Quote (Zigity @ Jan 11 2018 12:28pm)
I've struggled with addiction for the better part of 7 years. Pot and booze. I'm on my longest sobriety streak currently at 52 days. What has worked for me is picking up other habits, such as going to the gym, church, painting, reading, and going to coffee shops during the day instead of bars at night. I downloaded an app that counts my days sober which works as motivation. I also talk about it a lot with people, and the more you talk about it, the easier it gets. I always thought that since I just smoked and drank, it wasn't a problem. It took me up until 52 days ago to realize it was a problem. I guess I was comparing myself to everybody else around me; I've had friends who have overdosed, gotten DUI's, double kidney failures and pancreatitis and diabetes, lost jobs, dropped out of school, been homeless- and comparatively, I didn't have a problem. But when I took a step back and looked at myself, I did have a problem. The real question becomes determining whether or not you think you have a problem, and then deciding if the problem is addiction. If it is addiction, there is no such thing as moderation. There are even priests who substitute the wine because they can't have just a taste. If you decide you can take on moderation, you should probably adapt some type of strategy to help promote it. For example, with every alcoholic drink, you need to drink a glass of water before you have your next one. Or leave your credit card at home and only bring enough cash for however many drinks you want to have if you go out. At home, don't keep alcohol, only what you want to drink that night. Ultimately, I've determined that drinking is a waste of time and nothing good comes out of it, both socially, mentally, and physically. It destroys your body, can strain relationships, and anything it strengthens socially (ie; taking the edge off, liquid courage, feeling good) can be overcome and overpowered with sobriety. It's also important to note that sobriety is an everyday battle. You battle resistance every single day, one day at a time. Anyways, I could talk about this shit all day. Hopefully this helped somebody.
Hey man that’s super awesome! Glad you’re doing well!