I am at the year and a half sober mark today. It crept up on me. I feel amazed that I have been sober for this long and that I feel that it was an excellent decision. I don’t think too much now about whether I should drink or not. I originally thought I would go sober for a year and then see what happens. That decision to remain sober is strong. I like myself better this way. That is enough.
Words are important. How we word something can make a difference. I don’t like the term alcoholic. I believe the word chains alcohol to the person and focuses on the past rather than the future. It is not a positive word. It has so many negative connotations that it is whispered or spoken with shame most of the time. I really don’t like it. It’s not how I look at myself.
I drank. Now I don’t. I’m not a drinker.
Cleaner. Clearer. Simple. Positive.
Sober as a world of difference.
its the weirdest thing..i was wondering why i hadn’t seen any of your posts lately..i checked my list and it said i wasn’t ‘following” you…so, now i am..again…odd bodkins…lol..congrats!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t been posting much lately. New post up today though. Enjoy! Thanks.
LikeLike
Congratulations on a year and a half! Terrific post. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks NL❤️
LikeLike
The o Ly time I say alcoholic is at AA, where I return to get my annual chip.
Otherwise I’m sober and happy.
Congrats
Anne
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Anne❤️
LikeLike
I agree on the terminology. I far prefer to use “alcohol-free” and/or “sobriety-loving”… things like that. Love your positive vibe about all this. xoxoxo
LikeLiked by 2 people
I hesitated to write this. Pleased I did. xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nothing I saw to hesitate about here. Basic common sense really. :)) xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good to hear. 😊xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congrats!!! That is huge! Thank you for being part of this community, for helping us all stay sober (or, sober-minded, at least!)…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. Back at you.
LikeLike
Congratulations on a great milestone!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Deb. Finding my way sober.
LikeLike
Huge congratulations to you. I’m with you on the team ‘alcoholic’ … it was never helpful for me to describe myself in that sense. I was addicted to alcohol and I broke the habit by not drinking it. I found it brought me far more happiness than I ever felt drinking over the past few years. So now I don’t drink. Great post. ❤️😘
LikeLiked by 2 people
First, congratulations on your year-and-a-half! Awesome!
As to the rest, about words and whatnot, I tend to think a lot about words. I sometimes wish I didn’t. I can tell you this, whether they matter or not completely depends on how I’m willing to take them. That’s really all that matters because if I’m doing recovery right, what somebody else thinks (or says) shouldn’t matter in the least. What matters is that I keep “my side of the street” clean. Nice post, and thanks for getting me to think this morning!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Jim. You my friend are inspiring with your cycling. I love how you are so active in your recovery literally. To be honest I can’t keep up with your mileage. It’s awesome. I read and feel I’m on your shoulder being carried along against the wind.
I have taken that and chosen walking. I am challenging myself to walk every day in June.
As Nick Reeves mentioned being sober brings clarity. Clarity is a wonderful word. Clean.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations. I have also stopped drinking I have been sober for 10 months although I have had many ‘sober times’ I had never thought about the word alcoholic like that. I guess going to rehab that word is just stuck to me. Maybe I will rethink how I refer to my drinking or none drinking I mean. I’m new to the world of blogging trying something new
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. Blogging and private writing helps to get your thoughts out and find clarity. The sober community is very caring and supportive too. Welcome.
I hesitated to write this post because I thought it might rub some people the wrong way. Glad I did.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Way to go and congratulations on a great decision. I agree with you about the word alcoholic. It’s a negative term used by people to place “problem drinkers” in a different category than themselves so they can create separation and not have to question their own drinking. At any rate, your wording is perfect and is a phrase I also espouse: I used to drink and now I don’t. No category. No story. Just facts. I like myself much better this way also. 💕👍🏻
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks Collette. It’s not just me then.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations Limetwiste! I have been finding the idea of stopping drinking creeping up on me of late. I’ve pretty much always drank, never to any degree where my life is controlled by alcohol – allowing a dozen or so days off work in thirty plus years due to hangovers – but I pretty much have a drink every day; it’s a tidal effect that builds up over a season. I stopped for 6 months a couple of years back (why I returned I don’t recall, but it’s insidious, isn’t it). I have pretty clear memories of that time – not so much of difficulty or temptation, but of heightened creativity, clarity and a sense of … kindness?
Living alone and particularly so these last few months of the plague it has been a routine; once my writing, or however I’ve spent the hours, is done; once the sun slips over the yard arm and I’m preparing dinner and preparing for the evening ahead, I can generally finish a bottle of wine. To some that would be outrageous and to some that would be average… but, of late, I feel that a time for a reboot approaches. So, thanks for these admirable posts. Stay Free. x
LikeLiked by 4 people
Huge congratulations to you. I’m with you on the team ‘alcoholic’ … it was never helpful for me to describe myself in that sense. I was addicted to alcohol and I broke the habit by not drinking it. I found it brought me far more happiness than I ever felt drinking over the past few years. So now I don’t drink. Great post. ❤️😘
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry Nick, for some reason my comment for limetwiste jumped up int a reply to your comment! Weird. Good luck if you do go for sobriety again. Loads of support here .
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ditto about the support here. Today is a good day for a good choice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Claire. Onwards and upwards.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Nick.
The decision is yours to make. Covid19 doesn’t make it easier. You talk of routine. Drinking is just a habit within that routine.
Yes clarity is a word I have been thinking on lately. There is so much more clarity with being sober. Clarity is a great word. Creativity… working on that. Kindness, yes absolutely, to self and others.
I prefer myself sober.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for this, Limetwiste.
Stay Free. xo
LikeLiked by 1 person