Advice from me...Keep the plug in the jug....websites I like...
www.intherooms.com

if that link did not highlight just copy paste it...they have great library of speaker tapes for free to listen to online and they have a chat room environment that almost can be addictive too....I used chat quite a bit for a little time when I was feeling pretty isolated....I think it is great site oh by the way they do video meetings too....online....

Thanks BWF,

I'm on it!

I have no advice but I have a suggestion......Keep doing what your doing!

Good luck!

Hello ConfusedGuy69,

My advice for what its worth would be to slow down a little and take it easy.

In the early days of sobriety I wanted to read every article and research every step but I really didnt have to do that at all. I went to meetings six days per week for the first three months and that did help. However, I now listen to people saying that they went to two meetings in the one day and I think that is overdoing it. As for the steps, all of the information was in the Big Book and all that I needed was a good sponsor who could explain it to me. The Joe McQuany tapes were a big help too.

What I have found with the programme is that much of it is designed to restore the right balance in many aspects of life. There is no good reason to wait for a long time before starting on the steps and likewise there is no need to rush through them too quickly. If I were in your place I would just concentrate on doing each step to the best of your ability as laid out in the Big Book and with guidance from your sponsor. Other books and websites etc. can be explored later at your leisure.

PJ54,

Thanks for the sanity check, I guess I am a bit gung-ho and a bit anxious as to how I'll be received at work tomorrow. I have been out 6 weeks due to my driving privileges being revoked. I honestly do not have an urge to drink. Since I broke up with my GF (who is a drinker) it has not been difficult as I am spending time with my family and non-drinking friends. I do have one friend that keeps telling me I'm not an alcoholic but I think he is finally beginning to understand. He has been my closest friend since childhood and he drinks but very little, he respects my decision and doesn't drink around me.

I'll update this post after work tomorrow

Hi Vince, it's great you are doing all you can to stay sober - really wanting sobriety is a huge part of getting well in my experience.

A good site that is actually run by AA is e-aa.org the site is fully moderated and has online meetings, this site also observes the 12 Traditions, which I believe is important.

I like to share what worked for me in early sobriety in the hope it will be helpful to someone else so take it or leave it as you see fit.

In the morning before I started my day I would pray for God's will for me and the power to carry that out. Then I would have some quiet contemplation time to consider the day ahead and read something from AA or other spiritual literature to complete my "good start."

If I got anxious or the obsession was on me I would check my breathing, say the serenity prayer to myself and consider what it meant in relation to what was making me anxious. Sometimes if it got really bad I would remove myself from the situation/project in hand if possible and take a quick comfort break and/or I would call another alcoholic in AA recovery.

At the end of each sober day I would think about how my day had gone - where had my thinking and behaviour improved, what still needed more attention, that kind of thing. Asking for God's will for me was like trusting my "gut instinct" even when what I wanted was to take an easier option lol. Then a prayer of thanks and gratitude for the sober day.

Years later that simple process is still a part of my every day even though I have got to know the strengths and weaknesses of my personality much better through the programme, this is an ongoing journey. I learned more and explored more regarding spirituality beyond AA and eventually I got to experience the peace of meditation. At first I was a bit rubbish at that but it got much, much better!

Trying to be helpful to others (anyone) takes the focus off me, that helps a lot and the natural feel-good factor of having done something positive or useful, when I can, is always a boost. In a way it is like exercising the opposite of how I used to behave as a drunk. It gets better the more I put the action in, some things quicker than others!

Amends was huge, it meant I became debt-free and the relationships I had damaged were either let go after the amend or improved the longer I stayed sober. All action steps in the right direction and it took time. I'm glad I had good guidance for Step 9 as I may have made a mess of it had I rushed in.

Sorry this a long reply but if there's anything in there that might strike a chord with you, it might be worth the wade through!

I hope that you have a good day

Stay in the middle of the road. Don't get too high or too low. K?

1is2many

Your day will be fine..they will be glad to have you back and in 2 days...you will be like you never left.

Smile and be proud...you are doing the right things for yourself....ITS EXTREMELY hard..court ordered or not....some people can't do it when even court ordered.

I agree with others..you hopefully have a long time to be sober...you can take it easy a little bit...don't try to go to fast and overwhelm yourself.

For me..I learned from my experience for myself...I shouldn't have made amends early in sobriety..they were meaningless at least to the people in my circle because I had not built the trust or the maturity to be apologizing. I was apologizing for ME and my sobriety and not really for them.

Think about that ok?
Your doing great!

Sounds amazing and I'm inspired just reading your post.
My sponsor said that I drank daily, so I could do something for my sobriety daily.
I the day's reading from Daily reflections before going to bed; and then do a written 10th step (+'s and -'s of the day). Each day's + list starts with the most important + in my life "didnt drink." No matter what goes right or wrong I have that' and that's a good day for an alcoholic.
Anyway sounds like you are replacing drinking rituals with sober ones and that's key in my experience:-)

Don't get too far ahead of yourself. Your list should come when you have gone through 5-6-7 and then 8, when you make the list and become willing to make those amends. Making amends is Step 9.

Are you going through the steps with a sponsor? Seems like you might be hoofing it. I hope not. The 12 Steps were the first thing I couldn't fake. No way I could do them alone. Making amends too early could cause you problems down the road. I hope you are working closely with a sponsor.

Work went well, everyone was cool. No judgmental people. After work I drove home and made cookies to take to my meeting, damn were they good. The meeting was great too, it a wonderful group (8-10 people). Its getting late so I'm going to vacuum the house and go to bed.

Peace all, thanks for all the support!

Good to hear, Vince. Another leap forward in the right direction - and cookies too!

What State did this occur ?