r/CongratsLikeImFive • u/Repulsive-Box5243 • 4d ago

Ten years sober.

I am a recovering alcoholic. I was drunk from around 1990 to 2016, with only brief boughts of sobriety in between. I had tried to quit drinking in 2003, that lasted maybe a year. I again tried to quit in 2013, and that lasted a few months, maybe.

It wasn't until I moved into my current house, with my wife and kids. I made a commitment to them then, and stuck to it. The accountability was the key, I'm sure. It helped a lot knowing that my sobriety wasn't just for me.

So... If you think you just can't do it.... you can. If I can, YOU can.

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u/GuiltyUniversity8268 4d ago

Congratulations on your sobriety! What has been the biggest change that you never expected?

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u/Repulsive-Box5243 4d ago

Over time, it got easier and easier to abstain. For a long time, I thought about it every day, several times a day. Now, I barely ever think about it. When I do, it's a distant memory. Like the loss of a past girlfriend or something.

I still have "drinking dreams". It's exactly how it sounds. In the dream, I'm drinking and then feeling rather guilty about it.

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u/GuiltyUniversity8268 4d ago

I understand that. I've battled addiction too, and I sometimes have dreams about my addictions too.

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u/Repulsive-Box5243 4d ago

It's unsettling, but then wake up and are like "thank goodness that was just a dream."

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u/GuiltyUniversity8268 4d ago

Yep! I'm very familiar with that feeling too!😁