Comments on: Life After Drinking is Better… Honestly

By: steve

steve — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:01:45 +0000

i am on the verge of giving up drinking and feel empathy with what you’ve written. i know i have to give up and i’m scared. not scared of not drinking, but scared of losing friends, and the cultural aspect of the existence i live in. i.e. the british drinking culture. it is fun and i’ve had so many good times created by alcohol, let’s not condemn it completely. but i hear the landlord calling ‘time’ on my drinking career and it feels lonely. is there a club for ex-drinkers? maybe we should start one.

By: Charles Somer

Charles Somer — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:00:39 +0000

Yes, I had this same view that life without drink and drugs was going to be intolerably dull. And it was initially because that was what I told myself. However, over time my attitude changed and with it my life.

Now I truly believe that life with alcohol would be truly dull (that’s not to say I don’t have the odd craving), any and all activities being exactly the same – a blur and a few snapshots of conversation and….oblivion.

Yes, life without substances is not dull, it is life.

Thanks.

By: The Discovering Alcoholic

The Discovering Alcoholic — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:36:11 +0000

On the eve of my sobriety date in 1994, there was no doubt in my mind that life was meaningless if not just impossible without alcohol… now I have just as hard of time thinking about actually taking a drink. It is difficult to imagine things that are new to us and even scary, but your successful recovery from drinking is proof you do have the faith and strength to push forward and to build a new life.

By: Screedler

Screedler — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 02:29:05 +0000

Hi Patti,

Sorry your going through a rough patch. It sounds like both you and your husband are taking the right steps – both seeing the doctor and counseling. By no means am I qualified to give advice, as you have more sobriety than me. I can tell you that I certainly still go through downs times and just have to “keep the faith” and soldier on knowing that my mood or state of mind will change…eventually. I have found two things of late that I try to keep in mind (both of which I learned in AA). I can’t control people, things, or situations and secondly stopping myself from being a “director” in situations. I quess it boils down to matter of faith for me and that will sound absurd to a someone without – but I just have to put it in “his” hands and I don’t even know who “he” is. I do believe whoever or whatever put us here did so for a purpose and only wants the best for us and ultimately that means just being happy for me. Sorry for such a long winded response – but that brings me to a third thing, helping others , or at least trying to help others ultimately helps me. I think I am going to repost all this to the front page and discuss a little more tomorrow. And maybe some of our regular readers can chime in with some advice.

By: Patti

Patti — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 14:57:52 +0000

I drank for at least 14 years. I am a married female, 57 years old. My husband and I will have been married 40 years this coming August. We have 3 wonderful, awesome grown children with families of their own. Our five precious ‘little ones’ live close to us and we see them all the time and are very involved in their lives.
Since I quit drinking in Feb, 2002, I went through a wonderful program called “Journey” at Midelfort/Mayo Clinic. Since then, I have not found the peace, the euphoria, the happiness. I have had numerous problems and it seems an impossible task to become the happy-go-lucky person I used to be. I also do not know how to have sex without drinking!
Therfore, after almost ten years of working on this to no avail, my husband and I agreed on a separation because we could no longer look at each other without sobbing.
Now, just 4 days later, I have been seeing my family docotor to straighten my moods out, and a counselor, as well as is my husband.
He is the greatest man that ever lived. He is sympathetic, kind, thoughtful, always. But he doesn’t think that I can change, so in my mind I have lost him and I cannot live with that. We got married when we were 17. I know no other life than with him. I cannot and will not accept life without him. What to do????? I think I am losing my mind. Can anyone help????? Patti

By: Mike B righ ton UK

Mike B righ ton UK — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:20:49 +0000

Respect to you for your choices.
Although, I must admit, I had a night in with a few friends yesterday, we had lots of home cooked food and ploughed our way through case of St Joseph French red between 6 of us, we were proper plastered.
Maybe Im an infant in the drinking world. But dammit if we did’nt have a rollicking good time.
One of the best nights of my life and I can remember it all.
Each to their own.
May you be blessed on your journey.
Mike

By: Sum Zero

Sum Zero — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:34:04 +0000

I was just thinking the same thing the other night. Only with me it was bibimbap in NY instead of yakitori in LA.

It’s rough getting over the idea that sobriety=boring, or its converse, drunk=fun. I’m pretty much new to not drinking; it’s only been since July, and there have been bumps. But there’s been a lot of progress, and the realization you write about is a big part of it all.