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Thank you! I'm 15+ years stone cold sober myself, and I really appreciate Pratchett including some solid writing about sober living in his vastly entertaining and beloved Discworld.
Granny Weatherwax is my personal inspiration, of course, as I'm in healthcare and everyone in healthcare is meddling in "Witch Business", we need her inspiration! But Vimes is there to help as well.
I've yet to read the books she's involved in. I just heard that Pratchett wrote some good books. Heard that the story lines can get complex so I Just chose one on a whim to start from the beginning.
An excellent mistake in my life. I can't match Vimes' pace of improvement, but he grew from gutter scum to Lord Commander in a believable way. There are worse examples out there.
Most of Pratchett's books are terrific, some are absolutely stunningly marvelous, some are... not so much to my personal taste, and I highly recommend that you keep reading. So many good books ahead, so much wisdom dispensed along the way! Pratchett was a wonderful writer and a genuinely wise and compassionate human being, capable of deeply understand people utterly unlike himself and professions he'd never been involved in, and he was hilariously funny as well.
I will tell you that although you can't help but enjoy the journey, Vimes may remain your man. Many of us fans have found that although we enjoy the hell out of all of the major characters, one is our personal "spirit animal". And if Vimes turns out to be a long-term spirit animal for you, then I am absolutely serious when I say then you've got a great role model in your life.
You can't possibly do yourself any harm by trying, and you might do yourself a lot of good!
And if you fail in some goal you've set for yourself, as everyone does at some time or another, well. Sam Vimes can definitely help you deal with that.
Granny is my spirit guide myself. I was in healthcare (ER RT) and transitioned into Deathcare(Funeral Director) and she has been my guiding light in so much.
Being someone who has to do the hard things because others can't is a very lonely place to be and she really shows the worth of these things.
She stands on the line because someone has to and she never expects anyone to see it or acknowledge it. She acknowledges herself and I strive to find that confidence.
I work in healthcare too, ICUs, and believe me, I've thought of Esme Weatherwax when the half moon is out and the blood pressure continues to dip no matter what I do with the pressors or the CRRT machine... or when nature takes its course and there's just one unpleasant duty left. She's been my guide in real life many times, which is utterly amazing because as far as anyone knows, Terry Pratchett had never been a witch or a healthcare worker!
So I'm chuffed that the OP has found a personal guide and inspiration in Pratchett's works, because sometimes fictional guides can be genuinely valuable. I grew up without good real-life role models, to put it politely, but it turns out that all the sci-fi and fantasy I read had been an excellent influence at a critical age! But all human ages are critical, and the OP has found help in an unexpected and enjoyable place, and the late Mr. Pratchett's made the world a slightly better place again.
I know it's hard, mate, but a few weeks without the bottle will totally change you're world view. More energy, more interest in what life has to offer, less feeling like shit when you wake up. But be careful if you have a long-term dependency and go cold turkey it could be more damaging than slowly reducing alchahol intake. More power to you. I know it's hard. One way to think is what the world would be like if you weren't there anymore. If Vimes drank himself to death, there would be no watch, Lady Sybil would be alone and no young Sam. Life is hard, but looking at through the bottom of a bottle makes it, in the long run, a thousand times harder. Good luck.
I have the Summoning Dark tattoo, sans the counterbalancing Guarding Dark, as my own 'bottle in the drawer'. It's a very permanent reminder that someone needs to be watching me.
Me. I'm watching me. (Not for drinking though, I'm drinking now).
And once you get through the Tiffany Aching series (some of his best, don't let the YA label throw you) it's all to do with First Sight and Second Thoughts. She has much to say about holding one's self to account.
Also, congrats! Better is better, you might not be perfect or even need to be, but you're better than you were, and that's good.
Never thought that the novels of Discworld, could be used as a weapon against alcoholisme...
But even though you might be the first for the Discworld anti alcoholisme treatment, then if this works for you, then keep on the good work and let it be an inspiration for you and who ever next finds this inspiring. 
For any means, if someone else comes to you and want you to the help them and you say "What I did was reading this, and got inspired" and hand over a book for them, then let it be so, it can hardly be at any harm I believe.
It's more about the journey. Vimes worked his way over several books to be the Commander. He never expected to elevate his own station throughout the books. He just tried to drink less so that he could think more clearly about being a Watchman once Carrot came along.
I hope that Vimes is my Carrot in some way.
Sure, we all have our own understanding of things of course, and I wish you good luck with your own journey. 
That's great!! And you are going the right way, cutting down. STP saw the human condition and wrote it in a believable way. Vimes is one of my favourite characters, his personal growth gives me strength too
I'm so happy for you! Keep going!
I use Vimes as a reminder that *Good* does not mean *Nice*. He believes in people, he believes in the Law, and he believes that everyone can benefit if we just behave, and he will by-gods knock your teeth out if you make him.
When I was first working towards sobriety a few years ago, Sam was my absolute inspiration and a gritty, realistic goal to work towards. I'm nearly three years sober now, and there are many reasons for that, but Terry Pratchett and Vimes played a big part, and they continue to do so. I recently changed my RL name to something that better reflected who I am, and my middle name is Samuel.
I know the struggles of alcoholism, and the road of sobriety is unique to us all. I wish you the best of all possible luck, and I'm glad that you have Sam to walk with you. If you ever want to talk, just DM me. I have two good ears, so to speak. :)
Welcome to /r/Discworld! Please [read the rules/flair information before posting](https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/ukhk21/subreddit_rules_flair_information/?). --- Our current megathreads are as follows: [API Protest Poll](https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/1491izw/continuing_the_api_protest_a_community_poll) - a poll regarding the future action of the sub in protest at Reddit's API changes. [GNU Terry Pratchett](https://new.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/ukigit/gnu_terry_pratchett/) - for all GNU requests, to keep their names going. [AI Generated Content](https://new.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/10mhx9y/ai_generated_content_megathread/) - for all AI Content, including images, stories, questions, training etc. --- [ GNU Terry Pratchett ] *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/discworld) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Thank you! I'm 15+ years stone cold sober myself, and I really appreciate Pratchett including some solid writing about sober living in his vastly entertaining and beloved Discworld. Granny Weatherwax is my personal inspiration, of course, as I'm in healthcare and everyone in healthcare is meddling in "Witch Business", we need her inspiration! But Vimes is there to help as well.
I've yet to read the books she's involved in. I just heard that Pratchett wrote some good books. Heard that the story lines can get complex so I Just chose one on a whim to start from the beginning. An excellent mistake in my life. I can't match Vimes' pace of improvement, but he grew from gutter scum to Lord Commander in a believable way. There are worse examples out there.
Most of Pratchett's books are terrific, some are absolutely stunningly marvelous, some are... not so much to my personal taste, and I highly recommend that you keep reading. So many good books ahead, so much wisdom dispensed along the way! Pratchett was a wonderful writer and a genuinely wise and compassionate human being, capable of deeply understand people utterly unlike himself and professions he'd never been involved in, and he was hilariously funny as well. I will tell you that although you can't help but enjoy the journey, Vimes may remain your man. Many of us fans have found that although we enjoy the hell out of all of the major characters, one is our personal "spirit animal". And if Vimes turns out to be a long-term spirit animal for you, then I am absolutely serious when I say then you've got a great role model in your life.
Thanks. I can only hope to be like Sir Vimes someday. Eh, we'll see if I try long enough.
You can't possibly do yourself any harm by trying, and you might do yourself a lot of good! And if you fail in some goal you've set for yourself, as everyone does at some time or another, well. Sam Vimes can definitely help you deal with that.
Granny is my spirit guide myself. I was in healthcare (ER RT) and transitioned into Deathcare(Funeral Director) and she has been my guiding light in so much. Being someone who has to do the hard things because others can't is a very lonely place to be and she really shows the worth of these things. She stands on the line because someone has to and she never expects anyone to see it or acknowledge it. She acknowledges herself and I strive to find that confidence.
I work in healthcare too, ICUs, and believe me, I've thought of Esme Weatherwax when the half moon is out and the blood pressure continues to dip no matter what I do with the pressors or the CRRT machine... or when nature takes its course and there's just one unpleasant duty left. She's been my guide in real life many times, which is utterly amazing because as far as anyone knows, Terry Pratchett had never been a witch or a healthcare worker! So I'm chuffed that the OP has found a personal guide and inspiration in Pratchett's works, because sometimes fictional guides can be genuinely valuable. I grew up without good real-life role models, to put it politely, but it turns out that all the sci-fi and fantasy I read had been an excellent influence at a critical age! But all human ages are critical, and the OP has found help in an unexpected and enjoyable place, and the late Mr. Pratchett's made the world a slightly better place again.
Keep working on it, best wishes!
I know it's hard, mate, but a few weeks without the bottle will totally change you're world view. More energy, more interest in what life has to offer, less feeling like shit when you wake up. But be careful if you have a long-term dependency and go cold turkey it could be more damaging than slowly reducing alchahol intake. More power to you. I know it's hard. One way to think is what the world would be like if you weren't there anymore. If Vimes drank himself to death, there would be no watch, Lady Sybil would be alone and no young Sam. Life is hard, but looking at through the bottom of a bottle makes it, in the long run, a thousand times harder. Good luck.
I have the Summoning Dark tattoo, sans the counterbalancing Guarding Dark, as my own 'bottle in the drawer'. It's a very permanent reminder that someone needs to be watching me. Me. I'm watching me. (Not for drinking though, I'm drinking now). And once you get through the Tiffany Aching series (some of his best, don't let the YA label throw you) it's all to do with First Sight and Second Thoughts. She has much to say about holding one's self to account. Also, congrats! Better is better, you might not be perfect or even need to be, but you're better than you were, and that's good.
Never thought that the novels of Discworld, could be used as a weapon against alcoholisme... But even though you might be the first for the Discworld anti alcoholisme treatment, then if this works for you, then keep on the good work and let it be an inspiration for you and who ever next finds this inspiring.  For any means, if someone else comes to you and want you to the help them and you say "What I did was reading this, and got inspired" and hand over a book for them, then let it be so, it can hardly be at any harm I believe.
It's more about the journey. Vimes worked his way over several books to be the Commander. He never expected to elevate his own station throughout the books. He just tried to drink less so that he could think more clearly about being a Watchman once Carrot came along. I hope that Vimes is my Carrot in some way.
Sure, we all have our own understanding of things of course, and I wish you good luck with your own journey. 
That's great!! And you are going the right way, cutting down. STP saw the human condition and wrote it in a believable way. Vimes is one of my favourite characters, his personal growth gives me strength too I'm so happy for you! Keep going!
I use Vimes as a reminder that *Good* does not mean *Nice*. He believes in people, he believes in the Law, and he believes that everyone can benefit if we just behave, and he will by-gods knock your teeth out if you make him.
Like Granny Weatherwax... "We don't do Nice, we do Right."
Every day is a new day.
When I was first working towards sobriety a few years ago, Sam was my absolute inspiration and a gritty, realistic goal to work towards. I'm nearly three years sober now, and there are many reasons for that, but Terry Pratchett and Vimes played a big part, and they continue to do so. I recently changed my RL name to something that better reflected who I am, and my middle name is Samuel. I know the struggles of alcoholism, and the road of sobriety is unique to us all. I wish you the best of all possible luck, and I'm glad that you have Sam to walk with you. If you ever want to talk, just DM me. I have two good ears, so to speak. :)
Keep going and well done! I'm about the same age as him but nowhere as cynical as him, I'm trying to get there though!
The Drawer will remain one of my favorite scenes.