We all make mistakes so I think the first you have to do is forgive yourself, and then you gotta let go of all that guilt!

I highly recommend looking up a local AA beginners meeting. You can get a sponser who will guide you through the steps and I can guarantee, you will be glad you did! Their support is sooo helpful!

There is a ton of helpful information online. I searched for you.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+get+anchored+again+after+relapsing+to+alcohol%3F

Good luck to you.

staying sober is not easy....buy the book called Living Sober from Amazon or an AA meeting....it was written to give pointers....

2 1/2 years is amazing!! That little voice…. Ya I have one too. Mine would never shut up if I hadn’t shut it down permanently with: ‘I will never let a drop of alcohol pass my lips for the rest of my life’
This is how I can drive by the dozen package stores I knew well without a blink of a pull.
Never has been my freedom. Not maybe, not, someday….
What anchors me is learning to love myself. I love going for walks, even if I only have 10 minutes before work. I enjoy yoga (my own style that I’ve put together). Garden is a sanctuary.
Healthy diet and lots of water. When I’m taking good care of myself there’s an intension to continue. As soon as I lose a little focus that little voice tells me that a bag of chips would be fine, or a doughnut…..
Love yourself and stay connected. I’ve found some online breath work sessions that have been amazing. I have a Ted talk or some learning talk ready for drives…
Shake yourself up and don’t do the same routine. Too bad your husband doesn’t get what you need. Best luck

Personally I think staying sober is easy. I just don’t buy alcohol or put it in my mouth.
Nice to hear from you:)

Alcoholism is a disease that about 10 percent of the worlds population has. I have it. I don’t like it but I know that when I put alcohol in me it affects me differently than the normal 90 percent. Sooooo....

I have decided to deal with it and not hide from it. There are a couple of ideas. Go find a group and join. I go to an AA meeting about 5 times a week. I found this was the only way to stay sober AND be happy. I quit once for 2 years and was miserable. I didn’t DO anything about the underlying issues I’d accumulated over the lifetime of boozing.

Issues I deal with. Fear, anger, envy, are the top few. I was able to deal with these by going thru the steps of aa.

Life is waiting for you. Go out and get it. Don’t hide and live a life of fear. That’s no fun.

1-2

I have had that little voice for a moment, then the next moment it is gone, do some google searches for giving up alcohol and find the one that is right for you - you will find something that will reasonate with you and then make a commitment to make a change. You can do it !!!

Once again, thank you folks for being there!

Your encouragement is priceless. I am hopeful that once the winter storms stop, I can reconnect with the outside sober world again.

In the meantime, I now have some online supports…and friends….thank you!…..and I’ve found the book “Fear”…….Annie Grace podcasts are helping also.

I need to figure out the piece how to build my armour around my husbands incessant drinking….when he is the only human contact I have day after day…..and a drunken human contact……..it finds a chip in my armour and then eventually it just unravels. Maybe I should journal this so I can see the signs ahead of time….and take appropriate action rather than giving in?

Do any of you live with a spouse who abuses alcohol? I find it very lonely and draining. He needs constant care.

So happy you found ’Fear’. That book…. Wish I had read it decades ago. I’ve given this out to a number of people and need to order more. Should be required reading in HS:)
I’ve given them to my kids and will hold one for when my granddaughter is ready.
I’m separated from my wife and we’re best friends and family. She has depression and it’s similar to what she’s told me about living with me when I was drinking. Lonely is certainly the word for it.
When I quit five years ago I was off work for a year following an accident, as you may recall. Something in me told me that I needed to focus on the mess that I thought I was before trying to heal any relationships. So for months I practiced yoga, meditation and walking. Read all sorts of spiritual things. Learned mantras, even the Hanuman Chilisa. Went to India…
All of which was kinda busy and distracting from the message that I was really wanting. Breathe and love myself. Always available no matter where I am or what I’m doing. The yoga and walking stuck, which is meditation for me. But I’m centered enough now that I don’t get caught up in too many passing thoughts and emotions. And I never feel lonely anymore. Funny how this works.
Since we’re the one who is apparently experiencing everything it could be inferred that it’s all for you. All of it, and with the right perception we can learn and grow constantly. That’s why I call sobriety my treasure. I laugh at myself a lot now. I smile randomly when I see how much of a friend to myself I’ve become. The change has been so slow like watching grass grow. It’s when you stop watching that all of a sudden it’s something different.
Thich Nhat Hahn pointed this possibility out to me and it has been through living a cleaner life that I am understanding.
Say it out loud to yourself every day in the mirror….. I love you!
Say it even if you don’t feel it through and through. Let the seed grow. Be patient and gentle.

It took me 7.5 years to get 2.5 years. I relapsed yearly for 5 years. But now, I have 15 years sober. So, no matter what, you can start over until you get it.

You've relapsed after 2.5 years sober and you want to watch YouTube? Try AA.

Socialize with sober people who have recovery.