I'm celebrating 2 weeks #sober by joining Twitter
— Sober Tony (@sobertony) February 28, 2017
That was my first tweet, so today is 100 days on Twitter. More importantly, today is my 114th day of continuous sobriety. Social media was a big part of my early recovery and I’m very grateful.
This is how Twitter helped me get sober.
I joined looking for support
My first 2 weeks sober, I was just reading some books and determined never to go back to drinking. I was isolated, living in my rock bottom rental house in a Caribbean ghetto. Local AA wasn’t an option and my Internet was too sketchy for online video.
My days were basically like this GIF.
I joined some support groups on Facebook, but that didn’t work for me. Too many “old friends” were concerned shaming my wall.
That’s when I found the #RecoveryPosse on Twitter.
Twitter became my “meetings”
I didn’t expect much from Twitter, in the past it was just for following sports or news. This time was different, I needed to connect.
I used a real picture and real first name. I started following anyone who was talking about the topics that mattered to me:
- alcoholic
- recovery
- addiction
- sobriety
I started asking honest questions, putting myself out there. There was nothing to lose. This was one newbie who didn’t know when to stop talking.
Everyday, I’d post my sober count — both for personal accountability and because I wanted some affirmation. My early recovery was a lonely struggle.
Except for my friends on Twitter.
What my #sobercount feels like every morning pic.twitter.com/6V4JTDlfYL
— Sober Tony (@sobertony) May 23, 2017
It was better than I imagined
People embraced me immediately.
Even checking in when I was too quiet.
Soon they connected me with offline help. I found my “temporary” sponsor through a contact on Twitter. When I got back to the USA, it was a tip from Twitter that helped me find my first AA meeting.
The Recovery Posse helped keep me motivated – all I needed was to open the app.
A few hundred interactions later, I consider many of these little faces on my phone to be real friends. Especially since I’ve lost many of my friends from pre-sobriety.
Today is my ????th day on Twitter.
I'm celebrating by staying #sober
Big gratitude to #RecoveryPosse https://t.co/NshyPEXMmH— Sober Tony (@sobertony) June 8, 2017
That’s my day 114 sober
I’m still keeping my sobriety count, even if I don’t post it everyday.
It feels like keeping score against addiction. It’s one number that shows I’m moving forward and I own much of that progress to friends on Twitter.
Happy Day 114!
xo
Wendy
Thanks!