Yikes – relapse. It happens.

[Gary Phillips]

It is extremely hard to come back after a relapse especially when you have had a long time sober, like over five years. It is very very hard. But you have to trust the steps and you have to trust that it can happen again. You can have another spiritual experience and your life can be better than ever. But it is extremely difficult because this disease is progressing.

[Heidi Quist]

I can relate, I have over 6 years now and I get that during my sobriety I change and I have to learn to stay connected to the program or I will fall off because I’m not staying connected! Thanks for the post! – H

[sandy browne]

I assume many here in this group have had to deal with that urge to drink. I have not attended a meeting yet, but do intend to begin as soon as I get back home. With family dealing with a close aunt’s passing. But the urge is there and it’s been 12 days not since I’ve drank. But today the urge is almost unbearable. Tips? Does anyone still have issues like this? Advice ?

[Tom G]

Marie,
The obsession and compulsion, or urge, to drink left me when I was in a treatment center and began to learn and live the 12 steps of AA. It’s been two years since I’ve had that urge. I know what it’s like, but it took recovery for the obsession to go away.
Until you can get yourself in a recovery program (that would be your own program through AA), I would suggest breaking your “not drinking” time periods into minutes and hours. Say to yourself, “I’m not going to drink anything for the next ten minutes”. When that time is up, congratulate yourself and move on to the next block of time. Say 30 minutes. Keep that going. If the urge comes back, start over again with, ” I’m not going to drink for the next 5 minutes”.
The compulsion, or urge, to drink is strong. As an alcoholic, I don’t have the will power to not drink, by myself. I have to rely on my higher power (for me, that is the God of my understanding) to remove the urge to drink. I pray that you find the peace and serenity that come with sobriety and recovery.
Keep posting here. Know that you are not alone. Millions of us have had the same struggle with urges. Millions of us have found the answer to relieving those urges. May you find that relief soon.
Keep coming back, because this stuff works!
Congratulations for not drinking during the time it took to read this! That’s what is meant by breaking it down into small blocks.
Tom G.

[Author]

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