I know of people who have 10+ years of sobriety until they realize that they haven't worked through their issues enough to stay sober. Maybe he is one of the lucky few who can quit just like that. Maybe in time he will find that he is not. Either way, everyone has a unique story with this disease. 25 days was a victory. The next amount of time sober will be a victory.

Someone recently shared with me "yesterday and tomorrow do not exist. All that exists is today, and this moment." Don't beat yourself up, brush yourself off and be proud. Because you can accomplish it and you will. And now you can add another lesson learned to the already growing list.

Thanks for the response. I know you are right but it's so easy to beat myself up. I am staying away from any stores today and am vigorously cleaning my house. I need to keep busy. It's the kid's first day back to school and being alone is not my friend. I should start going to meetings. I have been resisting but now is a good time to start.

I remember my dad was an alcoholic to the 10th power you could say. The only reason why he was able to quit was because he had a very good woman in his life who threatened to leave him if he ever tipped the bottle again. That lasted about 10 years and then he relapsed so she left him but came back after he got sober again. His death which happened about 12 years ago, was indirectly related to his years of alcohol abuse.

For me it was a question of, do I want to live and enjoy this life, or do I want to choose the same path as both my parents and end up dying a horrible death from my disease? After spending 3 days in the hospital for renal failure caused by my disease, that scare gave me the motivation I needed to turn my life around....well not quite. I had not had enough yet. When I lost my job, and my ex kicked me out, I got a police escort to detox and I decided it might be a good idea to hang around there and find a new reason for living and I found those reasons in the 12 steps of AA. The support I got from my AA sponsor was really important in the early stages of my sobriety. Having phone access to him 24/7 was a God send that provided me with a way to use him as a crutch whenever temptation hit me. He always gave me the right answers and I don't know how he knew what to say but he did.

I don't know too many people who decided one day to quit drinking and then that lasted a lifetime....actually, I don't know of any but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

Good luck on your road to recovery and keep us posted. The path you take might help someone else. Many people read these but don't respond and that's ok.

God Bless

He didn't support you, he got into a competition with you. That is not cool. If his attitude is that you just need to "knock it off and cheer up," that isn't being supportive at all. Depression and alcoholism are kissin' cousins and both are real illnesses that warrant treatment and support. The self-loathing and self-sabotage that most of us have known is way more hardcore than being bummed.

You know you can do this. Reaching 3+ weeks is further than a lot of people make it. You also now know what the trigger is that caused you to slip up. That is a gift. Reflect on that and figure out how to handle it more productively next time.

My clean-time day count is *grabs calculator* somewhere in the 7750 range. What I did/didn't do yesterday, or last week, or 10 years ago is immaterial. How I chose to conduct my life today is the only thing that is truly important.

There are different types of drinkers and different stages of alcoholism. What differentiates people is the degree to which they have lost the power of choice. There is also a form of mental blind spot that affects chronic alcoholics so they pick up after being dry for a while and can’t understand why they did it. I know, I am just one of many in this category. I certainly had much to learn about the reality of my condition and it took the help of a group of Alcoholics who were experienced in their own recovery to show the way.

My emotions (happy, sad, whatever) ruled me and the answer was always in a bottle for me. So not only did I need to stop drinking, I needed to know who I was without a drink and how to process my emotions in a rational and helpful way. It’s not easy but doable if the desire to get sober and healthy is strong enough.

Ticking days off the calendar is not the goal, a meaningful sobriety is. A sobriety that is free from wanting or “needing” a drink, where life is manageable by doing what is best in any given situation and learning how to do that.

I would encourage you to start on the AA path, not just meetings but going through the 12 Steps with someone who has done that themselves and is happy in their sobriety. Best wishes to you.

I think 25 days counts as 25 successes and what's important is that you are already trying to get back on track after your slip.

My last slip lasted a year and a half.

Today is a new day and you can do this!

This happens and it is frustrating for those who struggle to stay sober. I had an aunt that smoked since she was 13 and at age 70 she was tired of the price of her smokes and gave it up in one day. Other people can cover themselves in patches and still light up. Whatever the root reason is for their ability to stop and others struggling is a mystery but the good news is you're here today and its a new day. Try to be positive and although you need to be accountable and disappointed that you fell down don't stay down emotionally and don't beat yourself up. I believe depression causes us to beat ourselves up. I'm sure you are seeing a counselor and if not I hope you will start seeing one soon. Best of luck to you. You can overcome!

Etana,
Relapses happen. Just know that it is all apart of the process. 25 days of being sober counts as 25 successes and what's important is that you are already trying to get back on track. Not you just need to stay persistent. Don't let outside distractions take away from your goals in the recovery process. Good luck. I know you can do it!