@Dolse71 huge congratulations to you Paul. I’m so happy for you 
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good mornig everyone. Yesterday when I got home I perked up and have been feeling good since. Did a 3 mile jog and lifted some weights. At work and it full on clean mode and actually working. Not tired today and feeling happy. Can’t wait to get home to my two little stinkers. have a good day happy new years.
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31st December – Tips To Stay Sober
Let’s not forget that many members find it difficult to maintain their sobriety on this crucial day of 31st December. Let’s take a moment to pray for them and hope that they can come through. Here are some tips and thoughts for us folks to keep sober, JUST FOR TODAY
Remember, one drink is too many, a thousand aren’t enough
The first drink does the damage
The company you keep, that you become. This is especially true in our early days
You haven’t come this far to go back again
What we do today will define what will happen to us tomorrow
If you get an obsession to drink, try the following
Say the serenity prayer out loud until the desire to drink passes away
Make a phone call to your sponsor, a friend, or a family member
Have a glass of water
Go for a walk, if you have a pet, even better to take them
Count back from 100 to 1
Get to a meeting if one is open near you and talk about the desire
Meditate for 10 minutes keeping your attention just on the incoming breath and outgoing breath.
Go for a run or do a workout at home or at your gym
No matter what, just remind yourself that the program works one day at a time and that one drink isn’t going to make things any better. If at all, we have always found ourselves in another rut every time we have tried it.
Good luck
12 Step Toolkit Team
December 31st, 2020
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Im nearly 90 days into stopping alcohol and cigs and very nearly relapsed last night. Yesterday Id had just had enough and I bought rolling tobacco and had 3 cigs. They were gross but I REALLY enjoyed the first one. On the way home I bought beers. All the time im fighting myself constantly it was unbearable. When I got in a called my gf and told her what id bought. Cut a long story short I didn’t drink (gave them to my neighbour) and flushed the rest of the tobacco away. Today im not too sure how i feel about it. Alittle annoyed that I wasted the money on the tobacco. Im glad i dont have a hangover but apart from that I dont really feel any different.
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Ultimately I would be feeling proud that although I had a couple of roll ups I saw the error of my ways and ACTED. It’s progress not perfection.
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Checking in sober, Day 359. Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe New Year!!! Good riddance, 2020. Here’s to a better 2021!!!
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My situation is unique, so I’ll give a little detail
Part of my family cutting me off, involved me forcing to cut off from my kids mother, she is too invasive in my life involving things that arent her concern, my relationships, my finances, my mental health she insists multiple psychiatrists are wrong her, diagnosis is the only correct one (shes not a psych In anyway) she should be talking to my therapists, mind you we separated 10 years ago she is married to someone else and in sobriety I set healthy boundaries towards her, so her answer is to isolate me from my kids, easy to do with COVID restrictions and me being in another state
So I wrote a long ass letter to my son, he’s 16 and has a good understanding of what’s going on. But I’m sure it will make him feel better to hear from me, couldn’t leave my return address either so it’s kinda miserable that I cant hear back
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Day 7. One new week, repeating many one weeks. I have been on this forum since 2016. So, I have watched pretty much all the long-timers’ journeys. I have tiny battles with envy, which is misplaced because the slips were all my own doing. Now, I give you all permission to get pretty harsh if I ever even consider having “just one.” You can remind me how long I have been here, as I have been doing every morning, and every evening. That whole deal with my mother at Christmas, really gave me a mind shift, and I am as glad for it, as I am sad for the fact that she feels like she needs to keep someone else down to be successful (in some way). My grandmother (not her mother) used to say, “Don’t put out someone else’s light in order to make your own light shine.” I live that.
@Lisa07 Thank you so much for your honesty and vulnerability. It helps so much to “prepare for battle,” if you will. So many people think they can get pas X# of days and everything is going to be rainbows and unicorns. I appreciate that you share your trials here. XXOO
@apes2020 - Congrats on 30! It feels so good, doesn’t it? On my way back there!
@Fury I can’t even imagine, my friend. I hope that situation ends soon for you and you can can reconnect to your kids. Good for you for writing a letter. 
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Day 432. The last day of this crazy ass year. 2020 wasn’t all bad but that’s probably because my perception has changed in sobriety.
During the lockdown my wife, kids and myself did a lot of hiking to see waterfalls. I enjoyed it a lot, being out in nature with zero time constraints, it was good.
I went camping a lot with my youngest boy and it was great. There were times i worried about drinking but i pushed through them and enjoyed the moments i was in.
My mother was diagnosis with advanced cirrhosis and ascites, it will eventually kill her. The diagnosis afforded me the opportunity to rebuild a little bit of a relationship with her, I’m grateful for that.
Live life on lifes terms. We control very, little but we DO control whether we pick up or not. Happy new year to my TS gang, I wouldn’t have made it without you all.
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Hey guys, I’m in the middle of a crazy busy day so I don’t have a lot of time to read everyone’s posts today unfortunately. Thinking of you all and I hope everyone is doing well. I should be able to catch up tomorrow.
Today is day 
for me. I’m not sure why but it seems like a really big milestone to me. Maybe because I finally feel closer to a full year than I did at 6 months when I was just halfway. It could also just be because it’s a nice round number and it pleases my OCD.
Either way, I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone. It seems cliché to say at this point but I really, truly would not be 200 days sober without all of you. You’re all amazing, have a great one 
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The 200 club! That is a big deal well done🙂
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Congratulations on 200!! 
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Day 7.
Have time off from my stressful job and have used my time to get sober and go through withdrawals again. Was very hard to break the cycle this time. Yesterday all day I was so down and my mind kept thinking about drinking… so much so that I thought that if I drank I could help the chemistry of my withdrawing brain out and give my self a boost if I controlled the amount… I was so fixated on it that it was a long ass day… I could not get out of my head. Hoping today I can rejoin my family and think outward beyond myself.
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Now that is an impressive number.
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Checking in Afternoon
Damn it feels good when the beginning is tough but when i adapted it was GO MODE it feels amazing to learn and always learn patience and understanding are key to growth yes its frustrating its stressful you wonder how ? Why ? When ? Whoo ?
at the end when you perserve you come out on top LETS GOOO
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Aw…I Don’t know if I love your numbers or your cat more 
And by the way 
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Crazy 8’s! Nice
Day 12. Struggling with mood swings and cravings (“just one…”). My depression is back. But the haze is clearing. Mind is untangling. Food tastes better. Sensations feel more real. Emotions are turbulent, but the happy moments are real and not chemically induced. Trying to make things better. A little bit every day. Living from moment to moment. Keep telling myself that this suffering is worth it. Now if only I can find some purpose in my life…
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