Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy New Year!


I hope your 2006 went out with a bang and that your 2007 started with one. Wait, I mean bang in the sense of the noise of fireworks, not bang in the American sense of ... oh well, either way, I hope you had a good one!

The end of 2006 was a lot more peaceful - and sober! - than the end of 2005. I had planned to spend New Year's Eve with a very good friend (unfortunately a heavy-drinking friend) with lots and lots of party food and the inevitable glass of champagne, which I knew I'd have difficulty refusing. Luckily for me - but unluckily for my friend - a severe dose of 'flu meant she spent the whole day in bed and I stayed at home, with my favourite television programmes, a glass of diet coke and my knitting! Hurrah! A sober new year!

Setting myself a target of 100 sober days in 2006 really worked for me and I'm pleased to say I made it. I've thought long and hard about what will work for me in 2007 and decided that setting a goal of staying sober just for today isn't enough. It means that if, one day, I have a drink, I'll have to go straight back to counting from day 1, and I'm far too competitive for that, so I've set myself a target of 250 sober days in 2007. 250 days is a minimum - it doesn't mean that I can stay sober until 7 September (250th day of the year!) and then go mad.

I know this is NOT the way most of you approach (not) drinking, but I know myself, and I know that I probably will manage way, way more than 250 days, but having that 'get out' clause without finding myself back at square one is what (I think) will work for me.

I'll let you know how I'm getting on, and in the meantime, I wish you all a very happy, healthy and sober 2007!

5 comments:

Gooey Munster said...

Happy Sober New Year to you! May you continue to walk the path you are on now. :)

Mary Christine said...

That is why we do it one day at a time. It is too hard to think about NEVER drinking again.

And I am glad you realized that you really need to start counting day one once you have picked up a drink.

God Bless You. - oh and I am a knitter too.

Pammie said...

Happy Sober New Year to you. One day at a time...really is the easier, softer way.

Pam Jarnagin said...

Keep doing what works for you. It may not be the way that works for most of us, but each of us is an individual, and you've got to do what you need for you and your sobriety. The trick is to know when you're deluding yourself, and that can be tough.

Happy, happy New Year. Hope 2007 is a great year for you!

Carly said...

Happy New Year, girl! I hope you keep blogging. I'm glad to be sharing this journey with you!