Living Sober In 2015 And Thereafter

Listening to my music  and writing each night to help others realize there is HOPE for
anyone that wants to live sober.

Living sober in 2015 and thereafter is what many alcoholic should focus on.  If you truly want to change your life for the better, please think about stopping the drinking and get yourself out of denial and start living sober in 2015 and thereafter.

Granted, for any alcoholic, thinking of living sober is something they never thought they would ever be able to do in their life ever again, but that is not true at all.

I am an alcoholic, but back over 5 years ago I surrendered to the demons that ran and almost ruined my life.  I too never thought I could ever live a sober life again, but I proved myself and everyone else wrong.

Once I got out of the denial I was living in and made up my mind I wanted my sobriety back in my life and then promised myself, if I go through with stopping drinking it has to be forever and not for a month or two.  It has to be ALL or NOTHING!

Do not say "I think I will just drink on weekends and special occasions."  No, that will never work for any alcoholic.  It has to all or nothing.  I made my mind up, as you should do also, and make that change from being an alcoholic to a clean and sober person.

Believe me it won't be easy to give up something such as alcohol.  The one thing that you lived for each day.  The one thing that gave you that buzz and made you feel you were on top of the world when you were drunk.

You crave that alcohol as soon as you opened your eyes in the morning and couldn't wait to get that first drink of the day in you.  I too so remember this cravings and urges to have alcohol in me each and everyday of the year.

It will be hard, but anything in life that is positive and good for you doesn't come easy.  It depends on how bad you want to live sober.  If you have the willingness and the desire to change your life for the better then you will be able to conquer this addiction to alcohol you have and live and sober and healthy life once more.

You will never be sorry for this change in your life.  I know for me, it was the best thing I'd ever done for myself and my family as well.  You won't be sorry trust me!  Remember alcohol has one purpose and that is to get you drunk, ruin your life, and others lives, and eventually kill you in the end. That is the job alcohol has.  It doesn't discriminate whatsoever.  You can be rich, poor, male or female, it doesn't matter to alcohol.  Alcohol is out to kill you!  Don't let something like alcohol ruin that one and only life you have.

SAY NO TO DRINKING AND ABUSING ALCOHOL.  

Thank you for reading this blog and if you or someone you know has an addiction to alcohol send them to this blog and my other sites as well
http://www.thecleanlife-mark.blogspot.com

http://thecleanlife.hubpages.com

Get Yourself Sober Than Help Others Do The Same

Back in 2009 I said to myself, " Mark lets get yourself sober and help others do the same" and that is exactly what I have done since October of 2009.

I write just about every night either here on this blog, or my Clean Life blog, and then HubPages in which I have over 440 hubs written on alcohol abuse, sobriety, ways to get sober, positive attitudes and much more.

I love writing on alcohol addiction and ways that I found that helped me get and stay sober for almost 5 years now.  Writing is really a great help keeping me sober.  Everything I write, I have in my mind as I write them, and that is, "this one article I am writing just might help a person somewhere in the world to get and stay sober."

I can't stress enough in my writing just how sobriety has changed my life, and the lives around me, such as my wife, children and Grandchildren.  I literally put them through pure hell with my alcohol abuse and never wanting to do anything with them unless I had a drink in my hand.

When I look back in time I feel so ashamed and weak. I was too weak to fight my inner demons that ran my life and other lives for so many years.  It truly makes me sick in my stomach now knowing that I put my family and friends behind my addiction to alcohol.

Well, as I write today I am sober and the past is the past and I only now look for much better things to come in my life and the lives that surround me.

If you have recently got sober then I commend you to the highest level in life.  Now your job, as is my job, is to remain sober forever, and start to help those that are suffering from an addiction as we were in the past.  It is so rewarding to know you have helped someone to make up their minds to stop drinking.

It truly wasn't that hard to quit drinking once I made up my mind and got out of the denial I lived in for so many years.  Once I admitted I truly had an alcohol problem, and was willing to surrender once and for all, the rest fell right in place.

Mine you, when you stop drinking, you have to give sobriety 110%.  There can not be any thing such as what I used to say, and that is this:

• I will only drink on weekends.
• I will only drink on Holidays and special occasions.
• I will only drink on the days I have off from work.

If you are ready to get sober, and you have abused alcohol, then the above will NOT work!  It didn't work for me at all and I had tried those methods many times and failed each and every time I tried.

You are only fooling yourself when you try to do as the above states.  Sobriety (LONG TERM SOBRIETY) is all or nothing my friends. 

What Is Stopping You From Achieving Sobriety ?

Too many people that are addicted to alcohol want a better life, but really have no idea where to start, or may be afraid of becoming clean and sober.  What is stopping you from achieving sobriety?  Do you have any idea what the problem may be, or are you living in denial and just don't want to admit you have a drinking problem?

If you are one of those people that are living in denial, you had better take a good hard look at your life and the lives surrounding you that love and care for you.

You are not only hurting your self by living in denial, but you are destroying other lives on the way to your self-destruction.  As you look into the eyes of your spouse, your children or even your parents, think to yourself what you love more.  A bottle of liquid that will sooner or later kill you, or the people looking in your eyes that love and care so much for you and want the best for you.  They want you to live a long and healthy life, in which you will not if you don't get out of the denial you are living in and get sobriety back into your life again.

So the huge question to you is, "what is stopping you from changing your life and achieving long term sobriety?"

• Is it that you are simply afraid of change?
• Is that you are afraid of what your drinking buddies will think of you if you stopped drinking alcohol?
• Are you afraid of how your body will react with the abstinence of alcohol?
• Are you in so much denial that you think you have no drinking problem whatsoever?
• Do you think you will be bored without drinking alcohol everyday?
• Do you think you would not be able to get along in life without your crutch?

So do any of the above ring a bell to you at all?  I bet they do as they did for me when I wanted to finally surrender to my addiction to alcohol back in October 2009.

I never thought in a million years I would be able to stop drinking alcohol, but I sure fooled myself, and the reason I was able to beat my addiction to alcohol was that I had a positive attitude and keep telling myself that I would conquer this addiction I had once and for all, and make sobriety a part of my life once again.

***You can do the same thing if you have it in your heart and soul, and have the willingness, desire and the determination to change you life and get clean and sober.***

Believe me, sure it was a hard road in the beginning, but as time passed by, each day got easier and easier to be able live without alcohol in my life and it will be the same for you.  Try sobriety, you might just love it as I have the last three years and going strong.

• Believe in yourself.
• Love yourself enough to make a change in your life, and in the lives of those that love and care about you.
• Be proud of your accomplishment.
• Don't be embarrassed of your addiction.
• Ask for the help you need in order to get clean and sober and have long term sobriety in your life.
• If you feel as if you can not get sober by yourself then get the Professional help you need to make sobriety happen.
• Keep a Positive Attitude at all times.
• Never stop believing in yourself.
• Don't let anyone or anything stop you from achieving your sobriety.
• If you wind up losing your drinking buddies, then so be it.
• Stay clear of all the places and people that may influence you about drinking alcohol.

Best of luck to all those that want to change their lives and get clean and sober.

Here are a few links of other sites I write on regarding my experiences with alcohol and way I have found that helped me get and stay sober.

• The Clean Life on HubPages
• The Clean Life Blog
• Living Life Sober
• Ezine Articles
• My Ebook
• 
  

Never Give Up Hope

Never give up hope refers to anything in life, especially if you are having a tough time in your life right now.  This also goes for trying to stop drinking alcohol as well.

I know how hard it is to stop drinking, because I went through this in October 2009 when I finally decided I had enough and I needed to get help, or simply stop drinking on my own.  I was fortunate that I could stop drinking on my own, but many people that are addicted to alcohol may just need some professional help so that they can detox in a safe and healthy manner.

I took a huge chance when I went cold turkey, and believe me I was afraid that something horrible would happen to me, but I never gave up on myself and never gave up hope, "meaning, can I get through these days, weeks and months with out relapsing?"

Each day that passed by and I woke up in the morning, I said to myself, "I made it one more day sober."  I was so proud of myself and all those that spoke of my addiction to alcohol felt just as proud of what I was doing to change my life and live that life clean and sober.

With that said, others that may not have an addiction to alcohol or any type of addiction at all, such as drugs, but may have other problems in their lives, such as financial problems, losing a job or having no job at all. Marriage problems sometimes can be associated with the last few things I mentioned above.

Whatever problem you have in your life, never give up hope and always think with a positive attitude, because thinking with a negative attitude will not help, and will not solve a thing.

For the people with that addiction to alcohol, having a positive attitude will indeed help you get and stay sober.  It did for me, but the first time I tried to get sober it didn't work for the fact that I simply wasn't ready to give up alcohol and change my life.

Getting out of denial was the hardest thing for me, because I thought I had NO problem at all with my drinking, although many people in my life thought different, and in the long run, they were the ones that were right, and I was dead wrong.

I guess the ticket here is, to have sobriety back into your life is just to admit that you are an alcoholic and need help.  Once you have admitted that, and got out of denial you have been living in for so long, you will have taken that first step towards having a new life, and living that life clean and sober.

Without having hope in life, I don't know what would make things better in your life and mine as well.  So please don't give up on anything in life including getting and staying sober.

I you have an addiction to alcohol, or know someone that does, here are a couple of great sites that may help you if you want to give up alcohol. and start living the life that you were put on this earth to live and that is a sober life.

Here is an Ebook I published regarding my addiction to alcohol.

Will Sobriety Make Me A Happier Person ?

When someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol, sobriety is the last thing on their mind because the addiction they have and live with over runs their body and minds.  They even often ask themselves, "will sobriety make me a happier person?" Since I got clean and sober over three years ago I couldn't be happier.

Believe it or not, finding sobriety will be the first day of the rest of your sober life, and anyone that wants a better life for them selves and their family should really consider getting clean and sober and try sobriety out.  You will never regret this huge life change, I am proof of it.

You will be surprised of how many good things come out of being sober.  Life is a beautiful thing and so many people abuse alcohol and drugs and miss out on some of the best years of their lives all because of an avoidable addiction.

Finding sobriety in ones life is really right in front of them.  The only problem is that many people with an addiction don't really care to be sober.  They are so used to being drunk or high and forget about what life is really about.

If you want to know ways to stop drinking alcohol there are so many websites that you can go to that will help you get on that road to recovery.  That is exactly what I did over three years ago.  You can read comments on those sites from people just like you that are struggling to get sober just as you are.

As far as being a happier person if you were sober that answer is yes, at least it is for myself.  You will feel so great about yourself and proud that you have beat the demons that have been running your life for so long.

Your family will also be so proud of the decision that you made to get clean and sober.  You will wake up each morning feeling great with no hangovers and ready to take on the day with a clear head, instead of feeling like crap the entire day until you get that first drink of the day. and that cycle will go on and on day after day if you continue to drink alcohol.

Don't let alcohol control your life and those that love and care for you anymore.  Take that first step towards sobriety and stop drinking alcohol and live the life you should be living, being happy and healthy.

Tips On How I Stopped Drinking Alcohol

Here are some tips on how I stopped drinking alcohol and have been clean and sober for over 3 years now. 

First and foremost you need to want to get clean and sober and have to honest with yourself.  You can not cheat and say, "I will only drink on Holidays and weekends, like I did in the beginning of my partial sobriety.

If you know you have an addiction to alcohol and want to get sober, then it has to be all the way or nothing.  I thought that I could drink on weekends and Holidays, but it didn't work for too long.  The weekend drinking then went into one more day of the week and then no drinking for the rest of the week.  I was only kidding myself, but thought I was bringing peace to the household by not drinking alcohol for half of the week.

If you are like me and always needed alcohol in your life each and everyday of the week, then there is no happy medium for us.  There has to be a commitment to yourself that if you were to stop drinking alcohol, it has to be totally and not drink a couple days a week.  It didn't work for me and more than likely it will not work for you if you have an addiction to alcohol like I did.

So, the first thing you need to do is to want sobriety back into your life.  You need to change your outlook in life and stop feeling sorry for yourself and saying, "poor me, why is nothing going right in my life."  You need to change your attitude and make it a positive attitude and stop being so negative in your life.  Trust me, if you have a positive attitude and have a very strong desire to get sober and stay sober, than you have made a great decision and you will get sober with that attitude.

You can not think to yourself, Oh it will be too hard to get sober so why ever try to stop drinking alcohol.  That is one shitty attitude, and with that kind of attitude, you will continue to drink alcohol until the day you day from it.

Nothing great in life is easy, and that goes for getting and staying sober forever.  Everyday you will face alcohol somewhere in your day, but you must stay strong and not let the demons come back into your life and start taking full control over the one and only life you have.

This is the cover of my Ebook titled "My Life With Alcohol Addiction."

It simply explains when and why I started to drink.  It was to hide from my problems and as I continued to drink I became more addicted and that lasted for 33 years of my life.

My Ebook

****You can find many other articles I have written in my other blog called The Clean Life.****

How To Stay Positive When You Are Trying To Stop Drinking Alcohol

So many people that have an addiction to alcohol deep down want to get and stay sober, but most have a negative attitude thinking they will never be able to stop drinking alcohol.

This is how to stay positive when you are trying to stop drinking alcohol and it worked for me and hopefully it will work for all those that want sobriety back into their lives.

I stopped drinking alcohol completely and doing it cold turkey on October 27, 2009.  I felt that I would have a hard time getting sober, but that was the negativity in my mind talking to me.

WHAT I DID AND WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO STOP DRINKING

First and foremost, I and (you) need to want sobriety bad enough that you are willing to do anything to get and stay sober!  That is first, because if you don't have sobriety in your heart and soul you will have a tough time even getting to the point of quitting drinking.

You can not stop drinking just because you are threatened or forced to stop your addiction to alcohol.  By being forced into stopping anything in life you will not make it, because it is not really what you want, it is what others want out of you.  You may know that you are doing wrong by drinking alcohol, but you need to want your sobriety and not be forced into it.  if you are not ready to change you own life than no matter what anyone says to you it will not work.

Granted, you may stop drinking to make peace in the family, but that will not last and will not be long term sobriety all because you are not ready to be sober for the rest of your life.  I know because I did stop drinking a couple times, but for a short period of time and then I went right back to drinking when something went wrong and my life and I felt alcohol would ease all pain and fix all problems.  That is not the case at all for me and for any of you that has an addiction to alcohol.  ALCOHOL FIXES NOTHING IN ANYONE'S LIFE, it only make matters worse in the end.

When I finally made my mind up on my own that something had to be done about my addiction to alcohol , I sat down alone and thought of all the things I missed out on in life because I put alcohol before anything else and sometimes my own family.  When I thought hard about what I have done, not only to my health and my body, but all those that loved and cared for me and what I was doing to them and to myself.

I changed my outlook on life and made it a positive attitude in which being positive helped me so much in starting my journey to long term sobriety.  I know any of you that have an addiction to not only alcohol, but drugs can beat that addiction just as I did three years ago and still going strong in staying sober.

Think of all the foolish things you have done in you drunken state of mind and how you feel each and every morning being hungover and waiting for the time to have you r first drink of that new day.

It is a miserable life thinking, waiting and wanting that drink of alcohol to help you get through the day.  We are all killing ourselves slowly, but surly and the demons don't give a crap, believe me.

Think of what you may lose if you don't stop drinking alcohol.  One thing may being your loving family and close and dear friends that DON"T abuse alcohol.  Think that sooner or later your addiction will catch up with you and you body will start to shut down one body part at a time, or in some case all at once.

Think of what you will miss out on if you continue to drink and abuse alcohol such as you child or children getting married and having their own family.  Your grandchildren that you will never see grow up and just life in general.  Life is so precious and why we abuse it is beyond me.  

Remember, we are only here a short time on Earth and we have but only one life to live, so take care of your body and enjoy life the way GOD intended us to do.

So, first you need to want sobriety in your life.  You need to stay positive in anything you do in life and that includes getting and staying sober.  Ask for HELP to get and stay sober.  If you feel you can not get sober on your own, there are thousands of excellent Rehab. Centers all over the world just waiting for you and wanting to help you change your life forever, but like I said YOU need to want sobriety first!

Don't be embarrassed of you addiction.  Be open to others and tell them you are stopping drinking.  Many will admire you for what you are about to do and then, those that you have drank alcohol with will try and stop you for changing your life and getting sober.  Why you may ask? They will then lose a great drinking partner and lose a friend or they really true friends or just people that you have something in common with and that is drinking you lives away?

HERE IS MY eBOOK AND MY LIFE OF ALCOHOL ADDICTION.

CHECK OUT THIS SITE I WRITE ON, CALLED HUBPAGES.  I HAVE OVER 300 ARTICLES ABOUT ALCOHOL ADDICTION AND HAVING A HAPPY LIFE.

MY OTHER BLOG, CALLED THE CLEAN LIFE.

WORD PRESS, LIVING LIFE SOBER.

EZINE ARTICLES

ABOVE LINKS ARE PLENTY OF READING FOR YOU TO READ REGARDING STOPPING DRINKING AND LIVING A HAPPY AND FULFILLING LIFE.  LEARN BY YOUR MISTAKES AS I DID! I WRITE TO HELP OTHERS REALIZE THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE FOR SOBRIETY IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF YOUR LIFE.

STAY STRONG TO YOURSELF. STAY POSITIVE. BELIEVE AND LOVE YOURSELF AND STAY SOBER. YOU WILL NEVER GO WRONG WITH A LIFE OF SOBRIETY!