The Daily Check-In for Tuesday, January 7th: Just for today, I am NOT drinking!
We may be anonymous strangers on the internet, but we have one thing in common. We may be a world apart, but we're here together!
Welcome to the 24 hour pledge!
I'm pledging myself to not drinking today, and invite you to do the same.
Maybe you're new to /r/stopdrinking and have a hard time deciding what to do next. Maybe you're like me and feel you need a daily commitment or maybe you've been sober for a long time and want to inspire others.
It doesn't matter if you're still hung over from a three day bender or been sober for years, if you just woke up or have already completed a sober day. For the next 24 hours, lets not drink alcohol!
This pledge is a statement of intent. Today we don't set out trying not to drink, we make a conscious decision not to drink. It sounds simple, but all of us know it can be hard and sometimes impossible. The group can support and inspire us, yet only one person can decide if we drink today. Give that person the right mindset!
What happens if we can't keep to our pledge? We give up or try again. And since we're here in /r/stopdrinking, we're not ready to give up.
What this is: A simple thread where we commit to not drinking alcohol for the next 24 hours, posting to show others that they're not alone and making a pledge to ourselves. Anybody can join and participate at any time, you do not have to be a regular at /r/stopdrinking or have followed the pledges from the beginning.
What this isn't: A good place for a detailed introduction of yourself, directly seek advice or share lengthy stories. You'll get a more personal response in your own thread.
This post goes up at:
- US - Night/Early Morning
- Europe - Morning
- Asia and Australia - Evening/Night
A link to the current Daily Check-In post can always be found near the top of the sidebar.
Good morning, beautiful people.
I really enjoyed hearing about all your interesting hobbies yesterday. Was excited to find that many of you are also Lego fans. Love those excellent bricks.
I saw quite a few people yesterday were on day one again or reflecting on how many times they've already hit their current day count before. To all of you, I just want to reaffirm that it takes a lot of tries for most of us. And, while I know it can feel really demoralizing, this is part of the process of learning.
There is a theory of the stages of learning that goes something like this:
Unconscious Incompetence - You don't know what you don't know
Conscious Incompetence - You know, but you don't yet have the skills to do better
Conscious Competence - You're able to do better, but it takes a lot of conscious thought and effort
And finally Unconscious Competence - You are able to do better without needing to devote conscious effort. It's now essentially a habit
In my experience, Conscious Incompetence is by far the most frustrating stage. Trying and failing over and over again just isn't fun. But it is necessary to get to the next stage.
It may feel like you're stuck and you'll stay stuck forever, but truly every try is progress. Give yourself the credit you deserve for continuing to show up for yourself and try again (and again, and again). That's dedication. I say this all the time, but I truly believe this is the only universally applicable sobriety advice...
Don't give up on yourself. Keep trying. You are worth the effort.
IWNDWYT