Relapse and Restart

I had been on a solid path to recovery, staying alcohol and weed-free for 9 months and 20 days, and cigarette-free for the past 24 days. However, on October 20, 2024, during a visit to my in-laws, I faced a challenging situation. My brother-in-law invited me for drinks, and despite the progress I had made, I gave in. This experience underscored the critical importance of learning to say no and avoiding high-risk situations during recovery.

That night, I drank heavily and was filled with regret afterward. The consequences were severe. I spent a lot of money and made poor choices. After leaving my in-laws, I went to a spa, consumed more alcohol, and further derailed my progress.

When I returned to my in-laws’ home on November 10 to celebrate the birth of my son, I made the mistake of continuing to drink, leading to a five-day binge. By November 26, I found myself drinking almost half a bottle daily and visiting inappropriate places.

On November 28, I encountered an old friend smoking weed. Temptation took over, and I relapsed. Since then, I have been consuming weed, alcohol, and cigarettes heavily. This relapse has been a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges of recovery and the need to seek support and refocus on my journey to sobriety.

On November 30th, I made the mistake of using drugs again, along with alcohol and weed, while spending time with the wrong crowd.

I found myself back on the same destructive path, and it’s frustrating to see all my progress wiped away, forcing me to start over from day one. When someone embarks on a sober journey, there’s a point where they begin to feel normal again and regain confidence. Unfortunately, I let my guard down by associating with someone who was drinking, and for an addict, even one misstep can unravel everything.

Now, as a father who deeply loves his child, I am more determined than ever to leave those old habits behind. I refuse to go back to that life. From 01st December 2024,
I am recommitting to my sober journey, starting again with a fresh resolve.

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Lovely post. Welcome and I am glad you are here. We all have our struggles and they are all different. The common thread is we all want a better life for ourselves and our family. Sobriety is the answer for those of us who fight addiction. Stay strong I am rooting for you.

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Glad you made it back, a lot of people don’t. We’re the lucky ones that’s for sure.
What’s your plan now that your research is done, and how will you put it into action?

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Good on you my friend. It takes courage to admit when you realise you have been tempted and admit the regret. Chin up and stay strong…remember your wise words above…good luck

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Take what happened as a warning.

You could have lost years of your life back down the rabbit hole of drink and drugs, this time it was just a few days but next time it could be years wasted before you get back out.

Don’t risk it again. Not even one drink, not even one toke on weed. It’s not just one it’s the first step in a chain reaction to a wrecked life.

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That sounds very similar to my first relapse. Started with a “few” drinks and ended with a needle in my arm and living in my car.

I know that I will never stay sober on my own. However, I found a path to sobriety in the rooms of AA.

I was as hopeless as hopeless can get when I got to AA. Over 7 years later and I have a life beyond my wildest dreams.

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You have a real opportunity here for your child to only ever know you as a recovering addict, and not one in active addiction.

It may mean saying no to family and friends, it may mean putting in firm boundaries, but it will be worth it.

Whilst you were sober what were you doing to support your sobriety? Its not enough to just be sober, you need to work it daily, to support and maintain the choice of sobriety and that way temptations aren’t given into as easy.

I’m glad you are still here to be a Father and try sobriety again, use this relapse as a hard lesson and build on a strong sober foundation this time. :house:

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These points are so true. It is important to keep vigilant, and it is important for people further along in recovery who relapse or who see warning signs and take action, share this process. We don’t recover and are done. We are always recovering.

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Jai, you are doing great and I am happy that you are a father! I am sure that you are going to be a great inspiration to any who read your posts. I am also restarting my journey again, I had about 35 days before I had to restart. You will always have our support 24/7

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Thank you for such a great post. What a celebration when someone decides to get clean and sober. Reach out when you need to and keep coming back. Together we can do this.