the last minute to chime so i could drink myself stupid because i ‘deserved’ it

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I did similar in 2019….I wanted to get sober but it’s hard to explain to people so I used these things as my social excuse. I can’t drink because of Dry January, Dry February, Lent….by the time Easter came I felt confident to say “I’m feeling great, I don’t want to drink anymore”

But behind the scenes I was doing therapy, AA meetings, personal reflections etc.

Previous years when I “gave up alcohol for Lent” I never made it even halfway!! Or “Sundays don’t count” was a good one too!!

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I used lent as my excuse or justification not to drink. Although it won’t work for everyone, i wanted to go to the happy hours with my friends. When i ordered a diet soda instead of my usual wine, I would say i gave up drinking for lent. This kept me on track and accountable. And i could still hang out with my friends which is critical for me.
Once lent was over i stayed sober and if asked said im not drinking today. Now no one asks or seems to notice as i pound down my diet soda.
Thanks for sharing.
Hugs

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Something that came to mind. With 3 resets in the month…are they really resets, or are you actively drinking that month? Is the amount of sober days greater or lesser than the drinking days

Might be semantics. However it might change one’s viewpoint on whether the program of recovery is actually working.

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How is it going today?

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Juat checking in. Hows it going?

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Hows it going?

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Any update on how you are doing? We are all here to help you.

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Still sober? Hows it going?

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Just checking in to see how its going

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