Day number eight.  It is about the hardest time for me.  I haven't had eight days sober in over three years and I am continuing on.   The day times aren't that difficult.  If I'm busy at work, I don't think about drinking.  Its when I get off work and I am hyped up.  Today I was planning to have grilled salmon for dinner, but I was dying for some wine and decided to eat a pizza for dinner instead.  A "reward" for my day, but alcohol  was off the table.  I'm glad I did this.  I know when I had a year under my belt before that it took about 45 days to stop thinking and obsessing over alcohol.  I am going to get there.  I have signed up on Belle's page for a sober pen pal, so until I get one, I'll speak out into the ether, or internet, and go to meetings when I can.

I just started Jason Vale's book.  I'll be interested to his position on drinking.  His theory is that everybody who drinks is somewhat addicted.  I am a skeptic by nature, but I am reading it with an open mind.  One thing I would like to note, many books and blogs make comments about Alcoholics Anonymous.  These comments are usually from people who have preconceived ideas about what AA is.  I am not here to say that AA is the only way to go, but I do think that every person who wants to quit drinking should try a few meetings.  There is no prescribed belief system, and all meetings are different yet the same.  I have been to AA meetings in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, New York, and California.  The formats are pretty much the same, but the meetings are all different.  Some are more young people, some are mostly old timers, some are more white bread homogenous, others are mixed with all walks of life.  The big thing is that you are in a room with people who are trying to and many times succeeding in being sober, and they are having fun.  I thought AA was going to be a big church meeting, the higher power concept is just that you need to believe that the world doesn't start and end with you.  Many, many people use the AA group as their higher power.  Again, if you don't want to go that is up to you, but I would suggest trying it just for the support.

More tomorrow!