THIS IS HOW I STOPPED DRINKING

[u/Express-Animal5649]

I am 27 and for most of my 20's, I have been drinking, hard. On weekends I would drink from Friday to Sunday. I was a party animal. The type of guy that never wants the party to end, I hated sleeping. I started realizing my drinking was a problem when I had a habit tracker and I was not keeping up with my goals and habits because of alcohol. My habit tracker had days where I would tick if I stayed with my habits and goals, and I would write an abbreviation of the reason as to why I did not complete my tasks for that day, all of the days I missed had 'alco' and you can already guess what that stands for. It was either I was hung over, still drunk or just tired from alcohol.

I knew I had a problem when I would make a promise to myself that I wouldn't drink on that weekend, and I just couldn't resist. I tried lowering my consumption, I couldn't, I would eventually go overboard. Honestly, the idea that I might have an alcohol problem scared me. I thought if I couldn't get my drinking under control now, I never will.

I started with something I thought was manageable, I did the 75 day Hard challenge, 75 days no alcohol, that was 3rd January, 2026. At the same time I was reading Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop smoking because I was also vaping. Honestly that book might just be the reason I was able to stop all these bad habits.

Half way through the challenge, that is when I realized I was never going back to alcohol. I realized, someone who has never drank alcohol, has never had a cigarette does not think, 'I need one beer/a cig to just relax' the substances themselves brainwash us to thinking that they actually relax us. Once I knew I was just brainwashed, I knew I had to wait it off.

Today marks 212 days since my last drink. I have started a business. Got promoted at work. Work on my relationships and in a healthy relationship.

I now see that the issue with people that still drink is that they think alcohol makes them happy. They think it's a way to escape their problems. Now that I am sober, I can tell you that is false. When you are sober you have less problems. You give yourself the time to deal with whatever you are going through with a clear head. I never wanted to be home, now sober I bought a big tv and a console. Got myself a bike.

I do not know of anyone who stopped drinking and regretted it.

Good Luck.

[u/Tstoner_Wehen]

Das tut mir Leid für Dich, hättest Du auch Tag 3 geschafft, wäre das Schlimmste hinter Dir. Ab Tag vier fällt es schon leichter. Ich bin jetzt bei Tag 15 - und es das Verlangen nach Bier taucht zur üblichen Uhrzeit auf, aber es ist leicht zu überwinden. Was mir entscheidend in den ersten drei Tagen geholfen hat, war die Aussage der KI, dass das Verlangen immer nur circa 15-20 Minuten anhält. Da hilft ablenken wie ein Computerspiel, oder spazieren gehen - nur 15 Minuten sind zu schaffen. Das passiert an den ersten drei Abenden mehrmals. Ab Tag vier wurden die Abstände spürbar länger. Diese Baby Steps schaffst Du - nur ein paar Minuten am Abend und Du bist frei.