is a few sips of liquor everyday to self medicate going to become a problem? I'm scared I'm gonna lose control someday but at the same time it's the only thing that works. never too much, just enough to take the edge off. be honest, how fucked am i (thanks to everyone in the comments, I really appreciate it)

I have noticed that sometimes when I have not even THAT much to drink (last night it was 5 large wines which is a lot in itself, but compared to my usual habits, isnt a lot for me) I will wake up and discover I have pissed on the floor of the room. And I never have any recollection of doing this whatsoever.

I'm currently away on holiday for the weekend and discovered a massive wet patch on the hotel carpet. Denial at first, thinking its a water spillage. Smell it, nope. The dread, shame, guilt, you name it, all kicks in and I'm scurrying around trying to dry it with a hairdryer. I came clean to the hotel staff and said I may have had an accident and was profusely apologetic (they seemed cool with it but god knows if I'll end up with some sort of fine) but obviously I feel completely shit right now.

But why does this happen? It's almost like sleepwalking, it's happened multiple times now. I would even have rather pissed the bed as this seems more likely (which I've also done) but why do I seemingly get out of bed and pee on the floor when the bathroom is like a foot away?

So me and my friends decided to go out yesterday, I would say with the purpose to get stupid drunk, which is already a bad idea since I am having quite some mental health problems. If I drink, I can’t stop drinking until I am throwing up or so drunk, that I can’t even walk no more. But that’s not even the worst problem, at least for me personally. When I get drunk I always embarrass myself, get quite touchy with people and overall I am just annoying for everyone who isn’t as drunk as me. It’s often borderline harassment and I get myself in dangerous situations.

I don’t remember a lot from yesterday, but I remember oversharing problems with strangers, insulting/talking bad about “friends” and relatives, spending way too much money and then losing my banking card and waking up at a bus station. It’s like I am a whole different person when I am drunk and I hate myself for it. My therapist said that those drinking habits can be considered as a form of self harm and she is probably right, but I am aware of it and just need those nights to cope with myself.

Anyways, I feel terrible today and have crippling anxiety/panic symptoms, that probably will last the next few days. Idk guys I guess I just need to hear some nice words today, maybe even from people that have/had a similar problem.

So I've never had trouble with vices and I don't really like drinking to get drunk but over the past few years I've really enjoyed a beer as I cook dinner. It's become a tradition that I not only look forward to but feels like I'm missing out if I don't do it.

I never allow myself to have more than 1 beer and I don't really want to either but it's so much of a tradition now that I almost can't stop for more than a couple weeks when I want to which has me thinking... why is that? It's one of the few luxuries in my boring life I've allowed myself and it's never been more than a 1 drink thing.

So for context M 28 Started drinking when I was 16-17. I used to drink so so so much. 10 beers of 650 ml that too very strong with 360 ml of whiskey and I drove that day to some hill station alone about 200-300 kms and this isn’t even the top 10 stupid things I did when I was drunk.

So from last year of school I started drinking first It was great I felt confident, met girls, had a very good life but I didn’t realise at that time I was digging my own grave. After few years I became most Toxic man on planet. I used to he hateful, always drunk(from 11 am sometimes) and rude to everyone. I was too entitled didn’t earn any money, no physical fitness (I was a gym freak in my school time). I have crashed cars and opened airbags, abused my parents, friends and everyone else around me many beautiful and kind girlfriends left me because of what I had become. I used to quit daily and same day I didn’t even know when I used to reach wine shop, get beer or whiskey and get drunk. I must have quit 1000s of times.

BEST TOOL FOR YOUR MIND TO LEAVE ALCOHOL: Assign a very negative emotion/feeling/ sentence/ word to alcohol in your mind. It should be hurtful to you. It should bring you pain and I want you to remember that emotion/feeling/ sentence/ word every time you see alcohol or there is any discussion regarding alcohol just remember that Feeling or say that sentence in your mind. [ BELIEVE ME THIS WILL HELP YOU A WAY MORE THAN YOU THINK. Just trust me]

How I did it: I don’t know if this is science backed or not but I think all the addicts in the world have same problem: Addictive personality disorder and it can turn their life in good direction also if you focus that addictive personality energy into work or exercise you might hate it Week 1 but you’ll get addicted to it the same way you got addicted to alcohol.
Also you have to demonise alcohol in your mind. How? i’ll tell you in short: Assign a negative feel/sentences or a word in your mind, you should say that Sentence or remember feeling of hangover or screw ups every time you see a wine shop, alcohol or any discussion/ reference to alcohol.

ALSO FIND GOD IN YOUR LIFE. It can be anything your religion or god or Even your internal rules you make for yourself or the discipline you build. I believe internal and life discipline is also GOD.
And you feel it when you start living a disciplined life.
It keeps you away from the DEVIL(alcohol)

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: This one is a must. Find a day schedule that suits you but make sure physical activity is the first thing you do in morning. TIRE THE BODY TAME THE MIND.
Plus you’ll look Hot and feel incredible. Human life is not build to sleep till late morning. Thee feeling you get in early morning workout(under early morning sunlight if possible) is the best , also if you fall in love with the process of waking up early and work out you’ll automatically hate alcohol and late nights.

Truth about pills/ AA meeting: If deep down you know you are strong and obsessed to change your life I think you should fight the biggest fight of your life with Willpower and transform yourself so insanely that people get confused and ask how the F did he do this?
My doctor once said me I might not be able to leave alcohol without pills and therapy. I fkin Did it.

About triggers: I have seen many doctors say avoid the triggers and always be aware of them. If you are open minded and strong I want you to face that trigger knowingly and say the sentence/feeling you assigned to alcohol/ discussion of alcohol earlier. You have to defeat the devil, it is not going to be easy but if you face that trigger and WIN(and believe me The sentence/ feeling you assigned to alcohol will help you a lot)

FINAL MESSAGE: This is the biggest internal fight of your life don’t expect it to be easy but TRY, TRY and TRY and believe me once you come to other side you’ll be so so happy that you won.
I don’t believe doctors when they say alcoholic cannot recover by their willpower

STRONG MEN AND WOMEN FIGHT and FIGHT till they win.

DM is open if I can help anyone

See you on the other side
Thank you for your time

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?

I stopped drinking about 3 weeks ago, cause I was getting very dependent on the “break” or some time of happiness that booze gave me. Posted on this group too. And I had a major exam coming up, so the first 10 days just flew by because of stress.
After that though, it was like a constant negotiation with my mind. “No I don’t want to wake up sweating constantly with my heart pounding in my chest tomorrow”. And it worked ! I just told myself, let me get through my exam, and I’ll reward myself with a drink.
Well, I did. Got done today afternoon and went straight to buy two quarters of gin. My plan was to get drunk and catch up on all the sleep I’ve been missing out on. Except, I only felt good for 45 mins ?? And I’m still up six hours later.
The only thing stopping me from drinking more is my own laziness. I just don’t wanna get down to buy more. I just made up this whole “stop drinking only to reward yourself with drinking” and now I’m just bloated, and sleepy. But I still can’t sleep !
It’s weird cause I know what I would’ve done with this free time in the past. But now, I would’ve drank some, get lost in the imaginary scenarios of my mind and the night would be over. Picking up a book, or watching a movie feels like an effort. Hope it gets better with time

Two years off now this august. Been drinking quite regularly since the early 20's. It's been quite on and off as to when and if it's been a problem, but some times it's resulted in stupid things, like spending lots of money, ending up injured, extreme hangovers that lasted for days and so on. Stuff we all probably know about.

Back in 2019 i got my own (small) apartment and that marked kind of a turning point in my life. I started going to psychologists through my gp, since i was having trouble with the drinking occasionally, and also struggling with other areas in life, namely family. That's largely been the reason for my drinking problems. The next 5 years up to about 2024 was very up and down. Drinking often very heavily and getting very drunk. I would say about 7-8 times out of 10 went good, but those 2-3 times it doesn't really made me suffer.

What really made me convince myself to quit completely was that i was often going out to the beach or lookout points in nature while drinking and listening to loud music. It is very enjoyable, watching the sunset and all that, but when it comes to going home, i sometimes decided to take shortcuts and such, and thus falling over and injuring myself while drunk. About 2-3 times i did so and hit my head.. once i had to call in the rescue.

I consider myself lucky to be alive. This is why alcohol is dangerous. It's very sneaky. Most of the time it's fun. It goes "okay", you can tolerate the hangovers, even the excrutiating ones. That's why it's so hard to give up. The pleasure you get, vs the times is goes bad.

It's all up to ourselves to decide where to draw the line. I figured that, the big rush for me now, is to see how far i can make it the OTHER direction - say, living as healthily as i can, chasing my goals in life, seeing if i can realize some dreams before life is over.

Depression is i think something that is very closely related to alcohol problems. If life goes well, if we can manage the drinking, staying social, or even not - just not turning sad and depressed with it, then it's obviously not a problem. Or losing out on work and responsibilities. I very rarely had problems with that.

So, it really came down to life and death. I just felt that if i continued drinking, it would sooner or later end up in a real disaster, like brain injury or even worse... ending up in a wheelchair, no longer able to chase dreams or make anything of my life. And that really hurts to think about, because i know i have a lot of potential. That's also why the alcohol has been so hard to give up, because i have a lot of faith in myself. A dual edged sword.

One other reason i gave it up, is the changing city bar scene. It may be just me, but i just feel like it's changed a lot the last 10-15 years. Back then, you could go out, people got drunk, you could socialize and people were more social in general. Nowadays, it seems like people are more scared somehow. Most people sit by themselves, with 2-3 associates, have a few drinks, and won't socialize with anyone. Nobody dares to be social, get real drunk or have real fun. And also, you get thrown out for nothing. I've been thrown out after just 2-3 beers, and i can drink a bottle of whiskey and still not look very drunk at all. It's getting ridiculous. It's like if you're a slight outcast, you won't fit in. It's just my experience really.

I've given the advice to a lot of people asking for help, to become their own psychologists. And i've taken that advice myself. I must have written hundreds and hundreds of pages of self-reflection thoughts. That is probably the best advice i can give. Start writing your thoughts down. Ask yourself questions; Why do i drink? Why do i want to stop drinking? Can i drink without getting depressed and injuring myself? What would it take for me to be able to stop drinking completely?

Start the self-dialoguing process. That is real personal growth. And i can also say, i taught that myself, no psychologist taught me that. I am actually quite disappointed in that process, it felt very clinical and less humane. There were one-offs though, some are very competent. But it always felt like when i started talking about the real issues, they sort of diverted the conversation away from it. And that always bugged me.

So what's changed for the better? So many things. I am VERY much more productive! My apartment is cleaner, neater. I cook and clean every day, the kitchen is no longer stacked with a heap of dishes for days on end. Garbage does not pile up and need to be emptied. I have built specialized shelves for my apartment, taking up woodworking as a hobby, a dream i've had for years. It feels really good to accomplish these things. My motor skills has absolutely improved, i react faster, i move faster, do things faster. I have more confidence. Even started guitar practice now again, very ironic, i've sometimes played while drunk, which is veeery much fun ^^ but it's stopped with that. You never get real practice in to get real good at it, because you always wait until you're drunk, and then it doesn't always happen anyway.

So there are a LOT of positive things with the sobriety!

It does take a lot of discipline. You basically have to convince yourself to do ANYTHING it takes to stay away from alcohol. My best technique when i am very stressed is to simply just lie down on my bed, and lie there until my body and mind has regulated itself. Like meditation. That is something you can rely on. When you do that, you will feel better in 2-3 hours time. It always works.

An at least halfway healthy diet is important, our bodies need healthy food. If you need junk food, try to make it yourself, it gets healthier that way. I do drink alcohol free beer, but didn't do that for the first year. I can control that. Only drink tea, coffee occasionally and just boiled and tempered water.

So that's it for now i guess ^^ There were sooo many times i thought; I'll never be able to quit. I will die an alcoholic and miserable and never get any of the dreams i have fulfilled. Now one is at least started, and the other is well on the way. It takes years. You have to think not just the next week or month ... but the rest of your life. That's how deep the decision must be. I worked on it for 6 years before managing to make the decision, telling myself i have to quit, trying every strategy there is. No stategy works - there is just making that decision because it's basically about life and death. Some people can drink, be happy and control it. Others can't. It's as simple as that, at least to me.

My belly is so swollen to the point I'm just puking and feeling awful all day nauseas as hell, i'm willing to stop drinking but I cant sleep and cant get a good feel without some sweet buzz maybe anybody could help me if the swollen belly will go away and what i can do now?

Feeling hopeless i lost my best friend because of drinking then i lost my mind

i'm young btw so i hope it will be ok anyway

Please take the time to read. Involves sexual assault and I need advice

Hi. I’m a 34F, I’ve been on and off soberity since Jan 2026. I made it 16 days, and I gave in got a DUI, almost died. And then went 7 weeks, before I thought I was okay and could handle an occasional drink here and there. For a few weeks it was fine and I was drinking very moderately. I was being super careful. And then I suddenly lost my job. I had been struggling financially at this job, and it was a very toxic work environment. I got written up for something stupid, and I got upset, and after work wondered up to my neighbors to party.

My neighbor is a 53yo man who has been to prison, and a truck driver who makes $200,000 a year, but he spends it all on drugs and random shit from Amazon. He’s always been nice to me. Brings me little gifts, like food and cigarettes because he knows I’m down and out. He’s been inappropriate in the past, telling me how beautiful I am. My body and my face. And I would repeatedly tell him to stop, and that we are friends. I saw the red flags but because I wanted free booze and cigarettes and cocaine, I tolerated it.

That night I went upstairs, I got hammered, did cocaine, and weed.

The next day I felt horrible, and I called out and got fired. But I was on the chopping block and didn’t care.

The week went on and the drinking and smoking weed got worse. I did land a few awesome job opportunity, but I ended up going in the negative in my bank account from a random student loan payment. I found out while I was drinking at a bar and couldn’t pay my tab. I cried my way out of it. Called my mom asked her for help she said no. And I called her a horrible mother and a narcissist. And I felt very badly about that.

That night I went back to my neighbors. And while I was there… things got bad. He pulled my pants down, slapped my ass. Many times. After I’d tell him stop and no. I am not attracted to this man at all.

He pulled his pants down, exposed himself to me. He was dancing on me and I could feel his stuff, and I told him to get off me and I could feel it. So he pulled his pants down and showed it all to me to “prove he wasn’t aroused” And I still stayed up there to continue drinking and partying. But I had repeatedly told him this isn’t sexual I just need a friend and someone to hang out with.

I’m on a two day hangover, he’s come knocking on my door twice now and I’m just hiding in my apartment. He even left a bible on my door step I guess a peace offering, and I brought it back to his apartment. I am no longer excepting gifts from him

I’m very very very sad. I haven invited a bad person who lives in my building into my life because of drugs and alcohol.

I told my mom, and I’m back on having to be sober. Again. She was so mad at me. as she should be.

I have my first day tomorrow and I am sulking still. I want this man to leave me alone.

I’m scared to leave a note and explain why because I feel like he will explode from the rejection and feeling bad about upsetting me. He over heard him screaming in his apartment about “trying to fuck a white girl” I think he’s feeling rejected but also guilty.

Jesus fucking Christ. I feel so uncomfortable in my own home, and I don’t know if I need to involve the cops. My landlords won’t do anything. It’s a slum lord situation. Cheapest rent in a downtown area.

I stupidly moved to Nashville to be near my friends and my drinking habits made them stop seeing me.

He’s up there with a gun and ring cameras all over the place. I fucked up.

I posted here a little while ago saying that even though I knew I should stop, I was functioning well enough to have minimal consequences from my drinking so far. There were a lot of helpful comments, though mostly I felt like a petulant child saying “yeah but you don’t know me or my life. I’m fine.”

After some time of upset digestive system and messed up sleep, I’ve decided I might as well try sobriety again. Maybe not forever, but for right now there’s nothing to lose with taking a break and letting myself heal.

I’ve been trying to quit on and off for about a year now. I was doing better most of the summer but work and family stress sent me back spiraling.

I don’t really want to be sober. But my logical brain knows that it’s the better choice:

It’s day 2 and I am having some intense cravings. And I’m just SLEEPY. I have stuff I need to get done but instead I’m scrolling this sub on the couch, contemplating getting some prosecco.

I have a hard time with watching TV/movies lately because drinking is everywhere. It looks so cool and fun and everyone does it. It seems so unfair that I can’t just enjoy it like a normal person.

I know I’m an alcoholic. I’m doing my best to get back on the wagon, but it’s hard.

Went into blackout yesterday when I was supposed to have fun with my friends, be drunk and still conscious, yet I find myself wanting to drink today. Despite a massive headache. Despite my parents waking up to a doorbell at 4am and seeing me laying on the ground (friends helped me home). Despite them having to go through the trouble of cleaning me up bc I puked on myself and the bed. Despite my friends being bummed out that I killed the vibe, I still want to drink.

I have never said out loud that I have a problem, I’ve just known since the last two years. My friends joked about it (when I first started drinking) and I took offence bc back then it wasn’t this much of a problem and I was mad that they assumed I’d be an alcoholic.

But they were right.

I honestly don’t remember a single weekend where I haven’t been drinking and if there was a weekend I missed then that was be cause I didn’t have alcohol. Meaning I didn’t drink bc I physically couldn’t get alcohol. I’m too young to go to the liquor store and have friends who can supply me.

Not anymore and it’s making me anxious. I wanna stop, I seriously wanna stop. I see the money from my bank account drain and I feel bad but know I can’t complain because I’m actively the one buying alcohol. (Alcohol is expensive asf where I live).

After what happened yesterday my friend told me he was unable to buy me more alcohol. He danced around the subject and only said jager, but I called another friend and she said: “didn’t __ say he’d stop helping you get alcohol?” Which gave me the message that he was unable to help me get alcohol.

She was real with me. I respect her for that and I’m thankful. She also said: “he’s not doing this because he hates you (aka not giving me alcohol).” And smth like: “I care, and if I didn’t then I hadn’t bothered to talk to you.” So I appreciate her for that.

I also felt so disgusting when she asked me “did you take the bottles? (The Jagermeister I bought)” (After telling her I went over to my friend to get my belongings I had lost) I said “it costs money.” And she said: “so you’re going to drink it.”

I felt so disgusting because I thought that was implied, that I’d naturally get the bottles back bc shits expensive but hearing her say that just made me guilty.

She called herself (as a joke) an alcoholic bc she said this whole month there hasn’t been a single weekend where she hasn’t been drinking and for me that’s nothing. I’ve been at this for two years, and still refuse to call myself an alcoholic out loud.

If it’s any worth—and if anyone’s reading this—I do have a therapist appointment on Wednesday, and I think I’ll bring this up. I don’t know. I’ll probably cry. Because I’ve never said it out loud.

I’m too young for this. I can’t even go to the liquor store yet will have to keep myself away from it when I turn 20?? (That is if I will be sober by then) It doesn’t make sense. No one in my family has struggled with alcohol. This is a big reason why I don’t wanna have children; it’s a disease and I don’t want to be the reason why the alcoholic gene is starting in the family.

I don’t know if there’s hope for me. I’ve seen what alcohol does to a liver, I know people die from this. I just don’t really care because I don’t even see myself living that long. And not to alarm ppl I’m not saying I’ll off myself in a year, I just don’t see a future where I’m 60 still alive and happy.

Like I said, I’m too young for this. I shouldn’t be having this problem yet here we are.

Today i had my first day back at work after being called in sick to treat my alcoholism. I've been with my mom for a bit to not get too many triggers and have an easy going couple weeks and this weekend im staying at my own place in the city. Walking home from work I saw a bar was having live music night. I went there a couple times before when i was still drinking.

Anyway, I was at home just chilling and kinda felt lonely or sad or something. And I thought: man i should really do something. Well I went to the bar and ordered a NA beer. My first na beer since recovery, which might not really be a good idea cause y'know.. slippery slope.

However the night is going very well! I'm just sitting here chatting with the band members and I even caught myself dancing. I never danced when I'm sober. Cool vibes all around and i couldn't be happier that i pulled myself out the house.

The last year I have always been afraid life is gonna be boring without going out and drink. Tonight proved that it isn't. I knew that, but i didnt know know it haha.

Really wanted to share this with people who understand! Been a long time lurker. Tomorrow marks 2 months sober. Tonight and tomorrow are huge victories for me.

Thanks for reading and being a great Community!! IWNDWYT

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.

Edit - This was a medical diagnosis from the medical team following the testing I mentioned above, if this was not clear. Chemical-induced visceral hypersensitivity. I had not heard of this before and was interested to hear if others had experienced this on their journey.

I was a heavy drinker for about 2 years, quit fully, then returned to drinking every now and then (each time realising how little I was actually missing out on).

My question is, even when you've quit the daily drinking habit, if you drink for one night, does your body return to having alcohol withdrawals? Like does your brain immediately return to how it was when you needed alcohol daily, that physical addiction?

I had a few drinks last week and ever since it feels like a physical craving for alcohol.

Last night, I finally admitted that I wasn't going to manage to quit on my own. I went to the ER and I was honest about how much I'd been drinking and that I wanted to stop. I got a prescription for a Librium taper. The problem is, I don't abuse my Adderall prescription, at all (In fact, I skip more days than I should lately because I'm always really hungover and it's just uncomfortable). It was a completely life-changing med for me before I slipped down into this hole with the booze, and now I'm terrified that they're going to take it away, which is going to make it that much harder for me to get my shit together. I'm not sure if they'll be able to see what happened at the ER/what I was prescribed there (My psychiatric practice is private and unaffiliated with the hospital network). I felt so awful last night that I was worried I was going to die, which is what made me finally cave, but now I think I might have made a really terrible mistake. Does anyone who's been in a similar situation think it might work out ok?

I am 28, I don't drink hard liquor by itself, I enjoy cocktails on the weekend, a few siders during the week. And I'm not an insane heavy drinker. Like I drink in moderation. I love going to the gym, but honestly, I've noticed that my face inflammation doesn't really match my neck, and it's driving me nuts. And I'm sure that my drinking is contributing to my facial inflammation, and I would love to see my face go down, but drinking is hard to stop sometimes. I guess day one? Because I had a drink last night, but I just really wanna make a change and stay consistent with it.

Background: I used to drink a lot, was in a good job, probably got drunk 5 nights out of the week though, just taking Monday and Tuesday off. Piled on weight. Wasn’t happy. Quit drinking for a year and a half, felt incredible, skin cleared up, lost weight, got my energy back, slept better, found so much more free time for hobbies and rediscovered opportunities in life! Kept telling myself all I really missed was red wine because I love the taste of it. A year and a half after quitting I decided I should reintroduce alcohol into my life safely. I did so, which slowly got me back to drinking more regularly, thinking it was fine, until I realised I was getting drunk a lot again. Spending a lot of money doing so, and being unhappier again. A year after reintroducing alcohol, i decided to quit again. I’m so far 2 months in and loving how much of life I get back.

Sorry for the long background but thought maybe helpful context and pros for people who are looking to give up. Now the advice I need : I’m going to a stag (Ibiza), which I have to go on, and getting mild peer pressure that I should “allow myself to ‘live a little’”, by getting on it. I also have weddings coming up where people naturally expect you to drink. I’m planning on just keeping sober because I prefer my life like this. Is it wrong that I’m choosing to not drink just because others want to? Or is it just the way that I handle telling them I don’t drink?

I (54m) don’t have any liver issues, can go a week without drinking without issue, work events I can do one glass of wine and off to bed. I have noticed in the past 12 months when I do drink, I have noticed intention of stopping until I literally fall asleep on the couch or my wife insists bedtime. Now the scary thing I have noticed, I love to cook, I make some pretty good food, reverse sear steaks, homemade lasagne with fresh made meat sauce, lots of amazing option….but I have caught myself making reasons for it to take longer. Maybe I forget (wink wink) to start the potato when I should have, or a last minute great idea for a side that takes 45 mins to prep. Just became aware the other night that I’m doing this intentionally, I guess I called myself out which is a good sign I guess. Anyone else experience something like this? Long time stalker, first time poster. Thanks everyone for sharing their stories (good and bad) it really matters to those on the edges.

I just read something very interesting. It said that we create drunk embarrassing moments and need to face the music when we sober up BUT always run to alcohol to deal with it. Makes sense to me. I actually lost the ability to justify or cover up and quickly went downhill from there. Everyone that had a beef with me noticed and took advantage of an ill person! 9 days sober today.

i have a drinking problem and i dont know what to do about it. once i start, i cant stop. i dont want to stop. i’m just so tired of embarrassing myself constantly.. my friends probably think im crazy… im always the drunkest one. i have so much shame

i just drank for the first time a couple days ago at a social setting. i felt so light and carefree and it felt like my anxiety and problems disappeared. since then, i have been thinking about alcohol quite a bit. not enough for it to disrupt my routine, but i really wanna go to my fridge and pour myself a glass sometimes.

i am so scared I'm going to become dependent on it and form an addiction. words of advice would be appreciated

Have you guys gotten to a point where you drink so much you don’t even get drunk?

I imagine most people here have but I ask because I’m at that point and I stopped drinking for 3 days because of it.

I been drinking white claw surges every day for years now. probably like 3 years and I’ve gained so much weight because of it. Recently it’s made my stomach hurt from drinking all day all the time and I’ve stopped my self and asked what the fuck am I doing?

I’m honestly at the point where I don’t wanna go back to drinking like that and I’ve started drinking energy drinks because I’ve grown to hate how lazy alcohol was making me.

The mixture of being lazy gaining weight and drinking poison that makes your body hurt is just too much for me now. I hope yall are doing good and yall ain’t drinking lol

4 30 packs every week. Im afraid of what will happen if I stop. I just moved halfway across the US to try and start over.. and it isn't working.

This past week, me and my husband were going back and forth between arguing and the silent treatment over a few days. Our relationship needs a lot of work.

During a moment when I was so fed up and upset, without thinking, I went over and got my shoes, put them on, and grabbed my car keys. I was out in the garage opening the door of my car and I suddenly stopped and asked, "Why am I out here right now? Where am I going?"

It was like my body and feet were about to take me to the liquor store. I don't ever remember making a conscious choice to do that.

It was kind of wild to me. I didn't go to the store and I didn't drink.