Congrats! 
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Congratulations! I’m glad you’re sharing this journey with us. I value your presence and input around the forum. 
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Five years. Five years!
Thank you for sharing your story, your struggles, and your successes with us. I always know that a post from you is valuable and from your heart. Your words have meant a great deal to me since my first day here.
Huge congratulations - and thanks for hanging around to help the rest of us find the way.
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Oh my goodness @Alliecat, you must feel so proud of yourself. What an awesome thing to be able to do for yourself and give to others. I feel inspired by your effort and success. Thanks and my gosh well done again, that’s so good to hear.
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I bought and started a ton of books about addiction, many of which I abandoned at some point. The books that I got the most out of are: Blackout: Remembering the things I drank to forget by Sarah Hepola; Girl Walks Out is a Bar by Lisa Smith; the Recovering: Intoxication and it’s Aftermath by Leslie Jamison; the Trip to Echo Spring: On Wirters and Drinking by Olivia Laing; Lit by Mary Karr. The short story “the Swimmer” by Cheever also made an impact.
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Wow congrats. Great post. What an accomplishment. 
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Thank you a lot recovery literature helped me a lot in the past
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I love this post, what an awesome achievement and such an inspiration, so cool 
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Congratulations and thank you for your shares!
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Awesome! Keep it up
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Sincerely wishing you continued success.
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Alliecat, every time I am fortunate enough to come across something you’ve written on here, I feel so grateful to have read it. Such an incredible accomplishment on 5 years - so happy for you, my friend…
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Incredible show of will power and strength against booze @Alliecat. Congrats on your 5 years, many thanks for sharing your story with the lot of us recovering addicts, and being a source of good will and inspiration we can tap into when we need to. Wishing you all the best and another 5 years of sobriety, good health and peace in heart and mind.
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Firstly massive well done, secondly thanks for sharing, so motivational thank you.
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Congratulations!!! What is your most powerful tool to keep sobriety in the most difficult moments?
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Im going to get some of them. Thanks.
classic title - Blackout: Remembering the things I drank to forget. How true is that lol
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5 years!!! How wonderful!!!
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Thanks! For me the most difficult moments were early on. I was a social binge drinker (I drank in bars and with other people, not at home). The key for me was staying far away from old places and my old drinking buddies in the beginning. It was really hard feeling left out of my old circles and life. But I knew I wanted to stop drinking and that if I kept doing the same things I had been (hanging with the same friends who I used to drink with, going to my fave dive bars to shoot the shit, etc.), I would keep drinking. It was inevitable.
That was a lonely period which I got through by making behavior changes: not going to the old places, coming up with new non-drinking activities to fill my time. This was accomplished by determination and sheer force of will: knowing I wanted change my life enough to grit my teeth, disappoint my friends by not joining them and isolate myself until I was more sure of myself, more confident in my commitment to being sober. It also took faith that things would get better. I had to really want it in the beginning or I would have caved and picked up my next drink. I also didn’t play games with moderation, no point. I already knew that didn’t work for me.
From there, I had to learn how to deal with celebrations and disappointments without my old go-to: drinking. That took mental work: redefining rewards and changing long standing habits. This took time. Learning how not to run to a bar because I had a shitty day or week included mental conversations with myself of what would happen if I did that. I also had to look deep at what it was I was trying to accomplish by drinking my problems away: why I would engage in an activity that I knew damned well, was only temporary at best and was an activity that more often than not, compounded my original problems with extra drinking consequences.
I remember before I quit thinking that I wanted to stop drinking but realizing how much of a change that would mean in my life and I didn’t quit then because of it. Drinking was very much a part of me and my idea of myself.
Walking and my Fitbit were also very good companions and motivators for me. At six months sober, I got a Fitbit and started walking. I began losing weight which was incredibly motivating. I also pulled my head out of my ass by literally seeing the world around me. I walk everywhere, everyday. And not with a cell phone stuck in front of my face and noise- cancelling headphones glued to my ears— the point for me is to take in my surroundings, not block them out. Walking helps me think and gain perspective. It’s been a fantastic tool to help me stay sober.
I had to rework my hard-wiring. And it worked. It took time. But it’s not a struggle anymore. I haven’t been tempted to drink in years. I don’t take sobriety for granted and I am vigilant. But things have gotten much easier.
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Thank you so much for your answer. I feel inspired with some of the ideas you posted. Thank you for sharing and taking your time to explain things. I really appreciate it 
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