I have been sober for six months since my angry outburst. I was charged with simple assault against people who love me and were trying to intervene in my alcoholism. Now I have to finish alcohol awareness classes as ordered by the sentencing judge to complete this program. If I manage to stay out of trouble for another 18 months after the classes, I will have completed the two years of probation and my record will be expunged.
I made the mistake of falling into the alcohol trap that so many of my relatives before me have fallen into. It is in our genes to be drawn to alcoholism. Every male and many female members in my family tell me that they have to actively choose every day not to drink. The temptation is powerful. It is not an easy road but I do not want to die like my father, uncles, two aunts and grandfather did. All of them died as a result of alcohol induced diseases or accidents.
To my surprise, the alcohol awareness classes are teaching me much more than I expected. I am taking a class online which allows me to go at my own pace. Because it is online, no one is judging me and I don't feel ashamed. It feels good to learn about alcoholism and what I can do to change my life. I especially like the mindfulness work because it has helped me face myself without criticism but greater awareness. Now I am more conscious
of my decisions and my behavior.
Showing posts with label staying sober. Show all posts
Showing posts with label staying sober. Show all posts
Monday, February 11, 2013
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
A Hobby can Help You Stop Drinking
If you're somebody who has a drinking problem, the worst times are probably when you are bored or feeling anxious. Often when you are just sitting and thinking is when you're tempted to grab an alcoholic beverage.
But a healthy distraction such as a hobby can thwart the temptation to drink better than almost anything. When you have a great project in front of you, like wood working or weaving, you'll feel excited to work on that and stay busy rather than crack open a beer in front of the television.
Another benefit is that handiwork takes skill and concentration. You will quickly realize that as you get further into your project, you want to be careful with your work and avoid mistakes. So staying sober means that you'll have better, more precise results of your craft making.
To learn other ways of staying sober, take a 24 hour alcohol awareness class or online alcohol class.
But a healthy distraction such as a hobby can thwart the temptation to drink better than almost anything. When you have a great project in front of you, like wood working or weaving, you'll feel excited to work on that and stay busy rather than crack open a beer in front of the television.
Another benefit is that handiwork takes skill and concentration. You will quickly realize that as you get further into your project, you want to be careful with your work and avoid mistakes. So staying sober means that you'll have better, more precise results of your craft making.
To learn other ways of staying sober, take a 24 hour alcohol awareness class or online alcohol class.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Take an Alcohol Awareness Class on a Cruise
Most people who go on vacation are just in it to relax and unwind from their busy lives. Maybe they want to sit by the pool and read a book, or to socialize with other vacationers, or maybe they want to do some sightseeing. But there's another thing that you can do when taking a vacation such as a cruise. You can take an alcohol awareness class!
Now it might seem sort of silly to use that time off to learn but it's actually a great option during your downtime. Since an online alcohol awareness class can be taken anywhere with an internet connection (including on a cruise ship), you can spend 30 minutes here or an hour there becoming more educated.
What's more, instead of coming back from your cruise with a sunburn, 15 extra pounds and some cheap memento, you can come back with something far more important. You return home with more knowledge about your drinking problems and what you can do to get better.
Now it might seem sort of silly to use that time off to learn but it's actually a great option during your downtime. Since an online alcohol awareness class can be taken anywhere with an internet connection (including on a cruise ship), you can spend 30 minutes here or an hour there becoming more educated.
What's more, instead of coming back from your cruise with a sunburn, 15 extra pounds and some cheap memento, you can come back with something far more important. You return home with more knowledge about your drinking problems and what you can do to get better.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
How to Avoid People Who Drink
The absolute key to staying sober, especially in the early days of sobriety, is to stay away from alcohol. This means not only do you have an alcohol free home but also that you stay away from people who are drinking.
If getting together with friends for a drink after work is a regular part of your life, you will need to find a new activity to replace it with. Starting a new hobby or challenge is a good idea. This could be anything from cooking for your family every night, going to the gym, or taking a photography class. You need something to focus on besides your friends and drinking at the bar.
Another thing to do is to communicate. Make sure your friends and family members are aware that you are avoiding alcohol. Loved ones are very accommodating in helping someone they care about stay sober.
A third thing you can do to avoid people who are drinking is to find activities you can enjoy doing alone such as gardening or jigsaw puzzles.
If you or someone you care about has a drinking problem I urge you to seek help. If you prefer to maintain total anonymity there are alcohol awareness classes too.
If getting together with friends for a drink after work is a regular part of your life, you will need to find a new activity to replace it with. Starting a new hobby or challenge is a good idea. This could be anything from cooking for your family every night, going to the gym, or taking a photography class. You need something to focus on besides your friends and drinking at the bar.
Another thing to do is to communicate. Make sure your friends and family members are aware that you are avoiding alcohol. Loved ones are very accommodating in helping someone they care about stay sober.
A third thing you can do to avoid people who are drinking is to find activities you can enjoy doing alone such as gardening or jigsaw puzzles.
If you or someone you care about has a drinking problem I urge you to seek help. If you prefer to maintain total anonymity there are alcohol awareness classes too.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Four Things to Keep You Sober
As a counselor for both in-class and online alcohol awareness classes, I have discovered four keys to help my students stay sober. There is no greater goal for an alcohol class than to prevent relapse and recidivism.
By far the most important factor in staying sober is not to have alcohol in the house. There is no way a person with a drinking problem will be able to continually resist the urge to drink if booze is a constant, physical presence in the home. While it may be possible to stop for a while, eventually the mind will relent and you will drink again. Again, the rule is no alcohol beverages in your living quarters.
A second key factor in staying sober is not to associate with people who drink. This includes a spouse or significant other. If you want to stay sober, do not hang around with those who are drinking. At least early on in your sobriety you can't go hang out in bars and try to stay sober. This is just like having booze in the house. Don't tempt yourself. Don't go to parties where alcohol is being served. Don't put yourself in a vulnerable position to relapse.
The third key is to find activities that you can do instead of drinking. This means that instead of watching sports or bowling with friends, where drinking is common, pick something where the participants usually don't drink. Take an evening spin or yoga class, join a rock climbing club or take your pooch to the dog park. These are good examples where drinking isn't an integral part of the activity.
A fourth key is to be open about your drinking problem. Even if you don't want to broadcast your problem to everyone, find at least one person you can share with. You need to be held accountable for your actions. You need someone to share your experience with.
Those four rules plus a good alcohol awareness class form the basic platform necessary to get sober and live an alcohol-free life.
By far the most important factor in staying sober is not to have alcohol in the house. There is no way a person with a drinking problem will be able to continually resist the urge to drink if booze is a constant, physical presence in the home. While it may be possible to stop for a while, eventually the mind will relent and you will drink again. Again, the rule is no alcohol beverages in your living quarters.
A second key factor in staying sober is not to associate with people who drink. This includes a spouse or significant other. If you want to stay sober, do not hang around with those who are drinking. At least early on in your sobriety you can't go hang out in bars and try to stay sober. This is just like having booze in the house. Don't tempt yourself. Don't go to parties where alcohol is being served. Don't put yourself in a vulnerable position to relapse.
The third key is to find activities that you can do instead of drinking. This means that instead of watching sports or bowling with friends, where drinking is common, pick something where the participants usually don't drink. Take an evening spin or yoga class, join a rock climbing club or take your pooch to the dog park. These are good examples where drinking isn't an integral part of the activity.
A fourth key is to be open about your drinking problem. Even if you don't want to broadcast your problem to everyone, find at least one person you can share with. You need to be held accountable for your actions. You need someone to share your experience with.
Those four rules plus a good alcohol awareness class form the basic platform necessary to get sober and live an alcohol-free life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)