Today we have a new member of the brass chip club. Happy one year birthday to Pink.

Thank you for your patience and encouragement this past year.

Pink,

Congrats to your one year anniversary. Mine was Saturday. Feels great !

Today is day 2000 for me.

Something about that (relatively) big even number makes me quite reflective. I'll save everyone from reading a ton of details in a story that when it comes right down to it isn't all that unique. What is important to me to share is the fact that I am grateful to be alive and healthy. I am quite confident the healthy would not be true today, and it's likely the alive wouldn't be true, if I were still drinking.

What is also important to me is all the people I have met and things I have experienced in recovery. The strongest bond that I feel with people are those who have walked through the fire of alcoholism. The community that is formed through that common experience was and is life-changing for me. The best experiences that I have are ones that are clear and true and not blunted by booze.

I am really grateful for all the people who have walked this journey with me and am grateful and excited about the opportunity to continue to pay that back in some way.

And that's my story for today, thank y'all for letting me share it :-)

Lucky 7! 7 year sober birthday for me today. I have made some wonderful decisions in my life but the decision to step away from alcohol and ask for help has been by far the best decision I have ever made!

Howdy Army. I just want to remind you there's not enough booze in the whole world to solve the problem of Texas Aggie football.

Year 5 alcohol free earlier this year came and went on October 1st and I forgot. For those lurking and struggling right now, my reflection is this: sobriety can start as a difficult challenge and fizzle into something that you rarely think about nor crave, even when life's difficulties inevitably show up. I haven't once regretted my decision to stop drinking, my life is much richer without it.

Happy thanksgiving, ags! There is a lot to be grateful for today. Today is 15 months for me, so I will be extra reflective, for sure. I'm grateful for AA, this thread, and so many people's support along the way.
Stay safe today!

Long time lurker of this thread and TA OB'er so I'll weigh in finally:

Been a heavy drinker since college, it worsened over time and ironically as I moved up in my career quickly with making more $$, more responsibility, higher more stressful opportunities, etc. my alcoholism grew and grew until my body decided it was enough but my mind still wasn't there yet. I drank daily, nightly, at work, etc., weekends were a blur, an average Monday night after getting home after work at 5PM was potentially a fifth of whiskey, six pack of tall boys, and who knows what else spending $1500 or more a month on alcohol alone.

The past year:
Tried pounding wine instead of pounding hard liquor...no dice
Beer instead of wine...no dice
Pot instead of all the above...no dice
NA beer instead lf all the above...no dice
Quit cold turkey in the summer, after 5 days, had a seizure at work an ended up in ER....quit drinking? Naw...no dice
Diagnosed with chronic embolism in lower right extremity in August, surgery, clot filter put in place...quit drinking by myself? ...no dice

Enough was enough, I put work on notice, got my ducks in a row and checked myself into rehab early October.

I clearly I could not beat this demon on my own as it was no longer a "preference" issue, as my body was craving alcohol daily and I needed a supervised/regimented detox program by professionals who do it every day. along with therapy to not only deal with my triggers to drink, but also deal with stuff in my past I hadn't truly dealt with in a healthy manner.

Checked in Oct. 10, 2022 at a facility here in DFW. It took two days to dry me out (I blew at .348 when I arrived with my body so pickled and used to alcohol that I was friendly, open minded, coherent, reading/filling out paperwork and discussing politics with the nursing staff as if I was sober).

The following month was intense classes throughout the day, one on one therapy, family therapy, exercise, nature walks, etc. Absolutely no phone, internet, or any contact with outside world other than a 5 min phone call every few days to my wife, and at the end of it, being unplugged WAS F***ING glorious.

I completed the portion of my program geared towards Alkys and was comfortable enough to leave and resume my life, but in a different mental state. I checked out two weeks ago today. Been doing AA daily (90 in 90 is my personal step 1), I'm on medications that make cravings non existent, my blood pressure is normal, pulse normal, skin looks normal and my eyes are back to bright blue.

I feel amazing, but for me and others although I am in the honeymoon stage fresh out of rehab, the work truly begins now with staying sober. Holidays are here, alcohol is on every corner, but thankfully after redefining my higher power in rehab, none of it is tempting. AA helps tremendously, family is supportive, and contrary to popular belief, I do not miss drinking and the people around me drinking doesn't bother me.

This is my disease for me to own and treat with the help of others. If anyone chooses to tell anyone alcoholism isn't a disease, I would gladly welcome a conversation with that person. Alcohol can knock anyone on their ass from any background if you allow it too, I did, and it is a wonder I "kept it under wraps" for so long, or so I thought. I can add more later but this story is mine; an Eagle Scout, Aggie Graduate Class of '08, Corporate Executive at age 37, that now has a greater outlook on life, better health, better attitude and is a better person.

If anyone in the DFW area has a good AA group they frequent, I live in Las Colinas but work from West Fort Worth to Rockwall and as far North as Denton and South as Midlothian so I have been hitting meetings all over but it's always nice to see an Ag, especially one battling the same demon. Post up on here and shoot me an email at aggieben08 "at" yahoo if you would like to join up for a meeting. During the week I try to hit a 6PM or 10PM and sometimes a 12PM depending on the area and have no issue driving to meet someone.

Today is my day 46, seems minute but this is the longest I have been sober since 2003 and loving every day of it.