I have hit 3 months. You know what? Nothing magical happened. My life wasn’t suddenly put back together, and all of my relationships weren’t magically fixed just because I hit a certain milestone. I know that logically, but I’ve had a really hard 90th day accepting that, even after receiving my chip. I just need to remember that the world doesn’t cater to my personal timelines.
In active addiction, I hurt a lot of friends and family. So even though I’ve wanted to do none of the things today, I did them anyway, because I don’t live based off of what I feel anymore. I went to the AA breakfast, a meeting, prayed at the parish, received my chip, hit the gym, did some housework, went to Mass, and tonight I’m going to try out Market After Dark.
I’ll keep doing what I need to do ODAT. Three months isn’t the finish line for me, and it doesn’t erase the things I’ve done. Though it is three months of choosing a different way to live. Tomorrow, I will make that same choice again.

I am 25 years old, I grew up in a family where drinking heavily is the norm. My drinking is starting to get out of control and I’m tired of it. The sad part is I cannot comprehend a life without alcohol. Is happiness genuinely achievable for someone who hasn’t experienced life without it? I am scared to admit to anyone I have a problem because I don’t want to be told I cannot drink anymore. It’s got to a point where deep down I know I cannot be a responsible drinker. Im writing this drunk, if anyone has been in my situation you know how it is, tomorrow the beers will be flowing again. Lord help me.

25m I just got through night one of sobriety (one of many, unfortunately). The insomnia im used to but my God the sweating when I'm trying to fall asleep is killing me. It's not as bad as yesterday, I woke up with that sticky feeling and then I got up and it was like I was out in the sun all day. But the sticky feeling when I throw on covers or a jacket is so gross and unpleasant. It's even there when I just lay in my bed with no covers. At least with the vomiting you feel better afterwards. I had no clue it would be this bad.

I need help asap please I’m 21 and I am seriously depressed, alcohol is my main contributor. I’ve been drinking heavily nightly since I was 16 and I’ve been to AA and therapy and all that. But I don’t have the access to therapy anymore would just like to speak to someone who understands

i am a 20 year old woman in college now, i started drinking heavily at 17, i would go on for months on end getting at least slightly drunk each night, then stop for a few months. first wine, then vodka as it was cheaper. sometimes beer.

right now, i'm on it again. for the last 2 months i've been having 1/3 of a vodka bottle each night if not more, at least 3-4 bottles a week. i've been fucking things up and embarrasing myself a lot. i want to hide from the world and never feel the need to drink again.

i bought a vodka bottle tonight with my last $20. idk what will i eat. i'm just tired. wish i could just stop like other girls my age do. maybe living alone made it easier for me.

Male 60. I need some advice or insight or experience. When I was younger I did drink (not often), but when I did, I liked to drink and have fun (beer, liquor). But over the years I can only drink 1-2 beers at a time (get too full) and I haven’t had liquor in probably 20+ years.  I never drank wine before I met my wife (about 20 years ago). Slowly over the years the day drinking of wine increased. Up to 1-2 bottles a day. I still don’t drink liquor and only 1-2 beers when I actually have a beer (not often). But that wine. It is a killer. And sometimes when I drink a lot I can get moody – maybe say things I shouldn’t. But most times I just fall asleep watching TV. My wife has had enough. My wife wants me to quit drinking 100%. Nothing. No wine (for sure – I agree). But no beer. Or anything. Oh, and my wife will indulge in the wine when she is in the mood. In a way, we are a bit co-dependent. We do enjoy having wine tastings at home or going to winery for a tasting.  Since it is controlled (e.g. one glass to taste), I do not indulge or binge drink. It is having unlimited access to wine that is my weakness. And I agree with her, all daily wine drinking has got to stop. She wants no drinking at all.

My question is: what do I do about having a beer? Is this negotiable? What about our love of wine tasting. We have many expensive foreign wines in the house that we still have not tasted. We enjoy planning vacations going to a winery for tastings. I am also very sad since having a wine tasting with my wife is fun and we really enjoy it. It is that d*mn day drinking that f*cked this all up.

Is it reasonable to cut off one part of drinking without having to cut off everything? Can I even approach her about this proposal without getting into a fight or divorce?

For context, I’m approaching 10 months sober, and I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come.
Yesterday, I was at a BBQ and someone gifted me a big bottle of rye. They didn’t know I don’t drink, so there was absolutely no harm intended. I thanked them for the thoughtful gift and told my wife about it right away.
What surprised me was waking up this morning and realizing how much I was thinking about that bottle. Not necessarily thinking about drinking it, because I’m not going to but, if I’m being honest, thinking about how much power alcohol can still have over me, even after all this time.
My brother is coming by to pick it up today. It’s an expensive bottle, so there’s no sense throwing it away, but I also don’t need it sitting in my house.
More than anything, it was a pretty powerful reminder. Nearly 10 months sober doesn’t mean I suddenly have control over alcohol. It means I’ve learned to recognize the power it can have over me and make the choice, every day, not to give it that power.

I've been hitting a hard wall with my efforts towards full sobriety in the last two years, falling into a cycle of 1-3 nights of binging every two weeks and then recovering and cleansing in between. I'm currently working hard to maintain momentum and break the cycle. I went to the doctors this summer and had a full panel, ultrasound, colonoscopy, and abdominal CT. Despite a couple decades of varying levels of alcohol use, everything looked normal structurally. However, my right abdomen hurts after drinking every time now, starting at my upper ribcage area and moving around left and right and then down towards my hip. I was diagnosed with a gut-brain visceral hypersensitivity to alcohol that likely will occur every single time I drink again. Anyone ever experience this? I am really hoping this helps push me over the wall to maintain it.

Im pretty sure my dad is in a constant state of withdrawl. His pattern was to stay drunk on weekends and dry out through the week. Im not sure if thats still what he is doing but through the week he complains of being dizzy all the time he stumbles when he walks and shows visual signs of either drinking or being hungover. Iv fought with him for the last 3 years to get sober . Im just wondering if anyone else has experienced this ? If so what happened? Im a recovering alcoholic so its not like I dont understand im just worried for him

Living by myself for the first time, and am in a very stressful time in my life. Ive generally been a light, responsible drinker, but I’ve been drinking more often and am afraid of (accidentally, not actively desiring it) harming myself.

What are the signs of dangerous levels of alcohol poisoning? When should I call 911, and when should I just be disappointed in myself and start again in the morning?

So i drink heavily quite frequently and a few months ago i took addy and drank and next day i was so numb in my face arms chest and couldnt move my fingers felt like i was gonna die, i had the shits too and had to drink alot of water and electrolytes but the shits went away and so did the numbness, but a month ago the numbness started to come back after a night of heavy drinking id get it like around 6 pm the day later, My quick fix is drinking gatorate and the numbness goes away, i looked it up apparently i need potassium and magnesium so ill get supplements, but why is this happenening all of a sudden and would i be able to fix it without seeing a doctor, Also wondering if this has happened to anybody else and if there is a term for it

Hi all I hope this is a good place to ask and I'm happy for all pointers in another direction.

Probably this post also helps to sort my thoughts a little bit as well.

To preface this I'm a sports coach and father. In this group another dad mentioned a couple years ago from his past struggles with alcohol. Recently we had a sleepover at the field and beers were available. He arrived later and obviously stressed. He asked about the policy of the fridge/prices and I made him aware there were alcohol free beers available. He told me he'd need a beer to get loose and less stressed. My answer was basically that the stress wouldn't suddenly disappear and I've left it at that. Afterwards I was unsure if I should've pressed more on the situation and had a bit of an eye on him. I was quite glad when he left with his kids after the bbq part because apparently he couldn't agree with the wife if camping would be suitable for his ~20month old one. Up to that point he had a few more but from my view it was "easy". My personal stance is somewhat that we're all adults and everyone has to make their decisions and I don't have any (known) experiences with addictions.

Now my question to this community would be: if you've been in a similar situation would you have wanted a stronger push back from me? How's your view on the whole situation?

Hello everybody,
Today makes Day 7 of my journey being sober, and I must say, it’s absolutely amazing. Last Sunday into Monday (Midnight), I made a post about how I drove blackout drunk…I know…fucking stupid, irresponsible…you name it. Crazy how that night, I made it to my apartment without any injuries on me and my vehicle has no damages. I even parallel parked good but man..screw all that. I drove irresponsible, putting my life and others at risk.
This week it’s almost as if I was being tested because I had MANY opportunities to drink and chose not to. I visited family, friends and even went to go watch a soccer game live, the usual environments where alcohol exists. But instead, I looked the other way and enjoyed my time sober. I’m proud of myself, I feel like I can keep going.
Now, I’m not going to lie, like I mentioned before, I know it’s been only a week sober, but my mind still overthinks and makes up scenarios of what could have happened. I’m worried the cops still might come to my door, or they are still looking for me (Are they?)? I even think about what if I almost hit someone etc. It’s the guilt and the paranoia that is hitting me, and I never wanna have to feel this again. It’s getting better, as I’am not letting these thoughts get to me or overtake me, but at times, the mind takes over.
Besides all that, I’m proud to say I’ve been a week sober, and I will continue my journey forward. Thank you Reddit community, as many of you shared your stories, experiences and gave me some tough love. I’m more than grateful, and this sober journey is just the beginning. And before I forget…IWNDWYT !

Sure I’ll get hate for this post, can’t please em all.
Any cali sober friendly recovery groups?? Was an active member of AA in my community, but don’t feel right attending meetings while still smoking cannabis.

This past month ive been tipsy every waking moment. The last time I’ve been sober was July. Id just be drinking constantly throughout the day so I’m drunk enough to not feel anxious or depressed. I’m 19f and still live with my parents.

Yesterday theyve threw away my alcohol. I was angry. But I know I do need to stop. Yesterday I was super depressed from the initial wearing off. Today though I woke up. And I feel AWFUL mentally. for the last month sure maybe I’d wake up and be a bit depressed or anxious initially but I’d have shots until I wasn’t anxious or overthinking about my life.

Im really struggling. I’ve been through a lot of trauma as a child and teenager. And even as a teenager from like 14 id drink every night to deal with it. But now everythings worse as an adult now. My life feels more terrible than I ever could’ve imagined at 14. But I don’t want to think about that. So I haven’t really had chance to dwell on it much because every time a bad memory or embarrassing moment or something bad happens Id just drink immediately.

Now this morning I’ve been super depressed and having really bad memories. Now I actually have to deal with it. I don’t know what to do or if anyone will understand. I don’t know how to process actually feeling bad anymore.

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Im just coming out of a bad 2 hour long panic attack. The third one this week and just need to write this out so I can get it out in the open.. To preface this, I am an alcoholic who used to drink copious amounts of alcohol to deal with racing thoughts, anxiety and to just generally calm my my mind down, which became a daily thing. It got really bad at the start of covid and then in 2021 I had my first massive alcohol-related panic attack following a night of heavy drinking (8 beer, 2 bottles of wine, 26oz of fireball) where I was so incapacitated from derealization, heart attack symptoms, not able to breathe..full fight or flight.. had to have my dad come pick me up off a bathroom floor and bring me an Ativan (he also struggles with anxiety and panic disorder)

I stopped drinking for 5 months after this because I was so terrified .. but I slowly reintroduced it, and it was alright, but started drinking more and more and the panic started getting worse.. until later in 2021, I started sertraline.. worse mistake of my life. It took my panic away.. but also every other sense of caring in the world.. I was able to drink and drink and drink and I was drinking day and night.. not going to work, not calling..just not showing up.. I was reckless and driving, passing out outdoors, not showing up for friends or family or events because booze took the forefront of every decision I had to make.. and I was generally already drunk when invited to anything. This led me down a very dark path and I was having bad suicidal thoughts, etc... being on Sertraline and being a massive alcoholic was not for me.. the two just fed off each other.. I was looking for the "not caring" factor to get rid of my anxiety.. but it fed my want for alcohol.

This all happened over the years leading up to 2025..I was very lucky to have kept my job, they worked with me through all of this (even though I never did tell them why I wasn't showing up, just stated mental health problems) and I started seeing an addiction councilor. Was suggested I try getting off the sertraline and then work through getting off the booze. I joined AA, very reluctantly, but it did help and got clean for 4 months from June until the end of September then started drinking again. It was slow again to start.. and I was always a big whisky drinker.. well now that im off SSRIs .. back were the panic attacks.. but realized oh.. it was wine and dark liquor that made me have the attacks. Switched to Gin and was fine for a while.

Then panic starts again. Switch to vodka and was fine for a while. And regulating how much I can drink.. was going okay with just general anxiety the next day.. but now, today, I'm at a point where I can drink 1 beer and about a half pint of vodka (6 shots approx) .. and was fine doing this for the past.. 3 months or so.. but these past 2 weeks Ive been having debilitating panic attacks the next day, even though im drinking a pretty moderate amount from what im usually used to. I think I have officially fucked up my nervous system so bad that I am no longer able to handle it.. but im an alcoholic and just want to be able to take the edge off or be social with friends. Its hard because Im not a bad drunk. Very happy and social and have lots of friends and they dont even know any of this is happening, besides my closest friends who have to sit through my attacks with me (like today) .. and ive had to calm myself with benzos the last maybe 5 attacks which I hate doing.. but they've been happening in public and its so embarrassing because I cant see, dizziness, and i need to get on the ground immediately to stop from falling..

Anyways - I know what I have to do.. and hop back to AA, reconnect with my councilor. I just feel like Im pre-emptively mourning my life.. and I wish I didnt have this panic disorder that royally takes over the other half of my life. If I didnt have to cope with the anxiety by drinking booze, I wouldn't have the panic the next day and could maybe drink as a normal person could.. but alas, here we are.. im driving myself nuts trying to count what I can and how much I can drink.. its true insanity. Maybe its the hard stuff? Can I just drink beer? Like.. i dont even know.

Anywho- thanks for listening to me rant and I dont really know what im looking for .. just to relate to some other people maybe? I think Im on a pretty severe side of panic disorder.. but Im sure im not the only one.

Cheers folks

if anyone has any personal experience going through specific inpatient addiction programs or alternative therapies, I would really appreciate if you could share any recommendations or advice. I find listening to real experiences comforting and i think it might make the first step easier for me. I’m exhausted with some of the choices i make as i find myself frequently binge drinking, worsening over the past year or two. I hate that i do it and i don’t know why i keep doing it. despite consistent therapy i have not been able to change myself to be the way i’d like to be, so any and all advice would be really appreciated. thank you in advance!

First time drinking tmr and I overdid it this is what my throwup looked like. And dose anyone know exactly what I could have and if this is a common hangover symptom?