Why isn't it easy?..It is not easy, never has been. Changing one's life is very, very, difficult.

[Stuart G]

. If it were easy, most would quickly accomplish the task...

Quitting Booze, Drugs, Smoking, or other such activities..(whatever they are, that you have been doing for a long time)
is not easy. Actually very difficult indeed

Why? It ain't easy to change one's life when you have been doing something for a long time. Books, plays, movies, etc,
have been written about trying to change one's life. We get addicted to some behavior, and we think that stopping it will
be easy. It seems so from reading a few magazines or stories on the internet/newspapers. But those that say it is easy
are lying and trying to sell something.

While waiting to check out at a food store, we may see many magazines with lots of articles about quitting this or that.
Those of us that have been addicted to various substances and behaviors know the truth. Quitting is among the
hardest things we ever do. I stand with everyone who tries and does not succeed the first time. The key is just 4 words.

DON'T EVER GIVE UP........DON'T EVER GIVE UP....DON'T EVER GIVE UP.....DON'T EVER GIVE UP...DON'T EVER GIVE UP..
DON'T EVER GIVE UP........DON'T EVER GIVE UP....DON'T EVER GIVE UP.....DON'T EVER GIVE UP...DON'T EVER GIVE UP.

So, you make a mistake...So what? In kindergarten over 70 years ago, I learned a lesson about mistakes....

They gave us pencils to write and draw with. If we made a mistake, there was a rubber thing on the end.
It was called an eraser. You used it to erase the mistake and write it over again.

45 years later, I got a computer, and I found the exact same idea as the eraser on the computer.
On this thing (I'm using now) in order to deal with a mistake, we use the DELETE KEY

We humans still make mistakes, & we need to correct them.
No one is perfect, not me, not you, no one.
Some of the greatest people in all of human history did not get it the first time....

Did Thomas Edison get it the first time?
Did Winston Churchill get it the first time?
Did Clark Gable become a star after his first movie?

And so on, and on, and on, and on.

DON'T EVER GIVE UP. ...PLEASE, DON'T EVER GIVE UP

Thank You for reading this...Stuart G

[multigraincracker]

1. It's hard, but

there is help if you ask for it. I would have never made it on my own.

[Timewas]

2. As I learned

It is simple, but it not easy...But it is doable.

[3Hotdogs]

3. One of the most amazing transformations . Guy I worked for. Heavy alcoholic.

Friday nights, end of the work week, were heavy drunk nights for him, until two in the morning when the bars closed.

One day, he just stopped drinking: Cold. No A.A., no priests, no doctors or hospital for rehab or detox. He just stopped drinking.

He also stopped cursing. Not so much as a hell or a damn.

And he went to 6 O'clock mass EVERY morning, until dementia set in and he couldn't drive anymore.

None of us every asked him why.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. When I get discouraged, I get inspiration from those who came before me

My sponsor was already quite ill when she joined AA in 2002, she said she believed that she'd never make it to "two digits." Not only did she make it to 16 years, reaching out and helping others along the way, including me. I took on the job of ordering the coins - and the first one I was privileged to give her was XII - which I told her was triple digits!

And I also am inspired from those coming behind me. One very scared young guy showed up at the meeting I chair last November. He's only in his 20s, but has been sober from that night. I gave him a 6 month coin when I received my 13 year - and already have a one-year coin with his name on it. His life has completely changed and he's an inspiration to the rest of us, too.

[nevergiveup]

5. Thank you for this timely and important wisdom.

[NJCher]

6. Perspective and education help

That’s probably what some of the posters up thread meant when they mentioned help.

[majdrfrtim]

7. Hooray for the Higher Power!!!

15663 days in a row, here.

Sometimes (like during my first OCONUS deployment, for example, when I was 52 years old, 29 years sober), 24 hours has been *way* too much time to get through, so I’ve had to do life “from now, until chow.” (Hooray for midnight chow, eh?)

And then there have been times (like my third OCONUS deployment, again without a weapon) when I had to do my sobriety “one breath at a time.” {Thought bubble: “Breathe in, Tim; you know how not to drink when breathing in. Now breathe out; you know how not to drink when breathing out.” Repeat as needed.} And I had 33.5 years sober at that point, yet the compulsion to drink had returned, despite having done 90-in-90 prior to deploying.

So, yeah!! It can be really tough — and I can still choose, one breath at a time, when necessary — not to pick up that first drink.

I say again: Hooray for the Higher Power!!! Today is day 15663.

Thanks for sharing your experience, strength, and hope, Stuart G!

[Bristlecone]

8. I tried to quit drinking countless times, for years, and it never stuck until it did

Don’t Ever Give Up.

[bif]

9. I'm almost four years in and it's still hard at times!

Especially weekends. Just this Friday evening, I was making dinner. I really wanted to have a couple of vodka and tonics. Finally, after we ate, I did the dishes and went up to my bedroom. I finished the book I was reading. Then, I looked outside and the sky was gorgeous! So I walked down the street to get a better view and took some pix--to use later for reference to do a painting. I then watched a bit of comedy on tv and went to sleep.Turned out to be a decent evening after all.