The Joy Of Being Sober

[garro]

I just thought it would be nice to list some of the benefits of the sober life for those with drinking problems who are thinking of quiting. I think we should aim to hit at least 100 benefits.

I will get the ball rolling.

Here goes.

1 I never know what the day is going to bring. When I drank I always knew what the day had in store (finding alcohol and consuming it). Amazing things happen all the time when I'm sober

2. I don't wake up trying to remember if I upset somebody or did something stupid. As they say, I may not have done something stupid every time I drank but everytime I did something really stupid I was drunk.

3. I can look myself in the mirror; not only do I look physically better but I also have nothing to hide from myself.

4. I can look other people in the eye. When I drank I felt less than everyone else.

5. I feel worthy of being happy and often am. When I drank some days were better than others but even on good days I felt that somehow I didn't desrve them.

6. I don't regret the past. The past got me to where I am today, which is where I want to be.

7. No more hangovers. Yipee....I get a whole day to play with.

8. I am a better husband, brother, son and friend and when my baby comes I am sure I will make a better dad sober.

9. I feel excited about life. Life is never dull because my mind is no longer dulled by alcohol.

10. I have my feelings back. I no longer go through life in a daze but get to feel the good and the bad.

[Neeranam]

I can travel ANYWHERE without worrying if they have booze or not.

I can go to any party for the same reason.

I can always drive my car.

I used to not drive my car as I was scared of the police catching me - NOT because of the fine, but I knew that you can't get a drink in the cells.

[garro]

15 I don't need to waste time trying to control my drinking and I don't need to feel fed up with myself when I fail

[Lucifer]

16 More money left at the end of the day to spend on women.

[wileycoyote]

I just thought it would be nice to list some of the benefits of the sober life for those with drinking problems who are thinking of quiting. I think we should aim to hit at least 100 benefits.

I will get the ball rolling.

Here goes.

17.No risk of losing driving licence on drunk-driving ,no guilt.

[eek]

18: no longer taking unbelievably stupid uncalculated risks because I had no idea how to calculate risk whilst drunk.

[garro]

19 no longer needing to defensive about my drinking

[BboyRusty]

20. No longer thinking last night must've been a good night as I dont remember anything!

21.No longer pissing myslef in bed or at the bar

22. No longer having smelly alcohol breath

23. No longer thinking the world revolves around me (now i know it does) literally of course

24.Dont think of using any drugs because of being innebriated

25. Not having a clear mind and concsience

26. Not having a beer gut (although im getting a chocolate 1)

[garro]

27 No longer needing to see the look of dissapointment from those close to me when they see me drinking again

28 No longer needing to worry if other people can smell the alcohol off me

[wileycoyote]

29.No longer dodging awkward insurance questions.

Wiley Coyote

[chuckacinco]

30. That breakfast tastes so good.

31. Not having to listen to Thai people say "Khon Kee Mao" when referring to me.

32. Not taking unscheduled naps in wierd areas of Bangkok.

[jumnien]

33. Owning and flying a small airplane from the rice fields and over the beaches and mountains and spending far less money doing so than the old "merlot and crack" habit used to cost me.

34. The non-sober marriage lasted 5 weeks; the sober one is in its 5th year and going strong.

35. Waking up at six and knowing whether it's 6am or 6pm!

[Neeranam]

36. Waking up feeling that I'm covered in ants, and finding that I am!

[garro]

37 No longer needing to force a beer down my throat even though I feel like vomiting. The only 'hair of the dog' I have in my mouth now in the mornings is from my Shih Tzu

[eek]

38: not waking up with mysterious bruises aches and pains. If i fall or bump myself now I most often know what causes it.

39: No longer waking up slumped over my pc and having to correct slap dash work that i thought was pure genius at the time.

40: No longer waking up on the floor because I couldnt bothered crawling the extra distance to my bed. The floor always felt like feather down at the time, but the morning aches certainly proved otherwise

41: Having been out with others whilst tee-total and watch them get senselessly drunk shows me just how I probably acted, and imo it makes me uncomfortable to think of myself acting like that. (but for the record i dont think less of people or act like a born again christian around who do drink)

42: Knowing i can have a good time and still be fun to be around even if not drinking.

43: Although its still hard, still a learning curve, and i still have some issues to tackle, it feels good to know that i am handling situations without the physical crutch of alcohol. Drinking only numbed the issue, never solved it.

[ThaiPauly]

44. People are Happy when they see me walking towards them....not happy when they see me walking away

Thanks for starting this thread Garro,,,its helping me no end, tonight I could easily have slipped had I not read this....now I KNOW I won't

TP

[jumnien]

45. With sobriety comes the ability to embrace life rather than running and escaping from it.

46. With sobriety comes the knowledge and faith that difficult times pass.

47. With sobriety, I am no longer my own worst enemy.

48. With sobriety, I've learned to laugh at myself and others and spend far less time in judgement and resentment.

[Neeranam]

49. I wake up on a bed with no one-eyed monsters that looked so beautiful the previous night.

[garro]

50 being sober makes you more attractive. Have you ever seen an attractive drunk?

51 I no longer need to worry about if today is the day my liver final gives up.

52 I no longer phone people up drunk and say things I regret later.

53 People no longer accuse me of things and I am unable to defend myself because I can't remember.

[ThaiPauly]

54. Nott waking up in the morning and cringing at what I posted on Thai Visa the night before

[jumnien]

54. No longer tortured by panic attacks requiring tranquilizers.

55. No longer tortured by back and neck pain requiring pain killers.

56. No longer live in shame and confusion.

[wileycoyote]

57.Remembering where you are

Wiley Coyote

[eek]

58: talking without slurring words and being understood.

[garro]

57. not having to try and hide the shakes

[ThaiPauly]

58 Going out of my way to avoid trouble , not looking for a way to start it

[garro]

59. When I am drunk I attract negative things into my life but when I'm sober I attract positive things

[garro]

60 I no longer look at my family as an obstacle to my drinking

[BboyRusty]

61. no longer booking one way flights and running out of money!

62. no longer going to places eg pattaya and staying in a place and not being able to get out due to wasting the night away drinking till the early morning and not be phisically capable of checking out.

63. no longer making a fool of myself in many situations phisically or verbally

64. On a positive note +s are Being happy with who I am, Not feeling the need to fit in. being reliable responsible, and productive.

[garro]

65 being able to appreciate the beauty in nature. I go for a walk most afternoons with my dog and get blown away by the beauty around me. When I was a drunk I was numb to my surrondings

[garro]

66 I can see that I.m actually not a bad person

67 Even when I have a rare bad day I know it will pass. When I was a drunk the bad days could seem endless

68 I am no longer lying in the gutter, looking down on everyone else