Get Sober – Getting Started

After drinking heavily for over half of my life, I have given up alcohol.  Those who know me still can’t get their head around it and I still find it hard to believe myself.  It didn’t just happen, nor did I hit rock bottom (though I did come close) I had been thinking about giving up for a while and unwittingly I was doing some preparation for it. Here is how I jumped into my journey of sobriety.

I had my drinking habits to the point where I was not drinking all day, my start time would be anywhere between 3pm-5pm and then I would drink for the rest of the evening. My drink of choice was wine and I would easily consume a few bottles each evening.

Having spent most of the day sober I was at the point where I was really productive up until my first drink, then the rest of the afternoon and evening would be all about drinking as much wine as I could get my hands on and smoking as many cigarettes as possible.  

During the day, I had begun exercising as often as possible. My main exercise was walking and I would walk for 30 minutes to an hour each day.

I also began a journal – this is important even if you are not into writing. I wrote in my journal each day just before my first drink and then again at the end of each evening. Every morning I read over the previous day’s entries.  I wanted to compare how I felt during the day while sober compared with in the evening under the influence.  I would always read my journal entry the following morning and I would usually balk in disgust at how miserable I sounded at the end of my drinking session, it was crystal clear that the alcohol was making me a miserable wreck. It had always been clear to me that I had a problem with alcohol, but it was only after beginning this journal that it really and truly sunk in. (17 years it took me to get to this point, if only I had done this before!)

One evening soon after writing in my journal, I had finished all the wine in the house, so I started on the beers that we had. I sat outside and chain smoked as my family watched t.v inside. I was so sick and tired of feeling miserable, I was always planning my life around alcohol , I would wake up each morning in a state of panic and anxiety and I was making everyone around me miserable too. I just sat there crying and crying. I do remember shouting up at the sky and asking for help.

The following morning I just said to myself that I was not going to have a drink today, and that is how it began. After 17 long years of alcohol abuse I stopped drinking. I quit smoking at the same time too. My thought on this was that I loved having one with the other so I wanted the temptation gone.

Here are some quick action items that you can use to get you started:

• Incorporate some kind of exercise into your daily routine even when you don’t feel like it, just do it. Walking is free, easy and is great for clearing the mind and releasing endorphins.
• Start thinking about what you want from life, if you could have a life make over what would your life look like? Just write simple one line statements and do as many as you can think of. Forget the agony you are in right now, truly write down what you would like your life look like.

• Start a journal. Write in it as often as you can, if you don’t enjoy writing just keep at it until it becomes a habit. Remember the big picture and what you are trying to achieve. Write in it before your first drink, after your last drink, first thing in the morning.

• Read your list and your journal every single day.

This has worked for me, this is part of what is changing my life.

Let me know how you get on or if you want to share you own story of what is working for you.

Thank you for visiting “Recovery Princess; Quit Drinking and Enjoy Sobriety”

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Tags: giving up alcohol, How Do I Get Sober? Getting Started With Sobriety, Quit Drinking Alcohol