This is a rather silly question, but how do/did you set your milestones? Example: for six months sober- did you just celebrate it on the same date of the month but six months later? Or did you plot out like the 182nd/183rd day and just make that the day? All in all, sorta trivial but I'm just curious...
Sober 'Time' ... ... ... Sobriety date ??? ... of course is the first day you went without a drink ... whatever that 'date' may be ... during the first year most groups have a 'chip' system in place that marks, or rewards, if you will, the achievement of not having a drink since your 'sobriety date ... me?, mine is the 25th of February ... so for my first year, I picked up the month chips on or after the 25th of the respective month ...
When we get to yearly calculations or celebrations, we usually celebrate at the end of the month, all those having a 'sober birthday' during that particular month ... (the exception might be that a person may chose to wait to celebrate their year til the next month if the 'end of month' celebration were held before the actual date ... meaning if our celebration this month were on the 23rd or the 24th, then I might chose to hold my celebration til next month rather than jump the gun by a day or two ... I don't think it a big deal, but some wish not to push their luck, so to speak, by celebrating early, before the actual date ...
I think it's more of a personal choice here ... I'm close enough for me to say, if asked, that I have 5 years ... I got sober in '08 this last time ... so the 25th , for me, is close enough ... but I ain't out advertising this at all, it's just a fact ... AND of course I make reference to being off all other mind altering drugs during this period of time ... ...
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Sobriety date here is October 1st. 6 months was april 1st not 180 days. It just makes it easier cuz eventually and ideally, your anniversary will fall on the same day every year :)
__________________
Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
Aloha Adam...I've never counted beyond one day because I also need to keep things simple. I don't know my first day alcohol free because alcoholism wasn't my problem but my alcoholic/addict wife's problem. I stopped around the time when she made her first attempt at AA because I was just so sick of trying to drink with someone who would get drunker faster than I and ruin my time. For me it doesn't matter much...I may have a bit more "dry" time than I announce and then I wasn't in recovery then. My recovery date is a date chosen from within the span of time when I got into recovery and decided to stay out of that way of living. I never got a anniversay chip until the 16th year and that was because the secretary of my meeting remember to do the math...I was surprised at the event which I took as an announcement that I was cured and almost quit the program except for my HP putting two people in the rooms to change my choice. One was there on reprieve from jail and the other was a new comer who announced "Keep coming back". My HP keeps things simple...I sat down and stayed again. I know that the date I have chosen as a start date is well within the introduction date and that kills a brag. I also know how many years have gone by...not coming up...because I keep my medallion, the last one, on a tool clip I work with every day. It reminds me I am only in the day and that if I don't stay in the program I put this all in jeapordy...this life beyond my widest expectations.
The best count is the one I do at the end of the day...when I ask myself "Did I do this day as best I could and could be expected to". If I can nod yes...I have one day only. Simple math. Thanks for the thread.
My last drink was on April 1, but after three days of wretched sickness and not being fit to drive, I count my sobriety date as April 6, the day I was sober enough to be able to pick up my white chip. Other than knowing that I am sober and it's been a while, I don't think the length of time alone, or knowledge of "the" date, matters a whole lot, and in fact shouldn't be overly focused on. Anniversaries help others to see it's possible, and of course they can be fun celebrations, but I figure I didn't "do it"; I had a lot of help and never could do it alone...that's the whole point, so sobriety dates for me are a way of giving credit all around, with thanks! And that's just for today. Tomorrow could be different.
My first day sober was the day I had gotten my first 24 hours of continuous sobriety. That was on Dec. 21st. So, I keep it simple and acknowledge that date as my sobriety date. Not the day I stopped drinking, but the day I put my first 24 hours together.
My last drink was on Feb 5th, or rather around 1 am on the 6th. I went to my first meeting at 8:30 pm on the 6th. So I've always marked my sobriety date as the 6th.
Neat question ! Thanks.....I am 7/23/84...so "23" is my special number....I still notice it EVERY month...and when I am low and faithless....I swear .....my Angel uses THAT number to remind me, I am not alone....Sometimes, outta the blue, someone shows up in my path, with a "23" Jersey......stuff like that.....every A.A. I know....counts from their DAY sober...and uses THAT number rather than count the days....(they begin to add up ;) )....I even set my alarm in the a.m. at 7:23 a.m...... Keep Coming Back! Bless you! Love, Lady Eli
On December 11, 1934, Bill Wilson, co-founder of AA, had his last drinks on the way to Townes hospital for alcoholism treatment . He used the sobriety date of December 11th.
According to all AA historical records, on June 10, 1935, Bob Smith (Dr. Bob), co-founder of AA, sober about 3 days after a relapse, had his last drink and drug just before performing surgery on one of his patients. Dr. Bob used the sobriety date of June 10th.
(Actually there is some questioning of the June 10 date. Some think it was later, about June 17.)
For my sobriety date, I use the next day after my last drink.
In my time, not lately, I've worried wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much about whether I selected the "correct" sobriety date. There is no standard in AA for the "correct" date. People do it every whichaway.
There are better things to be concerned about. I'm grateful for that. I have a friend whose sobriety date is February 29th. That's tomor . . .
I would be same as Tanin, 1st day after my last drink, but I don't know exactly when that was. I didn't note the date because I didn't think I would recover. My sponsor told me when I was 3 months and so we count back from there, roughly 10 Feb 1980. I don't go in much for celebration, mostly I am away on my birthday. But if I can get to a meeting on the day, I usually take a cake.
Good to see you back Tanin ... .. ... The longer I'm sober, the more important 'Today' becomes ... I am truly grateful for being sober today ...
Ha!!! ... getting sober on the 29th of February would simply be a 'pain in the ass' ... that's my opinion, and it oughtta' be yours ... LOL ... Today, don't forget ... TODAY ... it's the one that counts!!!
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
All this talk about sobriety years and your mention of today reminds me of a cool saying I heard in the rooms about it:
Beware of the state where one has too many years and not enough days.
Yeah, I heard that recently too ... and when you give it some thought, there are those around that seem to place longevity above 'quality' ... they seem to rest on 'their' past sobriety and forget to live for today ... or perhaps they forgot the 'suffering' they endured to get here ...
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
All this talk about sobriety years and your mention of today reminds me of a cool saying I heard in the rooms about it:
Beware of the state where one has too many years and not enough days.
Yeah, I heard that recently too ... and when you give it some thought, there are those around that seem to place longevity above 'quality' ... they seem to rest on 'their' past sobriety and forget to live for today ... or perhaps they forgot the 'suffering' they endured to get here ...
Yep.
I think, too, that years are so easy to count. Anybody can do it. So a simplistic approach is to first ask an AAer how many years he/she has--then make a categorization of the AAer. (brand new, new, over a year, midtimer, oldtimer, etc.).
I had some guy sit next to me before a meeting one time. He introduced himself, then immediately asked "How many years you got?" I told him, then he told me had 27. Two years later, same guy sits next to me before a meeting. He introduces himself and immediately asks, "So, how many years you got?" I replied, "How many you got?" He said "29." He seemed satisfied.
For me, this comes under the heading of being 'prideful' too ... I must be very careful to remain in the 'day' ... I've seen some than carry their sobriety like a prideful badge of honor ... they use it as there rite to claim a position of importance within the group ... and I've seen those who drag their pride right back the bottle ...
I must beware of 'pride' ... it can steal the 'day' ...
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
