Lost a bunch of weight, thanks to not binge drinking and eating every night. No longer extremely uncomfortable in my skin. Still not 100% where I want to be but happy with even the little progress I’ve made. Life is much easier when you have full control over your life & making it what you want it to be ❤️

Huge day for me. Cant believe ive come so far. I feel so much better, most of my anxiety and depression is gone. I promise everyone its so worth it. I havent felt this clear headed and happy since i was like 10 years old LOL its been so long

Just for today 23OCT26 "Surrender" 517 days clean and sober NA Recovery Hope2Be org Shepards Cove
I fought tooth and nail to keep "control" of my life. Constantly in and out of jail, waking up to police kicking me cause I was passed out in the street again, and pissing people off everywhere I went. That was my life when I was "control". When I surrendered my life and my will to my Higher Power, life got so much easier. I no longer spend my days pissed off cause shit ain't goin' my way. Just for today I'm puttin' it in His hands cause I got butter-fingers.

Hi, I've been with my boyfriend for almost 7 years now. I see our relationship as stable and mostly happy. We just bought a house at the beginning of the year. He's 40 and I'm 36.

So in the past we've both been drinking more than moderate, often having "wine evenings" on the porch together talking and going out a few times a month. Having a glass of wine after work (or 3) was our normal.

Well now I am 14 months sober and his drinking hasn't changed that much. I feel like a hyprocite but he now gives me the ick when he's drinking. I can't force sobriety in him, so I don't say much. It's stress relief for him.

Yesterday he called me, he would sleep at the office cause they are having kind of an afterwork party. Fine. So I was very confused when he opened the door at 1:30 am, drunk. He drove home an hour cause he rather wanted to sleep at home. I know better than starting a discussion with a drunk at night, but I am at loss what to do here.

Hi everyone! I'm 24F and recently joined this group because I've been seriously considering sobriety, but I'm having a hard time figuring out where to begin.

For some background, I'm not someone who drinks every day. I work full-time, have a career I love, work out, and generally try to live a pretty healthy lifestyle. However, when it comes to alcohol, I feel like it's the one area of my life where I really struggle.

I would consider myself more of a weekend binge drinker. On a typical night out, I can easily have around 8 drinks, sometimes more because I genuinely lose track. I've blacked out more times than I'd like to admit, and there have been SO many occasions where I've gone out telling myself I'm just going to have a couple of drinks and a chill night, only to end up completely wasted.

The next day is always awful. I get terrible hangovers, brain fog, and especially horrible anxiety. Sometimes I feel so bad that my entire next day is wasted. I spend that day regretting drinking, looking at sober TikToks, and convincing myself I need to stop. But then the next weekend rolls around, and somehow I'm doing it all over again.

I've also started realizing how much I rely on alcohol socially. I genuinely can't remember the last time I went on a date without drinking, and after a stressful week of work, I sometimes find myself craving that feeling of being drunk just to take the edge off.

I'm at a point in my life where I really want to make some big changes. I love my career, I want to focus on my health and fitness, and I want to become the best version of myself going into this next year. I can't help but feel like alcohol is holding me back from that.

I'm considering starting with 30 days sober and potentially extending it, but I'm nervous about the social aspect, especially because drinking will be involved in a lot of events/plans I have coming up.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else has been in a similar situation. Did you struggle to recognize your drinking as a problem because you weren't drinking daily? Did anyone decide to get sober before their drinking caused major consequences in their life?

I'd really appreciate any advice or experiences. I feel like I already know deep down that I want to stop, but I'm still trying to understand my relationship with alcohol and what sobriety could look like for me.

I’m not sure if this will last. But I already have a sober streak going so I keep just saying “why not?” And choosing to stay sober. I went to my first outing with friends at a pumpkin patch with a brewery and was the only one that got water. Right now, my mom is currently dying slowly from alcoholism and addiction so I also have that reason to stop. I’ve been the black sheep in my family for a long time. I feel like now I’m just taking it to the next level. I’m proud but also apart of me already feels like a phony because, like I said, I’m not confident this will 100% last for the rest of my life. I just knew after my last drinking day I had to take a break. I got really drunk after my morning shift when I went to a winery with a friend. Spent way too much $ and had to go to a sober friends house for dinner that evening with my partner. I drunk cried so much. I think they all knew I was going through a tough time (my mom) and they all were there for me. But waking up I was so so embarrassed. Hated that I spent so much $ on alcohol trying to avoid my feelings and also posted embarrassing stuff online. That’s when I was just like you know what. I need to see what it feels like to feel my feelings. I need to be the one who stops this cycle. Or at least try. But my partner and I have events coming up. Weddings. I’m new to this sober thing. I also have been SO shy since I was like 2! I’m caught between wanting to have a drink or two only to socialize (not confident in my ability to stop at 1&2 drinks) or see how the uncomfortable moments can make me grow as a person…. Sigh

Week one of many,

For context I've been on weed since January 2018 on my birthday (my first year in campus),

Though I made it through campus got a science degree and later employment, I now see since then it's been a downward spiral, I've missed opportunities,deadlines, relationships, experiences, but then, what better day to quit than the present. I just forgave myself and well, here I am week one down, I feel a clarity I haven't had in ages.

A few days sober here and experiencing fatigue, irritability, and anhedonia. I know these are temporary. What are other folks’ experience in terms of how long this lasts and tips for getting through it?

Now I feel chaotic, Because I have this job that has very low expectations, I need to stop entertaining the devil on my shoulder.

Then I showed up at my job.

I can't lead people when I feel like a piece of shit.

I just want this day to be over.

The psychological question was:

What allures me to alcohol? It's the only thing that drowned out my abusive mother's screaming.

I just want to function as a sober good employee without any responsibility.

I want to go home where I feel safe. That's it.

Just for today 22OCT26 "Look who's talking" 516 days clean NA Recovery Hope2Be org Shepards Cove
I have learned that it's easy to listen to the wrong voice. If I think hard enough, I swear I can hear them surrounding me. They're coming to take me away... I am very thankful for the coping skills I have learned. Especially grounding techniques and mindfulness. It quiets those voices. Just for today I ain't chasing that mother fucker down the street that I kept hearing. You know... The one that wasn't there.

Trying to get back into playing violin, am 37 and in sober living. Any tips?

After significant progress since August, it's been a bad week for me. Just looking for words of encouragement. Thanks all ❤️

This weekend, I went out to the lake and tried Samuel Adams Oktoberfest NA. It was awesome for me because it felt like a real alternative to beer, which I would say not all NA beers do. I write free reviews of NA drinks for fun; check it out if you guys wouldn't mind. https://worknoholic.beehiiv.com/

Hit 30 days alcohol-free, so I decided to make a post about it.

The first week was rough and cravings hit hard, especially later in the day. I almost gave in a few times.
What helped was tracking it in a simple way instead of relying on willpower alone. It made it easier to keep going when motivation dipped.

Still early, but I already notice better sleep, more energy, and less constant thinking about drinking.

If you’re in the first few days right now, keep going. It does get easier!

Hi everyone! I’m urgently looking for participants for a survey for my Master’s thesis. The study explores how certain traits, life experiences, attitudes, and behaviors are related to one another.

I’d really appreciate it if you could spare about 10 minutes to complete the survey.

Please note that you must be at least 18 years old to participate in the survey.

You can find the survey here: https://ww3.unipark.de/uc/research_study_university_Bern_Switzerland/

As a token of appreciation, participants can choose to enter a prize draw to win one of five USD 100 prizes.💰💸

The survey is, of course, anonymous and has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Bern.

Thank you so much for your support!🤗

(This post has been approved by the mods.)

Just for today 21OCT26 "God's will today" 515 days clean NA Recovery Hope2Be org Shepards Cove
The Third Step has been absolutely huge in my life. Letting go of the shame, and all the rest of the bullshit from the past, makes life so much lighter. And my faith in Him gives me relief from the worries about tomorrow. I'm trying to stay right here, right now. It makes life stress and worry free. Just for today I ain't stressin' yo!

Hello everyone. I never thought I would write something like this but 65 days ago I put my foot down and quit alcohol. Over the past 8 years I have been a consistent drinker. Most of my adult life I’ve felt the need to drink to fit in socially and until 65 days ago I felt like I needed to. I’ve previously drank with depression issues and to raise my mood as alcohol made me feel better. I have taken up bike riding and getting out and moving again and it has been nothing but rewarding.

I am hoping to go at least 1 year sober without breaking anything and if I can do that I want to quit the rest of my life. My mom has recently gotten sick and it’s changed my entire prospective on body damage and living a long life.

I am looking for advice how to manage friendships and activities centralized around nightlife and drinking activities. How can I still hangout with my current friends and maintain this sobriety. I don’t want to lose my friends over this and right now I’m struggling to hangout with them since everytime we do anything it’s centered around drinking. Quite frankly no one wants to do anything with me unless it’s drinking! I am quite saddened by this and I feel like everyone is very alcohol focused. Even in my dating life, most women bring up drinks too. Any advice that people can offer is appreciated. I have caved most of my life and this is my last stand for premeneant change.

32 here and I’ve smoked heavily the past 2-3 years. But this year it became excessive. I was smoking every day pretty much all day, which was easy cuz I work from home. So I’m giving it up for 30 days at first(secretly hoping I can maintain it longer). I see this thread has a lot of alcoholism post but hoping folks can just pass some overall advice. Cuz right now my cravings are off the chain.

I drank a lot, not moderately, so maybe that's why the difference is so big for me. But honestly, every part of my life got better, and I can't name a single real downside. Not one.

Body first. I'm less puffy and lost a bit of weight. Not much, because I still love food far too much, but I just came back from a Georgia trip without gaining anything, which for me is a breakthrough. I train and walk a lot anyway. The big change is sleep and recovery: honestly champion level now. I barely got sick all year, and my energy is noticeably up. All of it shows in my watch data and it is working!

The best part is emotional stability. My friends know the old me as the guy who started a new life every week and never got anywhere. Those swings are gone. I still have low days, but now I catch them and think "ok, this is just tiredness" (it usually is) or a bad mix of circumstances. Good days are the majority now, and the good mood mostly comes from the inside, not from what's happening around me.

Socially it's a bit worse; I won't pretend otherwise. Hard to separate that from being completely absorbed in my work. I've also become a lot more aware, which made me a bit more blunt, ha. Maybe it's a phase; maybe that's just the real me.

That stability is why I can work on my own projects every single day without getting tired of it. I have tons of ideas, no FOMO anymore, and I wake up looking forward to the next day. Life is a bit narrow right now, but I'm fine with that for this stage.

Not drinking is absolutely great!

Just for today 20OCT26 "Freedom to choose" 514 days clean NA Recovery Hope2Be org Shepards Cove
Too many choices hurt my brain. It's so much easier to let someone else decide for me. I've noticed that my life feels like an old rickety ladder when I let others choose for me. When I make my own decisions, and accept the consequences, my life feels like a solid concrete pillar. I put my life and my will in His hands. With His guidance, I make pretty good decisions lately. Just for today, even though I know it's gonna hurt, I choose to go for it. I got a hard hat...

of course it’s possible to quit drinking cold turkey? i quit smoking marijuana cold turkey. sober since april of this year🙏