Thank you guys AGAIN for all your support and encouragement. I was worried I would lose my nerve so when she walked through the door and said, “do you have concerns today?” I just blurted it all out and cried. She was so kind and helpful. She set me up with a psychologist who I will be seeing tomorrow.

The timing couldn’t have been better. My loyal and loving dog of 15 years got sick this weekend and deteriorated quickly. We had to make the gut wrenching decision to put her down today. Afterward, my husband (who has been sober for years) went to grab dinner and called. He told me if I wanted a drink he would pick it up because he knew how difficult the day had been. I remembered all the times reading on this sub ‘drinking won’t help’ and I declined and settled for Mr. Pibb, honey bbq chips, and key lime pie ice cream sandwiches.

Here’s to my bestest dog, a sober journey ahead and my endless appreciation for every one of you!

I’m still newly sober, just over a year. And if I only knew how much better life would be, I wouldn’t have wasted 10 miserable years fucking drinking.

That’s all really. I’m so annoyed that I didn’t give myself the patience. I didn’t give myself the kindness you have to have for yourself in the beginning days.

The company I was keeping wasn’t reflecting who I was. My mirrors in my home were covered with blankets. My house was unkempt and I fucking hated myself.

I had to buck up. I had so many people doubting me that eventually the last time I picked myself up- I made sure I was standing firmly in my own corner. The whispers from my so called friends “she won’t make it” and doubts from family that were well deserved.

I’m sober, a year sober now. But not before my dad died. I was on a binge when I got that horrible phone call. I was so hungover driving myself to the hospital. Knowing my dad was laying there unconscious and I was thinking of grabbing a fucking bottle before I made it to the hospital.

That’s where I was at. My dad was dying. And I wanted to grab a bottle.

A year now. I’m so so sorry dad. I’m so so so sorry. Please everyone buck up and stop fucking drinking. It will RUIN these huge life experiences. Life happens. Being drunk during my father’s death is something I don’t want anyone to go through themselves. If you have time- whatever that reason is to get sober- DO
IT. Life doesn’t wait around.

I’m sober now. And I’m processing all the heart break I have caused others. And the deep heartbreak I caused myself by compromising my values. Everyday for 10 years I compromised EVERYTHING for that drink.

To who’s ever reading, if it’s your early days- I’m so PROUD of you. And no matter how MISERABLE you feel right now- it gets better. I’m proof. There is an innate sense of peace waiting for you if you continue to be patient. IWNDWYT

I quit drinking on September 2, 2025. I’ve now been sober for a full year, and, honestly, all I’ve discovered is that I have some very serious mental health issues that I had been masking with drugs and alcohol.
I struggle with severe anxiety and mild depression. My new thing seems to be eating—I constantly want to eat. I’m assuming it’s my body’s way of trying to replace the fix it used to get from drugs and alcohol. I’ve also noticed that I spend money compulsively and obsess over my hobbies, sometimes spending money I don’t even have.
I feel like everything is boring now. I genuinely want to get into fitness, but I feel like I’m the laziest piece of shit I know. I want to get help, but I don’t even know where to start.
I also have severe brain fog almost all the time, and I feel like my life is genuinely worse now than it was when I was drinking. At least when I was drinking, I had fun—until the fights broke out, or until the following morning when I’d wake up feeling even worse.
I know sobriety is supposed to make your life better, but right now I’m struggling to see that. I don’t want to go back to drinking, but I also don’t want to keep feeling like this. I really want to find some kind of help and figure out how to actually enjoy my life again. Sorry for the rant.

I work a high powered corporate job. Last week, after a happy hour and 6 drinks with no food, I got back to the hotel. My clothing made me prone to falling (think high, high heels and a tight dress), and I fell on my ass getting out of the uber.

I got up and walked into the lobby and then blackness. I had tripped on the 3 stairs, smacked my head on the marble floor, and was unresponsive for 5 minutes. Some strangers saw me and called my husband, and told him things weren’t looking good. They told him they thought I may have been drugged, but I know that wasn’t the case.

I came to and pleaded not to go to the hospital. In the ambulance, I cried and asked if I could refuse treatment because I was going to inpatient treatment in 3 weeks. I am incredibly lucky that everything is fine from the fall.

2 weeks until treatment (need to wait because of work). My first near death experience due to a fall.

Im terrified.

In my life I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Some things seem right, until later I find out they were wrong.. and vice versa. I’ve doubted myself more than I can count. But one thing I know, no matter what, that I got right was quitting alcohol. And knowing I’ve always got that decision going for me is sometimes enough to keep going. I made one of the hardest decisions out there. And I stuck by it. Not many people can say the same.

For those of you with me, be proud of that decision, every single day.

I've been dancing with the idea of joining this sub but wasn't ready to admit to myself that I have a problem until yesterday. I justified my drinking because I only drink once or maybe twice a week and people who have a problem drink all day every day, right? The thing is, I can't stop when I start. All I was doing Saturday night was playing video games alone. There was no reason for me to get blackout drunk and yet I did, and now it's Monday afternoon and I've only just been able to keep food down. I couldn't even hold onto water until yesterday evening. I'm disgusted and embarrassed, and I'm ready to leave alcohol behind for good.

Made it through! Stayed busy with fun and healthy activities ! My favorite thing was playing pickleball and grabbing lunch after !

When I was drinking a handle of vodka every day for years, nobody would go “hey why are you so fat?” “What the hell are you taking/what is wrong with you that you’re so bloated”?

and now that I’m legitimately a healthy, normal weight, my family is constantly asking “omg why are you skinny?” “what’s wrong with you are you ok?” “Why aren’t you eating”?

um, I work a full time job 8 hours a day on my feet constantly moving, I’m at a normal BMI, and I’m not poisoning myself by drinking 1750 ml of fucking vodka every day. Maybe THATS Why I appear “so skinny”

I understand they aren’t trying to be mean or anything, but it’s funny how when you’re ACTUALLY ok, people think there’s something wrong with you

We may be anonymous strangers on the internet, but we have one thing in common. We may be a world apart, but we're here together!

Welcome to the 24 hour pledge!

I'm pledging myself to not drinking today, and invite you to do the same.

Maybe you're new to /r/stopdrinking and have a hard time deciding what to do next. Maybe you're like me and feel you need a daily commitment or maybe you've been sober for a long time and want to inspire others.

It doesn't matter if you're still hung over from a three day bender or been sober for years, if you just woke up or have already completed a sober day. For the next 24 hours, lets not drink alcohol!

This pledge is a statement of intent. Today we don't set out trying not to drink, we make a conscious decision not to drink. It sounds simple, but all of us know it can be hard and sometimes impossible. The group can support and inspire us, yet only one person can decide if we drink today. Give that person the right mindset!

What happens if we can't keep to our pledge? We give up or try again. And since we're here in /r/stopdrinking, we're not ready to give up.

What this is: A simple thread where we commit to not drinking alcohol for the next 24 hours, posting to show others that they're not alone and making a pledge to ourselves. Anybody can join and participate at any time, you do not have to be a regular at /r/stopdrinking or have followed the pledges from the beginning.

What this isn't: A good place for a detailed introduction of yourself, directly seek advice or share lengthy stories. You'll get a more personal response in your own thread.

This post goes up at:

• US - Night/Early Morning
• Europe - Morning
• Asia and Australia - Evening/Night

A link to the current Daily Check-In post can always be found near the top of the sidebar.

Good Morning sobernauts, hopefully between u/imthegreenmeeple and I we have sorted out the impatience of our US brethren wanting the DCI, nay demanding the DCI when they wake up on the eastern sea board 😉

Remember, there is a big wide world out there….

So, mourning, it is a common thread in stopdrinking. Many of us mourn our old lives and wish we could get back into it, even for just a day here and there. I know I do. I really miss drinking, I miss the flavours and I miss the sensation. There’s lots I do not miss though and the costs, for me, far outweigh the benefits!

A quick google search brought me to - Grieving the Loss of Alcohol: Why Quitting Feels Like Mourning. It’s a really cool article and well worth the read.

In the 5 stages of grief, I figure I am still at stage 3. Anger. I’m angry that others can be so ‘normal’. I’m angry that the times I have achieved sobriety for long periods I slipped by allowing myself to drink ‘only every now and then…’ which, as we all know, fast becomes “if I could moderate I would do it all of the time!”

Take five minutes in your day to ready the article I linked, or even, if you are familiar with the 5 stages of grief, have a think about where you are and share with us all. If you’ve reached the heady stage of acceptance. So very proud of you, well done either you wear that comma with pride or you are fast approaching it!

A tumultuous start to my DCI week, but hopefully some stability now as Meeps! Gets their head around wrangling us all into a little bit of a formation and carries on their journey in the stopdrinking mod world!

Sometimes in our sobriety we feel quite alone, remember, the Sun is alone too, but it keeps on shining every day… On the other hand you are NEVER alone in r/stopdrinking !

IWNDWYT!

Don’t have much support. Just wanted to post here. I’m going to make it through day one this time! It’s 8pm and I’m not hammered! But man I feel this odd feeling of being out of place in my own home. Spmething empty and lonely within me. Idk it’s strange. Also some anxiety too. Should be ok gp make it through today though!

Fifteen days isn't a long time in the abstract. But I started drinking in my early twenties, and I've apparently never once gone this long without a drink since. (Three years ago I did fourteen days, but I spent a good chunk of that time with COVID.) That's not the same as saying I've been wrecked for twenty years — it just means there was always something. Wine with dinner, a drink or two during a work happy hour, a nightcap after a long day. Never zero.

My relationship with alcohol started getting a lot worse six years ago, during The Plague. Never zero turned into never just one. There was nothing to do and nowhere to be, boredom gave way to complacency, and in no time I found myself walking to my "sidewalk bar" and starting way earlier than I was used to. The Plague ended, but the new routine stuck. I started to suspect I had a problem, but I still didn't have a compelling reason to stop. So I didn't.

Fifteen days ago I finally decided to at least give it a try. For a few weeks before that I'd started "feeling" something new under my ribcage. "Is that... is that my liver I'm feeling? Should I (finally) take a break? Is it even safe to just stop like that?" I had a ton of thoughts, but I decided I would really give it a try. Two weeks later and I'm still here, counting the number of weeks now, and not days or even hours, and honestly starting to feel like I have no reason to drink again.

Feeling very grateful I'm no longer suffering. I drank heavily for many years pushing many people away. Relationships and friendships fell apart. I found myself with unstable housing and employment as a direct result of my drinking. I was becoming more and more unhappy.

One day I decided to stop for the 100th time. I'm not sure what was different this time but I have accumulated some time now and my life has vastly improved. I'm in a great position with work and have a nice place to live. I no longer push people away and have a good group of friends. My family speaks to me again.

To anyone new or struggling I hope you can stick with it and reap the benefits.

Best wishes for your recovery.

Months leading up to last August I was in complete desperation. I wanted to quit so badly, but I simply could not stop. (Sound familiar to anyone?)

I was drunk in bed, battling the spins, angry with myself, and really wanting some words of wisdom. I posted in here, explaining how drunk I was and needed help.

The post got removed. (Rule #2: Please only participate while sober.) The next day I woke up realizing this and was pretty embarrassed. However, a mod sent a message that was along the lines of, “We removed this, but feel free to come back tomorrow.” AKA when you’re sober.

So I did. And I never left.

THANK YOU to everyone in this community. For inviting me back, for sharing your stories, and responding without judgment. This space was the key to unlocking my sobriety and my anchor during the hardest days.

Whether it’s your day 1 or 1,000, keep fighting the good fight. IWNDWYT!

It makes me feel like drinking is very interesting. And it makes me feel that everything else is dull.

But i just imagined if someone were to ask me "what interesting things are you doing?" there is no way i would answer "i look at a screen all evening and drink alcohol". That would a very sad answer.

I don't really know what I'm hoping to get from posting this. I think I just need to say it somewhere where people might understand. I'm 122 days sober, and I've genuinely tried so hard. I've been strong for so long. But right now, I'm scared that I don't have much left in me.

There is just so much happening in my life at the moment. So much chaos, uncertainty, unpredictability, and things that feel completely outside of my control. I'm exhausted. I'm overwhelmed. I feel powerless and hopeless, and sobriety has started to feel like one more thing I have to somehow keep together on top of everything else.

I thought it would get easier. Instead, lately I'm struggling to see what sobriety is actually giving me. I know intellectually that drinking won't fix anything. I know exactly how this ends. I know for a fact that if I drink, I'll hate myself for it afterwards. But the problem is that I already hate myself right now. And I'm so tired that part of me keeps thinking, what difference does it make? I could use a break. Even if it's only temporary. And I know that's the addict talking. I know there probably isn't such a thing as a temporary relapse for me. I know one drink could turn into something much bigger. That's what scares me. But right now I'm struggling to understand why I'm doing this. Who am I doing this for?

I keep telling myself that every sober day matters, that I'm choosing my life every time I choose not to drink. But tonight I'm struggling to believe that. I'm struggling to see the point beyond simply enduring another day. 122 days feels like such a huge thing, and at the same time I feel like I could throw it away at any moment. I'm so, so exhausted.

I don't want to drink. I don't want to lose everything I've worked for. I don't want to wake up tomorrow feeling ashamed and wondering why I did it. But I also desperately want everything to stop for a little while.

I could really use some support right now. I don't need to be told that drinking is a bad idea because I already know. I think I just need someone to remind me why staying sober is worth it when I can't see it myself.

Thank you.

I successfully navigated a sports bar, going to the lake, and a pool party this weekend without a drop of alcohol and honestly still had so much fun. Now I’m cozy in my bed with some cinnamon apple hot tea and looking forward to not going into work hungover in the morning.

Oh, and I ran 3 miles on the treadmill this morning!

Alcohol is so unnecessary for a good time. IWNDWYT.

I plan on doing literally NOTHING but watching movies and eating junk food ALL DAY. No gym, no chores, phone on do not disturb, hell might even just stay in my underwear all day.

Basically just giving myself permission to be as useless and unproductive as I want to be tomorrow. As long as booze does not enter my mouth, then it will be an absolute win in my books.

Anyone else ever try this approach?

Btw, any movie recs for my binge session tomorrow?

this is the longest i’ve gone without drinking since i had my first sip of alcohol!! might be a small number compared to so many awesome people on this sub, but it feels incredible for me. i never thought id make it this long.

had the most productive day ever, woke up early, finished my homework for the week (im a phd student), deep cleaned the apartment, and called my friend. i even celebrated a little by making fancy pasta, listening to an audiobook, and working on my knitting. drinking always got in the way of me doing my hobbies and honestly couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate sobriety then doing all my favorite things i neglected for years. i literally couldn’t have done this without this sub, i visit every day to remind myself why im doing this. IWNDWYT

I guess you could say I’m having some birthday blues. I’m almost 3 months sober for the first time ever. I know it’s not a lot of time but I’m proud of myself and spending this birthday sober meant a lot to me. But my family have been acting really weird since I told them my intentions a month ago. I ended up spending my birthday sitting on a rooftop tiki bar of their choosing and drinking a Diet Pepsi in silence while they goofed off with their cocktails. I tried to be a good sport but I think they took my quietness as disrespect.
Tonight I made my own dinner reservation. I told the staff it was my birthday. Now I’m laying on the bunk bed while my family all drink and watch tv. I don’t have any plans to break my sobriety but something in my heart just hurts today. I don’t think I care they’re drinking. I think I let myself expect something that was never coming, I think I thought I’d get a pat on the back or a celebration of my special day. Cue the world’s smallest violin lol.
I’m grateful to have this community to turn to when I feel sad, upset, selfish, confused, ungrateful, and discontent. I’m grateful to get this off my chest so I can get some sleep tonight. I’m grateful I have a family when so many don’t. I’m grateful for the chance to wake up hydrated and not hungover tomorrow. I’m grateful I made it to 28.

One year sober from alcohol tomorrow but we celebrated today ❤️

Thank you to my sweet family for throwing me a one year sober party with taco salad, virgin pina coladas, a beautiful cake, flowers, and this “sober af” sash 🥺

I am so blessed to have such amazing support from my loved ones 🫶🏻

Also a huge shout out to sparkling ice because that has helped me SOOO much in staying sober ❤️ #NotSponsored (but I wish I was)

Tomorrow marks a year sober on Sept 8th and it felt like time.

I’m 43. I started drinking when I was 13, so drinking was a huge part of my life for a long time.

I lost my dad in 2014, and like a lot of things, I dealt with it by drinking instead of actually dealing with it.

Over the years it got progressively worse. I’d get sober, screw it up, and end up right back where I started. I went through detox before, so I knew what was waiting for me. I just wasn’t ready to stay.

I hit a real rock bottom. Behind on rent, landlord blowing up my phone, no money left for booze either.

A detox place had been calling me for a while and I kept telling them the same thing — when I’m ready, I’ll go.

The thing is, the whole time this was happening, I never missed a payment on my health insurance. Not once. I knew exactly why I was doing that. I knew this day was coming.

Then they called on the right day. I told them straight up: “you called on the right day, come and get me.” I’m in South Florida so they said they’d be there within the hour.

Ngl I wasn’t quite ready for that — squeezed in a few more drinks before they showed up.

I didn’t just stumble into this. Some part of me had been getting ready for it the whole time I was still drinking.

A year later I’m still here. That’s really the whole story. It’s the post I wish I’d read a year ago at 2am, so figured I’d write it now.

If you’re behind on rent, waiting for “the right day,” or just in it right now — it might be closer than you think.

If I can do it, anyone can. Good luck out there. It’s a terrible disease.

Okay, I don't really know how to start this. This is the first time I'm posting in this sub.

It's Labor Day weekend, and there are festivals and fairs going on in my city. On Saturday, I went to a festival with my Best Friend. We were having an awesome time, everything was great; and then, I started drinking. I couldn't stop at one large beer. I had 2 and 1/2 - not a good idea (I used to drink beer every day, but I stopped months ago). I haven't been drinking, and recently have been on a new medication, I wasn't able to handle the alcohol. I went to go to the bathroom, and I passed out. I hit the floor. Fortunately, my best friend was there; she called 911 and I was taken to the hospital.

Waking up in the hospital due to alcohol intoxication was absolutely embarrassing. My mother showed up to make sure I was OK.

I feel utterly humiliated. Moreover, I am so ashamed of myself. My best friend is, quite literally, my hero. I apologized profusely to her, and she absolutely accepted. We're good.

After the initial anger from my parents wore off, I spoke to them, and apologized (they're elderly, and I live with them to help out). I am also relatively religious, and I ask God to forgive me - multiple times. I'm forgiven, but I don't *feel* like it.

Problem is, how do I get over this? I can't even stand to think about this, yet I am haunted by what I do remember. I am so ashamed, I feel tremendously guilty, and I cannot seem to forgive myself. I have decided to COMPLETELY give up alcohol, no exceptions - so at least SOME good came from all this.

But I have never made a spectacle of myself like this. I just want to run away and hide. I don't want to ruminate on this, but the shame keeps coming back. (I *am* proud to say I am 2 days sober).

Help. Please.

Today was a difficult day for me, I was at work and it came over me. I don’t have a normal relationship with alcohol and it’s making me a worse person. I’ve lied to my wife multiple times and it’s been eating me alive for so long. My wife is the sweetest most honest woman I’ve ever met, she’s been so patient and supportive, she knew something was off and she was ready to give me a chance to admit I’ve got a problem.

Apparently I’m kind of fun when I’m drinking, but waking up and feeling the shame over and over, I just can’t do it anymore. I’m done with spending too much money on alcohol, I’m done with buying weed/edibles to enhance the buzz, I’m done with hiding beer cans, I’m done with being dishonest, I’m done with feeling bloated and sweating out the toxins. I’m done with alcohol.

I will not drink with you today.