How long have you been sober or substance-free?

Oops, I accidentally hit send too soon. I wanted to add that while I always suggest to sponsees not to substitute on line meetings for live ones, this seems like a case where it may help you bridge the gap. Also working with a sponsor by phone is better than no sponsor. Keep reading the big book and get a hold of some Grapevine magazines. There are also some great AA speakers on YouTube.

@logansnana, well said. As a 74-year-old woman with a few 24 hours, I can attest to the fact that continuing daily contact with others in recovery, even if not face-to-face or at meetings, is vital not just to continuing sobriety but to serenity as well. I'm disabled with major medical problems and simply cannot attend meetings any more even though there is handicap/wheelchair transportation available here and my home group has lovingly built a wheelchair ramp for handicap access to the hall. Fortunately I live in an apartment complex where there are others in recovery and my door always is open to them as I have found that the key to sober happiness lies in service to others. Also fortunately, I have daily phone and internet contact with close friends in recovery. Even after all these years I still occasionally will phone someone to say my squirrel cage is full and they always help re-ground me. Just the act of reaching out, be it by phone or in a forum like this, can give steadiness to the recovery process. I sorely miss meetings and the physical presence of recovering people at the hall but life - and sobriety - still are sweet.

Going on 9 months sober

@logansnana - what do you feel has helped to keep you sober? Have you attended meetings and had a sponsor?

@mcmurf2 - if you are comfortable sharing, what happened with your sponsor?

You have shared a very important key, @kamama94. That of reaching out to others. We all need the presence of other people to thrive. Sobriety is about more than just surviving but also thriving. Thanks for that great reminder.

Here is the Readers Digest version since there is so much nuance involved, I am happy to elaborate if anyone would like to know more on any of the points below.
1. I took several tear stained assessments and, through what I now feel was divine intervention, wound up at an outpatient treatment center for women called Residence XII in Kirkland, WA where I surrendered and learned how not to "should" on myself any longer.
2. Saturated myself in recovery information through reading and audio materials while attending sober functions where I eventually learned how to get comfortable with others and myself without self medicating for anxiety.
3. Attended three or more different meetings a week Living in a large metropolis I was blessed with the opportunity to try on all different kinds of meetings.
4. Found a women's AA home group and a sponsor
5. Began working the steps with my sponsor
6. Learned how to pray and meditate with my Higher Power
7. Took care of my body through a nutritious diet, exercise and rest when I needed it. Payed attention to when i was Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired, aka HALT.
8. Began accepting service work c(at the urge of my sponsor) right away starting with making coffee for my home group, then branching out to the AA district and then sponsorship. Sponsorship is the number one thing that helps keep me emotionally sober to this day!!!
9. Through the above process I was able to determine the need for further help via private counseling for about two years after I finished treatment. It saved my marriage.
Anyone reading this, I hope you take what you can use and let the rest go for now. Serenity, courage, and wisdom to you all.

I live a12 step program. I have been CLEAN from everything (cigarettes and alcohol included because alcohol counts because it’s a mind and mood altering substance) for 7.5 years and still going!

The first time 32 years clean and sober. Picked up for three months; lost my wife of twenty years, my children no longer speak to me. Lost my business, my houses, everything thing and went to prison for 2 1/2 years.

If you’re clean and sober never take it for granted. I’m clean and sober ten years now.

I hesitated to post this, it seems made up, but it is actually worse than described.

I have bipolar disorder since I was a kid. Alcohol and mental illness simply do not play nice together.

If that’s helps one person then I guess it was the right thing to do. Sometimes fear can get you a tough patch.

Get sober, stay sober, it really can get that bad.

Stopped drinking late in life. Wading through all the stuff I’ve stuffed over the years. It’s a blessing.
Thanks for sharing.

I had 24 years, stopped at a bar and drank a beer and I don't even like beer. I continued to drink on and off. I am a binge drinker--what makes this difficult to stay sober is the fact that I can stop for long periods of time, then pick up again. But despite being a binge drinker, I managed to get 24 years of great sobriety. Then I moved to a different state, didn't like the AA (if you don't like the meetings, start your own meeting, I have learned since), didn't like the personalities (principals before personalities), and I became very, very lonesome. I lost my job, my children's respect, and was unable to care for my elderly parents at the end of their lives. I lost a great deal more as well, but these 3 were the main ones.
Thank you very much for posting this.
Anyway, I continued to binge, not go to meetings, let go of all my AA contacts for about 10 years. Now I am back in for the past 2 years with no desire to drink. I got sober first time when I was 30. I am now 71 years old. I would have had 40 years. My life is great without alcohol. I suffer from Major Depressive Disorder. But alcohol never made my condition better. Just the opposite. Good luck to both of us. Thanks again for sharing.