Haven't touched a drop in...

stefan idiot jones

9 years today since my last nightmare, hangover and drink of the bad stuff.

We're off up the Sunshine Coast for a few days of snorkeling and relaxing in a swanky hotel.

Happy New Year to everyone and I'll be sure to post here this time next year when I reach double figures.

Be good and be strong everyone and have a fulfilling and rewarding year.

stefan idiot jones

stefan idiot jones wrote: »

9 years today since my last nightmare, hangover and drink of the bad stuff.

We're off up the Sunshine Coast for a few days of snorkeling and relaxing in a swanky hotel.

Happy New Year to everyone and I'll be sure to post here this time next year when I reach double figures.

Be good and be strong everyone and have a fulfilling and rewarding year.

Have a good one Stefan & well done!

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year.

Amazingfun

Ah that's brilliant Stefan! Happy 9th anniversary and may you have many more!

Happy New Year to all on the forum

lindtee

Well Done Stefan. 9 years is a great achievement

Just after midnight it will be 7 years since I last had a drink. Although I have made many changes in my life in that time, there is a lot more that I have to do! The adage that sobriety is "99% change and 1% not picking up a drink" is most certainly true in my case.

I will finish four long years of study next year and will have achieved my life long dream of getting a university degree. It is a dream that I never thought I would achieve during my drinking days. I have learned to cope with my social anxiety without feeling the need to pick up a drink. I'm never going to be outgoing and confident but thats just me, and I've learned to accept it. There has been a couple of occassions over the years where having a drink has entered my mind but I haven't given in. 99% of the time it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Someone said to me today that 2014 is going to be "my year" and you know what, I think it will be too. 2013 actually was pretty tough on me and I ended up having to go back on anti-depressants but I hope to be off them by next summer. They are helping me at the moment though. I could go on for hours but I'll cut it short here!

I want to wish all of you here a Happy new Year. Although I do not post much I read all the posts. It is great to read how everyone is getting on their journeys of sobriety, whether it be a few hours, a few days, a few weeks, a few months, a few years or even a few decades. You guys and gals are great

V.W.L 11

Almost 10 years

haveabanana

23 days. It's a minor miracle I've managed to get through the last week or so without drinking, I'll be glad to see the back of all this Christmas malarkey. Happy New Year to everyone.

Mickey Dazzler

205 days....

IrishSkyBoxer

8 months clean on Xmas Day.

252 days today.

After day 100 I felt like a different creature, my mind finally free from the binding, poisonous chains of alcohol.

Since then life has only got better.

Don't be a slave to the drug.

Don't waste your life going from the end of one empty glass to the start of the next.

Tough times don't last but tough people do.

Carpet diem

IrishSkyBoxer wrote: »

8 months clean on Xmas Day.

252 days today.

After day 100 I felt like a different creature, my mind finally free from the binding, poisonous chains of alcohol.

Since then life has only got better.

Don't be a slave to the drug.

Don't waste your life going from the end of one empty glass to the start of the next.

Tough times don't last but tough people do.

Well done on your journey so far. I have a question for you so I can learn from you and may take something from it-

What were the key steps you took that were essential?

Roger00

5 years dry today thank God.
Fair play to everyone here who survived Christmas without a drop, keep it up it's so worth it.
Happy New Year!

[-0-]

Day Five today. Feeling great. Pot of Oolong Tea is on the stove to keep me going for the day.

My tea consumption has gone through the roof since giving up the booze.

[-0-]

Day Five today. Feeling great. Pot of Oolong Tea is on the stove to keep me going for the day.

My tea consumption has gone through the roof since giving up the booze.

beano345

[-0-] wrote: »

Day Five today. Feeling great. Pot of Oolong Tea is on the stove to keep me going for the day.

My tea consumption has gone through the roof since giving up the booze.

3 months now ...I'm the same with the tea

Carpet diem

bootybouncer wrote: »

hold on a minute there I contribute to this topic ok, Do you condone drink driving ?????????????

Must condone it himself

Hesh's Umpire

2 and a half days!
Not a big drinker anyway but hoping to avoid it as part of a healthy regime.

quinrea01

V.W.L 11 wrote: »

Almost 10 years

Completed 10 completely dry years last November. No going back for me and well done to yourself and all who have succeeded in beating the bottle. By the way, at the risk of pissing off people who seemed to be offended by previous remarks I made some time ago, I will repeat them.....'Stay out of pubs if you are sincere about staying off alcohol...no alco-free beers, orange juices, red lemonade or ANYTHING....The pub atmosphere will drag you back down the slippery slope' Good luck to all and Happy New Year!!

Carpet diem

quinrea01 wrote: »

Completed 10 completely dry years last November. No going back for me and well done to yourself and all who have succeeded in beating the bottle. By the way, at the risk of pissing off people who seemed to be offended by previous remarks I made some time ago, I will repeat them.....'Stay out of pubs if you are sincere about staying off alcohol...no alco-free beers, orange juices, red lemonade or ANYTHING....The pub atmosphere will drag you back down the slippery slope' Good luck to all and Happy New Year!!

I think you have a point. Its more hassle than its worth ( not that I have too much experience bit in time I will!!)

Diablo Verde

Feeling great at this stage. Was away in Spain over the New Year and enjoyed telling peole that I don't drink, rather than saying that I'm off it.

One side-effect that I wasn't expecting from this decision is proving to be the most important for me. I'm really happy that I can say that any feelings that I have at any one time, are truly my own, rather that some skewed vision brought on by the alcohol.

Anyway,
Happy New Year to you all. Keep at it. It's worth it.:)

Just realised I'm 27 months off if rom yesterday & life has never been better

Day 4 struggle at 2 weeks but I am ready for it this time and won't be beaten...

marienbad

Deleted User wrote: »

Day 4 struggle at 2 weeks but I am ready for it this time and won't be beaten...

Hang in there , just do a day at a time, Best wishes from all of us .

enoughalready

Day 35 - Five whole weeks.

Might not seem long to many, but for me, delighted to be able to be out of the fog! It's great saying to people now that I don't drink rather than saying I'm giving it up. I'm getting reactions from everyone saying I won't last and that maybe I could still drink but change from spirits to cider / beer. I stop them in their tracks and says that alcohol does nothing for me, as Allan Carr says in his Easyway books, there is NOT ONE benefit or advantage to drinking alcohol.

I am a better man without it, and to be honest, I don't have any cravings for it! I see it now as the poison it is.

beano345

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Just realised I'm 27 months off if rom yesterday & life has never been better

How did you find the first few months kag if you don't mind be asking

KungPao

Day 6!

would be a 18 beers a week drinker (never spirits or wine), not crazy high by Irish standards, but was worried over Christmas as I was drinking a few or more every day and missing it when not drinking. And not just the sensation, I LOVE the taste of a good freezing cerveza.

So, gave it up for January at least, to put the brakes on.

For the tea drinkers in place of alcohol: I swear by camomile...no caffeine and helps relax. I find caffeine can make one edgy and will increase cravings for a cold soothing beer.

beano345

beano345 wrote: »

How did you find the first few months kag if you don't mind be asking

Very tough for the first 3-6 months. I was drinking nearly every day when I could afford it. I needed alcohol for everything in the end, I wouldn't go to places like the cinema, a match etc unless there was a promise of booze at the end of it. It ended up making me absolutely miserable and close to sucide. My health and weight were also in a bad way.

A program is what worked for me and meetings. It doesn't work for everyone but it worked for me. There are plenty of other ways of beating alcohol but AA did the job for me. The reason it did is because I listened to people in it years and done what was suggested to stay sober. I also had to sacrifice a lot of toxic relationships as they were doing nothing for me apart from drawing me back to alcohol. I then got very much in fitness and completely changed my diet. My outlook on life then eventually started to totally shift from a completely selfish little **** to someone who would go out of his way to help you when he could. That's when my own mind began to ease, alcohol is just the tip of the iceberg these days and I have never been happier in my life. What is great though is I know what I need to do to keep it that way.

Alcohol can be beaten ladies and gents. I had no morale fiber when I gave up and noone gave me a chance so anyone can do it with effort. Remember a simple fact there is nothing in life a drink will improve, NOTHING!

emmabrighton

Deleted User wrote: »

Very tough for the first 3-6 months. I was drinking nearly every day when I could afford it. I needed alcohol for everything in the end, I wouldn't go to places like the cinema, a match etc unless there was a promise of booze at the end of it......

I had no morale fiber when I gave up and noone gave me a chance so anyone can do it with effort. Remember a simple fact there is nothing in life a drink will improve, NOTHING!

I was the same KaG, except I wouldn't wait for the movie to be over before having a drink... i'd do it before hand... sheesh the amount of movies I saw that I don't remember... what a waste of money

As for no moral fiber... I was always robbing my flatmates booze and topping it up the next day because I couldnt be bothered going to the off-license at 5 to 10 for more booze before it shut...

sunflower27

January 1 this year was my two-year without a drink birthday!

Am absolutely delighted. Never been happier Best decision I ever made

Went off the booze for 2 months at the start of last year, going to go off it again now this year and plan to go longer. want to get well into my fitness training now so without the drink it make it much more pleasant.

hubba

figs666 wrote: »

11 days

You're doing great, Figs666. Keep it up.

Amazingfun

Deleted User wrote: »

A program is what worked for me and meetings. It doesn't work for everyone but it worked for me. There are plenty of other ways of beating alcohol but AA did the job for me. .

Alcohol can be beaten ladies and gents. I had no morale fiber when I gave up and noone gave me a chance so anyone can do it with effort. Remember a simple fact there is nothing in life a drink will improve, NOTHING!

This made my day, fantastic!