This is a journey, I cannot do alone. I need you, I need everyone here and I need everyone in my AA home group to stay sober. I really believe my Higher Power works through them!

Good luck and may God be with you on your road to sobirety.

God Bless!

Hello newlife4mee,

You have had a moment of clarity and you can see a way ahead. Those are times of joy and hope so keep the momentum going. I have had several things happen that some people would put down to chance or coincidence but that I choose to believe was the work of God.

Just remember that God can move mountains but you must bring the shovel. In other words, getting a sponsor and making changes in your way of thinking would be a good idea.

Yep, for me it's the spiritual awakening as the result of the Steps that really set me free of the desire to drink or look at it as some kind of answer.

From there I have sought further growth through a number of different avenues but I'm still a happy AA member and try to carry a message of hope to newcomers who want help and might identify.

I find attending meetings is also a good discipline for me because in sobriety I do a lot of things that are opposite to how I behaved in the drinking days. I used to isolate a lot from other people back then.

welcome to sobriety the expectations are just one day at a time right? I agree with that 100% and would love to see you reach multiple years this time sober...hugs bill

Keep the sober days coming! It gets better!, c'mon. 1-2

So I went to AA a couple times and I had a woman offer to be my sponsor. She came to me after one of the ladies said right before the meeting to ask God to give me a sponsor and that's exactly what happened. I am on Day 10 and doing great. I have wanted to drink a couple times but have now changed my internal dialogue.of.what I tell myself. I am afraid because today is my last day at work and I will have a lot of times on my hands. It is a stressful time but I can do this because I really want the happy sober life I know I can have. With God All things are possible.

Great to hear you are on a path to a new life without booze...

Fantastic ! Keep on going and you'll have many more of those moments. They don't always come, but when they do it's great. I like to think that it's the spirit of the group that seeps in. All the best. James

I pray you have many more "aha" moments.

It's a fight but you don't have to go into battle alone. Surround yourself in that camaraderie.

God bless you.

I'm on Day 8 today, think we're on the same day!! Give me a message if you ever want to talk !

"Changing the internal dialogue"---HUGE. Good for you.

I am pleased to hear you had an Aha moment. Meetings are not a cure for alcoholism, they are part of the solution to a drinking problem though. The revelation or "moment of clarity" you had in my opinion was a direct result of you going to that meeting. You did the work to get the clarity by going to the meeting.

I am not afraid to state that all of those thoughts you had about quitting being a daily practice or maintenance were higher power thoughts. Another great breakthrough you made was in where you were inspired to believe you aren't alone and there is a definite message of freedom and hope within the message of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Availing yourself to a sponsor and keeping a keen ear to his or her loving suggestions are both crucial to gaining the discipline and sustainability recovery requires I believe if you choose the path of a 12 step program.

You deserve to be happy, joyous, and free.

I was inspired by another member to share how I stay sober so thank you for sharing and I will share a bit about it here.

I follow five fundamentals which are, going to meetings regularly, talking to a sponsor regularly, praying regularly, thinking of others regularly, and reading the Alcoholic Anonymous literature regularly. After I read the literature I take it one step further and write about it or follow its directions. I then take that whole combination and share it with those who are suffering. That essentially is my foundation. I do not consider drinking at all directly due to this foundation.

Outside of that foundation I do alot of personal reflection or inventory. The way I started with that inventory was simply just deciding to practice writing about myself one day and it became a healthy habit I now utilize to treat others better in general. It is ironic that writing about myself would treat others better but I search for my own personal flaws and then ask a higher power to aid me in removing them.

I consider others needs or wants theoretically not being above my own daily. This directly affects my alcoholism in a good way and leads me in a direction that avoids self-centered attitudes, which can destroy my life and enable me to become something or someone God has not desired for me to be.

I concentrate on spending wisely, eating correctly, and sleeping the proper amount of time needed to not be in a position where drinking seems practical. I am an alcoholic and drinking seeming practical to me is fundamentally impractical for me as a recovering alcoholic.

I do not over-exaggerate the consequences of my failures but take the measures to correct them daily. I use my willpower to grow towards an ideal relationship with God as I understand him. I avoid judgment to the best of my ability and I keep an open-mind to learning something new to add on to my recovery daily.

I remember and work on resentments both within myself and that others have against me. I know I cannot control others and God will make life acceptable and a success as long as I am doing the next right thing both physically and mentally. I am not too proud to ask god to enhance my awareness of what it is to be spiritual and then apply those teachings to everyday living.

I force myself to do the opposite of what my temper and attitude think is correct habitually now. In the past my habitual reaction was to confront, condemn, and be in conflict with anyone or anything I thought was a threat to my instincts or ambition. I've found through hard work and a commitment to change I have defects that take away from the greater good instead of give towards the greater good. Essentially I was a huge selfish son of a bitch.

I have had many aha moments throughout the recovery process and the latest one I've had is the central message of doing the 12 steps of recovery is to pass the information along to the next suffer.

I committed to completing the 12 steps no matter how persuasive or defensive my mind became to the suggestions and now being done with all 12 a great undeniable change has occurred. This is a change that isn't temporary either, I now have the accomplishment and knowledge to sustain abstinence from drinking and drugging but also can give it away to others.

Newlife4mee (great name by the way) I wish you well in your journey and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. My sobriety is supported by your sobriety and I thank you for this post as it gave me an opportunity to spread the message once more.

Day 13 and I feel great! Believe me daily it goes thru my head to drink. I tell myself every single reason I don't want to. I get busy doing something/anything other then drinking and it passes...and that's when you feel powerful and not powerless anymore. I go to bed thanking God for the day! We are all on this journey together. Helping others is key. Thank you all for your replies I appreciate them. Meeting at 12 today...that used to be my drinking time. No more!!

Changing my habits was very necessary. I had to drive home a different way for quite a long time. Good job!!!