Hi Jenny. Welcome. I hope that you find the new and healthy you.

I had to change my thinking. Until I did that I was stuck in the rut of daily drinking.

I had to find a replacement.

1is2many

Hi Jenny! Welcome to the group! If you hang around awhile, write posts, journals, or reply to the posts of others, it will give us all a chance to get to know you better. Right now, I know something we both common. I stopped drinking for 5 years, went through a divorce, drank, quit again and added another 6 years of sobriety and that's where I am today.

You can also send out friend requests, and write private messages to each other. I remember when I first came here years ago, I thought the same thing, until I made friends and got more involved with posting and writing journals.

I am curious if you have ever done the 12 steps of AA? I know some people who never have yet they stay sober but I remember needing to do those steps but what helped me more then that was when I was in detox, sitting in the waiting room, waiting to see the addiction doctor. I was thumbing through the self help books and magazines on the coffee table when I came across one titled, "The 12 steps for everyone who really wants them" which is the AA 12 steps adapted for EHA (Emotional Health Anonymous) It made sense to me since all addiction is triggered by underlying issues.

There is a spiritual part of AA and this has nothing to do with religion. Here is a guy who explains it quite well.:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIq87qCZppM&t=2041s

Good luck on your road to recovery. Keep in touch. The path you take, might help someone else.

God Bless

I have been sober for over a year now and I too used to drink a bottle of wine a day. It was less than many other 'daily' drinkers that I knew, However, I would tell myself that I needed to quit. The problem for me was that I was drinking the wine to avoid the things in my life that I didn't want to face. It was an easy way to hide everyday. Then, on the actual hard days of life, I would need a lot more wine to hide and numb the feelings that I didn't want to face. My lifestyle was unsustainable and it caught up with me. I finally had to start over without the wine (or anything else) and face the issues I was hiding from. I can tell you that getting real with myself was the best thing that has ever happened to me, I learned so much about myself and I rediscovered personal integrity. Facing my life head on with a clear and sober head is empowering. I miss drinking wine with dinner and I lament if I should have a glass. Then I remember the foggy mornings getting ready for work, feeling exhausted and having a headache until noon.... No, I don't ever want to normalize a bottle of wine a day again. Good luck to you. May you find peace, joy and love for yourself on your journey.

This page is wonderful and while it might not seem 'active' it is when you get involved.

Hi Jenny. So that’s my wife’s name too so I extra want you to find your way:) I am always amazed when I hear folks talking about going back and forth with their drinking. Because it shows me how blessed I am to have only needed one shot at sobriety. I was ‘given’ a window of opportunity from a serious work accident. A month on the couch barely able to move with constant pain. Asked my wife once to bring me a bottle and saw the worry in her eyes. That woke me up to seeing what a pickle I was in. Then and there I decided to change my life. Instead of my usual behavior of going with the flow I took responsibility for myself. It all started with telling myself that not a single drop of alcohol would pass my lips for the rest of my life. That was a year and a half ago. Next was finding a great physical therapist who showed me how to get moving. Began walking everyday and that really saved me. At first it was to the mailbox, then the corner exc. Then I sought out nature walks. Being alone and working on my physical health opened the door to slowly realizing that emotional and spiritual health needed work too. A LOT of work. So that’s what I do as a replacement for drinking. I heal and grow. When I first began abstinence I had no idea what sobriety meant. Now I do. I was at the library during my first few months and looked up right at a book. That was my first sign that guidance is available when we open ourselves to it. Because this book ‘Fear’ by Thich Nhat Hahn ‘. , a Buddhist monk, changed my life. I have been reading about emotional health since. And following a spiritual practice of meditation, exercise. Again I am very thankful for the events that got me where I am. But it could have gone the other way too. We have to shift our mind to begin new ways of thinking about what we want our lives to be. At first it’s scary because that’s how our habits have moulded us. Believe that there is grace in you. Surrender to your higher self and take a deep breath, smile and don’t look back. Because that’s not you anymore. You are the person you will create each day. Put the baggage down and feel free. It is SO possible.

I like seeing familiar faces at AA

finallyawakenow, your story as the rest of each ones, is very inspiring! Thank you for sharing.

Hey Jenny.

If you don't like the familiar faces at the meetings, are there meetings in a different town you could try? Might be worth the extra distance if you find what you're looking for.

I only drank about as much as you a day but I'm so glad I was able to stop before things got much worse. I have a little over 2.5 years sober now.

Glad to see you on the site and I hope you find something that works for you.

Jenny, how are you doing?

Hey Jenny Reading your post was DeJa'Vu. I tried AA several times. I could not stand the old timers I often went straight to the liquor store after a meeting. I kept failing after a few months. I made it a year and I failed again, Finally I realized that AA was not for me, and I achieved sobriety.
Follow the path that calls you.

I got sober through online meetings, this group and journaling on this site everyday- being sober and not drinking was my priority every single day- nothing was going to stand in my way, l wanted the chance to live a happy life and drinking was me full of shame, guilt, self hatred and was dying a little bit every day. You have to make yourself number one, do whatever it takes- your entire life will change once you can maintain your sobriety- it’s all up to you x