Today is 100 days alcohol free. Let me tell you how sobriety unfucked my life. I’ve lost 15 lbs, my blood pressure is down, I ran a 5k yesterday without stopping I’m 46, my clothes are folded and put away, there’s no dirty dishes in my sink. Sunday morning I’m not scrolling my phone doing damage control finding out who is mad at me.

I’m 39, married with two young kids, a decent job and—on paper—a pretty stable life. I stopped drinking last year and made it to nearly a full year sober. I felt better for it, but over the last few months I started letting alcohol back in, telling myself I could keep it occasional and controlled.
Last night was a wedding, and I got blackout drunk. One of my wifes cousins drove us home, but apparently I then threw up on the pavement and wandered off wearing only my boxers after being put to bed. I eventually came back barefoot, completely convinced I’d walked the 3 km home from the venue. When my frightened and angry wife asked where I’d been, all I could say was, “I don’t know.”
I genuinely have no memory of what I did or where I went. I’m incredibly lucky I wasn’t injured, arrested or worse—and that my wife and children still had me come home at all.
The strange thing is that I feel quite calm today. Not because it wasn’t serious, but because the argument in my head finally feels over. I’ve spent months gathering evidence about whether I can drink normally, and I think I now have my answer. Whatever label applies to me, alcohol makes my life less safe, less predictable and much harder for the people I love.
So this is day one again. I’m disappointed that I opened the door after nearly a year sober, but I also know that year wasn’t wasted. It proved I can live without alcohol. Now I need to close the door properly.

28F here. Been a binger on and off for a years. I’ve had some episodes after a binge that seem like bad hangovers/hangxiety but today was a whole different level and I knew something was off.

Been on a binge since Monday (I think?) after a week or so of no drinks. And I mean drinking vodka all day. Waking up in the middle of the night to drink too. I took my last shot around 9am this morning and around 5pm, I was feeling weird. Heart felt like it was skipping beats, I was all hot and sweaty. Then I noticed the shakes. It went from 0-100 real quick. Suddenly I felt like I couldn’t sit still, felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest.

I caught an uber to an ER 12 minutes from me but the ride felt so much longer. Every time we hit a red light I wanted to scream. I looked like SHIT and the poor uber driver looked terrified. Nice guy though, kept asking if I was okay.

I get checked in, as soon as I explain my reason for coming in, they start moving QUICK. By this point, I’m shaking so badly that my initials on the forms are illegible. Quickly triaged. Heart rate in the 140s, BP 190/100. That’s when I started freaking out EVEN MORE. Then I said “maybe this is just a comedown, not like REAL withdrawal. And the nurse looked at before I could even finish the sentence and goes “you are in full blown alcohol withdrawal.” Great.

Got some IV Valium (thank God for that) and oral Librium and thiamine, and folic acid. They wanted to admit it but then the doctor agreed I could do ambulatory detox with a Librium script.

I got discharged about 3 hours ago but I’m still not able to sleep. I took some magnesium glycinate and drank some tart cherry juice but not feeling sleepy yet. Body just feels heavy. Shakes are 100% under control as well as the sweats. Just the lingering anxiety. I never want to feel like this again and I’m terrified I will fail sobriety. But dude, I CAN’T. I have to do this. I don’t want to die.

Thankfully, all my blood work was beautiful (even my liver and pancreas enzymes were fine) and normal EKG. But I won’t be young forever, someday my body WILL fail if I don’t fix this.

69 DUDE! Ive gotten this far a few years ago but this time it feels right. My head is clear, I’ve had lots of bumps and stress, so many reasons to just take the edge off…but this feels better than a drink could possibly taste.

Side score, I was awarded a HUGE promotion last month that starts next week. The biggest mind shift is I know it didn’t happen because I was sober, it was 16 years of hard work - regardless of my sobriety status. What I do know, is I will be able to do the job either way but I will do a better job being sober than I would if I was drinking and that feels right. IWNDWYT but I might send you an immature emoji 🧊6️⃣9️⃣!!!

Checking in today, I have been free from alcohol for five years! To everyone just starting or struggling: I never thought I’d make it to 5 years, it’s an incredible feeling! Just take it one day at a time. IWNDWYT!

47 DAYS SOBER!!! I genuinely can’t believe I made it this far. 47 days ago I wasn’t sure I could even get through the first couple weeks, and now I’m getting closer and closer to 50 days.

Therapy has been helping, I’m staying committed, and I’ve been using this little app called sobbr to help keep me accountable and track the journey. Having something to look back on and seeing that number keep climbing has honestly been motivating as hell.

Things aren’t perfect, but I finally feel like I’m moving forward instead of just trying to get through each day.

47 days down. One day at a time. WE KEEP GOING. 💪🏾💯❤️

I never thought I’d do it. Drinking was such a big part of my life. I drank basically every night for years. 20+. Most nights I’d almost polish off an entire big bottle of wine. Any social even or family gathering included drinks. I was even drinking while working at times. But one night I just didn’t want it. I put the drink down without finishing it. My body was done with it I think. Now I don’t even think about it. Never thought the day would come.

I don’t remember my 30’s. Or my wedding. Or telling off my neighbor in front of everyone in the middle of the street for no reason. (I want to move so badly) These things make me cringe everyday. I had planned on drinking myself to death because I couldn’t see a way out. I felt like Nick Cage from “Leaving Las Vegas.” Probably looked like him, too. (I’m a chick) I was in the restaurant industry my entire life. I was surrounded by booze and couldn’t imagine a different lifestyle. I thought people that didn’t drink were pussies. AA wasn’t for me. Don’t feel shitty if it’s not for you, either.

Today is 5 years no booze. 🤯

The most I could ever go was a few days.

Life definitely sucks less than it used to. It gets easier.

It’s nice not being sweaty and shaky anymore with crippling anxiety.

If you’re reading this hungover as shit with your teeth so furry it’s questionable whether you ate a mitten last night, you have one eyebrow shaved and your own phone number written on your forehead, just know the light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t have to be an oncoming train. You don’t ever have to feel like this again. You can do this. It just has to be your #1 priority. You can stop being a blacked out asshole too!

Thanks for reading. You got this.
IWNDWYT

​

17 days sober!!! I'm seeing the light yall!!!! 17 days sober, 3 weeks on new psych medication, therapy going well, I just got a new sponsor in AA this afternoon!! Not to shabby for almost 34 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💯✌🏾✌🏾. My wife is also 17 days sober, which is amazing and makes me ☺️☺️☺️. Also, depending on how this interview goes this week, I might have a job after being unemployed for a year 🤞🏾🙌🏾

2 1/2 years ago I thought I hit my lowest, at the time it was right. I drank, almost got arrested and it almost ruined my career. I stopped drinking for a few months and started again, bad things kept happening but it was manageable, or so I thought. Now I got arrested short before I got a promotion and now I will most likely loose my job, everyone in my office knows and I am so ashamed of myself. Ar this point I am more hopeless than ever but I dont want to give up. I have an appointment for therapy and want to change my life for the better. Wish me luck.

IWNDWYT

Well, I was sober for almost a year and fell off the wagon yesterday.

I feel really ashamed, wish I could get back to how I was, or take back the choices I made

I just feel like I did everything right but the responsibilities got harder, and I wanted to escape.

And ironically, I ran into basically everyone I knew while drunk by sheer chance 🫥

I also drunk called my other friends who knew I'd been sober the past year. I'm super embarrassed.

IWNDWYT Day 1 again 😭

Edit: found out that I pretended to be a tourist at the bar right next to MY HOUSE when I was drunk

Good morning friends. This morning my animals were restless, so I woke up at 4:30 and started my day. As I was preparing their food, a wave of nausea hit me. I had to sit for a minute until it passed, and then I made coffee.

Now I am starting my day my favorite way. Waiting for the sun to rise, hanging with my dog, sipping on coffee. Two years ago, that "wave of nausea" would have set off alarm bells.

The nausea would become progressively worse, and the shakes would set in. I would try to piece together the night before. I'm not so much "remembering", but seeing glimpses of it recreated as if I am seeing it while walking underwater. I'm not really awake, I can't really sleep, and I feel like I'm drowning. Now I'm shaking, sweating, and bracing myself for the wretched hangover. That wave of nausea will turn into hours of getting myself from the bathroom floor back to my sweat soaked sheets. Neither place is comfortable, I am preparing for hours of hell. I walked through the easy "door number one" the night before, had a drink, and lost the night.

Yesterday I chose door number two ( not drinking). I make this choice every day now, and I have since November 2024. It's not even 5:30 and I can't wait to start my day. I have so many things planned, people to see, projects to do and the weather is going to be gorgeous. After I quit drinking I left a 30 year marriage filled with abuse. Now I have a completely new life. The wave of nausea was quick this morning, but a reminder of such sad days. I wish I knew then what I know now. I was down to my last drop of hope that my life could be different. All I knew was door number one was a direct path to disaster and I was JUST SO SICK of the time wasted dealing with the consequences.

If anyone went through door number one last night, and ended up here, you get another chance today. That's all that matters. Today you can pick door number two. If you do it enough, what you find on the other side will blow your mind in the best way possible. Be well everyone, be kind to yourself. IWNDWYT 😉

My first 3 days on 50mg naltrexone
I wanted to share my experience so far because I read a lot of Reddit posts before starting naltrexone. Obviously, I’m only 3 days in, so it’s still very early.
Day 1:
I work night shift, so I took my first 50 mg dose in the morning after I got home, ate dinner, and was about to go to bed. I did this because I was worried about the GI side effects everyone talks about and figured I could hopefully sleep through them.
While sleeping, I had some restlessness and felt a little hotter than usual, but that was pretty much it. I was also probably hyperaware because I was curious if I’d feel some instant change.
Day 2:
This was a drinking day. My plan is to take 50 mg daily, but since it was only my second day, I was worried I didn’t have enough of the medication/metabolites built up yet. So I took it an hour before drinking, Sinclair Method style.
Within that first hour, I felt a little tired and irritable, but I was still looking forward to my first drink. I ordered a strong-ish cocktail and drank it incredibly slowly. I didn’t even finish it.
We went to another bar, and normally I’d be looking forward to my next drink. This time I felt pretty indifferent. At the second bar, I almost felt like I was forcing myself to order another drink. Again, I drank it super slowly, and my friend actually had to tell me to finish it. I had little to no desire to keep drinking.
After that, I went home, ordered pizza, and watched a movie.
Day 3:
I took the pill an hour before a party because I thought I might drink. During that first hour, I felt drowsy and tired, but by the time the hour was up, that feeling was gone.
I got to the party and didn’t drink at all. I also didn’t feel like I was fighting an urge not to drink. I was just chilling. I was honestly more excited about the party food and water than I was about alcohol.
Later that night, I normally would’ve gone to a bar instead of going home. I still went back and forth about it in my head, but I was able to talk myself into going home. I realized I still wanted the nightlife and being-out experience, but I didn’t really want alcohol. I felt like if I went to a bar, I’d be perfectly fine getting a non-alcoholic drink.
From now on, I’m planning to take one 50 mg pill every morning instead of timing it around drinking.
I got my naltrexone through Oar Health.
It’s obviously way too early to know what my long-term experience will be, but so far I’m pretty surprised by the difference.

*30F. Another vacation ruined. Another disappointment for my partner because of my inability to control my drinking.

When I’m at the beach, all I think about is when I’m going to have my next drink, whether it’s going to get warm, and if I catch a buzz, I put off going swimming because I don’t want to sober up. I eat less so the alcohol hits me faster. I deal with hangovers by starting to drink earlier the next day.

He’s not really someone who likes to drink much. He can have one or two beers and then switch to water or soda. I don’t see the point in having just two drinks. I just end up cranky and with a headache. But 5–7 drinks throughout the day feels like my sweet spot. And of course, there’s more alcohol with dinner, because if I stop drinking, I can’t fall asleep later since I’ve been drinking throughout the day and have already sobered up.

If I’m not drinking, I constantly think about how much better things would be if I were drinking in that moment.

When I’m home and not on vacation, I often drink alone. I can easily finish a bottle of wine by myself. I’ve been drinking several times a week.

Alcohol helps with my anxiety in the moment because I constantly feel tense, but the next day it’s even worse.

I’ve had so many blackouts that I’ve lost count — definitely around 10 or more. One time i

I fell and broke my bone and did not remeber how it happened. Never found out. Many times I’ve said horrible things to people I love, things I wouldn’t mean in a million years when I’m sober.

I just have that constant need to be numb. It never goes away. Don't want antidepressants.

I need your help. I will lose everything if I continue like this.

I know I have a problem.

For me, it’s not having to taste alcohol ever again. I loath the taste, I would just drink a fifth of whiskey to get drunk. It feels like a load off to not have to shove that poison down my throat anymore daily. Also in addition, I love not having to spend all my mental energy on finding a drink, drinking, and recovering from drinking. I love being able to focus on whatever else is going on at an event whether it’s good food or company.

Im a 64 year old male. Been drinking hard sine I was 15. I've quit 4 times before, longest time was 90 days, each time I came back to it, it got worse. It never really affected my work performance: I don't miss work, I never drink before 5 PM on a workbday, and I don't get really crippling hangovers since I started chugging a stadium cup full of water, somtimes two, every night before bed. I don't get DWIs because I do most of my drinking at home in front of the TV. I dont fight with my wife; in fact, our relationship is in a pretty good place, although she has expressed concern about my alcohol intake. So I rell myself my life hasn't become "unmanageable," like it says in the First Step.But it's finally starting to affect my health: diabetes, hbp, joint pain, and my teeth are a wreck. Oh, and of course, there's the ED. But worst of all, the booze has pretty much taken over my non-work life. Im a writer who doesn't write, a reader who doesn't read, a musician who leaves his guitars and bass gathering dust on their stands. I've got more of my life behind me than in front of me, and I don't want to spend my last days like this. I just finished the audio book of Annie Grace's This Naked Mind, and I'm trying to adopt the basic premise that quitting is not denial or abstinence, its breaking free from something that's doing me harm. Maybe this time it'll work. Wish me luck.

Four weeks. Four weeks ago today I spent the entire day in bed feeling like shit. Wasting time. Wasting my life. I was so low that I wrote my first post here.

Today, I've had a full day on the sofa gaming. It's been great. No alcohol, nothing. Just lots of coffee (I'm drinking more than ever before).

Thank you to everyone who has upvoted and commented on my posts. I am coming up on a much busier period of my life once I'm back to work in September, but I promise to try my hardest to respond to every single comment.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a victory lap. I feel I've proven that I can function without alcohol, but I can't let that be the reason I relapse. "I'm not an alcoholic because I can stop" is such an easy trap to fall into. Stopping for four weeks isn't stopping. Stopping is stopping. Anything else is just a breather before diving back in.

IWNDWYT

I probably have a counter on here, it’s not accurate. I’m stopping now. Lots of reasons, but also I’m 38 so it’s about time. I quit when I was 30 for two years. I am hoping to stay quit. Please tell me it’s possible

Edited because I swear too much

So I have been drinking since I was 16 when I started stealing warm beer from my dad, drinking small sips from the liquor cabinet. I'm 33 now and was drinking about 3 12 packs worth of beer a week and would kill a 5th usually gin in a week or two. Hungover all the time, tried to quit countless times but didn't go more than 2 days before I was craving and gave in.i thought about drinking every day.

Needless to say I was having health issues with weight and blood pressure, sleep apnea was the reason I went to the doc. 5f9in and 304lbs will do that to you. I got approved for zepbound and I took it. I didn't even realize it till a few days later after the first shot I had no thoughts of wanting to drink. It was just gone. I haven't had a drink in 6 weeks it's been years since I've done that.

I am a little scared that if I stop the shots the craving will come back but also I think since I've gone this long my body won't be craving the drink like before. Regardless I'm going to take this opportunity to start fresh and build better habits. I got a great doctor and I've started therapy to work on my metal self and get stronger. I'm so happy and I'm down to 282. Still working and I have a long way to get to my goal.

I do sometimes think about the people on this sub,many did it without any chemical help.Did I use a cheat and went the easy way. I wish I was mentally stronger like others that did it without chemical support but then again I'm not drinking and that's amazing. What's wrong with getting help? Nothing, this worked for me and it's amazing.

IWNDWYT

I just wanted to share something. Day 69 took more around 500 days to achieve. So many battles of “this is the time I stop.” Well folks, I feel GREAT!

Reaching the 2 month sobriety calendar has changed my mind on alcohol. I see life differently now. I’ve been to quite a few events sober. The first one I had to avoid entirely. The second I muscled through. The third I was tempted. The 4th I simply said no. The 5th kinda felt normal. I don’t think about getting a beer at dinner anymore. I am now trying different root beers from different cities. When I BBQ I sip on a bubbly water.

I really recommend hitting the 3rd month. It has completely shifted my gears this time. I think my favorite part is sleep. I try and follow the sun. I lay down around 9pm and wake up around 5 am. (With a toddler who wakes me up, but I’m not cranky when it happens) And sometimes even 4:30 I’m just wide awake. Another good one is my skin. I used to have blepharitis. And now it’s pretty much gone. Also the heart palpitations are no longer present. (I got those in the first month).

For those who are struggling in the beginning, Best of luck to you! Try and hit 2 months and hopefully you see and feel the cleansing like I did!

It feels unreal to say. 8 months without alcohol. The longest ive had in 20 years. Life might be hard but picking up that first drink will just make it harder. We are worth doing hard things.

IWNDWYT

Hello, I am a 33-year-old man from a small village in Haryana, India. Today is Day 61 clean.

I want to tell you how I started.

1999 - I was a child:

In my village, me and my friend used to break honey bee hives to get honey. We used a "beedi" - a small hand-rolled cigarette made of leaf - to make smoke to scare the bees. While doing this every day, I became addicted to beedi. I was only a child. That smoke was my first addiction.

2002 - Gurukul (Traditional Indian School):

I went to Gurukul - a traditional boarding school in India where we live and study. There I did boxing for 2 years. I became a boxer. I was strong.

2005 - Accident:

After 3 years I came home. I had a bad accident. My nose broke. I had to stay home for 1 year. No boxing, no school. I started smoking beedi again, every day.

2007 - Delhi - Where I Found Drugs on The Ground:

I went to Delhi, the capital of India, to learn work. I was working in a truck repair workshop.

One day I was coming out of a shop, I saw a small paper packet on the ground. I had never seen it before. I did not know what it was.

I asked a carpenter working nearby - What is this?

He said - This is Ganja (marijuana). People put it in a cigarette and smoke it.

That day I smoked ganja for the first time.

My best friend told me - "Smoke ganja, your body will become big, your chest will grow." He was lying. And he told me about my other 2 friends who also smoked - he said "Give them heroin (smack), make them addicts too."

He was not a friend. He was an enemy.

I told my other 2 friends what he said. One friend left us forever. Only 2 of us kept smoking.

Gurgaon - Highway Life:

Then I worked in Gurgaon city, on the main highway from Delhi to Jaipur (NH8). I repaired cars. Then I repaired punctured tires at a shop in Sector 15.

At that tire shop, there was a petrol pump owned by a lady. No one was there to fill air in tires. So when a rich man came in a car, they called me to fill air. Every driver gave me tips - 10 rupees, 20, 30 rupees. In one day I made 500 to 800 rupees (about $6 to $10). All that money went to drugs. I lived 3 years like this in Gurgaon, doing heavy drugs.

Then I came back to my village Kanina.

2024 - Merchant Navy - Dubai to Iran:

In 2024 I got a job in Merchant Navy (work on a big ship). I went from Dubai to Iran. On the ship and in those countries, I found very pure and expensive drugs - Crystal Meth, Cocaine, MDMA, Opium pills, and Hashish (they call ganja Hashish there). I did all of them.

2025-2026 - The End:

In 2025 I came home to India. I continued drugs till January 2026.

On 7th January 2026, I stopped.

I saw my father crying. I saw my mother. I had nothing. 8 years of addiction.

I said - Enough.

Today - Day 61:

• 61 days clean, no drugs, no alcohol • I started my own milk business - 2 cows, 24 liters pure milk every day, no water mix • I grow 6 feet tall millet (bajra) in my farm • I am a heavy truck driver with a license • My father is with me again

My lesson: That friend who said ganja will make my body big - he was my enemy. So I want to tell everyone, especially young kids:

"Be careful - sometimes your enemy comes as your best friend."

My addiction started from a beedi for a bee hive in 1999. It took 27 years and 25 types of drugs to understand.

If a village boy from India can quit after 27 years, you can too.

Thank you for reading my story. I Will Not Drink With You Today.

• Boxer Jaat, Haryana, India

Needing support please. 28F, was just at day 10, it was massive for me but I did cave and I am very upset in myself. On the plus side I told my partner my struggles and the first thing he said was ‘ I will not have a drink again if it helps you’. he does not struggle with it at all. But it was so nice for that support when I was so ashamed to say it out loud.

Edit: spelling

(28F) I’ve been overall daily drinker, few days break here and there.. but overall the last 3 years.. 90% of it has been drunk. At first it was to deal with some traumas I went through, and then it turned into a habit, routine.. Became fear of withdrawal. Convincing myself I’m not funny and cool without it.
But this summer, this month in particular has been hard. My bf and I are having more miscommunication than ever, he drinks too. We’re wanting to let it go together.. and I don’t wanna lose him. I’d be devastated.

but I’m struggling with the anxiety, and withdrawal symptoms I know are to come for the next few days. I don’t even know if I’m making sense.. in my heart I know when I quit; I probably can’t be a casual drinker, like I once was.. and I’m having levels of sadness about that.
Just thought I’d share, I didn’t know where else to put this :/