The Daily Check-In for Saturday, August 27th: Just for today, I am NOT drinking!
We may be anonymous strangers on the internet, but we have one thing in common. We may be a world apart, but we're here together!
Welcome to the 24 hour pledge!
I'm pledging myself to not drinking today, and invite you to do the same.
Maybe you're new to /r/stopdrinking and have a hard time deciding what to do next. Maybe you're like me and feel you need a daily commitment or maybe you've been sober for a long time and want to inspire others.
It doesn't matter if you're still hung over from a three day bender or been sober for years, if you just woke up or have already completed a sober day. For the next 24 hours, lets not drink alcohol!
This pledge is a statement of intent. Today we don't set out trying not to drink, we make a conscious decision not to drink. It sounds simple, but all of us know it can be hard and sometimes impossible. The group can support and inspire us, yet only one person can decide if we drink today. Give that person the right mindset!
What happens if we can't keep to our pledge? We give up or try again. And since we're here in /r/stopdrinking, we're not ready to give up.
What this is: A simple thread where we commit to not drinking alcohol for the next 24 hours, posting to show others that they're not alone and making a pledge to ourselves. Anybody can join and participate at any time, you do not have to be a regular at /r/stopdrinking or have followed the pledges from the beginning.
What this isn't: A good place for a detailed introduction of yourself, directly seek advice or share lengthy stories. You'll get a more personal response in your own thread.
This post goes up at:
- US - Night/Early Morning
- Europe - Morning
- Asia and Australia - Evening/Night
A link to the current Daily Check-In post can always be found near the top of the sidebar.
A motivation technique I learned from quit lit early in this sober streak involves a 3x5 card. On one side, I wrote a list of 10 negatives associated with my substance use disorder. One-word descriptions that elicited a strong emotional response of aversion and not wanting to return. On the other side, 10 positive hopes/dreams/goals associated with sobriety. Something that would stir me and make me aspire to resist the temptation. If I could, I would copy the 3x5 in the morning and carry in my pocket. When I had a chance, I would take it out and read it- feeling the reminders of how much booze sucked, dreaming again of new things with kicking the habit to the curb. I copied and carried in my pocket for the first 100 days. I know some folks use their phone or other methods to remember but I like the tactile nature of a piece of paper.
I can't recall all the negatives but I think it was:
*drunk driving
*drunk in front of children in my family
*isolating from relationships
*that time I ruined a meal I was looking forward to by being drunk
*withdrawal shakes
*planning about drinking
*the 3 day hangovers
*the constant depression and self-loathing
And the positives:
*Freedom
*Relationships
*Health
*Achieve Goals
*Self-respect
*sober shits
*sober sleep
Stuff like that. If you were to name 3 to 5 negatives of alcohol, and 3 to 5 hopes/dreams/goals of sobriety, what would you write?
It has been a gift, a blessing, and a grace to walk with you these 7 days in this way. I can't wait to see who will lead us tomorrow. Just for today I will not be drinking with every single one of you! I love you!!!