SOBRIETY

[Monolithic Flick]

@Sleazy...thank you sir.  That's indeed a good way to put it. Things absolutely feel like I'm playing with a cheat code these days.  And good story on the O'Doul's.  As a beer drinker I was into more craft beers.  I have noticed with NA beers I prefer the ones that are basically just NA of beers that didn't have that much alcohol to begin with.  Seems they come closer imo.  I enjoyed an NA guiness a while back and this weekend I had a few NA Corona's.

I have read that NA Beers can be trouble for some who struggle with alcholo due to the fact that it could tempt back to the real beers.  If so, I apologize to anyone who is struggling out there.  I do overall just prefer sparkling water.

[Mr. Kamikazi]

Keep it up, gents. I’m 1.5 years in & it just gets better. Dreaming is cool, sleep is nice, not having anxiety is great. Just remind yourself of the worse version of yourself when drinking & I guarantee you you’ll at least think more than once about having a drink.


I wish you all well.

[dope boy harlem]

we drank + kill foolz
u kno da rulez
drug$ = l.i.f.e.
only in if ur cooL

[hmmoookay]

^ you alright?

_____

I'm almost a week of caffeine. Doing it more for digestive health purposes but also the past few months I've found myself way too dependent on caffeine and I'm kind of sick of it. Switched to decaf and it's been alright so far. My sleep is better for sure. The first two days were hell though. Not like alcohol withdrawals, that is its own fun fucked up time, but definitely not anything I feel like going through again. I've added it to my sobriety tracker for motivation and to keep track but I don't plan on leaving caffeine behind forever, just a bit of a reset. Maybe not. We'll see where it goes and how I feel in a month or so.

Happy to see so much success over the holiday season now that that's done. As always dm's open if anyone ever needs to talk!

[NoComply180]

^caffeine is a tough one to quit depending on your habit. I cold turkeyed off of 1-1.5 grams/day between coffee and energy drinks 6 years ago and the first week was hell. Headaches, exhausted, etc. but my gut definitely thanked me for it

After 5 weeks without it I had a coffee with a double shot of espresso in it and was legitimately high

[hmmoookay]

^caffeine is a tough one to quit depending on your habit. I cold turkeyed off of 1-1.5 grams/day between coffee and energy drinks 6 years ago and the first week was hell. Headaches, exhausted, etc. but my gut definitely thanked me for it

After 5 weeks without it I had a coffee with a double shot of espresso in it and was legitimately high

Yeah it's been interesting. I definitely still have a lack of energy at certain points throughout the day but I believe that things will even out eventually. Honestly, with the way I've been feeling as far as gut health is concerned, I do think I'll continue this more long term or at the very least be much more conscious of my caffeine intake should I decide to reintroduce it. It's been that worth it even in this short period of time.

[Ankle_Lift]

I am inspired by reading everyone's booze free journeys.
Like most of you posting in this thread, I've had a long and very unhealthy relationship with alcohol almost my entire life.

I have been trying to cut drinking out completely from my life, but it's so hard. It's everywhere, and I have such terrible willpower when it comes to booze. It's always like, hey one won't hurt, but then the second it touches my lips... it just escalates and always turns into more and then I feel like shit the next day.

I've had four drinks since Christmas, and this past Christmas was the one where I've drank the least amount in as long as I can remember.  The only four were because I was hanging out with my neighbour's shop two weeks ago and he offered beer. I always thought it was rude to refuse beer, but no one gives a shit if you do. Old habits for hard I guess. So four drinks in almost a month is pretty good.

I've been drinking some different craft brewed non alcoholic beers to kill the craving. They're not the same, but I guess it's working, I don't know.  I crushed a case of bubbly water in a day once, trying to kill the craving, just to have something in my hand.

I just need to keep looking forward. It's for future me and my family.
I think back to all the terrible things I've done, and terrible ways I've treated other people, and myself because of drinking... it's honestly so embarrassing

My daughter doesn't need a boozer dad.
The way the healthcare system is falling apart up here, I've got to stay healthy as I can as a get older.
The booze was always also a self medication for the mental issues I was always battling, but I've been working on that with professionals and the booze just makes it worse.

thanks for listening. Throw me some reassurance,  or words of wisdom or something. It will help.

[NoComply180]

^you got this man. You and your daughter will both benefit a ton from you being off the sauce, hope that reality comes true for you.

I’m in an interesting place where I’m not craving booze specifically, but my body is absolutely craving random shit to fill the absence booze left. I’m eating much more frequently, drinking a lot more water/non alcohol drinks, going for tons of walks every day.

[Easy Slider]

I am inspired by reading everyone's booze free journeys.
Like most of you posting in this thread, I've had a long and very unhealthy relationship with alcohol almost my entire life.

I have been trying to cut drinking out completely from my life, but it's so hard. It's everywhere, and I have such terrible willpower when it comes to booze. It's always like, hey one won't hurt, but then the second it touches my lips... it just escalates and always turns into more and then I feel like shit the next day.

I've had four drinks since Christmas, and this past Christmas was the one where I've drank the least amount in as long as I can remember.  The only four were because I was hanging out with my neighbour's shop two weeks ago and he offered beer. I always thought it was rude to refuse beer, but no one gives a shit if you do. Old habits for hard I guess. So four drinks in almost a month is pretty good.

I've been drinking some different craft brewed non alcoholic beers to kill the craving. They're not the same, but I guess it's working, I don't know.  I crushed a case of bubbly water in a day once, trying to kill the craving, just to have something in my hand.

I just need to keep looking forward. It's for future me and my family.
I think back to all the terrible things I've done, and terrible ways I've treated other people, and myself because of drinking... it's honestly so embarrassing

My daughter doesn't need a boozer dad.
The way the healthcare system is falling apart up here, I've got to stay healthy as I can as a get older.
The booze was always also a self medication for the mental issues I was always battling, but I've been working on that with professionals and the booze just makes it worse.

thanks for listening. Throw me some reassurance,  or words of wisdom or something. It will help.

Dude that sums it up. 

[LUGR]

I am inspired by reading everyone's booze free journeys.
Like most of you posting in this thread, I've had a long and very unhealthy relationship with alcohol almost my entire life.

I have been trying to cut drinking out completely from my life, but it's so hard. It's everywhere, and I have such terrible willpower when it comes to booze. It's always like, hey one won't hurt, but then the second it touches my lips... it just escalates and always turns into more and then I feel like shit the next day.

I've had four drinks since Christmas, and this past Christmas was the one where I've drank the least amount in as long as I can remember.  The only four were because I was hanging out with my neighbour's shop two weeks ago and he offered beer. I always thought it was rude to refuse beer, but no one gives a shit if you do. Old habits for hard I guess. So four drinks in almost a month is pretty good.

I've been drinking some different craft brewed non alcoholic beers to kill the craving. They're not the same, but I guess it's working, I don't know.  I crushed a case of bubbly water in a day once, trying to kill the craving, just to have something in my hand.

I just need to keep looking forward. It's for future me and my family.
I think back to all the terrible things I've done, and terrible ways I've treated other people, and myself because of drinking... it's honestly so embarrassing

My daughter doesn't need a boozer dad.
The way the healthcare system is falling apart up here, I've got to stay healthy as I can as a get older.
The booze was always also a self medication for the mental issues I was always battling, but I've been working on that with professionals and the booze just makes it worse.

thanks for listening. Throw me some reassurance,  or words of wisdom or something. It will help.

That’s a really good start! You are on your way to redefining your habits. Do what you need to do to keep it going and stay motivated. I def enjoy me some no sodium, unsweetened bubbly water. Sometimes I’ll just pop in this thread or a similar thread on another forum and just read some posts to refocus myself when I catch my mind wandering. It really seems to help. Use this thread as a resource and outlet.

Oh yeah, it’s always okay to refuse someone offering you booze. If they take offense, that’s really weird.

[hmmoookay]

Expand Quote

I am inspired by reading everyone's booze free journeys.
Like most of you posting in this thread, I've had a long and very unhealthy relationship with alcohol almost my entire life.

I have been trying to cut drinking out completely from my life, but it's so hard. It's everywhere, and I have such terrible willpower when it comes to booze. It's always like, hey one won't hurt, but then the second it touches my lips... it just escalates and always turns into more and then I feel like shit the next day.

I've had four drinks since Christmas, and this past Christmas was the one where I've drank the least amount in as long as I can remember.  The only four were because I was hanging out with my neighbour's shop two weeks ago and he offered beer. I always thought it was rude to refuse beer, but no one gives a shit if you do. Old habits for hard I guess. So four drinks in almost a month is pretty good.

I've been drinking some different craft brewed non alcoholic beers to kill the craving. They're not the same, but I guess it's working, I don't know.  I crushed a case of bubbly water in a day once, trying to kill the craving, just to have something in my hand.

I just need to keep looking forward. It's for future me and my family.
I think back to all the terrible things I've done, and terrible ways I've treated other people, and myself because of drinking... it's honestly so embarrassing

My daughter doesn't need a boozer dad.
The way the healthcare system is falling apart up here, I've got to stay healthy as I can as a get older.
The booze was always also a self medication for the mental issues I was always battling, but I've been working on that with professionals and the booze just makes it worse.

thanks for listening. Throw me some reassurance,  or words of wisdom or something. It will help.

[close]

That’s a really good start! You are on your way to redefining your habits. Do what you need to do to keep it going and stay motivated. I def enjoy me some no sodium, unsweetened bubbly water. Sometimes I’ll just pop in this thread or a similar thread on another forum and just read some posts to refocus myself when I catch my mind wandering. It really seems to help. Use this thread as a resource and outlet.

Oh yeah, it’s always okay to refuse someone offering you booze. If they take offense, that’s really weird.

In my almost 2 years (coming up soon! but who's counting. me, I'm counting lol) I've only had a couple of instances where someone gets offended or weirded out. I often chalk it up to the fact that perhaps the last time the person had seen me, I would have taken the drink and asked for more. I really became a recluse during that last bit of drinking so if an offense is taken or someone is really taken aback I try not to blame them. It's my problem not theirs. And that's a really important thing to remember. You're ultimately doing this for yourself and you've gotta put you above all else (and your kids too @ankle_lift, I dont have kids so I imagine that definitely factors in somewhere for sure)

Funny enough I have friends that will still apologize for drinking around me on the occasions that happens. It used to really annoy me but now I look at it as that maybe they want to respect my space and ultimately I should do the same for them. Balance.

[Monolithic Flick]

I am inspired by reading everyone's booze free journeys.
Like most of you posting in this thread, I've had a long and very unhealthy relationship with alcohol almost my entire life.

I have been trying to cut drinking out completely from my life, but it's so hard. It's everywhere, and I have such terrible willpower when it comes to booze. It's always like, hey one won't hurt, but then the second it touches my lips... it just escalates and always turns into more and then I feel like shit the next day.

I've had four drinks since Christmas, and this past Christmas was the one where I've drank the least amount in as long as I can remember.  The only four were because I was hanging out with my neighbour's shop two weeks ago and he offered beer. I always thought it was rude to refuse beer, but no one gives a shit if you do. Old habits for hard I guess. So four drinks in almost a month is pretty good.

I've been drinking some different craft brewed non alcoholic beers to kill the craving. They're not the same, but I guess it's working, I don't know.  I crushed a case of bubbly water in a day once, trying to kill the craving, just to have something in my hand.

I just need to keep looking forward. It's for future me and my family.
I think back to all the terrible things I've done, and terrible ways I've treated other people, and myself because of drinking... it's honestly so embarrassing

My daughter doesn't need a boozer dad.
The way the healthcare system is falling apart up here, I've got to stay healthy as I can as a get older.
The booze was always also a self medication for the mental issues I was always battling, but I've been working on that with professionals and the booze just makes it worse.

thanks for listening. Throw me some reassurance,  or words of wisdom or something. It will help.

You have already taken huge steps.  You have the right reasons in mind, and you absolutely got this.  I had some pretty intense sugar cravings during some of this, and I mainly gave into them.  My thinking is "beat one thing at at time."  Beat the drinking first, enjoy the benefits of that, and work on the sugar later is my mindset.  I feel the same about sparkling water--they overcharge for that shit now, but it still is waaaay cheaper than craft beer where I am at.  So I drink as many of those as I want.  And your health is going to surprise you on this.  It really is.

[mrselfdestruct]

2 minutes no nic im geekin'

[Ankle_Lift]

Thank you for all the kind words, my dudes.

 I don't know any of you, but I appreciate it. I really do.

It's... I don't know, kind of comforting I guess to see that there are other regular dudes like myself struggling with the same thing and the same emotions and issues  involving booze, and you're all going through it, but also succeeding at it.

At my weakest points in my life I have turned to booze, but that's the past, you know? Life is so much better now, and it's like an old habit that is hard to ditch.

[Carrolls Chesthairs]

Doing dry January
Let’s just say I’ve been playing a lot of video games

[Sleazy]

@Ankle_Lift thanks for sharing and way to go man. can't get a better reason to do something than for your kids

[LUGR]

Expand Quote

I am inspired by reading everyone's booze free journeys.
Like most of you posting in this thread, I've had a long and very unhealthy relationship with alcohol almost my entire life.

I have been trying to cut drinking out completely from my life, but it's so hard. It's everywhere, and I have such terrible willpower when it comes to booze. It's always like, hey one won't hurt, but then the second it touches my lips... it just escalates and always turns into more and then I feel like shit the next day.

I've had four drinks since Christmas, and this past Christmas was the one where I've drank the least amount in as long as I can remember.  The only four were because I was hanging out with my neighbour's shop two weeks ago and he offered beer. I always thought it was rude to refuse beer, but no one gives a shit if you do. Old habits for hard I guess. So four drinks in almost a month is pretty good.

I've been drinking some different craft brewed non alcoholic beers to kill the craving. They're not the same, but I guess it's working, I don't know.  I crushed a case of bubbly water in a day once, trying to kill the craving, just to have something in my hand.

I just need to keep looking forward. It's for future me and my family.
I think back to all the terrible things I've done, and terrible ways I've treated other people, and myself because of drinking... it's honestly so embarrassing

My daughter doesn't need a boozer dad.
The way the healthcare system is falling apart up here, I've got to stay healthy as I can as a get older.
The booze was always also a self medication for the mental issues I was always battling, but I've been working on that with professionals and the booze just makes it worse.

thanks for listening. Throw me some reassurance,  or words of wisdom or something. It will help.

[close]

You have already taken huge steps.  You have the right reasons in mind, and you absolutely got this.  I had some pretty intense sugar cravings during some of this, and I mainly gave into them.  My thinking is "beat one thing at at time."  Beat the drinking first, enjoy the benefits of that, and work on the sugar later is my mindset.  I feel the same about sparkling water--they overcharge for that shit now, but it still is waaaay cheaper than craft beer where I am at.  So I drink as many of those as I want.  And your health is going to surprise you on this.  It really is.

Beating one thing at a time is good advice and way to look at things. This can’t be rushed…..give yourself time bc it takes time. Think about how much time you spent building your habit to get to that point you wanted to stop. Just slow and steady focus to redefine your habits and how you live your life.

[EdLawndale]

Thank you for all the kind words, my dudes.

 I don't know any of you, but I appreciate it. I really do.

It's... I don't know, kind of comforting I guess to see that there are other regular dudes like myself struggling with the same thing and the same emotions and issues  involving booze, and you're all going through it, but also succeeding at it.

At my weakest points in my life I have turned to booze, but that's the past, you know? Life is so much better now, and it's like an old habit that is hard to ditch.

I echo the sentiments that it sounds like you are making a great effort here. It's not easy but try to keep it up, Ankle_Lift, as there will likely be a time in the not-so-distant future where the urge isn't as appealing or hard to resist, even when your emotions get tested. Props on taking some new steps to feel more healthy.

[Coastal Fever]

Yooo, proud of all you homies giving it a shot and/or maintaining.  The rewards are endless, and I hope you all get to continuously enjoy life with fresh eyes and feeling.

9.5 months here, and again I owe 100% of the thanks and credit to my amazing partner who’s stuck by me through dark times, and encouraged/supported me throughout my sobriety journey.

The thing is, I feel guilty for having zero interest in my other friendships anymore.  To be fair, most of my friends are also grown up, have busy lives, etc.. But even reaching out to my lifelong friends feels somewhat triggering, because every friend I’ve ever had, we bonded over substances. 

It’s not that I’m worried about slipping.. it’s more this feeling of “I’ve got my partner, my cats, and myself.. and that’s all I need to be happy”.  I just can’t help but feel like this is an unhealthy way of thinking, and I should put more effort into my friend and family relationships.  I just don’t don’t feel like it? 

Has anyone else gone through this?  Have you found a way to become more social without it being dreadful?  Or found a way to justify your introvertedness?

[NoComply180]

^i can kind of relate in that without alcohol the scope of things I’m interested in/want to do/even tolerate has narrowed significantly. I’m only a few weeks in so where I’m at I’m just giving myself grace with that - sobriety is important enough to me that I’m willing to say no/not invest in certain things or people and I’ve accepted that the consequences of that will be whatever they are.

I don’t have an answer for you but I think you’ll figure something out and congrats on 9.5 months!

[ralf_]

for me to reach out to friends (most of my close friends life relatively long distances away) i have to need their expertise. so bonding over shared nerdery / wanting to know something specific. for me that's a nice way to stay connected without the randomness of all the "hey how you doing havent heard in a while" thing. the friends i have where i live it's kinda similiar: if i can help them with something specific i am mostly happy too, but i am usually the first one to call it a night etc.

[Sleazy]

i definitely find things boring that i used to like doing. friends isn't one of them for me because i deprioritized friendships a long time ago when my wife and i got serious. i knew something had to go and i wasn't about to stop skating so smoking weed and playing video games with friends was an easy target. so my friends now are people who happen to be at the same place as me (skatepark, business networking event, etc.).

on the flip side, i find i enjoy hanging out the pool way less, grilling is not as fun as it used to be and i really can't be bothered eating out in fancy slow places anymore. i actually don't mind happy hours because i drink a few NAs, float around talking to different people and move on if i get bored till i'm over it and leave.

my wife and i had a really hard time figuring out valentines day too. last year was so boring. we were both not drinking, we spend so much time together and we were in this slow, boring place just staring at the walls. this year we are going to go for a dog park, coffee shop, lunch kind of flow.

[hmmoookay]

I think it's okay to be selective with your friendships as you continue your sober journey, even if those friendships were not dependent on drugs or alcohol. Personally, I have a limit when it comes to social time that I realized I was just suppressing with alcohol, and I don't even mean the actual time spent in person with people. A text conversation, phone conversation, doesn't matter. I now know when I've gotta exit regardless of the situation and that's okay, whereas the people pleaser in me used to take over as the booze continued to flow. I'm still working on the people pleaser aspect of my personality but its a lot easier to deal with now sober and I think my friendships, even if not as "important" now, have gotten better because of it. My conversations and interactions are more genuine, I think people pick up on that for sure.

Boundaries are a great thing to recognize. Gotta protect the mental.

[Mr. Kamikazi]

NA’s, records, candy, wrestling, everything. Recently was at a party & only two people were drinking but it was light. Had a blast.

Almost two years of no beer! Doctor commended me today when I treated myself to a physical for my birthday. That felt good.

[Monolithic Flick]

NA’s, records, candy, wrestling, everything. Recently was at a party & only two people were drinking but it was light. Had a blast.

Almost two years of no beer! Doctor commended me today when I treated myself to a physical for my birthday. That felt good.

That's completely awesome.  Congratulations from a random internet stranger.

[Ankle_Lift]

Went night riding at the ski hill last night, downed a few 0% Coronas in the parking lot after to relax after the work week. Now I'm up at 6am to go back up the the hill to ride with my wife while the kid is in ski lessons....and I don't feel like shit!

Life is good!

[NoComply180]

Went to my first wedding sober this weekend.

Was honestly fun and a lot easier than I expected - sipped club sodas with bitters the whole night. Only downside was sitting across from a random at dinner who (politely) wanted to try to make small talk the whole time despite the music and general noise being way too loud for conversation. That would’ve felt less awkward with a drink or two (10-15) in me. Fair trade off for being fully present for the most important day in my friends’ lives though!

[EdLawndale]

Dope shit, fellas. Got a cpl events (movie premiere and wedding) next month. Will use your recent successes as fuel to give me the strength to stay dry.

[Velcro Wallet]

Well, I didn’t last too long. Sorry.

I was only one of two people in there not on a court order from either jail or mum’s getting access to their kids or both. No shit, it was gladiator school in there. My roommate was doing his 3-6 month stay as a part of his end of 7 year stretch. We quickly became homies as we both had a love for Fords with Barra engines plus he knew my girlfriend who is a nurse at the jail who helped him a ton. He was also member of the main biker club here which helped.

The rehab itself was a joke.

I’m so confused now. I feel everyone is angry and disappointed in me. Girlfriend included!!

Fuck.

[hmmoookay]

Don't be sorry, you're trying. We have not had the same experience so unfortunately I cannot offer anecdotal advice specific to what you're going through, but it took me probably 5 years to actually get and stay sober for some sort of extended time. That included lying to myself (and sadly others) about being sober for a good while, "I've 2 weeks, 10 Days, etc" even when I was still drinking (though less, and trying to ween off) every few months. It wasn't from a place of malice but more to try and give myself motivation to really get started. "If people think I'm doing better maybe I will want to do better, finally". 5 years is not some sort of magic number, I'm only saying that to point out that it really does take the right combination of things to finally get it to click, I wish I had the one size fits all magic solution for you I really do! But it does eventually click when it's supposed to. I know that might not be what you want to hear especially if you're in pain both emotionally and physically.

Is there any way for you to do some sort of intensive outpatient therapy or something like that? A way for you to "do the work" but not necessarily in an AA setting, not in traditional rehab, while still being surrounded by loved ones on the daily? I do believe you want to quit but it sounds like it falls back because of the people you end up having to be surrounded with, largely not by your own choice.

I wish you all the best man, gonna be corny but all I can say is; it works if you work it, whatever program you put in place or attend, it will work if you continue to give it effort. I really believe that.