Ehhh. I wanted to say I don't post a lot of personal stuff on here, but I guess I kind of do, at least a little bit. But this one's kind of a big deal, and I didn't even realize it until I glanced at my phone in the middle of some family drama - but today marks 15 months since I've had a drink. 

I'm not putting that on here to seek praise or attention or anything, but I'm putting it out here to thank all of y'all for the donations, the advice, the knowledge, the pictures of your gardens, the pictures of your pets, and the personal conversations. I'm not saying it's everything, but it's helped. So thank you to all of y'all, and thank you to the mods and the IPS for building this community for all of us. 

Ok, that's enough sappy stuff. Let me see if I can go find another conversation to derail 😂

2 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Ehhh. I wanted to say I don't post a lot of personal stuff on here, but I guess I kind of do, at least a little bit. But this one's kind of a big deal, and I didn't even realize it until I glanced at my phone in the middle of some family drama - but today marks 15 months since I've had a drink. 

I'm not putting that on here to seek praise or attention or anything, but I'm putting it out here to thank all of y'all for the donations, the advice, the knowledge, the pictures of your gardens, the pictures of your pets, and the personal conversations. I'm not saying it's everything, but it's helped. So thank you to all of y'all, and thank you to the mods and the IPS for building this community for all of us. 

Ok, that's enough sappy stuff. Let me see if I can go find another conversation to derail 😂

Good for you, John.

I quit drinking about 12 years ago and it was easily one of the best decisions I've made and continue to make. 

Sending you some positive energy.

20 minutes ago, Rivera said:

Good for you, John.

I quit drinking about 12 years ago and it was easily one of the best decisions I've made and continue to make. 

Sending you some positive energy.

I wish I had a story. I just woke up one day and didn't want to drink anymore. I can't say it's been easy but we get by. 12 years is a long time, I'm proud of you. 

Good going guys.... It's a hard road for some... Takes grit...

Butch

17 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Ehhh. I wanted to say I don't post a lot of personal stuff on here, but I guess I kind of do, at least a little bit. But this one's kind of a big deal, and I didn't even realize it until I glanced at my phone in the middle of some family drama - but today marks 15 months since I've had a drink. 

I'm not putting that on here to seek praise or attention or anything, but I'm putting it out here to thank all of y'all for the donations, the advice, the knowledge, the pictures of your gardens, the pictures of your pets, and the personal conversations. I'm not saying it's everything, but it's helped. So thank you to all of y'all, and thank you to the mods and the IPS for building this community for all of us. 

Ok, that's enough sappy stuff. Let me see if I can go find another conversation to derail 😂

@JohnAndSancho great job...im making the effort here myself...you do not have to send me any donations here in Central Cali...city of Bakersfield.🤪🥴

15 months sober is worth applause,  ...but is just the start of a long journey ahead.. 

 ...Is worth sending the sunshine that lights the path of moving  upward  -and- forward.. however.

As someone once explained it to me many years ago,  Quite vividly,   " After 2 years of escaping it,  you're still standing just outside the " gate " " ( The Gate = Their view of escaping the " habit " )    " ...Very easy to return to that false sense of comfort standing behind it, once again, might provide "

" While distant, even after 20 years of freedom since your escape,  the gate is still in view.   If you've made it that far..  Don't let the worst of storms seen and those that will lurk somewhere, out on the horizon tempt you to return to the corral,  as you continue to inch closer toward...  ..or now graze within...  more rewarding pastures "

An intriguing view, but very sound advise..



While dropping the ( dumb ) booze crutch was pretty easy 15 years ago, for myself at least,   the good thing about anyone deciding that the time has come to toss the can or bottle in the trash, for good,  these days,  is that you are far from alone on this hike.. 


That said, how motivated one is to keep hiking, is squarely on one's self.. 

Many can cheer on the participant in a marathon,  but only the motivation within the legs on the track can complete it. 



I always  articles i see discussing the steady, overall decline of alcohol consumption / Rise in popularity/demand of booze- free places to gather and socialize  / Alcohol - free alternatives. these days simply because,  ..the world is far more vivid and alive when the view of it is clearer, even in the rain. ⚡

 

One day I just decided I didn't want to drink anymore. I didn't have any hard fought battles or anything other than family issues, but I'm not gonna get into that. I just did the old man thing and went to work and came home and got plastered and fell asleep watching baseball every night. Never had any physical issues, but it was habitual. Looking back on it now, I had a beer fridge in my bedroom before I got my own apartment. Before I got into management and was working the 3p-11p shift, if the overnight person was running late I would have someone pick up a 12 pack for me. There was a daquiri stand a block away from my apartment, and I went there so often in the summer, the girl working there knew my car - they also had a special on the flavor of the day, but she knew my favorite flavor and she'd always add extra shots to it because I always tipped her. There was probably a dozen times when I was absolutely wrecked and I ran out of booze, so I'd walk across the street to the glorious Habib's Food Mart #2 and buy a couple Four Lokos. Speaking of those, I knew one of the 7-11's mispriced the "gold" flavor at $1.50, and 2 of those would get me right when though it's probably the most foul tasting thing I've ever had. I looked up the sugar content on those, and my god man - so I found a box wine that was low sugar and 13.5% alcohol and was $15. That'd last me 3 days. Tasted awful too, but it did the trick and Instacart would bring it if I didn't want to leave the house. I didn't trust myself with liquor. Before all of that, it was at least a 12 pack a night. I weighed 283 at one point. I still have size 48 pants. 

 

It was more of a habit than an addiction for me, but it was like every night for 14 years. 

Congratulations on your personal self development. My wife is sober non drinking reformed alcoholic 8 years sober, she knew the path of destruction laying in front of her if she hadn’t given up drinking alcohol. Iam glad she has given up the booze. Her life is much better without it. Australia has drinking culture and the government backs a hundred percent for tax dollars, I myself don’t drink alcohol and rarely step foot into a beer drinking establishment, maybe for a counter lunch or a dinner that’s it. My wife wrote a letter to the alcohol and gaming board about how they put children’s playgrounds at such establishments encouraging a drinking culture at a young age, mum and dad can go to the establishment drop the kids of in the playground and drink away giving there money to drinking venue when the children are deprived of a lot of things  that has a  household lacking in funds. There response was it’s not our department, I say shame on the government for letting such a thing happen. But good on you John, see  palms saved you that and your common sense to see what you’re life possibly could have been!

3 hours ago, happypalms said:

Congratulations on your personal self development. My wife is sober non drinking reformed alcoholic 8 years sober, she knew the path of destruction laying in front of her if she hadn’t given up drinking alcohol. Iam glad she has given up the booze. Her life is much better without it. Australia has drinking culture and the government backs a hundred percent for tax dollars, I myself don’t drink alcohol and rarely step foot into a beer drinking establishment, maybe for a counter lunch or a dinner that’s it. My wife wrote a letter to the alcohol and gaming board about how they put children’s playgrounds at such establishments encouraging a drinking culture at a young age, mum and dad can go to the establishment drop the kids of in the playground and drink away giving there money to drinking venue when the children are deprived of a lot of things  that has a  household lacking in funds. There response was it’s not our department, I say shame on the government for letting such a thing happen. But good on you John, see  palms saved you that and your common sense to see what you’re life possibly could have been!

We had a group of Australians staying at one of the hotels I worked at about 7 or 8 years ago, and yes. Y'all can drink. We weren't supposed to fraternize with guests for a variety of reasons, but they insisted I hang out for a while. They gave me lots of cool touristy stuff too, and probably the best heavy duty beer koozie I own. I was good though and only had 2 glasses of wine because I had to drive home and get to Sancho. Great people. I don't remember what they were doing in Conroe, Texas of all places but they were fun.