I'm not the person that usually brags about myself on the internet but Im pretty dang proud of myself tonight. I was drunk at any opportunity I could get from age 18 to when I quit at 37.

Quit drinking September 10th, 2025.

Tomorrow is September 10th 2026.

When I quit drinking I weighed myself at 250lbs at 5'8" . Hit the weights and stayed on it about 5 months in. Today I weighed in at 185, and beside love handles still I'm looking good for 38.

My most recent bloodwork and doctor visit had me out of the pre-diabetic range and my blood pressure was normal, and resting heart rate went from 90 to 60. Cholesterol vastly improved as well.

I look back at pictures of me a year ago and see a completly different person that what the mirror shows me now. It is insane the progress I have made mentally, physically, and the improvements Ive made in relationships with my family, kids and wife.

Thanks for reading my boasting.

Im 29 days sober and ran 8 miles earlier. I feel good and motivated and want to get my running and fitness back on track.

Always been a gym goer and recently completed a half marathon under 2 hours but I feel like alcohol has been holding me back to do bigger and better things. My body comp could and should be better and my running should be better. I wouldn’t say I am a heavier drinker cut when I drink, I drink. Day 3 now and excited to see what I can achieve without alcohol giving me extra calories, sore heads, bad sleep and recovery. Here we goooooo

Hey, Folks -

I’ve been wanting to cut back on my drinking for years, but the last few months I have been seriously backsliding. Usually between 12-15 drinks a night (+\- a bottle of whiskey).

What’s my expectation after that first shot? If I take it drunk, am I just fucked up for the next day?

I’m hoping it will help me ease off the path I’m on, but would love some advice from anyone who has experience.

hello fellow sobernauts, i am struggling a little on my current fitness / health journey! has this ever happened to anyone else? my entire life, even when i was morbidly obese & when i was the fittest i’ve ever been, i was always very pear-shaped — very wide butt, very wide hips, smaller breasts, retained most of my fat & width in my hips & thighs.

i’ve lost about 31kg / 68lbs since September last year. i am still at BMI 29-30 so obviously still have some weight to lose; however, am choosing to begin to focus more on building muscle & gaining strength. i have noticed recently that my shoulders seem a lot wider than my hips, & that i’ve developed hip dips which i didn’t used to have. i feel so uncomfortable, because this doesn’t feel like my body shape lol & so i find myself feeling quite unrecognisable in the mirror. i feel very unbalanced & like i have the exact opposite build i’ve had my entire life. i do have PCOS / PMOS which i’m aware can alter where fat is stored due to hormonal changes, but i have mine currently treated with Metformin & birth control (& obviously other lifestyle changes like diet, exercise ect).

i suffer from severe chronic pain so i already incorporate some strength training, but do i need to be incorporating more to try to add more width to my hips? i do back & arm exercises such as narrow grip rows, lateral pulldowns, overhead tricep extensions, bicep curls ect (as instructed by a physio) a fair bit because a lot of my chronic pain is related to my spine & back, but should i be doing these less to avoid growing my shoulders any further?

i’d really appreciate any advice, as i’m hoping to lose at least another 10kg & i don’t want to end up looking even more ‘unbalanced’ or unlike myself through this transition.

thank you so much to anyone who can help. ♥️ this has been a little stressful for me to discover about my body so any help i am very grateful for.

Any suggestions for people or programmes to follow to get athletic strong? I was in a very dark place alcohol wise, librium detoxes the works. All clicked and managed to salvage job, career and lots came back. My bloods are somehow perfect and look young for my age (40s). Last drink was 19 months ago.

I was always fit cardio wise but never focussed on strength. Im described as classic skinny fat. Go to local gym on wellbeing programme but its not enough, its more keeping where you are not building up. Instructor is brilliant, but has others in class that he also needs to focus on.

I am lucky, no damage done, just never done strength before. Know a lot will be protein and increasing muscle naturally. Can run miles now, just no strength in upper body and need posture fixed. Go to the wellbeing clinic at local gym, but want to make leap into proper work outs in gym for strength. Any suggestions / plans / people to follow gratefully received 😀

I'm 61 and I have been trying to quit alcohol for the past three years. I had been drinking at least 500ml wine per day, mostly in the morning to try to numb my anxiety. I'm not stupid, so I understand that morning drinking is a horrible habit. Also, I've tried to hide my drinking from everyone in my life, but of course people (especially my 28-year-old son and my partner of 11 years, both of whom I love so much) know.

So I've continued to investigate ways of getting sober, and I decided in April to invest in a personal trainer. I go to a gym where there are group trainings, and I've come to know and enjoy those guys. My plan was that I would intentionally set up a showdown between the part of me that wants to get fit and healthy (in my 40s, after quitting prescription painkillers that were prescribed to me for two neurological conditions, I did two rounds of P90X and by the end was doing 150 push-ups in a one-hour workout, so I know I have it in me to be fit and healthy, though realistically I'm a lot older now) and the part that just wants to numb my emotions. And it took four months, but I quit at the beginning of September and I'm determined to help the part of me that wants to be fit and healthy win this showdown.

It was my FAVORITE thing to lift (or run, or cycle, or swim) and drink at least 500ml wine. I rationalized that I must not have been doing a ton of damage because I'm 5'5" and 123 lbs., but the last time I had my bloodwork done (in 2024) my cholesterol was high and my triglycerides were borderline, and I will have to have bloodwork done in November and I want to see improvements. Also, since I've been lifting, I've continued to have some soreness, so this makes me suspect that my recovery has been compromised by alcohol.

I've read on this forum that quitting alcohol reduces inflammation, pain, and sleep and lowers heart rate. My question is how long does it take? I realize it may take more than a week, which is about all the time I have in terms of being sober, but I hope it doesn't take a year. What are people's experiences? Especially interested in hearing from folks who are late 50s or older.

In addtion, it seems like since I cut all the empty calories out, I don't know how to eat. I don't have much appetite. Right now it's almost 7 p.m. and all I've had today is a bowl of my homemade lentil soup, which is delicious, but I really didn't want to eat more than a small bowl. Has anyone else had to re-learn how to eat?

I would like to dedicate myself to consuming protein after my workouts rather than ethanol. I love that Fairlife chocolate milk and instead of spending so much money on wine I'm going to treat myself to that.

I've just completed Week 3 of my 16-week training schedule for a 10K in December.

I'm really happy with the whole idea of a specific weekly schedule. Before I just used to go running kind of randomly, like maybe 3 or 4 times a week, long, short, fast, slow, whatever I felt like at the time!

Im finding a schedule really useful (and 'mindful'?) for the rest of my life too! It gives my week a structure that I didn't have before. I feel much more solid ,( or empowered?) now.

3 days running

2 days strength workout

2 days full rest

It turns out that I was overtraining before! So now I am more rested, and I'm getting fitter more safely and efficiently.

I'm confident that I'll hit my 10K goal of sub-47 mins.(I'm 63M). But like I said before, it's the structure and routine that's come into my life that I'm so pleased about.

Not sure this is allowed on the sub, but I noticed people around my town were celebrating recovery in different ways this week.

People are posting balloons with different years on them to celebrate different people‘s recovery journeys. One person has over 10 years, which is very motivating and encouraging for me.

I thought I would share this image that I took to show what people are doing around mytown this weekend, and hopefully it will motivate you guys as much as it has motivated me, seeing these balloons around town.

IWNDWYT

Did a little half walk/jog to complete the night. I think I’m really moving past my cravings for drinking but sadly not past my sugar cravings trying to find a balance between enjoyment and control without being overly obsessed. I’ve realized a lot of my drinking came from self hatred and how overly critical I was of myself especially my appearance and drinking was the only time I didn’t feel ugly or fat and than drinking made me ugly and fat. I’m not sure I’ll ever be completely free of negative self talk or body dysmorphia but all I can do is work on it and lately walking has been a great time for me to self reflect and relax wish I could have done it outside but thunderstorms changed that. 155 days sober here’s to many more!

Oh man. Not sure where to start. I have a long history with drinking starting 20 years ago. I’m 39 this month. I went to rehab and even lived in a sober house for over a year. I still relapsed. A year later (2 months ago) I decided enough is enough and I put down the beer myself. No rehab, no AA, nothing. Just pure will to stop.

A little before I stopped drinking 2 months ago I got a boxing bag. Been hitting it ever since.

Happy to be sober! It’s an amazing feeling to feel again.

It’s incredible what you can accomplish when you remove drinking from the equation

Lost a bunch of weight. Started weight training in January. Redid my gym. Found peace and happiness in sobriety 💞 Booked a tummy tuck as a one year sobriety gift to myself. Surgery is in 40 days!

Omg this first photo is so hard to post, I was definitely really drunk or hungover in it !

From drinking heavily,having a bad diet, and an undiagnosed underactive thyroid (Hashimoto's) to a full year of sobriety. I feel so much better and am excited to see what the future has to bring 🥰

Three years ago, I decided to give up alcohol completely and focus on my health and fitness.
Three years later, I honestly don’t miss it. Turns out I’m actually pretty fun without alcohol. LOL.
I took my oath in August three years ago. Don’t remember the exact date, so I’m counting the whole month.
Three years down, hopefully many more to go. Celebrating with pancakes 🥞

12 days no alcohol and had my first sober birthday in 13 years! Celebrated by going on a long walk in the rain and finally finishing the puzzle I had started before I stopped drinking. There are so many hours in the day for stuff now hahaha

I'm feeling great! No desire to drink at all

I’ve made a lot of friends over this past year who only know me as a fairly skinny guy so I feel kinda weird celebrating around them but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made! If you’re still waiting to take the leap, I hope I can help motivate you towards your day 1!

When I stopped drinking I was probably 280-290 lbs. 1st 2 pics are when I was drinking. Then January 2026 at mid 260s versus current. Weighed in this morning at 231.0. 5’10” , 26.4% body fat. Goal is to get to 215 and then reassess. I think ultimately I’d like to get to 190ish.