I have been using drugs and alcohol since I was 16, I am now 36 years old. How do you know when you have succeeded at sobriety? What is your measure of success?
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Im not sure as im still new to this clean living deal but for me its just to keep busy to where if someone offers me a beer i can safely say no, its ok. But hang in there. Between work and coaching sports it keeps my mind busy.
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A day at a time. If I didn’t get high or drunk today then it was a success.
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Exactly as @Englishd said. Today is the only day that matters. My worst day sober is better than any day drunk or high.
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Yep, exactly as @Englishd said. Take it one day at a time. Try to find new hobbies or activities to keep your mind and body occupied. Make sober living your number one priority. As I have learned from the wonderful people on this app, we reach for our doc or alcohol to numb ourselves from reality or to escape, but it will all still be there if you aren’t drinking or doing drugs. So, we have to come up with new coping skills to deal with life’s ups and downs. I’m still trying to learn more coping skills every single day. But mostly right now I exercise, eat healthy, do yoga, and keep busy. That’s the biggie for me. You can message me anytime if you’d like. This is a great support group!
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For me, it’s about never being so confident i think i have it beat. One time I thought I had it beat and I ended up drinking.
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You never know if you have succeed, because tomorrow you could pick up.
I was sober (alcohol) for 5 years and thought I succeed. Then I tried drinking moderate (I could’t) and was back at day one.
So I learn’t I am just 1 drink away from disaster. It doesn’t matter if I have 2 sober days, 200 ore 2 years.
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I have failed around 4 times in the last 2 weeks. It sucks but as the other guys mention just take 1 day at a time. Understand you have a sickness and you can never ever do it in moderation, im living example
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Just take it day for day.
Another day clean and sober is a success.
Reaching out is success.
Admitting you are powerless is success
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My measure of success is if my head hits the pillow at night and I am sober. I will always have to protect my sobriety. Without it, i have nothing.
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Don’t be scared of failure. You’ll be setting yourself up to fail.
No negative thoughts.
As @anon46927530 says, when your head hits the pillow and your sober. Then that’s the success!
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Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement! Made it through day one completely sober for the first time in almost 20 years!
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I repeated “drinking is not an option” a zillion times a day in the beginning
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That was one of the mantras in my mind when I first started,and still now but not as much. I think I got it from you.
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Ditto. Still do this at work sometimes when shit gets crazy.
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At work, i still do to…i usually add that throat punching isnt an option either
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For me it’s stabbing people in the eardrum with a fork. DON’T DO IT MEG! NOT AN OPTION!
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Savage! I guess throat punching isn’t that bad 
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