Alcoholism Support Group

Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.

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Freedom

nickyj18022002
nickyj18022002
When I first tried to get sober I got no freedom. When i was drinking my obsession was about drinking, when I tried to stop drinking my obsession was about how not to drink. Either way I was imprisoned by obsession, my whole existence was focused on alcohol, whether drinking or not, and I had no freedom to actually live my life.

When I found a solution that was not about focusing on not drinking but was more about realising that focusing on not drinking would never give me sober things started to change.

I found out that once I stopped trying to exert my power and concentrated instead in learning a different way to live - freedom started to come.

Now I am not obsessed by alcohol. I do not have to concentrate on not drinking. Instead I concentrate on how best to live my life and alcohol is not part of it anymore.

That for me is freedom.
nickyj18022002
nickyj18022002
My sponsor always used to say to me, what do you want relief or release? There were lots of ways I could get a temporary relief but release takes some longer term action to achieve.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I feel like you do Nicky..... drinking isn't even part of my consciousness anymore. Except when the concept of not drinking comes at meetings or here on DS.

Freedom!
deleted_user
deleted_user
Great observation. You'll never stay sober or enjoy it if your only focus is on "staying sober". It's a matter of re-learning the ways that we live our lives.

We really have to leave a big part of ourselves in the past. It's sometimes hard to let that old "piece of yourself" go but it's important.
deleted_user
deleted_user
inspiring post to read... yeh when i stopped drinking in the past i obesessed either i was going to drink or deseparately trying to not drink, my whole existance ( as i sure wasnt living) was fearing wether i was going to drink or not...
thankfully when i got sober this time round there was no obession there... for me ist not the obession to drink its how to live life without alcohol, which can be hard at times but sitting through the pain helps me to grow as a person
deleted_user
deleted_user
Nicky-this is a good post. Along with being held captive spirtually, mentally and physically by booze-I was held captive by my childhood abuser 25 years later....It was with that realization I said NO MORE. He cannot hurt me anymore, and it had been going on for 25 years.

How did I gain freedom from this? Forgiveness. Daily forgiveness of myself and those who I feel have done me wrong. It is a start atleast.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Forgiveness of others, I agree, is crucial. By looking at my history and trying to repair the damage, self forgiveness was gifted to me. It was nothing I had to earn in the first place but came as the result of...

Great post and replies.
CoogeeMum
CoogeeMum
'learning a different way to live'. So true for me Nicky. It's been an amazing journey of learning and self-discovery. At times painful, but needed if I was to move forward. I learned where my energy was best spent, and it was the complete opposite to where it had been.

I learned to listen, that in itself was a mammoth task lol. I learned what was going on in my head, was what was going to go on in my life. I had to relearn new thoughts, alternatives and put them into action. Practice them, falling down, getting back up, always learning and growing. Like Glad2bee said, 'it was gifted to me.'
deleted_user
deleted_user
That is so true oh Nicky one. When I stopped focusing on NOT drinking and what I was missing out on and directed my attentions to all the good, the obsession was soon gone. I love not having to fight it, it's the most awesome feeling on earth!