Many of us will be familiar with the promise that ‘we will never do it again’ after yet another heavy drinking or using session. We may even decide to go ‘on the wagon’ for a while – or give up drinking for a new year’s resolution etc etc. Sometimes we could stick with it for the allotted time, often we couldn’t. If we did we would then go on an almighty bender once we had done our dry or clean time (I have a friend – not an alcoholic – who had to make the promise to herself that she would never give up drink for January again because her bender on 1st February was worse than all the mini drunks in January that she would have experienced).
Total Abstinence
For those of us who are alcoholic, though, the ‘never again’ or the enforced period of abstinence is not the solution. We need to do something more permanent. This is scary! We cannot foresee a life permanently without alcohol, nor can we imagine how we could achieve it. So this is where the one day – or 24 hours – at a time plan comes in.
Changing our drink to something less strong (spirits to wine, wine to beer or lager) will not work either. It has to be total abstinence.
A Day at a Time
So how do we achieve this? We do it ‘a day at a time’. Even those of us who have not had a drink for years cannot guarantee you that we will never ever drink again. That might be our intention but those of us who are realistic know we could be as near to our next drink as you are. The only difference between us is that we know that a day at a time really works and is a fulfilling way of life. I am not craving a drink physically or psychologically as I have a strong recovery. from addiction.
I got here by being sober a day at a time. Whatever has happened to me in the 4 years plus I have been sober, I have always known that a drink was not going to make anything better and that it would only make things a thousand times worse. I also know that whatever happens to me in the next 24 hours, I will still feel the same – a drink will not help anything. So I do know that I can stay sober for another day.
The First Day is The Hardest
If this sounds like something you need to do, the first day of recovery from alcohol addiction is usually the hardest. You might find it easier to chop the day down into small parts. So decide to stay sober for the morning – or if that seems too difficult, how about just taking an hour at a time. I know from bitter experience this can be really difficult when you have the shakes and the sweats and feel sick – and only a drink will relieve it (also please be aware that suddenly stopping drinking can be dangerous as your body may go into alcoholic shock and you may have a fit – if you have been drinking heavily for several months and daily, see you doctor about a medically controlled detox).
You must have been able to keep sober for just one day before? If so, and subject to the caution about alcoholic shock above, then go for it. Stay sober for today. Wake up tomorrow and do it again – then again and again – and your life will start to improve.
The Haynes Clinic is an alcohol, gambling and drug rehab clinic which offers detox and counselling for people with addictions. It follows the Twelve Step Programme of recovery.
Call 01462 851414 for free and confidential advice.