Day 10 - What makes it different this time

Today marks my 10th day sober! I’ve been struggling with alcohol and drugs for many years (mostly alcohol) and never saw it as a problem. Until it started really ruining my life. But after horrible events and experiences I found myself stopping for a while…then giving into temptation and back to square one. And again, and again. I can’t count how many times I’ve “tried” to stop, only to find myself drinking again …but worse. I have been 10 days sober so far, but what’s different this time? This time I’m not doing it alone. I told myself that I’ve had enough. I surrendered and admitted to my problem and addiction. I decided to give AA a try, and honestly, it’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. Looks like all this time, I needed the support and encouragement of others who are/have been struggling as well. I’ve tried to control my problem on my own, never succeeded. It took a few bad experiences, some trauma, and near death experiences for me to realize I’m actually ill. Someone during the meeting yesterday said, “you can spend your whole life wondering why you’re like this. The fact of the matter is you are what you are. It is what it is. And you just gotta accept that. But guess what, there’s hope. There’s a solution. And if you stick around, you’re going to find it here.” And that really stuck with me. I found it. HOPE. And not only there, but here too. I tend to be on my phone a lot. But have been checking in here more than I do Facebook …etc. As a reminder that I’m not alone. So I’m grateful for this community. I should have surrendered and looked for help a long time ago. But it’s Gods timing (or the universe, what ever you believe in). I never thought I’d end up being what I am. An alcoholic. And you know what? I’m starting to be okay with that. I’m in the process of working on myself. Doing the 12 step. Attending my meetings (met some of the nicest people there), practicing daily gratitude, praying … and looking for a way I can be of service every day. Because I know that one day, my story, my journey…will hopefully inspire and help someone ese. Just likes it’s done to me.

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Acceptance for me was the answer. Your words sound so familiar to this alcoholic. So glad you are here friend and thank you for sharing.

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Good for you. That’s great. I’ve quit so many times it’s ridiculous. Never got it. This time I got support here at TS and with my experience of having children in recovery I’m doing pretty pretty good. You really do need some support to conquer this beast.
Glad it’s working.
That one day at a time works great for me. Just not gonna drink today. That’s all I got to do.
:pray::heart:

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Congrats! Excellent milestone! I’m only on day 5 and was debating on attending an AA meeting tonight or not, but now I think I will :slight_smile: so thank you for sharing your accomplishment and what you have learned.