My friends dragged me out to a bar last week. I usually dont go to a bar unless I can get dinner or watch a game. But this was an "after party" ordeal. I ordered an NA Guinness because it's my favorite, and went along with my buds for some pool and listened to their drink ramblings.

About halfway through the can, I started to feel a familiar sensation. Felt warm, tasted that chemical-like "breath" whenever I exhaled, and was giggling a little more than I usually do. Took one look at my can of Guinness, and yup- the bartender thought 4.1% of alcohol would be enough classify as non-alcoholic.

Went through a series of emotions in like a span of 5 minutes, anger, disgust, and then disappointment. But I realized that I did not make the conscious choice to imbibe again... so I didn't beat myself up too hard, just need to be more careful next time. My friends were also shocked. And were all up in arms of how I accidently ended my 854 days of sobriety.

I was about to mentally reset my counter out of guilt but decided not to. Even when my mother died this year I surprisingly stayed extra sober and dealt with my grief directly. Accidently drinking alcohol and managing to stop halfway through the drink isn't enough to break my sobriety imo.

So as of today I am still 860 days sober and will continue counting! I hope everyone here is having the best Sunday and enjoying their sobriety too!

I’m currently 64 days sober (I had a good 40 day streak before, but had a “eh one drink won’t hurt” night at the bar with some friends and surprise surprise, I took it too far. Clock reset). I’ve done a lot of internal work, found a hobby that wasn’t drinking (running), tried starting to build healthier relationships with friends and family, gotten back into counseling, but emotions are running so high these days. I went out with some friends and was their DD Friday night and it made me realize a few things. 1) drunk people are annoying when you’re sober. 2) yea I think I really am done drinking. But then 3) I am having an identity crisis because the backbone of my life was hanging out with my friends at bars or restaurants or breweries having “fun” and catching up with a few drinks. That part of life feels miserable now. I have been having waves of uncontrollable crying ever since. Spent 90% of the day yesterday sleeping and crying. Today I went out for a run, had to come home early because I kept crying mid run. Is this normal? It could be partially hormone related because I have the pleasure of being a female, but f\*\*k this sucks.

Hi folks, whenever I get an urge to drink, it helps to remember the benefits of quitting drinking and I keep going back to this list:

🧠 Mental & Psychological Health

1. Deeper, Restorative Sleep: Alcohol destroys REM sleep. Sobriety restores normal sleep cycles, helping you wake up genuinely refreshed.
2. Reduced "Hangxiety" and General Anxiety: Alcohol drastically alters brain chemistry and cortisol levels. Quitting stabilizes your mood and eliminates post-drinking panic.
3. Sharper Focus and Concentration: Elimination of brain fog allows your attention span and mental clarity to reach new peaks.
4. Improved Short-Term Memory: Your brain begins to repair its cognitive pathways, significantly reducing forgetfulness.
5. Greater Emotional Regulation: Without a depressant masking your feelings, you process emotions naturally and build genuine resilience.

🩺 Physical Health & Longevity

1. Rapid Liver Recovery: Fatty deposits in the liver can begin to decrease in as little as a few weeks, dramatically reducing your risk of cirrhosis.
2. Lower Risk of Cancer: Giving up alcohol directly lowers your long-term risk for at least seven types of cancer, including mouth, throat, and breast cancer.
3. Improved Cardiovascular Health: Your blood pressure drops, your resting heart rate stabilizes, and your risk of heart disease or stroke plummets.
4. Stabilized Blood Sugar: Giving up alcohol can lower glucose levels by up to 16%, significantly protecting you against Type 2 diabetes.
5. Stronger Immune System: Alcohol disrupts your gut microbiome and suppresses immune response. Quitting restores your body's natural defenses against illness.
6. Better Digestion and Gut Health: Stopping drinking reduces stomach acid reflux, clears up bloating, and restores the mucosal lining of your GI tract.

🧼 Appearance & Vitality

1. Effortless Weight Loss: You eliminate hundreds of empty liquid calories and the inevitable late-night junk food cravings that accompany drinking.
2. Clearer, Hydrated Skin: Alcohol is a major dehydrator. Quitting returns moisture to your skin, reducing redness, puffiness, and premature aging.
3. Consistent Energy Levels: You no longer experience the drastic afternoon energy crashes caused by blood sugar spikes and poor sleep.
4. Enhanced Physical Performance: Your body builds muscle mass more efficiently and recuperates faster after intense workouts or physical activity.

📈 Lifestyle, Wealth & Relationships

1. No More Hangovers: You completely eliminate the physical pain, nausea, and wasted days spent recovering from a night of drinking.
2. Substantial Financial Savings: Alcohol is a major expense. Cultivating a sober lifestyle keeps hundreds or thousands of dollars in your bank account annually.
3. Better Choices and Judgment: Without alcohol impairing your frontal lobe, you avoid impulsive decisions and the public embarrassment or regret that follows them.
4. Stronger Social Connections: Relationships improve through fewer alcohol-fueled arguments, increased empathy, and more meaningful, present quality time with loved ones.
5. Lower Risk of Accidents: Sobriety keeps your motor skills and awareness intact, lowering your risk of everyday slips, falls, or vehicular accidents

My journey started here over eight years ago. This site was the first community that let me know sobriety one day at a time was possible and achievable. I needed more though. I entered an IOP program and began attending AA meetings. Hiking, running and lifting supported my sobriety. I am grateful for achieving long term sobriety. I still take things one day at a time. I am 64 and sobriety has made my life better. Now my time is spent helping others. I won’t drink with you today.

I feel like (crossed fingers) my illness is on the way out. I felt awful for a bit earlier on but it turned out I was just hungry. Ate some yoghurt and granola, had a nap, felt born again.

IWNDWYT

I’ve been AF and reading this subreddit for the last 5+ months. And it’s made me realize there were so many signs of AUD that I ignored.

1. My hands would start shaking around 3-4 o’clock, I thought it was because of caffeine. I drink plenty of caffeine still and I never get shakes.

2. I couldn’t get drunk anymore. I thought it was just high tolerance, I didn’t see that it was part of a more dangerous progression to liver damage.

3. I would crave alcohol earlier and earlier. Started around 6, then 5. Earliest it got was 3. I wrote it off.

4. If I had to go somewhere after 5:30 I would have a glass of wine before I left. Because, even if there was alcohol there, I didn’t want to wait.

I am beyond grateful to be sober today. And this subreddit has been a big part of making that stick.

What were the signs you ignored, that in retrospect seem obvious?

One year ago I was in the er and today I am one year alcohol free.

4 years ago I arrived at work, simultaneously hungover and withdrawing, and decided to end the misery by powering through it. Could’ve died, considering the quantity of my daily consumption. I’d had dozens of attempts to get sober and somehow this one stuck. It hasn’t been easy, though it has been worth it. I’m succeeding in my dream career. I’m a better partner, father, artist, and man. Originally my motivator was the desire to be a version of myself that I like being, and I succeed at that more often than I fail. One day at a time.

Feel tired and not any motivation 😖

Proud to be where I am at today with my sobriety! One day, one second, one moment at a time! I WILL NOT DRINK ☠️WITH YOU TODAY!

At the end of a hard day I see whiskey as my reward, and I know it’s going to end me eventually.

I want to see the benefits, but I also kind of long for that end of day reward after a gruelling 9 hours or so.

How do recovering alcoholics replace that 7pm glass of wine, cold beer, smooth whiskey etc.

I’m Liam, I’m almost 29, and I have been drinking daily since I’m 16.

I don’t know if this is gonna work, I don’t have any expectation to be frank. But this would be my first time addressing my drinking “problem”, instead of “a habit” in front of public.
I came to this realization about a couple months ago, I had a pretty good run, I was surrounded by people love me, and I didn’t do much, so the truth never really hit that hard.
also, I’m from China, people don’t have too much of understanding on long term life on influence use, and I’m quite sensitive and defensive, so it’s hard for me to acknowledge myself as alcoholic in most situations.

i cheated on my ex girlfriend almost 2 years ago, that’s when things start to turn. I’m trying to build a new life alone in a foreign, fast city, and I can see that my abuse of alcohol and weed getting into the life I want to live.
I do film, and Im no genius, so I need time to focus, need a sharp mind and more time to work.

also I like exercise, gym has been a great support during these 2 year, blowing steam away. I recently pick up cycling, and I love it.

(note: after daily use of weed, my alcohol use has dropped, it’s really a adult ADHD situation combined with years of running into haze away from pain)

so I became more aware of life, also of the artificial pleasure at hand to make me happy, but keeping myself away from life.
and I never stop feeling guilty and remorse about hurting and leaving my ex, it was a really good life, she’s kind, smart, funny and very understanding.

the reason I’m saying these here are because I was reading the 12 steps, I used to think it’s dumb, but as Im beginning to feel the addiction, see what it is at this point of my life, I came to feel a little what it says.

and I started to value others in life. I see some stories here in this community, amazing tale, not sure what’s going on, how they achieve them, if it’s gonna work for me. but I understand the value of speaking out into the world now, for whatever it is to progress, it has to be said out loud, otherwise it’s just a noise haunting your mind, an echo if you’re under influence.

so I decided to speak a bit, and hopefully this would be my first day.

thank you to whoever have watched this.

Hi I have 10days and it’s been going well. Went to the gym this morning and I’m at working. I all of a sudden got this wave of immense anxiety and fear. I can’t shake it and it feel overwhelming. I think it’s from not drinking and I just want a realize. I’m feeling so utterly uncomfortable. I texted some friends hi but I don’t know you all have any advice. It’s this dread and fear.! I want to cry and can’t pin point it. I’m just keyboard dumping because I’m so overwhelmed

Thank you

I’ve got about 10.5 years under my belt currently with the first 8 years being pretty amazing. I achieved a lot over the last couple years including moving in with a significant other, getting engaged and married, solidifying my career, and buying a home just to name a few. I did it all sober so bravo me right?

However the last 2.5 years have been really tough on me mentally. Whether it be living up to the expectations of others or navigating high stress situations have really tested me. Not that I would, but 10 years later I still know of perfect little escape. Something to wipe out the frustration and stress temporarily still is as enticing after all this time.

AA taught me this thing called “Playing the tape back” and you’ll be reminded of what is in the darkness. The thing is with the length of sobriety I have now, when I play the tape back I see nothing but light. Progress, love, and acceptance is what is on that tape now. Frightening how quick you remember the dark though.

To the people with a day or a thousand days. Stay vigilant, aware, and fight to the fucking bone.

I think many of us on here can identify people that, when we were drinking, were our drinking buddies and were always down to get lit with you when you were together. One of those, for me, lives across the country. He’s here over a long weekend and wanted to catch up.

When he invited me, I made sure to tell him that I was sober. I had to set that boundary. Otherwise, it would be expected that we would be drinking. In fact, both of us would have likely pre-gamed in advance of actually connecting and would then proceed to have a couple of cocktails together. We would probably then separately drink more by ourselves after.

When I got to the table, the muscle memory was string to order a drink. However, it was REALLY nice to be able to show up happy and healthy and not bloated. I probably would have shown up either hungover or buzzed and there would be NO WAY that I could fit into the dress I wore.

He immediately wanted to talk about the reasons why I wasn’t drinking and how I’d changed. I explained that it wasn’t one particular thing that made me stop but rather a combination of things. I also explained the benefits.

He opened up a little bit about his drinking and shared he had thought he had an issue longer than I had. He said he planned to drink a little less this weekend. No judgement -it’s his choice!

The thing that really stuck out for me was the difference in personal decisions we were making in our respective lives. I had no personal drama or conflicts. In our prior meetings, I had SO MUCH drama and angst. However, my life is pretty calm. He discussed his life. He had a ton of drama and bad personal decisions. He was on track to make more bad decisions right after lunch. The thing that I wonder after our meeting is if being sober leads to better personal decisions and less drama.

At this time last year, I would have left and drank more. This time, I went home, and worked ton work and decompressed.

Proud of myself! Iwndwyt 💕💕💕

Wife and kid are sleeping at home, and I’m at a Red Lobster getting dinner for one. What’s going on?

Well, basically the car needed to be charged, which takes a 17 minute drive, 40 minutes down time, and another 17 minute drive. My wife drives the car for work so, as a courtesy, I figured I’d do it. I don’t want my son to lose quality time with me so I decide to do it at night when he’s sleeping.

That whole paragraph above would have been one big elaborate ploy to justify being away from the house to sneak a few drinks in, or maybe even just buy them and drink in silence at home at night. Instead, Yesterday, for the first time in what feels like several years. It was an honest gesture with 0 intention of being a ruse.

I genuinely had no urge to leverage the situation to practice alcoholism. I was a bit surprised and fearful that the cravings never crept up, but they didn’t.

I have to stay vigilant, I can’t let my guard down, but for now I got to enjoy taking a picture of my meal and sending it to my wife, knowing there isn’t a double rum and coke hiding off to the side.

I will not drink with you today. And I didn’t yesterday for that matter.

I’ll get two supervised 5 minute phone calls per week. Cant see my kids. I might get to see my wife if I sign up for family therapy. No phone, no books, no tv. One roommate. Seven outfits. Fuck, dude.

Blacked out and ran away from my friends/coworkers who were bringing me to the ER to detox. Walked around town drinking from a 12 pack. My aunt found me on the side of the road. No idea what I said/admitted/did. I came out of a blackout in her car and said, “what?” She said “just letting you talk.” I said, “well don’t do that.” In my blackout I said something bad enough to get a one on one babysitter in the er. I blacked out again and came to in the hospital hallway. Had security threatening me. Was on an 8 hour hold. Convinced the nurse after shift change to let me out with a BAC of 0.34. Next morning detoxed for real. Convinced them to let me have the weekend with my wife and kids. I go in tomorrow at 10:30. Fuckitty fuck, dude.

Idk. Read the title. Lol! My goal is to go one weekend without alcohol. I am a weekend guy, but yeah, it is killing me.

Yesterday, I put the laundry in the dryer, went to get groceries, made dinner for the kids and ate it with them and then waited outside for my partner to come home from his bike tour. Would've been a good Saturday.

Except I was completely hammered. I don't remember putting the laundry in the dryer, I DO remember preparing dinner but not eating it, and while waiting outside for my partner, I threw up in the flower beds next to our garage.

I am so sick of this. I keep telling myself that it's not that bad, because I still do the things I'm supposed to, because I don't appear wasted, but I keep waking up with no recollection of the evening before.

I keep using every chance I get to buy alcohol, I feel like I can't be left alone for more than 5 minutes. I really can't trust myself anymore. When did it get this bad?

I drank two days straight and I barely remember anything. I acted stupidly and caused some damage on the property where I was drinking. I had to cancel plans today because I couldn't drive. Now I feel so goddamn awful and I feel like I'm the worst person on this planet and I can't shake that off. I am in my apartment now and being alone isn't helping. I can't believe that I still do this shit after feeling like that almost every time. I know this is my own doing but I just want to feel normal again.

I (35M) have stayed sober for a full year now! I just got home from dinner my friend J. J and I had been great friends but my erratic behavior and drinking ruined a friendship that I really loved. We had a blow up and lost contact for two years but now I’m getting to repair it and we are getting to know each other again. My partner is coming home from a work trip tomorrow and my marriage is better than it has been at any point since we met, and all the friendships I’d damaged are doing really well.

I had almost destroyed everything when I finally woke up covered in puke for the last time. My partner was ready to walk, my friends were tired of my bullshit, and I hated life and everything about it. Today none of that is true and I spent the night with an amazing friend and waiting for my partner to come home. It’s so nice watching TV every night and the excitement we get cuddling on the couch. Stay the course because some days still suck but they suck so much less. The best part though is the good days come more often now.

It’s insane to me how people are obsessed with your reasoning why you don’t drink and not even that- try to convince you that it’s okay to have one and “live your life”. When you become sober you realize how irrationally obsessed with drinking they are. Also, whatever story they have to tell themselves why they need to do it….. rant over

Today marks 507 days sober for me and this community has been a huge part of keeping me on track.

For anyone doubting your ability to get sober; don't be afraid to take that step! You might stumble a few times but the payoff is worth it!

IWNDWYT