Sobriety in 2020, A New Year For 10 Years

Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Chris and I am a recovering alcoholic for over ten years straight now as of 2020. The last year was a challenge as all years are with sobriety. Drinking alcohol is not even in my vocabulary or thoughts these days. It is just not a part of my life anymore. I hear people in AA talk about alcohol and re- read the Big Book so many times that I wonder if this is the only way some people can stay sober. Not a popular thing to say but the only time I think of alcohol and the past is when I go to AA. Now that is not a good thing for me however I still go because maybe it has helped me stay sober for this long but I attribute my sobriety to my spiritual beliefs and how I conduct my life on a daily basis. I do not have time to drink alcohol or even at that I cannot even conceive having a hangover. This is not acceptable to me, I cannot live in this manner and to slip and go back to drinking is not possible in my head.Its been one more year 2019 that I have lived without a drink and do I think of alcohol , not really. There is no place in my life for this luxury.

I believe one must reach a point in his sobriety where the mentality of drinking is just not there anymore. The thoughts of getting loaded are gone after an amount of time. I made my mind up the first year that no more alcohol was to be had with me. It had caused me too many problems with my life. Ruined relations and jobs in which I had many. AA is good for people that want to stop drinking but in the long term one must come to rely upon himself that this is the kind of life you will live one day at a time. The rewards for not drinking are abundant but not realized after a period of non drinking. Its just life without getting stoned drunk on a daily basis. Of course some will like what I am saying others will debate me on AA, as I think AA is a crutch for some alcoholics. They need the AA and Big Book read over and over day after day to stay sober. After a while it just sinks into my brain and remember what passages I liked and helps me and yes I read "How it works", almost daily to remind me of who I am.Therefor , I am not saying AA has not helped, it has but in the end I am the one with the money and hands to pick up a drink from the store and start the madness all over again and that is called insanity to me. I have enough mental problems to not throw in alcohol with the existing anxieties and depression I might have from time to time. I read on how to help myself in those situations or give it up to God and we work on the problem. Running is so easy to do yet facing the facts I have a problem and working through my issues have made me stronger and a better person than I was ten years ago.

So sobriety in 2020 will be no different unless I have to change in a manner to keep my sobriety intact. This is very important in all my affairs is to stay sober even when times are not going that well. Yes it is not an easy task at times but that is when I go to AA and my friends that do not drink will listen to me and I listen to them and every thing seems to go ok for that moment.I keep reading and praying all during the day is my secret to living a sober day. Hopefully others have learned the art of using a hgher power than themselves to go to and listen to problems that might arise on a daily basis.

I wish everyone a great new year and if your thinking about quitting alcohol , then that is just wonderful and I wish you the best!! Happy New Year Chris

Time Moves Forward with a Clear Head

Alcohol, and drugs can blur our minds, and make us believe in things that are not true. When I sobered up , reality was hard to handle . I battled reality through my sobriety and still wanted things to go my way for almost 10 years. We all want things to work out just like we intend them, however this is not happening. Believe in God and things or days will go with the flow and nothing will over whelm you that you cannot live with. It is a two way street , you must accept those things that use to baffle us and continue to baffle us, but do not try to control them. Life is a struggle and it is tough at times but if you stay close to the 12 steps of living life day to day then all will be better just not exactly the way you might have expected.
Change is something we alcoholics are pretty good at. If you think about it we changed where we lived in hopes of stop drinking when we were in a new place but continued to drink. Change when one is sober is good but can be strange and scary. This is when you pause take a deep breath of fresh air and let go and let God into life. The answer will come, your body will go into motion at times reluctantly but usually for a positive reason for you at this time of day. Hopefully you understand what I am saying. I have ten years of sobriety and live life one day at a time. I do not consciously do this but it has become habit. I don't think to far in the future , I stay in the moment and try to see what I can give all the day to others. Try this in your life and see how it goes. Take Care. Chris

Drinking Just Makes Problems Worse

I was thinking the other day about some problems I have. One thought was to get a drink and let those problems go. However, the thought of drinking will never go away. It does recede with each day I live. I know alcohol is not an answer to anything except poison to me. It is my sick mind that thinks about drinking when life does not take me in a direction I intended. Of course , these times are seldom , they are part of living. God gives us choices and if we make the choice that gets us into trouble, then obviously we made the wrong choice. We should not beat ourselves over petty things and even the family problems will still be around after we drink. Years ago, ten to be actual is when I quit drinking alcohol, I developed a serene and lonely lifestyle. I have to admit that I miss the fun I had when I drank, but I also made a mess of things in the process. Maybe you can relate to what I am saying about alcohol or drugs. They are powerful chemicals and they can make you feel good about life in the moment. Long term they cause health problems, incarceration, and many other people problems. This is a known fact, and to quit drinking today is a idea I will point out is what you might need to get your life back in order.

Treatment centers should be a place where you should not be based on how much money you have and insurance. The alcohol business should pay for any treatment I have to take for drinking thier liquid. No way that will ever happen. I do not think much about expensive treatment centers. I have been to dumps and the expensive ones. They all have the same message. It is a shame that they want so much money from a drunk who is probably broke, and when he gets out of treatment he will have bills that will trigger him back into drinking. It is a crazy idea that if you need help from a center and they want to take all the money you have in order to dry you up.. They do not help afterwards. I know some of you do not think what I say is true, but it is.

Does Drinking Consume Your Life?

Does Drinking Consume Your Life?

By Chris

Does drinking alcohol consume most of your off time? Then you might be alcoholic, do You drink because you have to have the rush alcohol gives to you. Do you often black out from too much to drink? Well, these are examples of drinking too much but does it mean you cannot control your life because of these habits? These are things in life to consider if it takes up your lifetime. In other words, do you spend time with your wife drunk most of the time and around your family? You are the only one that can stop the insanity. Now you did not want to hear that but this is true. No one can make someone sober. You can encourage a person to get help, but don’t be rude about it. Try informing this drinker that maybe he or she should not drink because of this and that problem in your life.

Treatment centers surround themselves with the 12 step program, but is this outdated? It still works is what some would say and it is the only way. I do not subscribe to this theory as I have seen time and time again an alcoholic attends meetings right and left then went back to drinking so AA will not save you so who the fuck will save your drunk ass. You, and that is a hard concept to take hold of. You are in control and you know this deep down, but unable to admit it to your inner self or to God. Yes, God is the spirit that has made you and brought you into this world. If you don’t believe me on God I will surely debate you. No, you do not have to attend church, but it would not hurt going. I do not go to church but I feel good after I go for some reason. I guess for me I am blessed and maybe you are also that drinking is a blackout of my life substance I do not think of. So why the blog, well it is to document my progress through my ten years of sobriety, coming in May 2019. The trials and miracles that have happened to me. Nothing too far out but I have and still am growing up with sobriety. Social sobriety is the world and how I interact with life sober and conduct myself. Enjoy Life Today 3.30.2019

Everyday Worries

The worries that drag us down and holds us back from living the life we deep down dream about.

So I would like to just quickly share one tip that helps me out with this issue.

It is a simple two question combination that I have asked myself over and over until it became a habit. And until the questions often pop up automatically in my head in worry-inducing situations.

The first question goes like this:

How many of the things I worried would happen in my life did actually happen?

Most things you fear will happen never happen. They are just monsters in your own mind.

And worrying is most often just a waste of time.

This is, of course, easy to say.

But if you remind yourself of how little of what you feared throughout your life that has actually happened you can start to release more and more of that worry from your thoughts.

So I ask myself this question to remind myself of how few of the things that I have worried about over the years that have actually become real.

When fears feel vague in your mind, when you lack clarity then it is very easy to get lost in exaggerated worries and disaster scenarios.

So find clarity in a worry-inducing situation by asking yourself:

Honestly and realistically, what is the worst that could happen?

When I have answered that question then I follow it up with spending a little bit of time on figuring out what I can do about it if that pretty unlikely thing happens.

In my experience, the worst that could realistically happen is usually not as scary as what my mind could make up when it is running wild with vague fears.

Spending a few minutes on finding clarity in this way can save you a whole lot of time, energy and suffering.

I hope this question combo will help you too to calm yourself down and to think more clearly and optimistically again.

Have a wonderful Sunday and week ahead!

Chris

Sober and Making Mistakes

Just because I am sober does not mean I don't make big mistakes. I make mistakes every day and I pray that I stop but I am so bullheaded that I continue on making stupid mistakes. I sin, and therefore in God's book, I am normal to that extent. However I grow each day that I am sober, I step back two steps and forward one step. It would seem I lack self-discipline or dislike it. I am not sure what will come to me the next day, I change jobs like I change underwear because I don't like this or that and this has put me in a bind. I just cannot get comfortable with myself, maybe you experience these issues. I disappoint people still and I disappoint myself. How do I stay sober? I pray a lot and go to AA and I do not want to feel the alcoholic bad ever again, that is why I don't drink. Beside that I am honest to an extent, I cannot lie and get away with it.

Making mistakes that hurt people are not what I intend to do but at times this is what happens. It makes me sad to hurt a person especially a family member, but I get defensive at times and bow up over things I could have done differently. We all make mistakes if human, and some more often then others. I recognize this and that is why I am writing about mistakes and being sober. God knows when I was drinking I made huge mistakes and I paid for them dearly.

I probably need to hit more meetings and work my program, because I am coasting on the sober hiway right now, which does not feel

 right. Have a good day. Chris

Give Thanks To for Sobriety and just for Livng

The living is a given item that God has control over us all. You may not believe in God but you might think about this twice. Every day in every way God is in my life showing me the right thing to do and the wrong . I learn like you must be learning from reading this blog that I place a lot of spiritual influence into my life to keep going through one day to the next. I take chances that could land me in trouble, I lie at times which I hope I am forgiven by God. You do not have to go to church to know God, and it might be best if you do. I am not pushing you to church but just imagine if you pray to God and your dreams come true, they will. It will not happen when you want this to happen, the signs of a spirit are shown to us every day in all different ways. To stay sober you will need a higher power such as God. I don't believe there is any other higher power except for evil or the Devil. Do you believe the devil exists? I do and yes he has crept into my life on occasion but God usually takes care of the evil thoughts and sets me straight so I do the right thing, and believe in the right spirit. Think about it. What if God could fix all your problems? I have an answer, he can if you let him. So if you are drinking,

say a prayer to God to help you stop. Meditate on this in your own way not how someone may tell you. It is best to meet Godhead on then rely on other humans. The drinking will go away but you have to take action with prayer. Have a good Valentine Day and love one another. Chris