A question on long term sobriety

Hi all,

I recently posted on here that I was sober for 3 months or so, then relapsed.

But the reason I was sober was I thought about drinking during those 3 months and said, “No, I don’t want it.” I don’t know what caused that. I haven’t had that experience since I was 13 years old. I’ve always wanted alcohol, no matter what. I have a need to drink alcohol. But for some reason I didn’t want to drink this time. I thought it was the new year, maybe making a change, maybe really making my life different.

During those months the craving was absent. I assume this is how non-alcoholics feel. They can drink if they want, but don’t feel the craving that I do.

Then the craving came back. And I succumbed, as I always do. There was no real catalyst. I wasn’t having a bad day, week, month. Just one day I wanted to drink. I can say it to myself over and over in my head “Don’t go to the store and buy beer” but then I drive to the store and buy beer. And that is really the end of the story. I can’t help myself.

So my question is to the people that have been sober for 1000+ days. Does that craving ever go away? If I can make it that far will I be able to overcome my craving? I know it’s one day at a time, but does it get easier? Even a little easier?

13 Likes

It does go away.

It went away because I had a program of recovery. That can be living on here, SMART, AA, some sort of self program. What I have witnessed is: people that have a systematic recovery program, succeed long term.

For me, it taught me how to live again without alcohol…gave me tools to deal with cravings or the weird thoughts that just pop up.

13 Likes

I’m 960 days sober and the obsession has been lifted. I still work my program daily, whether it’s going to an AA meeting or coming on here. I don’t want to get complacent. I see it too often at meetings where people with years of sobriety go back out due to complacency. I live by the saying…My recovery must come first so that everything I love in life doesn’t have to come last.

14 Likes

Hey there…sober 4.5 years here. It has definitely gone away for me…though I’m not exactly sure when?

For the first week or so it was a physical and habitual addiction. I drank every day… for years…

I just had no idea how to get through a day without it.

For the next couple months I dealt with cravings…though I was also in the pink cloud. Feeling good and not absolutely terrible all the time was too great a feeling to mess with. I’d say around six months I had to start dealing with the anxiety and escapism that led to my drinking….and at some point in all this…the obsession stopped.

Truth be told though….I was ABSOLUTELY done with drinking when I quit. I suppose I had the gift of desperation…

And that made all the difference for me.

12 Likes

It’s getting easier for me. I just finished reading a book called Alcohol Explained. It is helping me understand what alcohol does to the body and mind. I find that learning the truth about alcohol and addiction is helping me with the crazings. I just don’t want to hurt myself like that anymore. I hope that helps a bit.

7 Likes

Yes, it gets easier and cravings go away. That does not mean we do not prepare for the unprepared times.
That means I still do the daily things I did in the beginning. I do not take for granted that it is a Higher power, God that keeps me sober. I get on my knees every morning and ask Him to keep me sober. I thank Him at night for keeping me sober. I thank Him all day long for every thing. I have had to learn through rough times to thank Him even for those rough days.
I talk to someone in recovery, that means either in person or on the phone. We did not have cell phones and texting when I got sober so I learned to be with others and think it is still important to do AA the way they did it in the beginning. We can easily hide behind a screen if typing is all we are doing. It is to be in addition to. I have had a craving or two through the 25 years I have been sober. I watch and listen to the people sober longer than me especially the ones that were around that also knew some of the people in the 1940’s. I watched people go back out and come back in and learned from them not to stop doing what we do early on. Having a sponsor, homegroup and for years kept contact with that sponsor daily and prayed lots. Remaining teachable is so important. Working the steps with my sponsor and reworking them and reworking them. I was told listen to the preamble and ending along with the meeting itself at every meeting. Going to a meeting even if I did not feel like it until I loved going to meetings. I still read, listen to tapes etc. knowing our alcoholism is waiting for us very patiently. Sometimes you don’t see it coming. So be disciplined in a routine, find a we and surround yourself with sober people and find fun things to do in sobriety. We are not a glum lot! Enjoy it! Conventions and retreats are great! You get out of it what you put into it. Getting involved in service work and helping others is key. Being accountable. By all means read the Big Book and go to studies. Joe and Charlie tapes are great in that case. Shake hands at meetings and introduce yourself to everyone. Get numbers of same sex people. On and on, all things that helped me and still do 25 years later.

10 Likes

1003 days and cravings are gone. Just thoughts every now and then about using, that are just automated thoughts that disappear.

12 Likes

Yes, they go away, if you work at it.

My first go at sobriety, I was white knuckling it. Everything made me want to drink and all that kept me from it was my will power. Will power only gets you so far, for me it was 58 days.

Work a program, pick up tools, have a sober network and now you have a lot more than just will power.

9 Likes

Thank you for the replies. I understand it is a process and a lot of work, but I am also very hopeful to hear that it’s possible for the craving to go away.

3 Likes

the only craving i have now over 35 years sober is for living sober everyday and it works if you have the desire and make the effort wish you well

12 Likes

I have been sober for over three years now. I dont have cravings anymore but i get subtle urges or passing thoughts about thoughts about drinking. But the tools i have been given through AA helps me recognize them and deal with them so i dont drink. Alcoholism is cunning, baffling, and powerful. As long as i work my program and dont get comfortable i can continue to beat my addiction. I hope this helps. Also if you havnt tried an AA meeting I would give it a shot. It saved my life!

8 Likes

My short answer, lol: They do go away. Still working a program of action.

2 Likes

Coming up on 1900 days…5 years+…before that I drank for 40+ years. It was definitely hard to push past cravings for my first year or so…but for the past few years, the cravings are long gone. A fleeting thought now and again, but no cravings.

3 months is definitely early days…body and mind still healing. Stick with it, it does get way easier and much more fulfilling…at least it did for me. :heart:

9 Likes

I just finished reading another book that is helping with my latent cravings. It’s called, The Little Book of Big Change, by Amy Johnson, Ph.D. I want to thank all of you for the reassuring replies, that it does in fact get easier. I can see how that would be. I quit smoking many years ago, and now, I rarely have even a passing thought.

2 Likes