Continued from Checking in daily to maintain focus #18
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@Dazercat On the topic with @WCan and @Hailstrom, here’s my personal approach. I need to be immersed in recovery right now, especially being in such early sobriety. I think, for myself, I consider under a year to still be “early”. It does consume a good amount of my time and my thoughts. But drinking was consuming and ruining my entire life. It’s not just being on TS, but it’s also therapy, meds, attending meetings, and a few practices I like to do first thing in the morning and at night. When I’m doing all of that, it’s hard for recovery to not be at the front of my mind often. It seems like a big dedication, but in comparison to what I was doing it’s not too bad.
None of it is detracting from my life. Maybe I’m not doing everything I want to be doing, but I’m not neglecting any of my basic responsibilities. That is good enough for me right now, while I learn to live sober. At some point, when living sober becomes more “automatic” I can reassess the balance in my life, but for now I have to do what I have to do to stay sober, build new habits, and learn new ways of living.
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Pledging to stay sober today.All great points. @Hailstrom
@WCan thank you.
Being retired and sober and now with Rona, (we are also having a surge in cases with school starting up here. Kind of a college town we live in) it’s easy for me to say “I got one job!” Not drinking!! So coming on here is very helpful. But I think I should pick my times like going to a meeting. I wouldn’t be at a meeting all day posting cat pics and memes 
. So I’m going to try to limit myself @anon89207786 but still be around for the checking in and other more healing threads maybe 3 times a day. Maybe a cat pic or two 
. Or a non political meme. Thinking of blocking or muting the political meme thread. Sorry Jan. You seem to be my biggest fan 
. But the political meme thread isn’t working for me. I was hoping it wouldn’t cloud my opinion of others but truthfully it is. I thought in some crazy way I could fight that but I can’t. I always wanted to be in this sobriety fight together no matter anyone’s beliefs. Because I firmly believe addiction is the greatest perfect work of the devil. And we all need God, or your higher power, and each other. None of us wanted to start our DOC and become addicts and hate ourselves and ruin our lives and find hope and sobriety, to only think we can DOC again only to start ruining our lives all over again. At least I didn’t. Let’s all not DOC today. The hell with yesterday and tomorrow ain’t here yet.
Thanks y’all
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I agree with all of this, well said 
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Day 11 complete, and what a joy it has been in comparison to day 10! I woke early and decided it was time for my first professional haircut since the.start of lockdown in March here in the UK, so I walked there for 8am, but they wasn’t open, I tried calling the mobile number from the sign to book an appointment but there was no answer. So I decided to have my first coffee treat since February from Starbucks, I had a Peanut Butter Frappucino! It was good, but I’d forgotten about the brain-freeze! I waited on a bench in town until 9am then headed back to the barbers, they were open then so I got my hair cut, I feel I look weird now, because it’s still very short on top since shaving it all off early August, but it will soon grow and it does look neater with the sides faded. I then went to Waterstones to use some vouchers I’ve had for ages, there was a bit of conflict with the cashier because she refused to take one of them, saying the date looked like 2020 and not 2022, then said she didn’t recognise the other type of vouchers I had to went looking at images in their system for over ten mins, but decided they could, but it turned out I still didn’t need to pay anything towards the book because the other vouchers and the £3 off sticker on the book covered it 
I then decided to do my usual walk before going home, got half way round, then suddenly realised I didn’t have my wallet, prayed that I’d find it, retraced my steps all the way back to the book store, and thankfully it was there Then I still wanted to complete my walk so I did, slowly, as my pain was moderate at this point. Then I’ve been on here and watching small parts of another film. I have also made an appointment to see a Chiropodist tomorrow because I’ve had issues with my toenails since my early twenties, I’m now 33, and nothing the GP has prescribed or any over the counter stuff has worked, and they are more and more painful every day, so it’s time to see a professional. Sorry for such a long check-in! Onto day 12 now 
Edited to add: This is the book I got…
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I’ll be curious to hear about the book from you!
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I totally agree with you, @anon28001181, as you said we are in need to be immersed in recovery . Main thing I was saying, while comparing my approach now from before, it’s that I focus on recovery, not just sobriety for itself. Maybe I just “stumble over the flowers of the mat” (don’t know if it is translatable but it’s a French expression 
“s’enfarger dans les fleurs du tapis”) by comparing sobriety and recovery, but now for me recovery includes all you said: TS, therapy, specific activities related to sobriety and well-being, self-care, getting things done, etc. . Difference now, compared to myself before, is I am not just focusing on day counts and being sober. I’m focusing on getting better, to truly recover from my alcoholism and the damage it has done to my life, while being sober.
That being said, and that I think can relate to @Dazercat, being on this forum sometime while procrastinating other stuff that is recovery-related is not a part of my recovery plan. I don’t get too rough on me right now about it, I know I check sometime compulsively the new posts here instead of doing my things at home, even when I am working. I know that, but for now I know it’s better than being obsessive about planning on drinking like I use to just a week ago. So I just think recovery is a huge part of our life and should be.
But we should not forget that into those activities we selected to be in our plan, it can be some that if over-used can be deleterious to our overall recovery: I, for example, let myself eat anything or drink any sweets for now as it will be better than drinking as a consequences. But on the long-run, I know I have to put some boundaries on this one too, so it is for my use of cell-phone and TS. Like if I get trouble sleeping because I’ve been scrolling on here to watch some memes or following trolls on the forum… that’s not helping my recovery.
But hey, we’re not perfect 
One day at a time I adjust myself to where I am and adapt to what I have to do to get better…
Hope you have a good day guys,
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I like the French saying! Très bon!
I’m about to start it, I haven’t read his first one but heard good things, this was the first book to catch my eye as I entered the store today, so I knew it was the one I was meant to get, I’m spiritual like that 
Will update tomorrow…
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I just rode up to the library and bought 5 books; they sell them pretty cheap. 
I go there often to buy them.
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Day 15 here. Good afternoon! Just had a telemed appointment with my gastroenterologist and they want to do an EGD. I’m hoping I’ll get some answers finally after 4 years for all my gut problems. I feel sooooo much better mentally and emotionally, I just need to get the physical aspect in check too. Hope everyone is having a beautiful day! First day of fall here!
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Honesty #1
I’ve been having the same thoughts for long time before admitting myself I wasn’t ok.
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Checking in on the new thread 
Days in the office seem to be both long and quick however that works still have to log in later and check something but don’t mind.
Work is great for keeping me busy and lucky I work with decent people some of which I’d call friends outside of work, some also know that I was in hospital and now not drinking etc.
Probably just a bit of tv for the rest of the evening, I watch so much shite on it
Hope to get back some of the focus (or being able to relax) I used to have for watching series and movies that I like 
Hope everyone is doing okay!!
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Everyone needs cat pictures in their life!
I think it’s really great that you recognized that knowing the political beliefs of others on the board colors your opinion of them and that you’re doing something to stop that do you can be more present on the forum for what it’s meant for. 
I think that’s really self aware of you.
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Day 9. It was a great day, I went to the barber’s, worked, went running in the evening, everything was calm and peaceful. It’s easier to organize my thoughts sober, I can see the big picture better.
When I started to drink regularly I just kinda checked out from my life. I had a traumatic period and drinking made me numb, so I didn’t have to face those heavy emotions, I was just vegetating. But alcohol made me weak, and after a while I didn’t have the power to seize my life back, it was a trap. With sobriety I checked back to my life. It’s not an easy ride, but worth every step, because I can be myself again.
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Hi all. We burned through “checking in #18” pretty quickly, didn’t we ??? Still, I guess that it doesn’t take all that long to get to 2500 posts.
So my counter is just about to roll over to 41… tomorrow night at this time, I’ll be at 6 weeks. These are my first 6 weeks without alcohol in the longest time ! I’m feeling pretty good about it, too.
In fact, this was not a bad day at all. Work is a little slower than I would like, but I’m still in my “average” range, so it’s not too bad, I guess. It gives me time to work on my online course, and to study more Japanese (and Lord knows that I could use all of the study time that I can get!). On the positive side, I ordered a new car today, which will be delivered at some point in late November or early December, and I’m really quite chuffed about that. It’s a VW, and the model is called an “ID.3”… it’s a strange name, I know, but a cool car. I don’t think that that model will be marketed in N.America, but I think that it’s going to be quite a hit here in Europe. I just wish that I didn’t have to wait 3 months !! Oh well, patience is a virtue and all that rubbish.
In any event, time to head to bed. I have some appointments in the next few days (including dentist, yucko), and then I’m off to go diving for a few days.
So goodnight everyone.
It’s nice to read your posts, sorry that mine are usually kind of depressing !
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That’s their new electric one isn’t it?