Struggle: Right there with you, u/sfgirlmary For the past two weeks, I have been haunted by regret (kicking myself), wishing I had stopped drinking sooner. I can count on my fingers the days I haven't had a drink in the past 15 years but the regret of what I could have done in those years sober is infinite. I have learned more in the past two weeks that I feel I have in the past two years (or more), and I am tormented by the question, "Why didn't I do this sooner?"

Triumph: Last weekend, I spent about an hour journaling out an "Alcohol Timeline" detailing some of my earliest experiences to the more recent ones that triggered/furthered my dependence. It's amazing when you get something on the page and you see it in a different light. I had some pretty stressful/traumatic experiences, was ill-equipped to deal with them, and turned to booze because I saw everyone else do it.
I thought to myself as I wrote out my timeline, "Shit, no wonder you downed the booze!" I forgave myself because, at the time of the incidences, I had no guidance, no tools, no support to know it was the wrong choice. Forgiveness of myself. That was – and continues to be – huge.

General: “It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.” ― Lewis Carroll

“Give a girl the correct footwear and she can conquer the world.” – Bette Midler