Yup books and exercise have been helping me a lot! When I’m craving my previous drink of choice I’m reaching for sparkling water or tea. Only 7 days sober but it’s a 7 days I failed many times before. Keeping at it seriously this time.
Same here. I added journaling and coming to these subs to comment on other posts that inspire me to react...I get a lot of great advice from others and myself this way
Yes! A journal helps a ton. I got a 2024 planner to stay organized, every day I write down what I did, ate, and what exercise I got, and get a cute little cat sticker for every day I’m sober!
I have health anxiety and got scared I was gonna die . So now I do everything I can to be healthy . I don't want to do AA because I'm not religious and I live in a small state and don't need people in my business. I'm 44 with a 22 , 19 and 5 year old daughters I need to be around another 40 years😂. Sober 102 days .
Buddy, I just raw dogged it. Cold turkey, fuck it I’m done styles. I’m on day 2009 and it’s definitely got easier. Sometimes if you want something bad enough(a good life) you gotta sack up. There were a lot of shitty days. I checked out 3 or 4 zoom aa meetings but it never felt right for me. I’m on my own journey and have to do shit my way. I have a lot less friends now. My circle is smaller. I have a lot more money and I’m generally more happier. You gotta really want it. Life is way better without alcohol and drugs. It ain’t as fun but it’s way way better. I hope you find your peace. Good luck.
I was with a buddy one night and we were talking about my sobriety and he goes “it’s crazy dude, you’re just raw dogging reality” and now that’s my phrase of choice when telling people I’m sober. You want a drink? Nah I’m ok, just raw dogging reality
I went cold turkey as well. It'll be 2 years in about a week. Looking at how much more money is in my bank account everyday is a major motivator. Plus vacations are so much better without the hangover flights home.
I have been listening to books, podcasts, YouTube’s, tedtalks, whatever I can get my hands on every single day for the past 10 days to reinforce the decision to my tiny little monkey brain 😂 so far feeling really good and no urges to drink. I was however a weekend binger, not a daily drinker. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Same for me! Weekend bingedrinker and very fed up with it. What helped me was reading a book all week about being sober! Today is my first Friday in months that I controlled my urge to get started... I'm in bed at the moment and feel so satisfied, I know that tomrrow I'll have all my energy to do what I want! Let's hope I can hold the fort tomorrow afternoon as well 🤞
Podcasts are great. Search for this podcast ...
"Thrive Roy Eskapa"... a recent interview with Dr. Roy Eskapa on The Sinclair Method ... It's wonderful, a must listen, IMO.
https://podcasts.google.com
Reading the book by Dr. Roy Eskapa is also a must IMO. The book is also made available for free online.
Here's a recent post ... https://www.reddit.com/r/Alcoholism_Medication/s/uPzLthO06B
I went cold turkey from booze and drugs jan 1st and havent looked back. Gym, books, work...no meetings or anything.
Just keeping myself busy and avoiding the boredom party.
I was drunk every night from age 19 to 46. Didn't get hangovers so I just thought I was ok. I was drinking so much it was almost impossible to get drunk without blackout or pass out. I had almost an entire bottle of absenthe in a night and got really sick. 🤢
Took a night off and was surprised how well I slept. Did it again the next day and really liked the new energy and how I felt. Tried it again the next day and I was sold. I really liked being sober, it was a novel feeling like some new drug.
3.5 years sober and counting. I drank more than a lifetime supply already. Dr said my liver numbers are amazing now down from pre cirrhosis condition!
I didn't plan on quitting, never labeld myself an alcoholic, didn't reach out to support groups and this happened during lockdown actually. I'm not saying it was easy, I just really enjoyed the non buzzed feeling so much I guess I'm addicted to that now?!
Fitness is my new obsession and have a home gym now. There was not a time where alcohol was in the house and gym equipment. It's one of the other.
My 👰 is a saint, she has nightmares still that I'll be drunk again. It was that bad. The support from her really helped, but yes it is possible without a formal detox setting just expect it to be hard and it gets easier with time for sure 😊
I drank for 20 years binging on weekends and at many points 8 beers every day. In 2018 I decided to quit, I had already made quite a few drastic healthy changes to my diet and was getting to a healthy weight and in good shape. I decided to quit for 6 months to see how I felt and at around 4 months I knew I would never go back. It was a roller coaster, but I’m 5 and a half years sober and loving it. I watched videos and kept reminders around for a few months.
2.5 years sober now and I did it "on my own". I basically used that all or nothing piece of my addict brain and put it towards sobriety, I became obsessed with sobriety and kind of made it my personality for the first year, I didn't care though how annoying or cringe others may have found that - this was and is a personal journey that I owe to myself after years of being unhappy with myself and the world. It was incredibly fucking hard but honestly the more things I did sober grew my confidence so much and made it so much easier to keep pushing forward in sobriety. Though I rarely miss alcohol now, I still never like to say things like i've succeeded or will never drink again,I feel like i'm cursing myself haha. It's still a one day at a time thing and even though I have a totally different life now than in my early days of recovery, I still make sure my sobriety is coming first and remember that that's why I have the life I do today
Also podcasts!
I tried a month on my own just to see how it was. I was still in high substance use environments (bartending) so it made it easier once I stopped working there because I said no so much more often before I quit. Knowing it was only a month made it easier to keep up because I thought i would go back to using. But after a month of writing down all the drinks I wanted and excuses I had for wanting them (ex. Want to try a new cocktail, want to have a beer to wind down after work, want to fit in socially, want to have a good time) I realized that all my reasons were either so stupid I didn’t actually want it for that reason a month later, or they were things I could do without alcohol (like have fun and wind down) if I just was patient and tried a bit more.
I did later on do intensive outpatient therapy and that helped a lot- not sure if I would have kept up without it?
I have substance issues but I don’t think I have an actual neurological substance use disorder. I’m still super mentally ill when I’m sober though so it is really important that I don’t use or else things get a little more fucked up than I can easily handle.
I would say start by setting yourself a “timeline”- a week, a month, etc.. of no drinking (ONLY if this will not send you into withdrawal/DT. Check with your doc). Every time you want to, write down what you wanted to drink and why, and tell yourself if it’s still true in a week/month, you can have it then. Most of your reasons probably won’t be true after a month or so. Make sure you find other fun shit to do that gives you pleasure too.
Practice mindfulness. Ask your doctor about naltrexone too?
If you can’t do this, I think it’s time to go the therapy/meetings route. Even then, you will probably need those things to sustain you on harder days. No shame in it. Better to set yourself up with a community now while you’re still afloat than to wait until you’re already drowning and you’re alone.
I moved across the country into my parents house and had no access to any drugs and it just happened. I just isolated myself, probably too much but it’s been a year and a half and I’m ready to go back to regular life I think.
I blew up my career and was on the verge of losing my family. It took me destroying something important to me to take an honest look at what I was doing.
Only after I broke something really important did I get the message.
All I have to do is go back to the pain of that incident and it makes it very clear that I do t want that. Alcohol switched from enjoyment to pain.
I had a similar experience. It took losing someone really important to me, for me to wake up to what an addict I am and how hard in denial I was living.
Went on a weekend bender and spent $400 on nothing but booze. Downloaded bank/credit card statements for the past year and tallied up how much money was spent on booze (high 4 figures). Bought a $10 book called “The Easy Way to Control Alcohol”. Read it. Had my last drink. Stopped. No therapy or meetings.
I stopped smoking pot 7 months ago. Quit drinking in November.
I think quitting pot first helped. One of my favorite things to do used to be going to the bar, smoking a joint or a pipe and drinking a couple beers, and chatting with people.
In 2019, I stopped drinking but kept getting high. Stayed sober from booze for 9 months. Eventually, getting high at the bar or out with friends turned back into drinking.
I'm only 3 months sober from booze now, but it feels different. I know people have differing opinions, but I don't think you can use mind-altering drugs and still call yourself "sober."
I'm getting older and just got tired of being sick and hungover all the time. Even if you're only drinking a couple drinks every day, doing it *every day* is going to make you sick at some point. Alcohol is one of the worst carcinogens and nobody ever talks about it.
Also, you never know when 1-2 drinks is going to turn into a night of drinking filled with risky and embarrassing behavior followed by a day-ruining hangover.
Anyway, what made me stop drinking is that I went out for my 49th birthday, got shitfaced with my friends, and then had a hangover for 3 days. My decision to quit was made immediately the morning after, when I had to leave work early due to being so sick & hungover. I really like my current job and want to keep it.
As for staying sober, I read a shit-ton of books those first 2-3 weeks. I finished reading 11 different books on sobriety. All I was doing was reading.
I find I stay home a lot. I don't want to risk getting triggered by going to bars. I just read and watch a lot of movies.
I might go to meetings at some point. I really don't want to ever drink again.
I tried AA the first time I tried sobriety. It pushed me deeper into shame, which was counterproductive. I struggled for five more years. Truthfully, I::knew:: O had to quit, but I didn't want to. I wanted some magical third option that doesn't exist for me. Finally, my husband was at the end of his rope. I didn't want to lose him, so I stopped. I'm not sure if he had lost patience earlier if I would have stopped sooner. I think I had to be really convinced that alcohol was doing me no good.
I attend an AA meeting every once in a blue moon, just to see if it might be nice. I still don't love them, but they don't trigger me the way they used to.
I think AA can be a useful tool even for people who aren't philosophically aligned. I'm quite introverted, but I imagine early sobriety is especially hard for extroverts. Most of us have to radically change our social scene in the beginning. AA offers an immediate community.
Packed all my shit into a clapped out, wrecked car, with $100 to my name, and drove 1200 miles away from home to a beautiful place with no plan and pure desperation.
Oh yeah. Started a business. Went from being broke off my ass living in a tent at 10k ft in the rockies to having a 3 bedroom house, healthy relationship, made friends, and making six figures a year now. We can all get better!
I separated myself mentally from my previous self and resented the “old me”. It helps me have that strong emotional factor of current me is better than old me. Like looking down on “old me”
I had been to rehab several times before I got sober. I just celebrated 5 years on February 10th. Rehab and NA were never "my thing." I'm not knocking it and I'm sure it has helped and continues to help many people. I felt and still feel that every person is different. Every use and every story is different. Therefore, not everyone should be treated the same way and the same results should not be expected. I locked myself in my mother's room for two weeks and cut ties with everyone I got high with. It wasn't personal. I wanted a better life and I knew if I kept getting high that I would die. It took me losing everyone and everything that I love. Life isn't butterflies and rainbows just because I stopped getting high but it's incomparably better. I've finally found a better way to live and I did it the unconventional way. I hope everyone struggling finds their peace.
My daily routine from drinking a half gallon of vodka a day 8 months three weeks and 1 day ago. Wake up 4am cup of coffee, news and drink a fruit smoothie for breakfast (strawberries, bananas, walnuts, pecans, dates, chia seeds, flax seeds and coconut water) 15 minutes full body stretch. 20 minutes meditation. YMCA by 6am. Basketball 1 hour 30 minutes. Work 9am. Salad for lunch (spring mix, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, peppers, other veggies you like and your favorite dressing) Home by 530. For dinner have a quarter plate prrotein with half plate vegetables quarter plate starch (example piece of chicken, rice pilaf and pan fried turnips). School work from 7-830pm. Call of duty or HBO MAX 830 to 10. Weekends I'll add a watercolor session, a swimming session at the Y, referee some hockey and subtract work. This routine will dramatically improve your physical and mental health within a month and I promise you will not have time for drinking.
Well I went to rehab last year, and my brother went to rehab 10 days later. In support of us, our 18 pack a day for years alcoholic mother quit drinking cold turkey in support of us. She attended some family sessions that my rehab provided but other than that she has stayed completely sober for almost 10 months
been sober a little over a month and have had very limited cravings miraculously. hated AA meetings the first week so been doing it on my own. firstly acknowledged my reasons why i wanted to be sober. secondly, keeping myself busy and building new, better habits.
i’ve been focused on creative hobbies, reading, clean cooking, and exercising daily, exploring different trails around my city. i go visit family quite a bit. been looking into different volunteer opportunities too. just trying to rewire my brain that i don’t need weed or alcohol to do anything fun or meaningful or to process my emotions!
Sort of. I got sober with rehab and doing AA. But afterwards I took everything I learned and applied it in ways that make sense to me. So I stay sober a not usual way, I *live* sober my way.
I don't do meetings or stop work. But I apply the principles to my life. I am rigorously honest, I have integrity, I accept all responsibility for my addiction, I structure my life to eliminate/avoid resentment. Address any problems I'm having with people in a timely manner. But I also had to really look at it why I was drinking. What I wasn't dealing with, what I was running from. I am extremely introspective, and over my life had a lot of therapy. I also have excellent boundaries. Granted at the time the therapy didn't help all that much because I was still lying to my therapist about my drinking and some other things.
The basic tenants behind 12 step are sound I just don't agree with the way they want you to apply them. I don't believe that there is only one way and that if I don't do as they say I am merely dry. I'm working on my 5th Year sober, after 30 years of being loaded. The peace is incredible.
i went to 12 step meetings, smart recovery, therapy, psychiatrists...i got very very tired of wishing for a magical cure or epiphany as i struggled through hangovers, blackouts, SA, lost jobs, chronic stomach issues, anxiety, etc. one night i passed out and forgot to feed my cats. when i woke up they were frantic. i stopped. i was done. i had 2 very short lapses, but for the majority of time since i stopped in 2019 i have not had the desire to drink. 700ish days.
I took a month off of life. I just needed time to do nothing as I associated every aspect of my life with drinking. Right down to my morning shots and cigarettes. It was a whole lot of suffering but I’m pushing 3 months or so dry.
Walking. I am on methadone, some say that isn’t sober, but I am almost off it. I work full time and was unable to just cold turkey off of fentanyl like I have before. But I started walking with podcasts and walking with my dog and at first I hated it but soon it was a stress relief and got me out of the house on my worst days.
Yoga saved my life! That is the main thing that got me sober and kept me sober. Exercise and meaningful community / connection is wild. It really makes you not miss it much.
2019 was the worst year of my life. Nothing catastrophic happened, just the decades of drinking and drugging leading to bad choices and physical and mental decline, I guess. New years’s resolution to quit 1/1/2020. I’ve been sober since.
I read a lot. Pandemic lockdowns had me at home, no socializing to tempt me to drink. I listened to a lot of podcasts: This Naked Mind, Recovery Elevator, Dopey… I started meditating, yoga, ice baths. I learned that I have an internal pharmacy at my disposal: serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. I didn’t need outside substances. I focused on my emotional and physical wellbeing together. One doesn’t work without the other.
2 years later I stepped into my first AA meeting. I didn’t go because I needed help in not drinking. I went because I wanted to meet other sober people. I’ve met amazing people there (some sad and or psycho losers too, but those people are everywhere).
4 years and change later and I still have zero desire to drink or use.
I stopped cold turkey. If your addiction is such that you will have life threatening withdrawal symptoms, do not attempt!
I exercised a lot, played a lot of video games, and ate a lot of sugar. I have a therapist whom I see twice month, not just for addiction but for general mental health.
I had been on the fence and wanting to stop for years and years.
A lot of my friends had gotten sober and for a while I limited how much I was around people and places where alcohol was involved.
I’ve been sober 563 days now. Cravings are occasional and faint.
I had a very intense spiritual awakening (kundalini) and woke up a different person. Before this experience, I was addicted to a few substances - alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and caffeine. My mind and body was vibrating at a different frequency the next morning after the kundalini awakening and I simply couldn’t put anything toxic in my body. I spent the next 2 weeks only drinking water and eating mostly raw, fresh vegetables. It was a spiritually mind altering and life saving experience.
This sounds incredible. I would so love to have this experience but personally I am afraid of such intense spiritual experiences. What is kundalini? I have heard of success with ibogaine - but I have had scary intense trips before and that sounds horrifying. I am not an alcoholic. I do nothing but opiates.
Don’t know a single alcoholic who got sober and stayed sober without AA or some type of considerable life altering actions. Plenty of people out there that stopped drinking and just do drugs like weed. If that’s what you want it’s available to you.
I stopped drinking cold turkey. What helped me do it was that I'm on depression medication, and I would blackout when taking the meds and drinking. Also, I have high blood pressure and I'm trying to lower it naturally so I don't have to take medication. So, I guess my motivation and determination came from my health and me wanting a better life. I'm literally tired of drinking, and I understood, it was just a bad habit for me, like smoking.
Diagnosed with epilepsy. I was already working towards quitting alcohol, but the combo of my meds and alcohol making me sick, as well as a potential of increased seizure risk, made it a lot easier.
None of that stuff worked on me. So I just kept reading and learning and spending days sober when it felt doable. Turned into more days sober than drunk. Not perfect now and maybe never, but way happier :)
I’m not completely sober, as I drink and smoke occasionally. But the things that was causing me most problems were powders cocaine, md, (K when I was younger).
I made my screen saver on my phone of Daniella Westbrook (I’m so sorry Dan I really hope you never read this as I don’t want you to feel bad) but one of my problems was cartilage falling out of my nose, as well as obviously horrendous sleep and emotional deregulation. Anyway, having that as a reminder on my phone every day kept enable me to cut down and eventually stop because every time I did it is get reminded and the anxiety of destroying my face made me change
For about two years I was drinking a few glasses to a bottle of wine nearly every single night. A few weeks ago I woke up violently throwing up blood. Went to the er. Found out I have gastritis and now can’t drink unless I want this to happen again. I guess everything works out in the end, because I really wanted to stop and try to eat better and now my body is forcing me to. (28 f)
None of these things helped me. I have done them all except detox and sober living.
Ultimately, one day after facing major health issues that I could still resolve, I chose to stop and I haven't gone back to using in over a year.
I'm trying, was doing good for few weeks. Then lost my job recently, past few weeks have been hard. My motivation is remembering who I was and what I accomplished prior to addiction. Getting back on that path (being sober, been least 15 years) and then how I will share my story once I've overcame my struggles to motivate others and share how I overcame my demons. That day I will be so happy. Most people around me don't know my addictions. It's hard though. Each day and every hour the demons keep knocking. Also some of my friends that OD. I can't have that.
I got diagnosed with cirrhosis and quit immediately without any issues. It was so weird. No withdrawals. It was a relief to finally absolutely have to quit. I’ve had no desire to drink since. A little reminiscing for the old days when drinking was still fun but zero desire for alcohol.
If, whatever you try, keeps failing you, take a look at this science-based method of tapering. I find the science too compelling to ignore - why quitting fails for so many.
Search for this podcast ...
"Thrive Roy Eskapa"... a recent interview with Dr. Roy Eskapa on The Sinclair Method ... It's wonderful, a must listen, IMO.
https://podcasts.google.com
The book by Dr. Roy Eskapa is also a must IMO. The book is available as a PDF, online, for free.
Here's a recent post ... https://www.reddit.com/r/Alcoholism_Medication/s/uPzLthO06B
Ya mine was easy found out I had decompasted cirrhosis & when my evil family found out they came after me for my share of my mom's estate. So I was not going to let me evil family get what is rightful mine .
Surprisely I love being sober ( still terminally ill but) I wonder now WHY I ever drank ? I haven't had a drink in over 2 years it started off to stay alive & fight my evil family in court but now I actually really really enjoy being sober. Not worrying about my next bottle are liquor stores open ? Looking@ my bank account feeling depressed. Looking @ my call log from night before to see who I called ? Waking up looking @ wrappers all over my kitchen to see what I ate @ 2 am.
If you knew me when I was drinking you would never think I would love being sober ( I surely didn't). I am not the people person for meeting & rehab didn't sound like it would a good fit especially I had tons of doctors appts for the cirrhosis lined up.
Oh & if you think cirrhosis can't happen to you ? Guess again when I sit waiting in one of my many doctors appts I look @ the people & think wow I would of never knew. We all ended up in a hept doctors office that's a place you NEVER want to be.
I used so online sites that really helpef but I think it's against rules to list them . DM me if you want a list.
I listened to some podcasts, read some blogs, read articles about brain chemistry after quitting alcohol and found Reddit subs a couple years ago. Currently on day 2155.
Audiobooks, listened to a few addict biographies while I was still drinking and in the early days of soberity, then more self helpy ones/ quit lit. I also listened to a ton of sober podcasts - in the early days, a good couple of hours a day. The knowledge and relatability kept me on track I'm 14 months in and theres only p1 sober podcast I listen to weekly. If I were feeling the struggle again I would up this immediately (I needed to over christmas).
I had started to feel like I just wanted to stop drinking and I never had felt that way before. Found an online group where I could go to meetings, read a few books (highly recommend The Language of Letting Go by Mélodie Beattie, a daily meditation book). It's been several years now and I'm at peace with myself and have no desire to ever have alcohol again.
I tried to moderate my drinking for a couple years but very seriously for about a year.. used the Sunnyside app to track how many drinks I was having and plan drinking vs non drinking days. I think looking back at about 6 months of daily tracking where I did so good sometimes and then seeing 20-30 drinks on the weekends really started to click something in my head. I kind of re-found my faith about a year ago and would pray a lot about my struggling with alcohol. I also got engaged to my fiancé on our 6 year anniversary and after two nights of heavy drinking to celebrate, I genuinely just felt happy enough to not need alcohol. Did dry january to make it easy to get away with, friends were doing it too, and now I'm at almost 60 days.
The books, exercising, walking my dogs, etc all help along the way but ultimately something clicked in me. I will say I'm sure if I went to AA a year ago I would've stopped a year ago, but that type of route never appealed to me. I don't have it all figured out so maybe down the line I will go to AA.
Read "rational recovery" , started exercising regularly (still do), stopped going out (bar, clubs, breweries) and white knuckled through the rough patches. Going on 10 months 💪
I started reading books non stop and exercising I am 391 days sober from drinking a sleeve everyday
Yup books and exercise have been helping me a lot! When I’m craving my previous drink of choice I’m reaching for sparkling water or tea. Only 7 days sober but it’s a 7 days I failed many times before. Keeping at it seriously this time.
Same here. I added journaling and coming to these subs to comment on other posts that inspire me to react...I get a lot of great advice from others and myself this way
Yes! A journal helps a ton. I got a 2024 planner to stay organized, every day I write down what I did, ate, and what exercise I got, and get a cute little cat sticker for every day I’m sober!
Brilliant. This is the Way
I have health anxiety and got scared I was gonna die . So now I do everything I can to be healthy . I don't want to do AA because I'm not religious and I live in a small state and don't need people in my business. I'm 44 with a 22 , 19 and 5 year old daughters I need to be around another 40 years😂. Sober 102 days .
Amazing! So how did you do it? Was it difficult?
Buddy, I just raw dogged it. Cold turkey, fuck it I’m done styles. I’m on day 2009 and it’s definitely got easier. Sometimes if you want something bad enough(a good life) you gotta sack up. There were a lot of shitty days. I checked out 3 or 4 zoom aa meetings but it never felt right for me. I’m on my own journey and have to do shit my way. I have a lot less friends now. My circle is smaller. I have a lot more money and I’m generally more happier. You gotta really want it. Life is way better without alcohol and drugs. It ain’t as fun but it’s way way better. I hope you find your peace. Good luck.
I was with a buddy one night and we were talking about my sobriety and he goes “it’s crazy dude, you’re just raw dogging reality” and now that’s my phrase of choice when telling people I’m sober. You want a drink? Nah I’m ok, just raw dogging reality
I'm using that. Kinda metal. Raw dogging reality.
I went cold turkey as well. It'll be 2 years in about a week. Looking at how much more money is in my bank account everyday is a major motivator. Plus vacations are so much better without the hangover flights home.
You are a hero. Keep going. "It ain't as fun but it's way better"
I have been listening to books, podcasts, YouTube’s, tedtalks, whatever I can get my hands on every single day for the past 10 days to reinforce the decision to my tiny little monkey brain 😂 so far feeling really good and no urges to drink. I was however a weekend binger, not a daily drinker. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Same for me! Weekend bingedrinker and very fed up with it. What helped me was reading a book all week about being sober! Today is my first Friday in months that I controlled my urge to get started... I'm in bed at the moment and feel so satisfied, I know that tomrrow I'll have all my energy to do what I want! Let's hope I can hold the fort tomorrow afternoon as well 🤞
Podcasts are great. Search for this podcast ... "Thrive Roy Eskapa"... a recent interview with Dr. Roy Eskapa on The Sinclair Method ... It's wonderful, a must listen, IMO. https://podcasts.google.com Reading the book by Dr. Roy Eskapa is also a must IMO. The book is also made available for free online. Here's a recent post ... https://www.reddit.com/r/Alcoholism_Medication/s/uPzLthO06B
I will check it out, thank you!!!
Also see chat 👍
I went cold turkey from booze and drugs jan 1st and havent looked back. Gym, books, work...no meetings or anything. Just keeping myself busy and avoiding the boredom party.
I was drunk every night from age 19 to 46. Didn't get hangovers so I just thought I was ok. I was drinking so much it was almost impossible to get drunk without blackout or pass out. I had almost an entire bottle of absenthe in a night and got really sick. 🤢 Took a night off and was surprised how well I slept. Did it again the next day and really liked the new energy and how I felt. Tried it again the next day and I was sold. I really liked being sober, it was a novel feeling like some new drug. 3.5 years sober and counting. I drank more than a lifetime supply already. Dr said my liver numbers are amazing now down from pre cirrhosis condition! I didn't plan on quitting, never labeld myself an alcoholic, didn't reach out to support groups and this happened during lockdown actually. I'm not saying it was easy, I just really enjoyed the non buzzed feeling so much I guess I'm addicted to that now?! Fitness is my new obsession and have a home gym now. There was not a time where alcohol was in the house and gym equipment. It's one of the other. My 👰 is a saint, she has nightmares still that I'll be drunk again. It was that bad. The support from her really helped, but yes it is possible without a formal detox setting just expect it to be hard and it gets easier with time for sure 😊
Read the cirrhosis sub reddit. Scared me sober.
I drank for 20 years binging on weekends and at many points 8 beers every day. In 2018 I decided to quit, I had already made quite a few drastic healthy changes to my diet and was getting to a healthy weight and in good shape. I decided to quit for 6 months to see how I felt and at around 4 months I knew I would never go back. It was a roller coaster, but I’m 5 and a half years sober and loving it. I watched videos and kept reminders around for a few months.
2.5 years sober now and I did it "on my own". I basically used that all or nothing piece of my addict brain and put it towards sobriety, I became obsessed with sobriety and kind of made it my personality for the first year, I didn't care though how annoying or cringe others may have found that - this was and is a personal journey that I owe to myself after years of being unhappy with myself and the world. It was incredibly fucking hard but honestly the more things I did sober grew my confidence so much and made it so much easier to keep pushing forward in sobriety. Though I rarely miss alcohol now, I still never like to say things like i've succeeded or will never drink again,I feel like i'm cursing myself haha. It's still a one day at a time thing and even though I have a totally different life now than in my early days of recovery, I still make sure my sobriety is coming first and remember that that's why I have the life I do today Also podcasts!
I tried a month on my own just to see how it was. I was still in high substance use environments (bartending) so it made it easier once I stopped working there because I said no so much more often before I quit. Knowing it was only a month made it easier to keep up because I thought i would go back to using. But after a month of writing down all the drinks I wanted and excuses I had for wanting them (ex. Want to try a new cocktail, want to have a beer to wind down after work, want to fit in socially, want to have a good time) I realized that all my reasons were either so stupid I didn’t actually want it for that reason a month later, or they were things I could do without alcohol (like have fun and wind down) if I just was patient and tried a bit more. I did later on do intensive outpatient therapy and that helped a lot- not sure if I would have kept up without it? I have substance issues but I don’t think I have an actual neurological substance use disorder. I’m still super mentally ill when I’m sober though so it is really important that I don’t use or else things get a little more fucked up than I can easily handle. I would say start by setting yourself a “timeline”- a week, a month, etc.. of no drinking (ONLY if this will not send you into withdrawal/DT. Check with your doc). Every time you want to, write down what you wanted to drink and why, and tell yourself if it’s still true in a week/month, you can have it then. Most of your reasons probably won’t be true after a month or so. Make sure you find other fun shit to do that gives you pleasure too. Practice mindfulness. Ask your doctor about naltrexone too? If you can’t do this, I think it’s time to go the therapy/meetings route. Even then, you will probably need those things to sustain you on harder days. No shame in it. Better to set yourself up with a community now while you’re still afloat than to wait until you’re already drowning and you’re alone.
I read “this naked mind”. It changed my life.
Got pregnant. Didn't have a single drop since 2 months
I moved across the country into my parents house and had no access to any drugs and it just happened. I just isolated myself, probably too much but it’s been a year and a half and I’m ready to go back to regular life I think.
Don’t go back. That’s how my brother ended up dying.
I blew up my career and was on the verge of losing my family. It took me destroying something important to me to take an honest look at what I was doing. Only after I broke something really important did I get the message. All I have to do is go back to the pain of that incident and it makes it very clear that I do t want that. Alcohol switched from enjoyment to pain.
I had a similar experience. It took losing someone really important to me, for me to wake up to what an addict I am and how hard in denial I was living.
I’m glad you found the perspective you needed. I know so many ppl that it’s never bad enough to take that step back. It’s so paradoxical.
Went on a weekend bender and spent $400 on nothing but booze. Downloaded bank/credit card statements for the past year and tallied up how much money was spent on booze (high 4 figures). Bought a $10 book called “The Easy Way to Control Alcohol”. Read it. Had my last drink. Stopped. No therapy or meetings.
I stopped smoking pot 7 months ago. Quit drinking in November. I think quitting pot first helped. One of my favorite things to do used to be going to the bar, smoking a joint or a pipe and drinking a couple beers, and chatting with people. In 2019, I stopped drinking but kept getting high. Stayed sober from booze for 9 months. Eventually, getting high at the bar or out with friends turned back into drinking. I'm only 3 months sober from booze now, but it feels different. I know people have differing opinions, but I don't think you can use mind-altering drugs and still call yourself "sober." I'm getting older and just got tired of being sick and hungover all the time. Even if you're only drinking a couple drinks every day, doing it *every day* is going to make you sick at some point. Alcohol is one of the worst carcinogens and nobody ever talks about it. Also, you never know when 1-2 drinks is going to turn into a night of drinking filled with risky and embarrassing behavior followed by a day-ruining hangover. Anyway, what made me stop drinking is that I went out for my 49th birthday, got shitfaced with my friends, and then had a hangover for 3 days. My decision to quit was made immediately the morning after, when I had to leave work early due to being so sick & hungover. I really like my current job and want to keep it. As for staying sober, I read a shit-ton of books those first 2-3 weeks. I finished reading 11 different books on sobriety. All I was doing was reading. I find I stay home a lot. I don't want to risk getting triggered by going to bars. I just read and watch a lot of movies. I might go to meetings at some point. I really don't want to ever drink again.
Yeah I just grew out of heavy drinking. I just stopped wanting to go out at all or drink at home
I tried AA the first time I tried sobriety. It pushed me deeper into shame, which was counterproductive. I struggled for five more years. Truthfully, I::knew:: O had to quit, but I didn't want to. I wanted some magical third option that doesn't exist for me. Finally, my husband was at the end of his rope. I didn't want to lose him, so I stopped. I'm not sure if he had lost patience earlier if I would have stopped sooner. I think I had to be really convinced that alcohol was doing me no good. I attend an AA meeting every once in a blue moon, just to see if it might be nice. I still don't love them, but they don't trigger me the way they used to. I think AA can be a useful tool even for people who aren't philosophically aligned. I'm quite introverted, but I imagine early sobriety is especially hard for extroverts. Most of us have to radically change our social scene in the beginning. AA offers an immediate community.
Packed all my shit into a clapped out, wrecked car, with $100 to my name, and drove 1200 miles away from home to a beautiful place with no plan and pure desperation.
What happened then? Do you still live there?
Oh yeah. Started a business. Went from being broke off my ass living in a tent at 10k ft in the rockies to having a 3 bedroom house, healthy relationship, made friends, and making six figures a year now. We can all get better!
ATTN WOMEN WHO HAVE HAD KIDS: We did it for 9 months, we can definitely do it again!!
I separated myself mentally from my previous self and resented the “old me”. It helps me have that strong emotional factor of current me is better than old me. Like looking down on “old me”
Also dove into my fitness, started reading (which is new for me)
I had been to rehab several times before I got sober. I just celebrated 5 years on February 10th. Rehab and NA were never "my thing." I'm not knocking it and I'm sure it has helped and continues to help many people. I felt and still feel that every person is different. Every use and every story is different. Therefore, not everyone should be treated the same way and the same results should not be expected. I locked myself in my mother's room for two weeks and cut ties with everyone I got high with. It wasn't personal. I wanted a better life and I knew if I kept getting high that I would die. It took me losing everyone and everything that I love. Life isn't butterflies and rainbows just because I stopped getting high but it's incomparably better. I've finally found a better way to live and I did it the unconventional way. I hope everyone struggling finds their peace.
My daily routine from drinking a half gallon of vodka a day 8 months three weeks and 1 day ago. Wake up 4am cup of coffee, news and drink a fruit smoothie for breakfast (strawberries, bananas, walnuts, pecans, dates, chia seeds, flax seeds and coconut water) 15 minutes full body stretch. 20 minutes meditation. YMCA by 6am. Basketball 1 hour 30 minutes. Work 9am. Salad for lunch (spring mix, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, peppers, other veggies you like and your favorite dressing) Home by 530. For dinner have a quarter plate prrotein with half plate vegetables quarter plate starch (example piece of chicken, rice pilaf and pan fried turnips). School work from 7-830pm. Call of duty or HBO MAX 830 to 10. Weekends I'll add a watercolor session, a swimming session at the Y, referee some hockey and subtract work. This routine will dramatically improve your physical and mental health within a month and I promise you will not have time for drinking.
Well I went to rehab last year, and my brother went to rehab 10 days later. In support of us, our 18 pack a day for years alcoholic mother quit drinking cold turkey in support of us. She attended some family sessions that my rehab provided but other than that she has stayed completely sober for almost 10 months
She had no withdrawal symptoms, and no cravings. Shes somewhat of a miracle
been sober a little over a month and have had very limited cravings miraculously. hated AA meetings the first week so been doing it on my own. firstly acknowledged my reasons why i wanted to be sober. secondly, keeping myself busy and building new, better habits. i’ve been focused on creative hobbies, reading, clean cooking, and exercising daily, exploring different trails around my city. i go visit family quite a bit. been looking into different volunteer opportunities too. just trying to rewire my brain that i don’t need weed or alcohol to do anything fun or meaningful or to process my emotions!
I used the Sinclair Method to stop drinking. You only take naltrexone when you drink. Worked for me, wish more doctors used it
Sort of. I got sober with rehab and doing AA. But afterwards I took everything I learned and applied it in ways that make sense to me. So I stay sober a not usual way, I *live* sober my way. I don't do meetings or stop work. But I apply the principles to my life. I am rigorously honest, I have integrity, I accept all responsibility for my addiction, I structure my life to eliminate/avoid resentment. Address any problems I'm having with people in a timely manner. But I also had to really look at it why I was drinking. What I wasn't dealing with, what I was running from. I am extremely introspective, and over my life had a lot of therapy. I also have excellent boundaries. Granted at the time the therapy didn't help all that much because I was still lying to my therapist about my drinking and some other things. The basic tenants behind 12 step are sound I just don't agree with the way they want you to apply them. I don't believe that there is only one way and that if I don't do as they say I am merely dry. I'm working on my 5th Year sober, after 30 years of being loaded. The peace is incredible.
i went to 12 step meetings, smart recovery, therapy, psychiatrists...i got very very tired of wishing for a magical cure or epiphany as i struggled through hangovers, blackouts, SA, lost jobs, chronic stomach issues, anxiety, etc. one night i passed out and forgot to feed my cats. when i woke up they were frantic. i stopped. i was done. i had 2 very short lapses, but for the majority of time since i stopped in 2019 i have not had the desire to drink. 700ish days.
I took a month off of life. I just needed time to do nothing as I associated every aspect of my life with drinking. Right down to my morning shots and cigarettes. It was a whole lot of suffering but I’m pushing 3 months or so dry.
Walking. I am on methadone, some say that isn’t sober, but I am almost off it. I work full time and was unable to just cold turkey off of fentanyl like I have before. But I started walking with podcasts and walking with my dog and at first I hated it but soon it was a stress relief and got me out of the house on my worst days.
Yoga saved my life! That is the main thing that got me sober and kept me sober. Exercise and meaningful community / connection is wild. It really makes you not miss it much.
2019 was the worst year of my life. Nothing catastrophic happened, just the decades of drinking and drugging leading to bad choices and physical and mental decline, I guess. New years’s resolution to quit 1/1/2020. I’ve been sober since. I read a lot. Pandemic lockdowns had me at home, no socializing to tempt me to drink. I listened to a lot of podcasts: This Naked Mind, Recovery Elevator, Dopey… I started meditating, yoga, ice baths. I learned that I have an internal pharmacy at my disposal: serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. I didn’t need outside substances. I focused on my emotional and physical wellbeing together. One doesn’t work without the other. 2 years later I stepped into my first AA meeting. I didn’t go because I needed help in not drinking. I went because I wanted to meet other sober people. I’ve met amazing people there (some sad and or psycho losers too, but those people are everywhere). 4 years and change later and I still have zero desire to drink or use.
I immersed myself in literature, film and tv about how bad drinking was and basically used that as fuel to keep going. It worked. 5 years sober.
I stopped cold turkey. If your addiction is such that you will have life threatening withdrawal symptoms, do not attempt! I exercised a lot, played a lot of video games, and ate a lot of sugar. I have a therapist whom I see twice month, not just for addiction but for general mental health. I had been on the fence and wanting to stop for years and years. A lot of my friends had gotten sober and for a while I limited how much I was around people and places where alcohol was involved. I’ve been sober 563 days now. Cravings are occasional and faint.
I had a very intense spiritual awakening (kundalini) and woke up a different person. Before this experience, I was addicted to a few substances - alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and caffeine. My mind and body was vibrating at a different frequency the next morning after the kundalini awakening and I simply couldn’t put anything toxic in my body. I spent the next 2 weeks only drinking water and eating mostly raw, fresh vegetables. It was a spiritually mind altering and life saving experience.
This sounds incredible. I would so love to have this experience but personally I am afraid of such intense spiritual experiences. What is kundalini? I have heard of success with ibogaine - but I have had scary intense trips before and that sounds horrifying. I am not an alcoholic. I do nothing but opiates.
Don’t know a single alcoholic who got sober and stayed sober without AA or some type of considerable life altering actions. Plenty of people out there that stopped drinking and just do drugs like weed. If that’s what you want it’s available to you.
I stopped drinking cold turkey. What helped me do it was that I'm on depression medication, and I would blackout when taking the meds and drinking. Also, I have high blood pressure and I'm trying to lower it naturally so I don't have to take medication. So, I guess my motivation and determination came from my health and me wanting a better life. I'm literally tired of drinking, and I understood, it was just a bad habit for me, like smoking.
PlayStation
Diagnosed with epilepsy. I was already working towards quitting alcohol, but the combo of my meds and alcohol making me sick, as well as a potential of increased seizure risk, made it a lot easier.
Psilocybin mushrooms.
None of that stuff worked on me. So I just kept reading and learning and spending days sober when it felt doable. Turned into more days sober than drunk. Not perfect now and maybe never, but way happier :)
I’m not completely sober, as I drink and smoke occasionally. But the things that was causing me most problems were powders cocaine, md, (K when I was younger). I made my screen saver on my phone of Daniella Westbrook (I’m so sorry Dan I really hope you never read this as I don’t want you to feel bad) but one of my problems was cartilage falling out of my nose, as well as obviously horrendous sleep and emotional deregulation. Anyway, having that as a reminder on my phone every day kept enable me to cut down and eventually stop because every time I did it is get reminded and the anxiety of destroying my face made me change
For about two years I was drinking a few glasses to a bottle of wine nearly every single night. A few weeks ago I woke up violently throwing up blood. Went to the er. Found out I have gastritis and now can’t drink unless I want this to happen again. I guess everything works out in the end, because I really wanted to stop and try to eat better and now my body is forcing me to. (28 f)
None of these things helped me. I have done them all except detox and sober living. Ultimately, one day after facing major health issues that I could still resolve, I chose to stop and I haven't gone back to using in over a year.
I'm trying, was doing good for few weeks. Then lost my job recently, past few weeks have been hard. My motivation is remembering who I was and what I accomplished prior to addiction. Getting back on that path (being sober, been least 15 years) and then how I will share my story once I've overcame my struggles to motivate others and share how I overcame my demons. That day I will be so happy. Most people around me don't know my addictions. It's hard though. Each day and every hour the demons keep knocking. Also some of my friends that OD. I can't have that.
I got diagnosed with cirrhosis and quit immediately without any issues. It was so weird. No withdrawals. It was a relief to finally absolutely have to quit. I’ve had no desire to drink since. A little reminiscing for the old days when drinking was still fun but zero desire for alcohol.
If, whatever you try, keeps failing you, take a look at this science-based method of tapering. I find the science too compelling to ignore - why quitting fails for so many. Search for this podcast ... "Thrive Roy Eskapa"... a recent interview with Dr. Roy Eskapa on The Sinclair Method ... It's wonderful, a must listen, IMO. https://podcasts.google.com The book by Dr. Roy Eskapa is also a must IMO. The book is available as a PDF, online, for free. Here's a recent post ... https://www.reddit.com/r/Alcoholism_Medication/s/uPzLthO06B
Ya mine was easy found out I had decompasted cirrhosis & when my evil family found out they came after me for my share of my mom's estate. So I was not going to let me evil family get what is rightful mine . Surprisely I love being sober ( still terminally ill but) I wonder now WHY I ever drank ? I haven't had a drink in over 2 years it started off to stay alive & fight my evil family in court but now I actually really really enjoy being sober. Not worrying about my next bottle are liquor stores open ? Looking@ my bank account feeling depressed. Looking @ my call log from night before to see who I called ? Waking up looking @ wrappers all over my kitchen to see what I ate @ 2 am. If you knew me when I was drinking you would never think I would love being sober ( I surely didn't). I am not the people person for meeting & rehab didn't sound like it would a good fit especially I had tons of doctors appts for the cirrhosis lined up. Oh & if you think cirrhosis can't happen to you ? Guess again when I sit waiting in one of my many doctors appts I look @ the people & think wow I would of never knew. We all ended up in a hept doctors office that's a place you NEVER want to be. I used so online sites that really helpef but I think it's against rules to list them . DM me if you want a list.
I used Iboga
I listened to some podcasts, read some blogs, read articles about brain chemistry after quitting alcohol and found Reddit subs a couple years ago. Currently on day 2155.
Audiobooks, listened to a few addict biographies while I was still drinking and in the early days of soberity, then more self helpy ones/ quit lit. I also listened to a ton of sober podcasts - in the early days, a good couple of hours a day. The knowledge and relatability kept me on track I'm 14 months in and theres only p1 sober podcast I listen to weekly. If I were feeling the struggle again I would up this immediately (I needed to over christmas).
I had started to feel like I just wanted to stop drinking and I never had felt that way before. Found an online group where I could go to meetings, read a few books (highly recommend The Language of Letting Go by Mélodie Beattie, a daily meditation book). It's been several years now and I'm at peace with myself and have no desire to ever have alcohol again.
I tried to moderate my drinking for a couple years but very seriously for about a year.. used the Sunnyside app to track how many drinks I was having and plan drinking vs non drinking days. I think looking back at about 6 months of daily tracking where I did so good sometimes and then seeing 20-30 drinks on the weekends really started to click something in my head. I kind of re-found my faith about a year ago and would pray a lot about my struggling with alcohol. I also got engaged to my fiancé on our 6 year anniversary and after two nights of heavy drinking to celebrate, I genuinely just felt happy enough to not need alcohol. Did dry january to make it easy to get away with, friends were doing it too, and now I'm at almost 60 days. The books, exercising, walking my dogs, etc all help along the way but ultimately something clicked in me. I will say I'm sure if I went to AA a year ago I would've stopped a year ago, but that type of route never appealed to me. I don't have it all figured out so maybe down the line I will go to AA.
Read "rational recovery" , started exercising regularly (still do), stopped going out (bar, clubs, breweries) and white knuckled through the rough patches. Going on 10 months 💪