Day 9. Difficult

Most difficult by far. I've narrowed down my trigger to loneliness. That's definitely it. Ppl. keep saying "go to meetings" but loneliness isn't cured but being around people unless there's the right connection. This will be a ROUGH WEEKEND. Having to do things I'd usually drink through. Also finding myself trying to bargain with myself. :no_entry_sign::cocktail::no_entry_sign::cupcake:

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Do you have as sponsor/working the steps..are u reaching daily to other's

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There is a difference between been alone and feeling lonely, and yes the feeling that’s hard to deal with it takes time, stay strong :pray:t4:

I hear you. I've felt lonely in crowded places. I've been given advice that is well intended but ultimately not relatable. Sometimes when we're in our head, that's all we know. Toss as many bodies at that and call it "not being alone" doesn't make it so. I've been living this longer than I'd like.

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Congratulations on 9 days :clap:. Try to find things you enjoy doing and do them with intent. Go for a walk and really observe your surroundings. Pick up a book and read it with intent. Just a few ideas- I hope it helps you​:blush:

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I can't find one.

Are you looking for a book to :books: read?

loneliness is my trigger too! Congrats on day 9!

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Here's one for you: I Am Enough by Marisa Peer

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Mind if I ask you,
Why do you think you're lonely?
Without looking it up, what is your definition of lonely?

Is there a family member you can reach out to? Or an old friend you’re close to? Not just a drinking buddy. The loneliness always gets me. And being around strange new people in a meeting doesn’t really help. I guess until some of those strange people become your friends.

You see, when we were drinking we were lost in the effect produced by alcohol. We didn't feel like we had a care in the world. As I became a problem drinker I actually prefered to drink by myself. During those days I don't think I ever really considered myself feeling lonely. Once the effect wore off, we slowly found ourselves feeling restless, irritable and discontented just like it talks about in the Doctor's Opinion found in the AA Big Book.

Personally, I don't think we are truly feeling lonely. We simply don't know what to do with ourselves now that the drink is gone. None of us really had anything going on in our lives to begin with except for having to get up and go to work. The rest of our day was all about getting that next drink or next hjgh.

One of the things that is most apparent when we first get sober is that there is a fog all around us. Nothing makes sense to us. The only thing we truly feel is that life sucks and we want to somehow make it all go away. I also believe that when we say that we are lonely in early sobriety, what are head is really saying is "I just don't know what to do and and so I might as well drink." It's important not to spend a lot of time by ourselves in early sobriety.

We don't go to those meetings in order to not be lonely. We go there to figure out how to live without picking up a drink. We like to call that loneliness but we really shouldn't try to figure out why were feeling the way we do right now because nothing makes sense in early sobriety. People tell you that you should get to more meetings and you should listen to them. When I was new in sobriety, I sometimes went to three meetings in a day.

I went to meeting after meeting, day after day, week after week, month after month. One day at a time I got a month and then another month and then six months and then a year and then another year. In the first month I got a sponsor and started taking the 12 steps and little by little the obsession had been removed. I started to learn a new way of life which included a new way of thinking. I also realize that there is a whole life out there waiting to be lived. There's a saying out there that reads, "today is the first day of the rest of your life. What you do with it is up to you."

I highly recommend that you start getting yourself active and being around other people that have been right where you're at and have some serious sobriety time. You need to figure a few things out and then somewhere along the way you will have discovered the new you.

Have you ever heard them read How It Works at an AA meeting?

Alcohol truly is cunning baffling and Powerful. It is very sneaky and knows exactly how to get us to think that we need to pick up again.

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Stay strong and keep at it!

Hey! Love you! Go for 2 mile hike every day! Amazing

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Congrats on 9 days!!!! That alone is more than enough! Its really rough in the begining. Being sober for 9 days just proves you can accomplish things. I know its hard, but always try to see the achievements you have already made. You got this, and we are all here to support you. I didnt always believe it gets better with time, but it really does. Addiction sucks and it plagues our mind and lies to us about so many things. But we are here for you, and we go through and have gone through a lot of things that we can help you through. Im glad you reached out to this community! It might seem small but its a huge step! I hope you have a safe weekend. And there are resources for you that can help you if youre struggling this weekend. You got this :slight_smile: :heart:

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I’m reading “Living Sober”. Great read. Short and quick but packed with insight and very relatable. An old timer in my home group said he makes sponsees read it very early on.

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It's a feeling of longing I have from not having anyone I feel connected to. I have a strong sense of self, spirituality, and am independent which I also think contributed to my own isolation. I love time alone. But now I have too much & feel the disconnection deeply. And boredom from lack of companionship. Boredom has often lead to partying for me. Not good.

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Unfortunately don't have many contacts.

Yeah me neither. I was hoping you were better off.

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Thank you. I hike many miles all of the time. Often 6 or 8 miles to move my body & take in nature, get grounded. I even did it drunk lol. One of my favorite sober things too. I don't have a walking partner anymore so I do it alone :unamused:

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