1826 days. One day at a time, Iāve managed to make it to 5 years sober!! That is pretty mind blowing honestly.
This was me then on day 1. And this is me now.
Iām an entirely different person that I was on day 1. I was sick. Miserable. Unhappy. My life was chaotic. My body was shutting down. And yet I still only intended to take a ābreakā from alcohol for a little while with the logic my unwell wet brain had. I didnāt know any other life. Iād been drinking since I was a child really. It was ānormalā in my family and with my crowd. I couldnāt wrap my head fully around sobriety, I just knew I needed to make a change. And the day I knew for sure drinking was the source of my mystery rashes was the day I started my sober journey.
I lived on this forum for my first few years in sobriety. This place saved my life. It was talking to other alcoholics in sobriety that really helped me to see things in a different light. To see that there was no true good reason to drink, it was all just bs I was telling myself. I had to stop thinking I knew best, my best thinking led my to alcoholism & a miserable life. I learned I just needed to take things one day at a time and do whatever it took to stay sober. I made new sober friends and I started to see the solutions. I found the eye in the storm that surrounded me as the life I had known shattered and fell to the ground so I could build an entirely new foundation. A solid one this time, not out of the quicksand I was used to.
Has it always been easy? Hell no. It really hasnāt. But most things worth having arenāt. I can tell you that even on my worst day sober, itās 10,000x better than my best day drinking. Over time, itās certainly gotten easier as Iāve reprogrammed my habits and discovered new tools to help me live a MUCH better life. To stop running and numbing myself. To do the work and clear out the clutter that held me down and to allow me to see things in a new way. To take new actions. Iāll always get what Iāve always had if I continue to do the same things Iāve always done. I work my recovery consistently as the only day that truly matters is today. For so long, I wanted things to stay the same in my life and I resisted the changes I really needed to make to really allow in sobriety. But Iāve discovered that itās the best thing Iāve ever done. Iāve changed my actions. And now Iām living in different results. Where I am today I could never have pictured being honestly.
It IS possible!! We can recover. We can follow in the footsteps of those who have walked this path before us. I found someone who I wanted what they had and Iāve followed their guidance. Iāve connected with others who live in the solution and who work on their recovery. And I keep my recovery a priority. I keep coming back because it works if I work it. And 5 years later, my life is far better than itās EVER been.
Iām grateful. For this site. For the connections Iāve made and the people that have helped me along the way and continue to do so. Iām grateful for my higher power. For recovery. For my program. My sponsor. My community. And for my sobriety. Today is the day that matters and Iām ending another day sober. Just like I have the last 1826 days. One day at a time, we can recover!