from my inbox:
Jec is Corked (day 100): “I am super proud of me! Feel better than I have in years, am surrounded by my wonderfully supportive family, and am grateful to have stumbled onto your blog which was (and still is) the impetus for my new sober life!
I have my little struggles and flat moments where I feel my snake (your wolf) but those are fewer and farther between! I am totally geared up for my next 100 days … Lots of little fixes to be made [in my life] but I know those will happen just as I know that I will celebrating 200 days sober to kick off summer! I am buying myself a lovely snake bracelet I found at a local shop….just keeping my enemy close so to speak!”
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Krist (day 102): “How wonderful to see my name in bold red font! 100 days is a great achievement and I wanted to write a bit about how I got here because it has taken about 75 day 1’s and I remember seeing people reach 100 days and thinking ‘Man, I am never going to get there.’ But I did …
I started my sober journey about four years ago and reached my then highest number of days sober which was 83. I knew I wasn’t an AA kinda gal and I found a great site called SMART Recovery Online. Great toolbox, great online forum, wonderful resource to refer back to. But I still felt wrong, felt I was missing out, that I was abnormal, I counted minutes of days sometimes. Looking back I was really trying to control my drinking, not end my relationship with alcohol.
I rode the moderation roller coaster for a couple of years before reading Jason Vale’s book. The concept of his book – that I wasn’t a sad loser who would always be wanting a drink was a life changer. Changing my thinking to consider it wasn’t only me but society’s attitude to the drug alcohol which was the problem lightened the burden on my shoulders considerably. I wanted to know what other people thought of his book so I typed it into my search engine and up came Tired of Thinking about Drinking. I couldn’t have put it better myself, lol. That search led me to a whole segment of sober society that I had never encountered … Sober blogs! That was almost a year ago. I have started the 100 day challenge about 10 times yet I am here today at 100 days and I wanted to share a bit of what has made things different this time.
:: I approached giving up differently. I called a helpline and I went to see an addiction counsellor. Nothing says I have a problem like seeing a professional! She didn’t tell me a single thing I hadn’t heard before but I went in knowing that I had a problem, not waiting for her to tell me that I didn’t.
:: Focus only on sobriety – not dieting, not exercising, not finding myself with self help books. In terms of self betterment I focused only on not drinking – the rest could come later. Though I did make sure not to swap the wine for too much sugar.
:: My other tool for keeping on track has been complete immersion in sober blogs. Yours, Amy’s Soberbia, Mrs D, Soberistas, Message in a Bottle and dozens more have all helped ENORMOUSLY. Sometimes I need a day off, a bit of distance but overall I find a daily dose of sober gals and guys helps to keep me on track, firms my resolve for the great reasons to be sober and in some cases shows the slippery path that moderating can lead to. I am so grateful that everyone out there is so real, so honest and so generous with sharing their experience.
So that’s me at 100 days (102 now!). I want it to be forever and I think I can make it so.
Big hugs of support to everyone at whatever stage you’re at – keep going, it’s so worth it!” [she’s now on day 107]
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Oh wow! Look at me all anonymously famous, lol!
Thanks Hana and Bizi – 100 days was a real achievement for me and I am quite proud. A spa treatment at a wellness centre was my gift to myself – massaged and pampered for a morning, BLISS! The spa cost $140 but after working out my daily average spend of $15 on wine (hey, only drunks drink casks right?) I saved $1500 on booze so a small price to pay for a lovely treat.
A big thanks to Belle – I know that getting sober has been down to me but this blog is one of the many weapons in my anti-booze arsenal and in truth it’s probably one of the most important, especially in those difficult early days (and the many Day 1’s).
Big hugs all xxx
Kirst
congratulations crist! way to go!
bizi
Congrats all you sober rock stars!!! Krist, so good for you for staying the course and getting to 100 and beyond! It’s pretty awesome to see your tools laid out; what great resources you found. I can definitely relate to your story – a lot of trial and error, analysis of personal and cultural ideas of normal vs. abnormal drinking, owning that moderation is not working, getting back up time and time again, and then, finally breaking personal records and achieving the first of many big sobriety goals. You couldn’t have said it better, it is so worth it! – Hana (your buddy in Team180)
Yeah! 50 days. It crept up on me quietly. I’d completely forgotten about it. Nevermind. I know now, so off treat hunting tomorrow. Well done everybody.