the only advise I can offer is to get started with your day first thing. start accomplishing things right away and sometimes the good just snoballs.

Good question, Anna...and some really good responses, too. I'm also feeling stuck - I think it's because I let things get so far behind and piled up while I was drinking, that it's too overwhelming to face now that I'm sober. I think the suggestions to make a list and break everything down into smaller tasks is a really good one...think I'll try that myself!

I'm finding that I'm highly motivated when it comes to getting out of the house and actually living my life...but when it comes to the mundane tasks of home and office, I can't sort it all out in my head. Before I can even get started, the day is over and I've accomplished nothing!

It's good to hear from others that this is common in the early stages of sobriety. I think they're right that we have to 're-train' our selves and our brains to get back onto a normal schedule of life without chaos.

Good luck, Anna...I'm right beside you trying to work out the same stuff...let's accomplish something together...tomorrow! :)

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Thanks Nana - It is nice to know I'm not unique.

I was super depressed from the moment I woke up this morning. I made the mistake of going to a birthday party last night where everyone else was drinking - I wasn't tempted but I shouldn't have put myself around it. Hubby drank and continued at home and into today even though he agreed to not bring booze into the house. I went to a noon meeting, still depressed, came home and just curled up in bed for an hour and called my sponsor. She "required" me to get up and do something productive, so I went for a 2 hour bike ride and then over to her house. Came home, caught up on bills and laundry, cleaned out the fridge, and did dishes, and then played soccer for an hour, so it ended up being a pretty productive day for me.

I feel better but still down, maybe just hormones. Desire to drink crept back into my head - which was the most worrisome thing of all. However, I am still sober and grateful.

I appreciate the encouragement. Like I said before, it's comforting to know I'm not alone.

xo

Hi Howto there is a book called Staying Sober A guide for relapse prevention. It talks about hitting a stuck point and what to do. pg 96 Rationaly discuss it with other people and seek the right help so you can cope with it.. It's good you're not isolating and hiding from it. Best to you Randy

Thanks Randy! I will check that book out. Funny you should mention not isolating - I was debating on taking a break from DS but I feel myself slipping into a pattern that makes nervous, hence all my replying to posts tonight. It's better to stay connected as long as it doesn't interfere with my getting unstuck.

Anna, another good read that helped me gain awareness about the possibility of relapseing was "The Dynamics of Relapse by Terence Gorski". It's an interesting read on clinical observations of relapse behaviour and the tendencies and patterns that lead towards relapse. All good supplements to my AA program :}

Thanks Coog! I find myself wishing I read this stuff a long time ago.

Hey Coog, did you see my GOYA today. I done good after all. :)

I am starting to feel better already.

I know!! Most impressed with the bike ride. But glad to see you kick the soccer ball. :}

Unstuck lol. New day HTL :}

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I can certainly relate. I do a gratitude lists. I'm often too lazy to actually write them ; ) but I think about all that I am grateful for until I feel better. There is a reason for everything, even frustration, so when I go through these times I look for the lesson I am supposed to be learning. When none of this works? I just chill out and take a nap or something instead of doing anything that could make matters worse. (This is all in addition to reading the big book, prayer and meditation)

You say you are going to meetings and IOP, talking to your sponsor? Then how can you say that you are stuck. It seems to me that your priorities are spot on.

It takes awhile before the rest will fall into place. Take it easy. When we have been in the dark for a long time.....it takes time before we are able to see clearly again.

Sobriety comes first. You are sober right? Others will see your progress before you do. Sometimes it happens so slowly that we don't see it in ourselves but it doesn't mean it is not happening.

I had a sponsor once who used to say "Move a muscle, change a thought"! It worked for me.

I'm feeling stuck this AM. When I feel this way I take the dog for a walk. But my back hurts so that isn't a good idea. So I am stuck on the couch sitting in a puddle of my own self-pity.

But that would be my solution for getting unstuck -- get a dog. You have no choice but to GOYA.

If you can't drag yourself to the gym, see how many pushups or sit-ups you can do. Just doing that might help...