What is the #1 thing that helped you quit drinking?

This app helped me so much my first few weeks in recovery … i read about people going to aa and decided to give aa ago . Its changed my life . X

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My children.
I want to be a good example for them. I want them to grow up healthy and happy.

And I want that for myself too :pray:

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Reading “this naked mind” was an excellent help in solidifying my decision to stay sober. Read it about 2 weeks in to sobriety, and it really hit the spot for me.

This app has been my support network and escape. Grateful for this community for the ongiong support.

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Just AA no internet or mobile or rehab or apps or blogs or u tube THEN,just plain old meetings .

Just imagine no internet or mobile phones ?? keep on trucking

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It was a mix, not just one thing.
I kept praying hard to my HP
I bought Allen Carrs book how to quit drinking
I did self hypnosis
I started to change the way of my thinking (don’t think about the things you hate, think about the things you love to see in your life, energy follows your focus)
All this and this forum helped me.

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Wanting to see my kids future.

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Asking for help

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To answer that question, I’d need to explain first the #1 reason I had for drinking.

My drinking was at it’s hardest when I was a very young adult, ages 20-23 or so. I’m 30 now.
When I was drinking heavily, I was a pretty angry and frustrated person. I was angry that I felt I had been thrown into adulthood – a new chapter of life which I felt was unpleasant, abrasive, and largely meaningless. I was frustrated and dissatisfied with what “adult life” appeared to be. Most of all, I was angry, frustrated, and full of hate towards myself and others. I felt this way toward myself because I just couldn’t fit into the mold I felt was expected. I felt this way towards others because they seemed to transition to and adhere to the same mold with such ease. I’d get blasted so I could pretend, even for a little while, that I was OK. Of course, it’s a risky game because every now and again that frustration would come out in the form of recklessness and lead me to some very dark places.

The original thing to “pull me out” was finding something that I really wanted, a goal. For me, it came unexpectedly: I wanted to join the Navy. I remember essentially being laughed out of the recruitment office. I was bloated, pale, out of shape, probably hungover, I could tell the guy didn’t take me seriously at all…but I went for it. They told me to lose 30 lbs, I lost 60 in 5 months. I took an EMT course to increase my value. Most importantly, I quit drinking. It ended up not working out, as I was medically disqualified due to a surgery I had as a kid, despite it not impacting my physical capabilities at all. But you know what? I wasn’t mad about it. Disappointed for a few days, sure, but the bright side became evident quickly. Those first few months of not drinking were my first glimpse to “the other side”, a way out. These months laid the ground work for my transformation into who I have become since. I would not have the life I have now, if it weren’t for all that. I’ve struggled in the years since to stamp out the one-night binges here and there, but I have never returned to drinking the way I used to, nor do I think I could if I wanted to.

So, that was the original #1 thing that saved my ass: a goal. It was the first time in my life I remember really, really wanting something bad enough to put in that sort of effort. Now the peace of mind which sobriety brings is the goal I chase and work to keep, along with everything I have gained over the past 7 years. After those rough times I detailed above, I eventually came to the realization that many of the negative aspects of my life were the result of my own doing and perspective. That old version of me is someone else. That person is dead and he is not coming back. Good riddance.

Coming up on 11 months

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Getting proper medication for anxiety and depression rather than self-medicating with booze.

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So Sorry :frowning:

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Embarrassing myself and suicide.

Thank you all for your responses, I want to quit so bad just feel lost on how to start.

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What if there was a simple, step-by-step guide to getting and staying sober? What if all you had to do was follow the steps and put in the work, like building a piece of furniture, so at the end you had what you wanted? What if there were a network of people who have already taken these steps and had success- all over the world- who were willing to reach out and lend a hand when you were having trouble getting through a problem, day or night? Would you be interested?

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Maybe try a meeting…

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I know AA and meetings…I’m fighting my pride right now and people knowing…something I’m working on.

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Unfoftunately for me it was going to jail, and then being admitted to treatment was what kicked it off. I’m now on monitored sobriety, going to Lifering meetings, finding sober friends and reaching out to my best friends who have watched me go down this road, checking in and reading here and occasionally going to AA.

I’m doing a whole lot and have really embraced that I can’t have one drink, can’t have one pill, because that first one is a choice but then it is out of my hands and I spiral downward quickly.

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I understand that completely! Fear is a huge de-motivator! Fear of other people knowing, fear of the unknown and uncertainty… Courage means feeling fear but doing it anyway. Theres not a whole lot of overthinking when it comes to courage, it is more about action…
I liken it to skydiving- I don’t know if you’ve ever been but it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. If I had listened to fear, I would have never done it. If I had been in the plane thinking about all that could go wrong, I would have never jumped. I just had to jump, and have faith that everything was going to be okay. And it was. And it always has been ever since. When you overcome fear by taking action, and everything turns out okay and you look back and say, “why was I so afraid of that”? You’ll start to take more action and succumb to fear less. Has there ever been a time in your life that you did something that you were afraid of, and looked back and said, “why did it take me so long to do that? It really wasn’t so bad.”? Pride is fear. Plain and simple.

quote-happiness-and-leadership-550x357

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Suffering. Pain. Drinking became more painful then the issues i was trying to numb. But the VISION of a happy future is my ultimate motivation to stay sober and keep working on myself. :muscle::v:

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