Thanks so much for posting and congratulations. I am just now learning how great life can be. I stil struggle with the feelings but am seeing how they are just temporary and when I stop and feel those urges acknowledge them but don't act on them they go away. I hope to have a two year anniversary one day. You are an inspiration!

congrats 2earlyriser...GOD bless you

funny you said that you celebrated quietly, my husband passed a year sobriety may 30th, and other then getting his year token at SAA he didn't even really talk about it. His therapist wanted to make a big deal about it in recovery group and he told him he didn't want to celebrate something that he "could" not should have been doing his life. He is proud of his sobriety, but also sees it as his life long journey....

Great accomplishment. Keep up the good work. I understand what you mean as I am happy to have received my 90 day chip yesterday (actually on day 95) but then spent time after the meeting talking with another member of the group that is two weeks from his 5 year anniversary. I realized while 90 days is great, 5 years is a true commitment that I hope to achieve in just 1,735 short days :-)

Wow, that is great! 100+ days here and looking at life a whole new way!

I am looking forward to the new great Journey!

2early,

Congratulations! The second year actually marks the official mind reboot, so stay the course, you'll discover much more about yourself as the years go by.

To those struggling, I have this message: Keep moving forward, establish a healthy lifestyle and habits which will later become you sober life. This is not just about stopping the addictive cycle but about changing everything about your life that is unhealthy, so that the addictive mind is shut off entirely.

Hugs to all,
Wolf (4 years sober)

Wow! Congrats!

Excellent, we are proud of you.

Great accomplishment earlyriser and great advice to others that are having problems. I am approaching 100 days and have witnessed several anniversaries in my group and can hear the happiness and hope that they have and just how much they have overcome. While I know the first 60 to 90 days are the most difficult to overcome, we all know that our sobriety needs constant attention so that we are never caught off guard during difficult or trying times in our lives. Ironically we fed our addiction while we were in it and we need to continue to feed our sobriety as we move forward. Feeding our addiction negatively affected every other aspect of our life and conversely, sobriety positively affects every other aspect of life. That realization drives our long-term sobriety. We quietly commend your achievement and wish you much more peace ahead.

Wow, truly an achievement worthy to be happy about. Way to go 2earlyriser! Very inspiring. :)

Awesome.

To all addicts who still are engaged in this addiction:

I know for myself anyway when I hear of people overcoming this addiction I tend to lose heart and think it's a competition (it's not).

While we can be happy with others successes we must treat ourselves with self-compassion and grace realizing that our time will come, even if we acting out currently its ok!!! If you desire to get sober one day that desire will happen in it's own time. Do NOT put ridiculous expectations on yourself, you are a human being. You will make mistakes! I'm saying this as much for myself as I am for others. I don't know how this person got sober, but I'm pretty sure he went through the same process we all do in our own way.

Asics,
instead of seeing it as a competition how about seeing it as hope? I know for me when my husband first got serious about recovery, full disclosure, rehab, reading posts on here where people had sobriety gave me hope, knowing that it can be beat.
Taking responsibility for your own recovery is the only way to live a healthy, sober life. Waiting for it to come in its own time is setting yourself up for failure. Sobriety isn't going to just happen, it takes work, hard work, sacrifice, transparency, and outside help. Mistakes happen if you allow them too....

Whoo-hoo! Contrats!