Thoughts on long term sobriety.

I'm thinking now, as I come up to 5 years, what it is that makes leaving alcohol behind for the long term work. The first, is obviously, don't take that first drink :).

But more than that, it takes finding contentment within your own life. Not passing happiness, but the focus of a clear goal that is worth working towards, a new career, school, your home- whatever needs changing the most for you. Changing, slowly, all of the things that take away your happiness and make it hard to breathe.

Find the things that are eating your soul, and actually working towards fixing them. Some days are gonna suck, some times are going to be hard, but having a goal that is clear and worthwhile makes possible to fight through without falling back into the despair of addiction.

Long term change means long term action, and you have to make yourself want to do it for positive reasons, not just fear of consequences.