Hello, I’m wondering if my way to sobriety is unique or common. Today I’m marking a great personal milestone: 100 days challenging with alchol. The self voting table was very usefull in this yourney. I used to give my self 6 and up if I were not drinking and depending on the temptation to drink and 5 and less if I were drinking and how worse. Finally, I was not drinking at all in 83 days on 100. I consider this a result to grow on. What do you think about my journey? Do you use a similar method?
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Is your goal to be sober or is it to hope to not drink for a certain percentage of days in a set time period?
The name of this platform is Talking Sober and the goal is a 100% success rate for the rest of your life…
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Sobriety is not always linear especially in the beginning stages. Every little achievement counts.
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Hi Furio, most people on this forum will not support your approach, y respect everybody’s path, but from my own experience I don’t believe that 83% will stay that way in the next 100 days, it will go down. You had your first drink after 2 months (so you posted it some weeks ago in the forum), therefore the other 16 days were in the last 5 weeks. Doesn’t look too onward and upward to me. I wish you success in your journey, whichever you chose!
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Thank you for your answer. Yes, I understand this. Anyhow, I feel I’m getting used to not drinking, and it looks to happen gradually. I mean the less I drink the less I want to drink. I quit smoking in the past and it didn’t happen from night today too.
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Certainly tracking is important. For many things, alcohol, calories, moods. Information is key! If you feel that the times are getting longer, and that is giving you confidence to keep lengthening and hopefully make it permanent. Was else are you doing to stay sober?
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If I have 1 drink a year its a 0% success rate but your journey is your journey and any step in the right direction can’t hurt. Keep growing and improving and one day you’ll wonder why you bothered at all.
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I’ve started tasting different high quality tea. I resist those moments I still feel the call of drinking (at the end it’s only 30 minutes or less just before the meals, if I skip it it’s done). I should also do some exercising but I don’t yet.
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Thank you Dolse71, I wlsh I develop the 0%, I think something to be reached, while appreciating the good results instead of feeling frustrated if I can’t reach all in one shot.
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If you feel proud and hopeful, then you have a triumph for sure. I know for me, this would be a slippery slope. I would do that math, and it would make me feel like I had control and that as long as my percentage was “high,” I was fine and didn’t have a problem. In fact, my booze brain loves these kinds of calculations and data collection. Proof I am not an alcoholic! So, just be careful. Maybe if your percentage lowers, it’s a sign you need to rethink.
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First of all congratulations. Every sober day counts.
Everyone has their own path to sobriety and recovery. It might have been a start to do this challenge and see what happened. What will you learn from it?
For me it’s interesting that your craving time seems to be over in 30 minutes as you shared. So this is a period of time you can manage to overcome every day. Why did you drink instead of working on staying sober? Seeking the underlying roots might be more important than you think. There might be more working on yourself and a good life waiting to be discovered.
For me it is easier to take life ODAAT. In general. Not only concerning staying sober. When I focus just on today I feel less overwhelmed and more in control of the things I am in control and of the one person I can control: Me.
Wishing you all the best on your sober yourney.
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Welcome to TS.
If you’re looking for control, I’ll stop you right there. If you’re truly an alcoholic, and from your posts I believe that you are a full blown alcoholic, like most of us on TS; then you can never drink safely ever again.
Alcoholism is the only disease that tries it’s hardest to convince you that you aren’t an alcoholic and that there’s nothing wrong with you.
It always starts with 1 drink occasionally, but, quite soon it will spiral out of your control.
We alcoholics, never can and never will have control when it comes to alcohol, to quote step 1 “We are powerless over alcohol”. It’s good to keep a record of how many days sober you are, I still count the days after 18 years of sobriety, but, what I don’t do is make up percentages, I’m either sober at 100% or I’m drunk at 0%; thankfully I’ve been at 100% for 6,937 days ODAAT.
If you’re serious about getting sober and having a far better life which is beyond your wildest dreams, you need to stop drinking completely. You’re not going to be able to do this by yourself, it’s too big a mountain to solo; you will need help. TS is a good place to start your sobriety journey, but, it in itself, it is still not enough support. Your best bet is to become a active member of a recovery program. I can only talk from my experience, which is of AA, which has worked for me. There are other programs out there, Smart, Dharma etc.
Try getting to a local AA meeting and you’ll be amongst people who talk your language, as they have to same disease as you. If you can’t make a F2F meeting try online meetings, here’s a couple of links.
https://www.intherooms.com/livemeetings/list
I wish you well in your quest for lasting sobriety, take care and don’t pick up that first drink 
&
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Hi if i used your method id be dead it was 100% or nothing . have you been reading a Anne Grace book by any chance just wondering , maybe try a Meeting they might help
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My rule is that percentage must only improve up to 100%, any decrease is a serious alarm. Not an excuse to drink at all, I feel very stupid after it happens
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I’m with you on the exercise thing. I know there’s something missing and exercise has always helped me. Sounds like we both have to make that push to do that. Just like everybody else said I feel like if I touch my lips to alcohol it’s a complete failure, but I did what you are doing for a long time quitting for a week quitting for a month going back-and-forth. Although, like everybody else, my recommendation is abstinence. But it sounds like you’re giving a side-by-side comparison. I was just thinking about that this morning. I feel really good. But damn if I drank last night, I would feel like death warmed over. I think in the beginning it’s like knocking over a pop machine, maybe you don’t get it on the first try it you gotta get it rocking a little bit lol.
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Dunno, I think a lot of people went through phases of gradually increasing the no of sobriety days before finally stopping for good. In the past, I’ve had longer and longer periods of either not drinking, not drinking every day or not getting drunk. But I can’t say I classed myself as sober… Blacking out 3 times in a year vs 24 times is an improvement. But one blackout is one too many. And if I drink 10 times without a blackout, is not exactly an achievement. It’s just a form of russian roulette for me.
You seem to be talking about moderation here. Because 83% adds up to around drinking once per week. But not quite every week. And that’s… not quite the point.
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Welcome, and well done getting some days.
Some passing thoughts. If you feel great not drinking, why think about going back? That’s always such a funny paradox to me. We have everything to lose drinking, and nothing to lose sober.
Also, normal drinkers don’t need a calculator to keep track. If it takes that much thought, it’s not a great sign we can actually take it or leave it…
In the end we must each decide for ourselves. I’d encourage thinking about the positive changes you’ve felt on all those sober days. If we abstain, that can be everyday!
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For me i know and accept that i am powerless over alcohol…ive never been to AA yet but im still early in my recovery (227 days) what i do know is that im here to learn and ive gained alot of respect for those on here who have really long term sobriety…they are the ones that really know… and not once have i ever seen any of them advocate any kind of moderation in whatever form…im currently looking in to a 12 step programme but i know if i was to have even 1 drink then thats me back on the slippery slope to devastation…nothing in this world is worth that
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Thank everyone for taking time to give me your feedback. I asked myself many things because of your words. I decided to try a more radical move and started new 100 days using the table below. 
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My approach has been one day of sobriety. It starts in the morning when I awake and I plan how I am going to stay sober that day. Then I use that plan until I go to bed at night. Rinse and repeat - I have found that tomorrow takes care of itself if I take good care of today.
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