On the 30th of this month I’ll be hitting 1 year sober for the first time since I picked up a bottle 16 years ago. God has did the impossible for me and I thank him for his mercy and grace. Lately life has been beating me up and as I’m growing in my relationship with the Most High, during these hard times, I find myself using those times as an excuse to drink again. I’ve bought alcohol twice in the last, almost year, but ended up pouring it out before it was too late. I initially went into this wanting to complete a year, but I love who I am becoming and don’t ever want a drop of alcohol again. Any advice from anyone? Thank you in advance.
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Congratulations on one year!
Life is short, if you need motivation, you can check out the post about a dear member here Goodbye and Thank you
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1 year is outstanding but wouldn’t 2? And 5 or 25 be even better? All I know is there’s a reason you stopped…and if you go back to it do you think it’s honestly gonna be different or somehow better this time?
I believed what my HP and the folks said in rehab & AA. Still do & remind myself often that this guy’s a pickle now. No going back to being a cucumber. I’m not special & neither is anyone else who has the disease of addiction.
I’ll simply call this motivational reality.
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Hey there Christian. Reaching the one year milestone is an outstanding achievement 
Keep at it. I remember I got shaky around the one year milestone as well. Many of us have gone through this milestone malady. Its a common thing. It will pass. You already say you like the sober you, so why would you go back?
Meanwhile, maybe find some good reminders what`s great about being sober here: Lets name the 3 things we love about sober life and add you own experience?
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What were your reasons for quitting in the first place? Write them down here, or somewhere else for yourself and then ask yourself do you want to go back to that?
This is a kind of fragile transition, it’s very easy right now to tell yourself that you did what you initially set out to do and that you can have a drink now because you reached your milestone and that you can start the forever part after you have one last drink. The thing is though, the battle of buying alcohol and then reasoning and eventually throwing it out signifies a problem, an urge, and addiction. So if you do give in and have that one drink, it will lead to more drinks.
Have you considered something like AA? Have you followed any sort of program for the year you have been sober?
Also, never drinking again can seem daunting, that’s why we take it one day at a time (ODAAT abbreviation). So next time you consider buying alcohol, just remind yourself, that for just this one day, I will not consume or buy alcohol. You can do just one day right? You’ve done a year, you can definitely do one day.
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First of all hitting one year one year of sobriety is an amazing achievement and very inspiring! I must ask you though, why consider drinking now? I know this disease is a very cruel one but I promise you having a drink is never worth any of your time. I highly suggest reading the big book and working the steps to stay on track, remember you’re capable and deserving of a healthy and sober life. One day at a time 
I can understand the feeling of wanting to escape when life gets hard, but there is nothing a drink won’t make worse. I agree to look back at the reasons you quit in the first place. You a year ago was desperate to be right where you are now, right? Don’t throw it away.
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