IABU - I’ve just had a glass of wine

[Hiphopopotamus]

And I’m a recovering alcoholic. 5 months sober. All gone now like I’d never bothered. So here I am, back to square one

Well done OP. Not only have you been sober for 6 months but you have also recognised that you are having a wobble and the danger of that. Fill the days when your DH is away, go out, visit supportive freinds and family, keep busy. Talk to your sponsor, or find an AA (or similar) group if you don't have a sponsor - moments like this are exactly the time when you need it. And good luck, be kind to yourself xx

6 months is amazing. One day at a time, even om3 hour at a time. You've got this

Keep going. I was holding my breath reading the first pages, Thanks for the update, I am glad you got it together again it is not easy, you are doing great, keep busy, keep in mind it is never one drink. stay strong. I am sending virtual hugs and support across the net.

I love that diagram!

Another tactic I use. I drank red wine. Give the alcoholism an identity. Mine is called Winnie the wine witch. I talk to her in my head when I feel tempted and tell her to go away (although I word it much strongly than that!). Stick her on the 'naughty step' and leave her there stamping her feet and screaming and walk away. See every day you remain sober as a day you have beaten her and a day that she has lost again. It really works for me as I am determined she will not get the better of me.

You can do this. Take it an hour at a time. Now is a good time to take up something to keep your hands busy. For me, it was knitting. I’m still shit at knitting but it kept me occupied!

You’re doing really well! Much better than last time. This time you’ve written about your struggles instead of acting on them. Owning your situation and dealing with the difficulties makes you one step closer to being off the booze / wine for good.

Ah thanks everyone! I’m off to a meeting today (I do AA) and I’m feeling good. I’m not going to give into it and I’m putting all the stuff I’ve learned in place. I’m ridiculously proud of my six months sobriety and I don’t want to throw that away. It’s just insane the power of addiction that it can make you so badly want to do something that you know full well is destructive, not just for you but for everyone around you.

Well done. I’m 13 months sober. 13 months....I used to drink up to 3 bottles of wine a time (not every night). You are stronger than you yourself credit for.

Six months is an excellent achievement! Well done! Just think how amazing seven and eight (and so on) are going to feel!

What really comes across to me is that you don't actually want a drink. It looks as if you came on here to find reasons NOT to drink, and I think that's a really positive sign.

Don't do it. The feeling of waking up in the morning all fresh and sober and lovely is just brilliant, as you'll know by now. Stick with it, and find something else to do / enjoy / treat yourself with instead.

Just think how awful it will be to have to do that first 6 months all over again. That's what I used to say to myself when I was giving up smoking. Don't waste it.

Relapse is part of recovery so don't beat yourself up about the past. You're doing brilliantly and that little voice is just that, a little voice. A voice you can ignore. A voice you do not have to listen to. Keep yourself busy, distracted.
When DH is away pamper yourself head to toe, read a book, pop in headphones and go for a walk, eat junk and watch junk. Be kind to yourself because every sober day you are winning.

Oh I definitely don’t want a drink! The stupid voice in my head keeps telling me to but I feel fairly confident (as much as I ever can be) that I won’t be drinking. I’m being kind to myself, cooking lovely food from scratch and trying to enjoy the time to myself. And any wobble I have is quickly solved by being able to remember how I felt when I started this thread after my relapse back in June and everything that followed.

One day at a time OP. You’ve done amazingly well, bloody 6 whole months! Yesterday was a tiny blip. Good for you for getting up and out to a meeting today.
You can do this OP

6 months is amazing, OP. If you need another mini goal and 7mths is either too far away or just doesn't sound impressive enough, work out when 200 days is. It can't be far off. 200 days of you beating that addiction however bad your day has been, whatever circumstances you have been in, however tempted you have been. Well done!
You have also given me a kick up the backside. My downfall is sugar and I need to avoid them as much as possible for health reasons. My DH is away and I was planning on nipping to the supermarket later and buying all sorts of things I shouldn't eat safe in the knowledge that nobody would know. But that's not the point. The point is what it does to my body & I need to stay in top of it for me.

Understandable to feel disheartened but try to think of it as a lapse, rather than a relapse. 5 months is amazing and now you know you can do it. Chin up and good luck x

Lovely update OP, I read this with a sense of dread, noting it was last summer, so I'm thrilled to read you've now been 6 months sober, fantastic achievement.

Keep yourself busy this week and think how proud your DH will be of you when he returns.

Go onto Club Soda on Facebook they really help me x

There's a meeting every hour of every day somewhere, and phonelines.
Tell your sponsor you're a bit wobbly, being alone is often a trigger.
You're doing great, don't look back. What you learned last time is one is never enough, so one is always too many. Wish you well op.

Relapse is not a part of recovery, it is part of active addiction. Recovery is using all your coping mechanisms to stay sober, especially when the cravings are so strong. Regular AA meetings, not just attending but getting a sponsor and doing the 12 steps. An alcoholic that has truly accepted their illness knows that they can never, ever, drink again. Not even one.

OP, every relapse is an opportunity to access your coping skills and adapt them. Six months sober is wonderful, a huge achievement. However, stopping drinking is one thing, the next is developing a sober life for yourself. New hobbies, self improvement, exercise and so on. My DH managed ten months sober. Yes he was sober, but he was just existing, not living. He didnt want to leave the house incase he was tempted to drink. He didnt want to get a job incase he was tempted to drink. He did everything he could and should do to keep his sobriety, apart from actually living. Without any kind of real life, it was inevitable that one day the addiction would win.

DH entered rehab this morning for the next two weeks. He always hated the thought of rehab, because his brain knows fine well that he wont be able to drink. But he also knows that there is this hurdle of what comes after getting sober that he has to past.

You are doing amazing OP. Everyone has the odd blip, but the point is you are back on the sobriety road. It cant have been an easy road either (I have a good friend just out of rehab). I wish you all the luck in the world in your journey

Well done op! Keep going one day at a time x

Go, hip hop! Well done

I just read that and thought you meant this morning!!!
But if you had just the one glass last night and don't let it derail you then you have shown the perfect example of being in control of it. Well done!

I have one dead alcoholic in my life (it got him by the age of 39 and I watched him die) and one with two months' sobriety.

I read this thread with my heart in my mouth.

I am so glad you are sober today and able to look back on your journey.

What an amazing achievement . I'm glad you are feeling good about yourself.