I did my routine stop at the grocery store today to pick up an other case of seltzer water. The elderly cashier was ringing me out, looked at me and said “you sure drink a lot of this stuff”. I just smiled and said “it’s the best”.

It seems like a lifetime ago but there was a time that the daily case was beer instead of seltzer. During the peak of my active addiction I was at the beer store at 9am— I was withdrawing hard and needed to get a few beers in me to get my head straight. The guy in line in front of me was playing the lottery, he turned to me and said “sorry for holding you up”. The cashier looked at me, then back to the guy and said “don’t worry about him, he’s here everyday”.

So much better having that interaction over some waters vs alcohol.

I FUCKING DID ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!! 22 days sober and after a year of unemployment I fucking did it!!!!!!! I just heard back last night after giving up hope. My first gift that sobriety has given me 💪🏾💪🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾. Stay up my boys!!!

As per title.

I didn't cave in but it affected me quite heavily now I've had a chance to think about it. I haven't been on this sub in a number of years as I was having no problems. I think it was the unexpected nature of it . Anyway, I'm here now because I think I should at least acknowledge that I was tempted to drink. I've planned a nice meal for myself and to grab a whole load of snacks and ice cream to peck on tonight with a few movies. I've been feeling quite isolated in the last few months for some reason and I don't want to be around people in general. Idk. You guise were always good to me in the early days. I'm not after sympathy or anything.

Movie/Doco recommendations on Aussie Netflix would be appreciated.

I'll be right.

This article popped up on my internet scroll today. Somebody somewhere needs to see this and be reminded….

https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/03/health/alcohol-impact-cancer-deaths-wellness

I’ve tried sobriety countless times and failed. I’ve wrecked 3 vehicles, gotten a DWI, caused countless major fights with family/spouse/friends, failed attempts at rehab, blah blah blah you get it. Today I’m 100 days sober. It’s crazy how much better I feel. 100 days ago I wanted to die. Today I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. Life can, and will, turn around for the better if you put in the effort. I had no hope, so if I can do it I know that you can too. IWNDWYT 💯

Boy, that 70 is creeping up on me.

In another life, I would be planning my drinking for the day. I had a free pass, its my birthday. 7 am shot...perfectly acceptable. It's funny how I could find any justification to drink all day. "I deserve this!"

Pathetic. Killing myself with a smile of self righteousness.

I think of how many birthdays I destroyed for my non drinking wife over our 47 years together. Makes me want to crawl in a hole.

Life is not perfect now. It never will be. I just take a little solace knowing alcohol and its collateral damage is not a part of the problem today.

Stay strong out there...steady as she goes....

Longest streak in a while, probably a year. Sharing some absolute truths I’ve discovered. 47m.

- alcohol was killing my cardiovascular system. Prior to quitting, i had trouble walking around the block. Always felt chest discomfort. In late June i went to the ER and spent 2 days there for heart attack symptoms. Had elevated troponin. It was the day after heavy drinking. Mowed the lawn and felt my heart giving out. So what did I do? After i got out of the ER i went to my friends lake house July 3rd and spent 2 days getting drunk. My friends made a bit of a legend out of me. ER and partying at the lake the same week. These are guys I’ve known since 12 years old. Made me feel lonely, and sad.

- when I’m not drinking, i feel 100x better physically. I can breath, stand the heat, walk up stairs. I can do cardio in the gym and don’t feel like my heart is failing when i lift.

- I was drinking between 375-750 ml of On the Rocks Old Fashioned mix a night. I was spending at least $130 a week on booze. I almost never had a hangover.

- my brain has a Seperate person, the alcohol cravings talking, the Big Monster as Alan Carr says. No matter what, it’s always going to tell me that having a drink tonight would be fine. I can reset tomorrow. I’m 14 days in…it would be so easy to drink tonight and get right back to 14 straight. It never shuts the fuck up.

- doing push ups or going for a walk helps to quiet down the cravings.

- this is ridiculously boring. So i go to sleep at 8 pm.

- every day I don’t drink is a good day.

Hopeful i can make it tomorrow without a drink. That’s all i focus on now.

My last drink was Labor Day two years ago. After over two decades of drinking. I wouldn’t say it was a particularly eventful rock bottom. Just the millionth blackout binge that started with day drinking and ended with nearly closing down a bar on a Monday night hours after all my friends had gone home.

Here’s a thing I wrote in anticipation of this day:

I never could believe I would be on this side of the looking glass (no pun intended) celebrating two years of not drinking. People who didn’t drink were alien to me. But they also offered a little anchor of hope that I could someday be one of those aliens too. For someone whose party mantra was “never going home,” the willingness to give up my longest, most familiar yet toxic coping mechanism and face the demons barring me from peace did not come initially easy. But after many tears, honest convos with loved ones and my therapist, audiobooks and online support communities, “E.T. phoned home” and that home is a place of healing and developing a loving connection with myself. Grateful for everyone that has embraced me through all of it. Grateful to be home!

I’m a better husband when I’m not drinking. I’m a better dad when I’m not drinking. I’m a better son when I’m not drinking. I’m a better friend when I’m not drinking. I’m a better man when I’m not drinking. Fill in the blank and I’m a better “x” when I’m not drinking.

I just didn’t want to admit it… I’ve put it off long enough, ran out of excuses, and started to worry about my health.

Appreciate this community, stories, and care for one another. Appreciate you all! IWNDWYT

22 hrs sober for the first time in atleast 3-4 months. Small step but wow am i proud of myself. Propranolol has helped me so much with physical anxiety symptoms so far (just started it today). Not gonna lie mid day i really wanted a drink and still kinda do but nowhere near as bad as my cravings have been.

Hi I've never posted here but I feel like I have nowhere to go right now. I'm a serious alcholic and I think im going to be evicted because I caused water damage to my apartment and it's affecting others. I feel insanely bad and I've been trying to get better. I thought working and drinking on my days off would be OK but it's not. I have no excuse and I am realizing how awful I've been. I don't know what to say or think but I want to be sober and not this person. I've chased basically everyone away, and I don't know. I won't drink today and I hope it sticks.

Last Friday I had my last drink, today is day 6 without alcohol or nicotine. The Friday night cravings are starting to hit, but I think Ive got this.

Here’s the plan:
I’m just relaxing on the sofa reading a few more chapters in my book, then I’m gonna have a super long everything shower, with all the nice lotions and potions. Fresh pyjamas and a few crime shows setup on Netflix. Spicy pasta for dinner and cuddles with the cat while watching some Tv. Also I got snacks and some sparkling water.

Any other ideas? How do you normally“celebrate” the end of the work week? 😊

Hey everyone, I'm based in Australia so if any other Aussies have experience or knowledge here that would be particularly helpful.

I want to know if I can go to the bottleo and ask them to blacklist me? Whether that's to ban me from the store or refuse service, I'm thinking that if I make it harder to access and have local people aware that I'm trying to quit, that should help.

Has anyone else done this? I checked and there's no legal obligation for them to uphold a request for service refusal which is totally fair, but from an ethical perspective, is it worth asking and do you guys think they'd uphold it?

Edit: I asked, the worker said there's no system for blacklisting or refusing service currently in place, but she'll refuse service to me and pass on the request to the manager who also knows me. Thank you 💚 a small step but still another step towards sobriety

I’ve got a job offer, my skins is looking so much better already, I’m keeping the house clean, and I’m not bloated anymore!! I’m so excited to keep going I’m very proud of myself today. I’ve wanted to drink most every day but just pushed through this is so exciting

10 years of ONE DAY AT A TIME.
I’ve been working as an addictions counsellor for that last year.
Never thought I would find my way or amount to anything if I lived long enough.
I love you all.

Today I am officially 30 days alcohol-free.

Honestly, I didn’t start out with a long-term goal per se, and I’m not sure what my exact end-goal is currently. I feel more rested & mentally clear, and I realized each day it does become easier. 😃

My birthday is at the end of the month, I don’t know what the future holds and I’m okay with that.

Bill and Ted “If you guys really are us, what number are we thinking of?”

Other Bill and Ted “69 DUDES!”

I turn the big 4-0. I'm female. How to celebrate without booze? My granny gave me a card with 20 dollars. I'm off work tomorrow, Sat, Sun, and Monday. Labor Day weekend.

My rock bottom, thought i'd been before but this was 1000% worse. I don't want to go into details because its too traunatic but I feel the guilt, i am deeply ashamed and I have hurt so many people and I deserve to feel all of it. You really never think its going to happen to you until it does. I am not a Monster and i'm done with drinking (finally).

Work up from the deepest sleep of my life. I slept for 8 solid hours which never happens, ate breakfast, had my energy and took a nap right after! On a serious note besides being tired this was the first day I truly felt great. Went to work, worked out and had little cravings. That being said today was so good that about 30 minutes go that little voice in my brain said let’s go drink. I want to say I didn’t give it a thought but I did. Within 30 seconds I’m like screw my brain I don’t need it. On to week 2. I love u all god bless!

Had a rough day in therapy and a migraine, under a ton of self imposed pressure studying for an exam, made it 9 days, said some unfair things I didn’t mean, didn’t drive or do anything terrible but I feel like a fucking asshole. Replaying everything over and over at 5AM and my anxiety is through the roof.

No excuses I made my choice.

Thankful for this place. I’m sorry.

I have food poisoning. I was sick all through last night, I got very little sleep and now I'm dehydrated, tired and my body aches all over. I have stomach pain and I'm feeling regretful. I feel horrible and wouldn't wish this on anyone.

And I'm lying in bed thinking... I've had hangovers that felt way worse than this! I used to voluntarily sign up to feel like this at least a few mornings a week. What the hell was I doing?!

Am I trying too hard to turn food poisoning into a positive? You decide, but I'm glad I don't feel like this often anymore.

IWNDWYT!

Two years ago I checked myself into the hospital because things needed to change in my life or I wasn't going to be alive anymore. I had literally lost everything and was down to nothing but the clothes on my back and a busted cell phone that had no service. I thought it was going to be impossible for me to stay on this path after drinking and doing drugs for 25 years. It started out rough and weird but it got easier day by day. Since I have made this choice I have regained the love and respect from my family, have a stable job that pays well, a group of friends that care about ME instead of how many shots I will buy at the bar or what drugs I will share with them, and so many other wonderful and small things. I used to think sober people were weird (and we are!), but we look at the world with a clear headedness that allows us to take on the challenge of life. I'm not here to preach, because you do you, but I would not be here today if it wasn't for the choice I made on September 3rd 2024.

Life still throws me curveballs, unsurprisingly. But I’m much more capable of handling other serious matters such as addressing my need for therapy, that the mental illnesses in my family is f$;?-?g toxic and I need to have better boundaries, that my life matters - that I matter, and I got to protect and heal myself. I want to get better for my kids, friends, family and self. So keep going and whatever battle you are fighting, you will be okay. Nothing good comes easy.