I listened to a few episodes of a sobriety podcast yesterday and in one of them one of the hosts made a suggestion to make a list of all the negative consequences of my drinking which sounded like a smart idea that i took and my list was unexpectedly long. From risky sexual situations with strangers to getting myself banned from a place i used to love hanging out at to recently losing my debit card i really did a lot of pretty stupid things in retrospect that could’ve pretty much all been avoided if i had been sober. I’m still pretty scared about will i be able to make this latest attempt to get sober stick but now i have a written reminder of all the bad and embarrassing moments of my life that were directly caused by my drinking to think about as i face my first weekend without alcohol. I felt like sharing this with y’all
Great idea to do this!!! Ive done this aswell and it proved to be very useful, especially in the beginning of my recovery. Playing the tape to the end i think is crucial when we get those thoughts to drink 
it helps remind us thay alcohol/drugs do nothong positive for our lives.
I understand why you wrote that and it is helpful as a deterrent but please also cut yourself some slack Arianna…remember that you are struggling with addiction and not some kind of monster…while its necessary to accept your wrong doings its also very necessary to cultivate some self compassion and love for yourself here for you to move through this and into healing xxxx 
I’ve done something similar. I kept much of my list on my phone in early sobriety and referred to it often when I was thinking, ‘oh, just one won’t hurt’. It was pretty eye opening. Reading about the reality of my drinking…debilitating anxiety, crushing hangovers, fighting, drunk driving, loss of self respect and so very much more…reminded me of why I was fighting so hard to stop drinking and escaping thru substance abuse.
If anyone is interested, they can read some of my list here…
The thought of attempting this now is so funny to me 
There’s not enough time in the day! It’d be a novel 
Remembering these things can be helpful, as long as you’re not still carrying guilt/shame around them. Dwelling on my past everyday in the beginning kept me from moving forward with my recovery. What I learned helped me was to remember the feelings I had after doing the dumb things. Not the specific actions I took, but their consequences. Every time an alcoholic thought arose, I reminded myself of the agony it would cause. I formed a connection so strong that the thought of drinking turns my stomach immediately. Every time.
Welcome 
Sending strength to your recovery 
We’ve got your back, so reach out whenever you need to 
I have admittedly felt over the years that i was a hopeless case (mostly due to coming from a poorer background). Self-compassion is a very hard thing that’s been a struggle for me for many years
It is hard, i understand that because i was the same…it is ok to care about yourself…give yourself the permission to do that…rome wasnt built in a day so just start off small with the basics like taking care of your body by trying to eat regularly, hydrating, general bits of self care all of which sew the seeds of your self compassion to enable it to grow…heal the body to begin a healthier mind…you are capable of more than you know
There is some guilt over a lot of the things i did. Forgiving myself for my shortcomings has been really difficult
I’ve done a process like that too! I wrote about it here:
After going through this process, I never again desired to drink. I’m confident you’ll find the same.
I have made a list too and it actually is difficult to read. My mind tricks me to think i don’t have a problem and the i see my list and im surprised im not dead let alone need help
When you read that stuff it really makes you realize how real the situation is!
Yet i still trick myself into laughing the list off as funny and not a problem. Yet if somebody saw the list they would say immediately i have to stop