[don-o]

As the years go by, does it make it any easier to stay away from alcohol and remain sober? Or does that urge to drink never ever go away? I do not drink but have a cousin who is an alcoholic and he hasn’t been able to remain sober at all. I’m just curious.

Here's where the contrast between abstinence and recovery comes into play. If one considers sobriety as merely not drinking, it can be quite miserable. However, recovery is a lifelong process.

It becomes a matter of maintaining a watch over ones own spiritual condition and daily reminders that this vigilance is a lifelong project.

At some point, it becomes as natural as slamming down as much booze as we needed to get the job done once was.

[midnightcat]

Thanks for filling me in. One must be vigilant, and I think that this is where my cousin has failed. That and keeping an eye on his spiritual condition. If this doesn’t become an engrained habit every single day, than I can see how you can slip back into the behavior you’re trying to avoid. Must be tough lesson to learn and some people never learn the lesson.