Daily Gratitude List. Gratitude is the air of recovery

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Iā€™m grateful that Iā€™ve had the strength to be sober for the past 29 days. I was finishing off at least two handles of vodka per week before stopping. I still feel ashamed for that and likely will for a long time to come. On the other hand, Iā€™m thankful for the sudden realization that it had to end.

Iā€™m grateful that I havenā€™t had a single craving for alcohol, which is strange since I drank for about 20 years. Someone told me itā€™s called ā€œspontaneous sobrietyā€. Whatever itā€™s called, I feel humbled by it.

Iā€™m grateful that I overcame wanting to delete my presence here (for today). Itā€™s difficult to talk about my drinking, and although many of the stories here resonate with me, I feel inadequate to offer support or advice.

Iā€™m grateful that Iā€™m alive.

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I am grateful to be sober and hangover free.

I am grateful i was able to get 7.5 hours of sleep before my shift tonight and that i squeezed in a little 2 mile walk.

I am grateful to my sister who is able to help take care of my Mother and Father while I am working, such a blessing.

I am grateful to know I am not alone in my struggles and that we are all here fighting our own battles together.

I am grateful I am no longer addicted to cigarettes.

I am grateful for all of your shares and for the upcoming weekend and good weather forecast here in Massachusetts. :two_hearts:

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FWIW.
This is pretty darn good support right here.
It reminds me of the shame I eventually got through and how I never want to go back to that.
**But itā€™s the sharing that heals. Not the person that listens.
:pray:t2::heart:

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I know that sharing my story is heart work. Iā€™m also realizing that speaking even when Iā€™m afraid to speak is healing. Thank you for being here. :purple_heart:

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I absolutely understand this , and also feel it myself. But I think that we all help each other by creating a place that is safe, a place of understanding, and a place of belonging. What helped me so much, especially in the first few weeks and months, was being able to read someone elseā€™s struggle with a mood, or a tough realization, or just with life on lifeā€™s terms. It took me a while to realize that no one has to have ā€œearnedā€ the right to try to help another, or tell part of their story, it comes with the privilege of choosing sobriety. Wow that got pretty long winded :joy:! Iā€™m grateful you are here, and you shared that.

Iā€™m grateful for the simple things in my life that I love so much- my houseplants, the beautiful quilt on my bed, my strange and lovable dogs and rabbit, my kids, my husband, all my pretty coffee mugs, coworkers that I can laugh with even if we get annoyed with each otherā€¦. There really is so much to be grateful for!
Everyone have a wonderful evening :heart:

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Im grateful for Fridaysā€¦weekendsā€¦my job but also my time off and home. For being able to relax with my dogā€¦enjoy her company and bed able to do some work around the house. For foodā€¦clothesā€¦shelterā€¦car and faith and all the basics that I have. For the ability to think and take care of myself. Looking forward to a good weekend. :heart::pray::blush:

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Good morning, all.
Iā€™m grateful that it is Saturday today. My wife has an appointment, my kids are looking after themselves, I slept for eight and a half hours, and the sun is shining. I am feeling so serene that I donā€™t want to move.
Grateful for the lovely evening that I spent with my family yesterday. My wife and I ordered a secret takeaway, so there was none of the usual drama around what weā€™re going to have. 6 people with different tastes can be tricky to cater for. Anything was going to be well received after the takeaway ban. We then watched a movie together and everyone got to bed at a reasonable time. A perfect evening.
I need to remind myself how grateful I am to be sober and clear headed. I am delighted that it is becoming the norm, but I need to remember the alternative.
Grateful for all of your posts. I identify with so many of them. Not feeling able to offer advice, in particular.
Grateful for the relaxing weekend that is stretching out in front of me. Two full days. Not a Saturday feeling lousy, waiting for my head to clear enough to start drinking again - giving me a few hours in the middle of the day. And then a Sunday starting drinking at noon and chasing the buzz for the rest of the day - before a night of very little sleep and crushing anxiety. Two full days where I can do whatever I want, and that I will remember. I am so unbelievably grateful for that.
I might not do anything. Iā€™m discovering that that is a thing.
Have a great sober day all.

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Grateful for my dog. Always :sparkling_heart:

Just look at this sleepy boy!

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I love this thread. Iā€™m so grateful to read it at the end of the day. I actually pop into it sometimes throughout the day if the day permits, but love ending the day here. My breathing slows, my shoulders loosen. I nod a lot. Giggle out loud often! Sometimes a particular post stirs something in me, unlocks some hidden gratitude or compassion, and I wish the Original Poster could know the impact their words have on me. But I think thatā€™s how this is supposed to workā€¦ Iā€™m so grateful it does.

And yes to all thatā€™s been said about newcomers. We all have something to offer: our human experience. And we all have that, no matter how many days any one of us hasā€¦

Iā€™m grateful Iā€™m not so tossed about by my mental/emotional state. Sometimes a restless angst will overtake me for a few days, like last week, and then leave as it did this week, and really - nothing has changed in my life between its coming and going. Grateful I can see that now - I think this practice has a lot to do with that. Grateful I donā€™t try to drink away the angst. That never workedā€¦

Iā€™m grateful for the weekend and plans to putter in my little patio garden (fall is here!), get my writing stuff sorted (new course starts soon!), hit my yoga mat (studio may shut down again soon), and indulge the dog girl in some forest walks. Donā€™t know how it could get any better, reallyā€¦!

Iā€™m grateful to be going to bed early on a Friday night, sober.
Iā€™m grateful for another day. And hey, on that - what do you all say? Do another one tomorrow? Iā€™m in. :wink: :orange_heart:

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Tonight I am grateful that I can cry. After Tyler talked about his meds stopping his tears I was brought right back. I am grateful I donā€™t feel like all my emotions are caught in my chest anymore, I am grateful that I am not on a bunch of medication anymore that takes all my feelings away. I would feel trapped in my body, I knew I was hurting but I couldnā€™t cry. I am so grateful that when we are hurting we can come here to talk about it. Sometimes this pain we can feel nobody but us will get. I am so grateful when people come here, are vulnerable, are honest and just let it all out. Keeping that shit in, that is the shit that can send someone back out using and I am grateful we have somewhere where we feel loved to let it out.

:orange_heart:

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Thank you for understanding. Reading otherā€™s struggles and the ways theyā€™re handling them is whatā€™s helping me right now. Iā€™m probably overthinking everything. I tend to do that now. :upside_down_face: I appreciate all you said. :purple_heart:

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I think many of us have these feelings from time to time here. Well, I do have them.
The last I am asking for is advice. I learn most by reading others experience, shares. :see_no_evil:

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Grateful that one part from my loop system is working. Not all but at least I get my numbers without scanning.
Grateful the girls are better today which I know by comparison. Think they had some stomach whatsoever thing. Now, they are fighting, running and decorating the flat again. Happy about that.
Grateful for a warm rainy Saturday.
Grateful I have enough.
Grateful being sober. Grateful when I donā€™t sleep well I am only tried. Not a destroyed wreck.

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Today iā€™m grateful that i can sit on my balcony and read this thread drinking coffee on the morning.
Grateful that i can read books again, that i open up my head for information, thoughts, inspirations which i couldnā€™t see in past 3 months.
I read @M-be-free49 reply about relationships and feel kind of the same. Made me think about my own way now - sobriety helped me to see clearly that iā€™m with the wrong person and i stayed with him partly because felt guilt because i drank. My mind was messed up. This relationship lasted for 3 months, and in the days of my drinking i could stay in such relationship for a year suffering. Now iā€™m able to not get stuck in it at least for so long, and this is the progress iā€™m grateful for. Grateful for experience i get going through it.
Grateful that i listen to music and sing again, depression seems to dissolve bit by bit. Thereā€™s so much beauty in the world, iā€™m grateful to god i can finally touch it a little.
Grateful to be sober today. And grateful for the sunny weather.

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Grateful to be sober -
that means grateful to remember everything, grateful to have no guilt
grateful to have no headache/nausea
grateful to have energy to cook / play with kids
grateful my kids arenā€™t worried / sad
grateful my husband isnā€™t disappointed / checking on me constantly
grateful I didnā€™t waste money
grateful I can use money for something else

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Today I am grateful for a gorgeous and chilly Saturday morning. Iā€™m grateful I get to work at the nursery for a few hours today. I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about nurturing plants, their tendencies, like and dislikesā€¦probably good practice for when I decide to enter into a relationship againā€¦weā€™ll start with plants :wink: I am grateful for the choice this afternoon to walk as long and far as I can on our city rail trail or cozy up with records, candles, and teaā€¦or maybe a bit of both. I am grateful for the freedom of options that sobriety brings as the day would take a much different, desperate turn at midpoint without it and then tomorrow would be a miserable wreck. I am grateful for the book I just finished where I learned that when I was younger (sort of) and did stupid, stupid things while drinking, that wasnā€™t only because I was desensitized and ā€œin vino veritasā€ as though ā€œthe real meā€ was shining through. I was actually chasing the pleasure ā€“ the dopamine as alcohol wasnā€™t doing it for me anymore that day so I needed something else to keep me from coming down. That extended into non-drinking hours of the day as well and particularly during hangovers. It helps to see where the addiction was prevalent throughout. Gratitude helps to maintain the balance without extremes. This thread helps to remain consistent with that. So grateful!!!

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Iā€™m grateful to God please help me be better today than I was yesterday and to remain clean and sober. Iā€™m grateful to God please shine your healing light through me to keep my darkness at bay and to guide me to better do your will. Iā€™m grateful to have the ability to continue to work on my recovery. Iā€™m grateful that the harm I have done to myself and others is reversable. Iā€™m grateful that I can pray for help to remove these fears of failure regarding, school, relapse, any and all relationhips. Iā€™m grateful that I can set aside these things and chose to enjoy whatever today brings to the best of my ability. Iā€™m grateful for the smell of my coffee brewing. Iā€™m grateful for all my family and friends. Iā€™m grateful for this thread and all of you gratidudes. Iā€™m grateful that I get to make pizza for dinner and chair a meeting at the treatment center much later today. Iā€™m grateful that I slept well and have slowly been waking up earlier. Iā€™m grateful once again for all of you and for allowing this space to feel safe.
God bless you all. :v: & :heart:

p.s. You are good enough, smart enough and gosh darn it people like you. Ya you!!

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You donā€™t need to talk about it until you are ready. If you havenā€™t heard of Brene Brown I highly suggest her podcasts, TED talks and books. She also has a website.

Reading her helped me get through all the shame I was feeling, maybe it will help you too.

We all belong here. Every stage of everybodyā€™s recovery is valuable to each other. You may experience something during the begining of your recovery none of us has experienced and we can learn from you. This is an even playing field there is no hierarchy. We are just a bunch of addicts who come together to support and love on each other every damn day. I really hope you stick around.
:blush::heart::pray::sunflower:

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Iā€™m grateful how fucking fantastic I felt yesterday!
Iā€™m grateful I truly believe it is because I donā€™t drink and wake up hungover and then plan my day around getting my next drink so Iā€™ll feel better.
Iā€™m grateful I didnā€™t have a headache 2 days in a row working on 3.
Iā€™m grateful my wife notices it and it drives her just a little bit crazy because I wonā€™t shut up on our walks with the dogs :rofl: but she rather have me like that than painfully quiet.
Iā€™m grateful I had a really nice dinner last night at a really nice restaurant. Kelly? Not so much! Not my problem. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: Iā€™m grateful I ordered stuff I liked for me. We have totally different taste and I almost always bend to her liking. And I donā€™t mind. But thereā€™s so many things I donā€™t order because she doesnā€™t like that appetizer to share. Or whatever. Last night I enjoyed the hell out of my roasted garlic bulb. :yum: all to myself. And I enjoyed my warm Brie, all to myself, with all the weird fixins.
And it was GREAT!
Iā€™m grateful I felt comfortable to try my first non alcoholic cocktail. Iā€™ve been afraid to do this. But it was something Iā€™d never order and unlike anything Iā€™ve ever drank so it was ok. It was good. Iā€™m grateful Iā€™m still afraid to order a Virgin Mary. Me a Mary go waaaay back. Iā€™m afraid sheā€™d just be a tease.
And Iā€™m most grateful I didnā€™t have to wait for my second drink. The bartender was swamped and Kelly didnā€™t get her second cocktail till she was almost done her dinner :grimacing: so she never got a glass of wine with dinner :grimacing: This right here would have totally ruined my whole dining experience if I was still drinking. I would have been furious. :grimacing::grimacing::grimacing: No matter how great the food and service was. And it all was great. It wasnā€™t or servers fault. I could see the bartender working his ass off. Seriously you all have no idea how this would have totally ruined my night.
Not only that, Iā€™m grateful I didnā€™t come home and make extra cocktails after dinner to make up for it. I would have showed them :grimacing:
I grateful because today would have been a crushing hangover on a whole ā€˜nother level. I can almost feel it talking about it.
Fuck my liquor, beer and wine. Fuck you!
:pray:t2::heart:
Somedays I really wish my wife could quit drinking and have the freedom I have. She stumbled out of the restaurant. Passed out on the couch. And Iā€™ll have a nice long morning of quiet time. I mean if we didnā€™t go out to nice places like that she wouldnā€™t have cocktails. But is that fair to me? I donā€™t do these kinds of places often here in Flag. Iā€™m grateful I can share this with you all. No responses necessary. I just didnā€™t feel like going there on the checkin thread. Iā€™m good. Especially since I can share this with my favorite peeps. :hugs: it helps to just vent.
Iā€™m grateful for my life.
Iā€™m grateful for my wife.
:pray:t2::heart:

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