I honestly don’t know when the last time I made it to day five was. Usually day 3 or 4 is my limit. & the I’m back to beer, music, & tv. The Hub’s did buy me some as that’s kind of my usual time frame (he don’t drink) but I chose to say that I wasn’t drinking. Got into some pjs & ate some pizza. Since all that I have been watching Christmas movies on Disney+.

12am on the dot I will hit my 5 day mark & I’m super excited!! I didn’t want to lose my streak & I am definitely looking forward to waking up feeling more refreshed & not sick or hungover. & defiantly don’t want to spend the whole day in the bed. Besides a shower & using the bathroom. Because that is exactly what would have happened.

I know that only I can make that call to drink or not. & I am so glad that I chose not to tonight. & I know me & know that if I wake up feeling even better then the day before that I am also less likely cause I will want to see the next day be even better that the previous.

Also, side note. I quit smoking a while back & Christmas Day will be my 4th month of no smoking 🚭 & I’d say that’s a pretty good present to give myself for someone who started at about 14yrs old & is in her late 30’s.

I don’t do vaping or weed. My time with weed was years ago. & I tried vaping 2x like 8yrs ago & it just wasn’t for me. So this drinking issue is the last to get the ✌🏻.

If you’ve read this far, Thank you. & also, IWNDWYT ❤️💚

I’ve been working at my company for 8 years, and I’m feeling absolutely terrible about what happened at our recent office holiday party. I drank way too much, to the point of blackout. It’s incredibly embarrassing because it’s not the first time I’ve gotten drunk to the point of being sick or passing out at a company event. I regret it deeply and know it was completely unprofessional.

The party was earlier this week, and now it’s Thursday. I’ve had conversations with my boss and HR since then, but they’ve only been about work-related matters. No one has mentioned the incident at all. I can’t stop worrying that they might be delaying firing me, possibly because some people are still out on vacation.

I feel so much anxiety and shame—I can barely think straight. I know my actions were wrong, and I’m scared for my job. Was I supposed to hear about it the next day if they were going to take action, or could they be gathering more evidence or waiting for the right time?

If anyone has been in a similar situation or has insight, I’d be grateful for your advice. How should I handle this? Should I address it directly or wait and see? Any tips on dealing with the anxiety in the meantime?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

As the title says. Lots of changes in my life are happening right now. All good things. But changes are difficult for me. Another child on the way. Moving to a new location. New job. Lots of new. Anxiety sets in as I’m sitting here watching football after the wife went to bed. Trying to process everything that’s going to happen soon and my thoughts have me craving alcohol. I’m not going to cave because I know it’ll only make things way worse. Decided to look back at all my old posts here and all the comments and encouragement I have received over the years. Grateful for this sub and all of you that are fighting the good fight. Stay strong friends.

I spent all evening on this sub receiving encouragement and support instead of drinking. I'm gonna be so happy in the morning because im not gonna feel like shit all day at work tomorrow and make it to day 11 👍 😁

If you’re looking to quit drinking, please do so with medical supervision. I personally quit 7 months ago. My health as well as my mental health has been the best it has been my entire life. My friend was only 33 when she tried to quit. She was tapering and then went cold turkey. Her symptoms were headache, vomiting, dizziness, shoulder pain, and her tongue felt strange. It seems she had a heart attack while she was detoxing. The symptoms for a woman having a heart attack are much different than men. I support you all and your endeavors to quit drinking but BE CAREFUL.

Hello stop drinking! Today I celebrate my 2 year sober date. I wanted to stop by and thank you all for being and for the support. Stop drinking is an amazing resource for those who are sober curious or for those who want to get sober. Early in my sobriety, I read the book the naked mind: Control Alcohol by Annie grace. This book along with this group were so helpful during that first week or two while I was getting off the sauce.
This time of year is SO HARD. We have so many opportunities to celebrate and to drink. Each and everyday day that I am sober is a gift. Instead of alcohol controlling my life, I made the decision to take control of my life. I can’t even begin to tell you all of the amazing benefits that I have received by simply deciding to stop drinking alcohol. I still stop by to read others stories and offer words of support. It serves as a great reminder of where I once was and it solidifies my choice to remind sober. Thank you all and I am looking forward to another year alcohol free!! IWNDWYT

Hi everyone, I posted on here 5 days ago saying I needed to stop drinking, then ended up getting really drunk last night. As a result, I slept through an exam. This has made me rethink a lot of things, and I’ve come to the conclusion that my addiction is deeply impacting my life. It’s led to me being more miserable than ever, not being able to cope, etc. Luckily, he let me make it up and all worked out, but the fact that I drank the night before an exam was idiotic. I was so stressed and i thought one drink would take the edge off, but one turned into 2, which turned into 3, and so on. I’m addicted ti getting drunk / binge drinking, and I’m also addicted to weed. I can’t go a day without one of the 2 substances, but that’s a sign that I need to work on my mental health. I want to get better. I want to feel like I can be happy without getting drunk or high. I don’t know how though. I’m extremely concerned about relapsing, especially with alcohol, since I find my self having extreme cravings of getting drunk that are super hard to control. Today is day one of being sober and working on my mental health.

I’m sober. I’ve been sober almost 6 years now. I’m a single mom and have no family (addiction is rampant in my family line). About a year ago I turned to AA to try and do sober better and to maybe make some friends. I can’t emphasize enough how tough it has been. The women have been clique-y in general and a couple have been downright mean. I dated 2 men in the program who were both dating/having sex with other women while we were together. I even made an AA woman a roommate and she’s sober but her behavior is erratic and sometimes a little too intense. Is this common for folks in AA or am I not doing it right?

Monday I didn’t drink at all. Tuesday, friends came over for dinner, and I had a 2 glasses of wine. Wednesday a work party with two there, and 1 with food when I came home.

As someone who recently would have a bottle of wine and cocktail (or more) every night, I’m feeling pretty good about occasional sober evenings and cutting back.

Tonight I had a small (less than full) glass of wine when cooking and switched to seltzer at dinner.

I told my partner that I was trying to do “off nights” and cut back. He responded with “So, Friday is going to be your off night then?” which felt like a leading, judgment, somewhat belittling question. I mentioned about how I’m cutting back and feeling good about it. And we then get into a fight about how - in his opinion - I’m constantly seeking praise. I told him that saying that, and the Friday comment hurt my feelings, that even these small steps are really hard I’m not feeling very supported.

He blows up, says he can never say the right thing, everything out of his mouth is wrong. And leaves to take space outside of our home.

I’m feeling lost. And hurt. And confused. I have a feeling this isn’t really about me. I know the holidays are an emotional time for both of us. That’s said, I DO want him to be a bit of a cheerleader for me through this. And it seems like too big of an ask….

How do ask your partner for the help you want? The praise and encouragement? And tell them that even little jokes and quips are damaging?

So we had it in a local pub, one I walk past every day. A small group but I was the only non-drinker. I've been back to a bar for a couple of hours for a mate's birthday for the first time last month and didn't drink, but it still gets a bit uncomfortable after a while.

Some folks stayed for one, some were clearly starting day drinking. I've been months sober but was sorely tempted, almost started shaking at one point with cravings. Went home as soon as was respectable and walked past my old local bar thinking IWNDWYT.

It's a step forwards, and there's no retreat. Drinking Arnold Palmers - as opposed to my old standby of a John Daly - felt like a win.

But I'm hoping the cravings finally end. I've got some cheat codes but I'd like to be able to enjoy company again without feeling that urge to drink - hopefully it will fade with time.

I'm home, stroking the cat, and feeling like progression has happened. Good luck to us all.

I am making this throwaway to talk about my relationship with alcohol, because my boyfriend found my actual account and we got into a very long and terrible fight because of it. It’s been months and I don’t think he’s still stalking my profile. I may talk about it on here another time, because it was both horrible but also more complicated than just “I drink, and he stalks my profiles.” We are in relationship therapy and communication is a very big deal for us, and this was at the beginning of 2024 that that specific event happened. I won’t digress right now though.

I go through cycles of saying I won’t drink, then drink heavy. I can’t drink without downing enough to black me out. I can’t sip, pace, or slowly savor my drinks like my friends can do.

On Sunday morning (I work night shift, so for me this is like drinking on a Friday night after the workweek) I drink almost half of a bottle of New Amsterdam within an hour, maybe hour and a half. My partner came home shortly after I drank all this, and said he found me gurgling and incoherent. Then I got 3 hours of sleep and spent the entire day half hungover and half still drunk, moving all my furniture with my family.

Yesterday my boyfriend and I got in a bad fight, and as much as I struggled and as frustrated as I was with the “same ol” cycling fights that we had, I did not drink. I did my best to follow my anger management procedures, took in consideration my heart symptoms and, while I did yell a few times, I quickly tried to calm down, take deep breaths and understand that this fight and the situation is just something that will be needed to get through, I can’t hide for it, and it’s not a danger to my life. Between my stress, hypertension, and mental disorders, it’s really hard some days. But I stuck through it this morning. And I woke up today with energy ready to hit the ground running to make it to the gym.

I am currently typing this on my rest breaks at the gym. I feel really happy about myself for not drinking this morning. No matter how bad the fight got, despite my meltdown (I am autistic, and meltdowns happen for complicated and sometimes no reason) and having still the remaining half of vodka in the fridge, I didn’t drink.

I will not drink with you today. I will continue this pattern. I want to be a part of this supportive community without being guilt tripped for seeking help or my struggling relationship with alcohol.

Thank you for reading.

So to give context, my job and career over the past 20 years have been taking me in various jobs and places. 3 years ago me and my wife moved to this beautiful country, good money, and new direction in the job. Life wise has been awesome but work has been terrible, toxic environment, socially excluded and so on. Took quite some strength to keep at it and keep my head above water. Last year I was pushed into a time bound role (a year) which I have enjoyed more than the first 2 years but still having that feeling of being undervalued, not respected and overall not fitting in. I am doing great though so had an opportunity to apply for a role as close as it’d get to a dream role, with enough change in the organization that I’d be away from toxicity. I went far in the process and almost got the role, but after 10 gruesome weeks, it ended up to a genuinely more deserving candidate. This means that at the end of my stint, I need a new job and my choices are to bet on myself and move on somewhere else or settle here, and I choose to bet on myself.

Got the news on Tuesday and felt that I was handling things well, with a sense of relief to close the doors on 3 tough years despite the fact that I’ll likely be unemployed for a while soon and not know what the next step is.

Now tonight, making a smoothie, I realize I don’t have strawberries and out of frustration tears came to my eyes. Along with that the thought of a drink. Been sober 4 months and have a full bar at home, and I haven’t and won’t touch it. But the thought was there. Looked for a can of pineapple and I can’t find the can opener. Tears coming up again. Thought of a sip of tequila.

So I went to the shop downstairs and bought my fruits, which won’t do much for the tears as am pretty sure my shortage of strawberries and misplacement of a can opener isn’t the reason for my sorrows, and a pack of non alcoholic beers. I’ll now make my smoothie and have a « beer » afterward, and enjoy being proud of ignoring the easy way out. One more day without drinking.

Sorry for the lack of sensationalism for that story, but I needed to share. I have my wife to talk about the life worries, but the thought of drinking isn’t the same to share with her (I did too though). Thanks to whoever read that, meanwhile one more day sober tonight.

Lets start AT the top Me and my mom went to get drinks Went home and saw 4x2.5mg lorazepam pills on the table took them immedietly(ik benzo and alcohol dont mix well) AT first it was like a mellow high the more i drank the better it got..... Till i blacked out dont remwmber a thing woke up in a jail cell they let me go home,when i got home family told me i went very violent tried to hit mu sister Multiple Times i missed fotunately my mother came between us and Broke it off i also swumg my katana aroumnd the House etc now my sister went to a friend's place because she got morrified i sinscirely hope my family forgives me For how i acted : i feel so hollow and guilty :(((

WHAT--SHOULD--I--DO ŅOW?

Dont mix alcohol with pills And drink responsibly or just dont

This is my story I Will respons to comments aawell Thanks For hearimg my story

I decided to do it everyone. I can't drink anymore, it's destroying me emotionally. It's making my depression worse.

I got rid of all the alcohol in my house, and packed away my fancy decanter and shot glasses. I promised myself I never want to feel this broken again.

But I'm so terrified of tomorrow, and the days that follow. I work in a liquor store, and I'm afraid the temptation will be more than I can take. I've determined myself to memorize the customers distress and use it as a reminder that I don't want to be like them. The shakes, puffy eyes, slurred speech, physical disabilities from bad nights. I don't want to be like that.

I've decided to take it day by day, and need to find a different job. It's terrifying not knowing how long it'll take to get out of that environment, what it will do to my sleep, how it'll affect my finances and how it will affect my body.

I could really use some words of wisdom from you guys right about now. Should I take vitamins, drink more water, exercise? I really want to quit once and for all.

That. Is. It. To feel alive again. I feel alive again. Not in the way alcohol made me feel, numb... Today I feel... Grounded, sane, alive and with it. I am so grateful and appreciative of MYSELF and my beliefs. Grateful and thankful for the people who have been cheering me on for years. Gratitude 🙏 Got a journey ahead but instead of dread, curiosity to see how it plays out. All will be revealed when the muddied waters become still 🔮🆒🙈

Hi crew, im 45M and 50 days in and I'm exhausted. I was drinking heavily since I was 15 at least 6 nights a week and now on day 50 and feeling pretty good about the decision to stop. BUT. I'm exhausted at the moment. I'm getting up early everyday walking 6-8km or doing a light workout, eating better than ever, sleeping like I've never slept before (family used to think I was an insomniac, turns out I was just a drunk), really kicking ass at work. My first 2 weeks sober.i had all the energy in the world and now im tired when I wake, tired at work, tired at home and am just falling into bed by 8 every night. Just curious if this has happened to others? I was thinking maybe getting my bloods done, or maybe I'm just tired from years of abuse? I really don't know. I'm a bit bummed by ut as first 2 weeks I was energetic an pumped, now at day 50 really struggling. Would love to hear your thoughts and a MASSIVE THANKYOU to all the people sharing on this group, it's been so much help starting to make this change.

I'm so proud of myself for making it 9 months with no alcohol, but, damn, these jeans are fitting just as tight as they always have 😭😭😭

I will continue to not drink with you all (or drop any pounds, apparently) with you today!

ps: I'm just having some fun here, I don't need you to explain to me how weight loss works

Made it a week as of today. Had an unfortunate relapse last week, but today is day 7 of being sober again.

Fought off the withdrawals and got back on my feet catching up on schoolwork and things. Need to finish a couple of papers over the weekend and then I have my last final of the semester on Monday. Therapy has been helping this happen less and less frequently. I'm hoping this time will be my time.

Just wanted to post about a small victory.

And my money actually lasts until the end of the month! This has not been an easy journey, But I feel so much better now. I really appreciate this sub and the support it gives me, thank you! 🙏😘

I don’t know what to do. I’m scared I’m just not capable of staying sober for very long in this state of my life. I’ll go a few days but there will be one day where my loneliness feels unlivable without alcohol. I’ll lose all my bearings and feel like there’s no reason to stick to any of my plans, like I just snap and can’t avoid breaking all of my promises, have no effort left. I’m so alone and there’s no one to see me change my mind. I’m terrified of people and in those moods meetings mean nothing to me: either they’re terrifying, effort-requiring torture I’m too weak to undertake, or they’re just nothing, not real socializing, not real relationships, not what I actually lack.

I feel split down the middle. I feel too broken for alcohol to break further. I’m not an “unfortunate” who can’t be honest with herself, but I’m honestly afraid I’m just too mentally broken or disabled to do what needs to be done to improve my life, which is the work of building an entire functional adult life from near scratch (friendships, relationships, job, lifestyle, habits, hobbies, any kind of inner emotional security). For lack of all that, alcohol is always there as an off-switch. I’m scared I just can’t escape this.

I'm 10 days sober today. Was a 12 pack a day for 15 years at least. Today at work was weird, felt anxious all day for no reason at all. On the way home my brain is telling me you need some drinks to relax. I found this sub about a week ago and it has helped me so much. I have learned so much about the addiction and it's affects you mentally and physically. You all are a big help so thank you all. If it wasn't for this sub I think I would be drinking right now.

Was doing pretty good last few weeks had a bad blackout night and now we restart. Gotta remind myself I can’t moderate

My god, I feel horrible.

I don't know what to say or do right now and I'm more embarrassed that I may have screwed up my friendship with one of my best friends.

I've had a difficult end to the year. My dad passed away exactly a month ago and my LDR gf broke up with me when I asked if she planned to meet up with me, just 2 weeks after my dad died.

I was doing pretty well, or so I thought, with controlling my emotions and moving to a better place.

One of my old friends who I've known for around 10 years now came from abroad as his sister was getting married and he invited me. I was a bit skeptical about going but I figured I'd just have a good time and a change of scenery if anything. I traveled to meet him and everything went fine. We had a good day and I was socializing well with people, met his parents for the first time and all seemed well.

Before going, I had put it a point to not drink too much as I doubted I was in a good place. In the night, there was a party and I ended up drinking a few glasses of whisky. I was doing fine all the way until the end when people started leaving and the only ones left were family.

Somehow vodka got involved and I ended up drinking around 200-300ml of it, in quick succession.

At which point I blacked out.

The next memory I have is me waking up in the morning in my friend's room and he gave me a breakdown of what exactly happened.

Apparently, I got way too drunk and was very loud in telling people how much I love my friend. We got back home after they managed to get me in the car, and when we got home is when the shit hit thr fan.

I somehow ended up pissing myself, and he had to change my clothes for me. I fell a few times in the house and ended up breaking a tap, which caused a lot of water to leak out. I injured my fingers, had a nosebleed, a banging headache and just some dizziness.

I immediately broke down when he told me this and somehow I couldn't stop thinking about my dad and what he would think of what I did. I ended up crying during breakfast in front of his entire house.

I am so embarrassed right now because of all of this. I apologized a million times to him, his parents and anyone else there. I will be seeing a therapist at the end of the month but I can't believe I did all this. He showed me a video of myself and I couldn't recognize the person in it. I am usually very in control of my emotions and the lack of control this time is really getting to me.

What do I do now?

In my dream i even did what i used to do, hide my wine bottles everywhere, brush my teeth and everything after doing it. I woke up and stressed but then realised it was the middle of the night 😅

Never had that before!

I started at like 19, but I really amped it up at 20 and I’ve had bouts of sobriety, once a year and 2 weeks, 3 weeks a month here and there. Before November. I thought I was finally getting to where I may quit for good. 2 weeks, then 30 days. We just got back from Mexico and I didn’t even binge there at an all you can drink resort, just 5 a day and some off days. Now I don’t know what happened but I’m drinking at least 7-9 standards every other day, like clockwork. Today I am hungover and drank 8. I feel like I’m in a good terrible downward spiral and it’s been the hardest it’s ever been to even get to 3 days sober. Ugh. I hate this. I will quit and I won’t let myself go into daily drinking. I want to quit for good.

I decided to stop drinking a couple of years ago, but finally did it six months ago. In that time I was a regular at a craft beer bar.

One month they got a beer in from a place and a time that was always a special beer to me for a few things:

• It was the first beer I drank when my fiancee left me
• It was the beer I drank when my friend killed himself
• It was the beer that tasted like home when I wasn't there

They ordered it in special for me and I kept one in the fridge just in case.

Today, day number 43 after a few resets, I had terrible news. I got that beer out of the fridge, got a glass from the cupboard, had my fingernail under the ringpull and... put it back in the fridge and got a glass of water. I've never done that.

I don't keep any alcohol in my house apart from that one can. One day I'll get rid of it, but today seeing it made me feel at home and most importantly I didn't open it. Not perfect, I know, but neither am I.

I will not drink with you today

Almost 30 days without drinking for the first time since 14 years old!!

And I went to the doctor for a checkup, excited to share my exciting news.

They checked my weight and I was 20 lbs heavier than last I checked, 6 months ago?

I looked down at my stomach when I got home, and I legitimately have a huge beer gut now.

I can only assume I’ve been consuming more calories because my body is adjusting to not having empty calories from alcohol in my system.

My metabolism is probably also normalizing. Oh and sleep

I’ve been lifting heavy, eating clean, and doing cardio, so for my tummy to look a little close to preggo when not flexed stinks a LITTLE

Then again, blacking out constantly, having terrible mental health, piss poor relationships, no internal satisfaction or purpose, inability to feel emotion regularly, risking my life with decisions while drunk… that stunk a LOT.

It sounds crazy to my brain. I’ve been sober 30 years today.

It’s not how I thought it would be- if I could imagine it at all, I thought I’d be problem-free by now lol.

My life is so much better than anything I could have imagined. I have learned to deal with life and how to be me. I didn’t have any idea who I was back then. Now I have interests, hobbies and real friends.

I just wanted to say thanks for being part of my sober life. I don’t post much, but I read here a lot and am always inspired by your lives and your sobriety. IWNDWYT

Hi everyone. Long time lurker here and im looking for advice.

I take a long time to process things in my head. Ive wanted to stop for the longest time but ive sat here mulling it over for a long time. I have finally made that concrete decision to start things off properly. i went to AA and hinestly, i hated it. Not for the want to stop drinking , but i couldnt shake this weird culty vibe the whole place had. Im not taking this as a negative, so much as to say that its just shown me i need to take another route to my goal. which im still very much commited to.

can anyone give me a little input as to how they started their journey off. im struggling to go forward right now. For context im a heavy beer drinker, nothing more, im just so tired of it right now. im thinking taper off after xmas. I just cant seem to navigate this in a solid way. Sorry if this seems vague, any advice is much appreciated

hi. i've been dealing with alcohol addiction for a year or so. i tuned it down this summer and thought it was all okay and maybe it was... for like one week. i don't drink during the day (lol lying to myself because i do when i'm on holiday) and solely on that i decided that i probably do not have a """real""" problem and that i can stop if i want. 2024 has been a year of random people taking care of me, vomiting in cars, losing things and blacking out on average every two weeks (every two fucking weeks !!!!). yesterday night, however, something so mortifying happened that 12 hours later i was in an AA meeting.

we had a little party at a very dear friend's house, and i ended up sleeping in his room because i was, shocker, smashed. he helped me change and put me to bed. i then have no memory of anything but in the morning i woke up to a text from him (he had left to go to work) asking me to buy cleaning products to clean the floor because in the middle of the night i got out of bed and peed on the floor. this makes me want to disappear off the face of the earth. i think that any doubts i had about being an alcoholic are now confirmed. i am going to take care of this. i am 1 day sober.

ps : if you have any embarrassing stories... please share........ maybe i'll feel less insane