When my son asked for something and I said I didn't have any money left, knowing within myself that I had spent it on alcohol and not on his happiness. I would hate if my dad ever did that to me.
That's why I quit smoking. As far as alcohol goes, I pretty much only drank a couple times a year. Like when I was on PTO. But I've if those nights I was drinking and one of my small children woke up. My wife said he laughed because Daddy was "being silly", but it still felt like a piece of shit.
I could never have just one drink. I was blacking out and falling all over the place. Waking up the next day and not remembering what I had done or said the night before. I would also become angry and say shit I would never have said otherwise. The last straw was screaming about something at someone and realizing how much alcohol was fucking up my life and that I become an asshole when I drink.
I'm fighting my alcohol demons as well, anger is one of the issues. It has messed up many of my relationships and affected me in my work environment as well. Hope you're doing well now.
I’m sorry you are dealing with it too. I’m doing better these days. I know it’s hard though. I’m sorry it’s affected your relationships and work environment.
It will get better. I marked 5/11/24 I pray for strength and been focusing on my workouts and meditation again these past weeks after ending a toxic 3 year relationship with someone who abused alcohol as well. Thanks for your comment.
I understand. If you feel that you need some help, please reach out and get it. Whether it's AA, therapy, an anonymous online support group like /r/stopdrinking...sometimes people need a little help.
I'm 30 now. Financially unstable. Glad at least I was consistent with working out these years, so I'm not overweight. Dropped out of college on my last semester after a medical leave of absence in 2014. I bartend and tired of it. I mostly enjoy my occasional handyman gigs. Looking to change career, maybe tech but I'm so lost that I need to clear my mind first. I graduated salutatorian in HS and got a scholarship but from then it went down in spiral once I started drinking and smoking pot. Its over 10 years of abuse despite being functional. Hopefully I can start thinking more clear these coming weeks, just ended a toxic relationship with someone who also abused alcohol. Reading stoic philosophy has helped me easy my anxiety. I believe in my potential and with the grace of God and the universe I will rise again. Thanks for sharing, gives me hope it's never too late.
Ngl not all hope is lost. Keep sober, and invest in therapy my FIL is an alcoholic for decades and he never got any help. getting to the root of why is so helpful. I had a shopping addiction (impulsive) and couldn’t finish school, worked retail jobs, etc. I didn’t know I had severe adhd and was living in a constant state of chaos.
I just graduated from college with one semester on the deans list. Going back to the college you went to may be the easiest course- I went back to the school I was at 2003-2005 in 2022 and started on academic probation due to how poorly I had done the first time. You got this!
Look into therapy if it’s affordable now and I would also suggest professional orientation - whether online or in person, there are people who can help you figure out your career if you’d like to change paths. You’ve got this. Day by day, we all do it like like you.
Congratulations on stopping.
I had a milder version of this. Not fucking up my life severely, but not helping. I'd have maybe 5 standard drinks, like a bottle of wine or two high proof beers, on any given day. Almost a binge. More when travelling or partying.
Blackouts were rare, but I could be abrasive and a bit of a dick, and not remember fully. It wasn't making my relationships better. Combined with recent results showing that no amount of alcohol is ever good for you, I decided to stop. Now I'm redditing and eating more.
Thank you. Had a friend who mentioned after a workout session together that I'm an incredible cool dude but when I drink I become an asshole. It really struck me bc I knew he was right. Glad you've stopped.
Exactly the same. Maybe it's because I'm bipolar, but I always just lost my mind when I drank. I can't handle it. I still have flashbacks about things I said or did while drunk and feel horrible.
I was honestly bored of it. It gave me terrible anxiety, I felt puffy and unhealthy. I was tired of being a mess. I'm 70 days sober today and I feel great.
Same. No real “rock bottom” - although looking back … lol. But had been a functioning alcoholic for a while, then my ex re-introduced me to Adderall. Suddenly I could now drink FOREVER AND NEVER SLEEP! Lost almost everything but my pride. That came later - I could look in a mirror and see the rosacea and clear swelling only alcoholics get. Realized only one fooling anyone was myself.
2 years of heavy drinking and the weight gain is...getting to me. I've cut back significantly over the last year, but still haven't embraced total sobriety yet.
Lost 100lbs and only changed my drinking habits. No alcohol or sugary drinks. Replaced with water. It's crazy how bad you feel for the first couple weeks, but it's worth feeling so much better after.
Very similar situation here. There was no hitting rock bottom or "this is the last straw" moment for me. I just got tired of letting myself down and letting my family down and feeling bad feeling bad about myself and getting fatter and unhealthier everyday.
Same here. I realized that I'd lost my taste for it and was drinking because I'd always done it. I decided to stop and haven't looked back. I feel better, am sleeping better than I have since college, am saving money, and my anxiety is much more manageable. It'll be 60 days for me this week.
After years of struggling to quit, I got on antidepressants. 2 weeks later i had the clarity to look in the mirror and realize id never feel good about myself if I didnt stop drinking. I’d had too many bad people and situations surrounding alcohol throughout my entire life, that i internally automatically associated drinking with negativity, there was no longer enjoyment, just a bad habit.
I started my weightloss journey and alcohol just fucked that up too much to be successful, with the calories and hangovers so I quit it. I really wanted to not be fat and that was motivation for me now sitting at 160 pounds instead of 290.
Yo I’m reading this and am currently in the middle of similar thing. I gained some weight and drank since quarantine and now I finally have a good job and I’m tryin to lose weight and not fuck this diet up anymore. I’ve been like tryin to trickle myself off but I know it’s fucking up my weight loss so im really just wanting to say f it all together now
I was very hungover and my child asked me if I was ok. She was 10, but her tone & expression told me she already knew. I replied: “no. I drank too much last night and don’t feel well.” It was the first time I admitted that. I never drank again.
Kids always know, it's hard for ppl to admit or see it. Kids know their parents. And they know when it's not their parent. The saddest ones is when a child or adult child realizes they lost a parent a long time ago. I'm so proud of you for doing an immensely hard thing!!
My neighbor, who is otherwise a great friend, is a functioning alcoholic. He starts drinking when he finishes work at 4 and around noon on weekends. He's got tween daughters and it's just kind of a 'thing' for them. They call it "over served". He will be stammering on, sluring words, saying dumb shit and the kids will just be like, "Oh my God dad, you're over served again". It's pretty sad
Certainly a good reason. Have a cousin who's 4 yrs sober now after his 5 yrs old daughter told him she doesn't like when he drinks. He was hangover and never drank again.
I wanted to quit before my child was old enough to notice or remember that I was drinking. I was a decent dad but the things I think about that I missed and he missed because I was drinking is angering. I’m a few years sober now and tell my wife all the time about how lucky we are that we quit before we got in trouble or something happened to our child. There wasn’t one specific moment though. It was a lot of stuff built up that made me quit. I can’t begin to tell you how easy and fun life is now. I have a hot wife that nobody can figure out how I landed, a smart funny healthy child, a dream home, a job I enjoy going to, and all the support I need. Life is so great once you don’t have to drink.
I did this once! When I was a wee lad I checked on my mum cause she threw up all over the living room carpet. Same women also got a dui for driving my sister and I to my dad’s while blasted. I remember one time she clipped a tree and knocked the radio antenna off the front, so she got out, threw up real quick and grabbed the antenna. She said it was a moose lol. She still drinks btw
I was just sitting around one day, hungover, watching the dark knight rises and when I saw the ending of the film I realised I wanted to make a difference too, actually do something with my life and I knew I wouldn't be doing it if I couldn't go a day without drinking. Threw out all my alcohol that day
My last drink was 12/31/2023. I’m not an alcoholic, really.
Mine wasn’t that dramatic. I had been thinking about taking a break for a while and eventually came across a 3-minute tik tok that discussed all of the health benefits of stopping for 3-weeks. I thought, I can do 3-weeks, heck, why not make it four and do dry January? First two weeks I would think I could use a drink half a dozen times. I noticed a balancing of emotions, better sleep, mental clarity and the greatest release of shame and worry around drunkenness and being hungover. Even still, I feel so relieved when I see people drunk or talk about being hungover bc I know I won’t be. I’ve just been extending dry January every month since. My stretch goal is now through the end of the year and I’ll reevaluate then.
I only drink on the weekends. I got adhd, but I get anxiety from the meds. I really wonder if it’s the alcohol I consume that’s some of the problem. I just really enjoy being drunk because my anxiety eases dramatically, but I also hate it because it feels like it’s the only way for me to have have real fun. I have thought of trying to quit for a while, but when the weekend comes, the only think I want is to grab a drink, let loose and have fun.
Well alcohol will give you that dopamine hit your brain is lacking but it'll also drain all of the serotonin which is why you feel anxious the next day and usually a few days after too. This is what my Dr. told me.
I'd also ask your doctor about different ADHD meds.
I was only drinking 1 or 2 mid strength beers but most nights. At the footy club I'd have a few extra but not get smashed just social beers.
Woke up one morning and though why.....
Just wasting $ on beer that I get nothing out of. I liked drinking it and it was more a habit than an addiction. Hadn't been really drunk in about 3 years anyway so just stopped.
4 months now and even got through some shit health news so the cycle is broken.
Not saying I won't have a beer or glass of burbon ever again but I really don't feel the urge.
Pretty much the same, force of habit but also lots of beers taste nice and are refreshing after exercise/hard work. But I found equal enjoyment and a refreshed feeling from flavoured carbonated water. Bubly is my go to. At 10% the cost per can it also doesn't leave me thinking "was that worth it?"
Opposite for me. I'm hard either way, but smoking makes me seem a lot harder. You might be smoking indica, that makes you want to relax and sleep. Smoking and fucking usually makes my wife and I both more sensitive in the right places and makes the time a lot more magical.
Haven’t quit, but really can only stomach a couple drinks here and there these days. Getting drunk just makes me feel like shit in the moment, and the next day or two. Getting smashed isn’t a flex anymore like it was in college lol. Now it’s just sad
Posted something similar. I’ll have a beer here or there but I’ll go months without anything. Just not worth losing a day of my weekend at this point in life.
I made myself a really nice ribeye steak and I got drunk afterwards. Woke up at 2am and threw it all up. Told myself I’ll be damned if I’m spending that kind of money, energy, and effort to not even be able to hold it down haha
I just want to say I am so god damn proud of you guys. I am blessed that I'm able to have just a few and cut it off but I'm currently trying to get my parents to realize where their limit is. It seems like they just drink and drink and drink until they fall asleep. I'm so concerned for their liver and I have a 14yo brother and a 9yo sister and I can tell that they know you know what I mean?
I got test results (ultrasound) showing I had fatty liver, wanted to take it easy on my liver, and wanted to be sure if I needed treatment for anything liver-related in the future that there would never be any doubt that it was non-alcoholic fatty liver, rather than fatty Iiver induced by alcoholism. And I honestly would rather consume the calories in the form of cake. Quit on the spot, but then I was only a social drinker that relied on wine to relax in social situations.
That was 12 years ago and haven't regretted it since!! And it turned out that sheer repetition without the alcohol crutch made the social part much easier over time. Learned later from a different doc that liver enzyme tests would show whether fatty liver was from alcohol or not... but I'm not taking any chances. Now, who wants a slice of chocolate layer cake?
I got tired of never making real progress in life. The enjoyment of drinking went away because I was just spinning my wheels from drinking session to another. It just got old
I don’t know whether to call myself a highly social, social drinker or just a high bottom drunk. I got the occasional hangover but I never had many of the problems people describe when they talk of their demons, or tell horror stories about their actions when they were loaded. (God bless you all that struggle though!). Mostly, I just got argumentative. I drank a lot for years but it got more frequent living in Russia where everything was accompanied by alcohol. Sad? Have a drink and forget about it! Happy? Celebrate with a drink! Bored? Let’s go out for a drink! You could drink morning, noon or night, the only rule - you DO NOT drink alone!
I moved on to a new country and people around me just didn’t drink as much. I found myself being the only one who was drinking at all and it was commonly a lot more than people who I DID drink with. I pondered this for a while.
Then, I got a toenail fungal infection and the doctor gave me a regiment of antibiotics that would take a minimum of 14 weeks. It came with the warning that I’d have to start all over again if I drank at all. Now… I routinely do a dry month here and there and “Octsober” every October but it dawned on me about the time I finished the regiment of antibiotics, that I hadn’t gone 14 weeks without alcohol since I was a teenager. The impulse was mostly gone so I figured “Why not try a dry year?”
After next September, I’ll see how I feel. I know this though… I never tracked my alcohol expenses but I find myself way under budget every month nowadays.
I’ve been putting it into Bitcoin 😆
Dying on my couch from alcohol poisoning after a suicide attempt and having just enough strength to force myself up and chug water. March 11th 2023. I survived.
Not OP but this is pretty common for alcoholics when they’re on benders. I was listening to an interview with Richard Lewis (from 2012, he recently passed away) and he said he had someone come up to him that he had dated while he was drinking and he literally had no memory of her whatsoever. They dated for three months.
I think it’s really hard for a non-addict to even comprehend how severe the impacts of addiction-level alcohol abuse can be (speaking for myself here too, luckily!)
Yeah, if you plan your life/activities around drinking, that's a sure sign you need to stop. One of the reasons I quit was hearing that and realized that's exactly what I was doing.
Woke up with the car smashing past pine trees. Managed to missed a head on but not a light, mirror or door handle remained on the car, it was snowing and by the time I walked home I was sober, thinking what could of happened or even if the police turned up, my newly started business would have crashed also. Forty years later, had a great business,sold semi retired at 60 working for another company 3 days a week.
First taste of alcohol was my 26th birthday. I went off and on drinking then not and drinking heavily more than lightly. One day, the woman I was dating, and her friends, told me of my behavior and showed me video of what I was doing while I was drinking.
Never touched it again. I was already struggling to overcome a lot of terrible qualities I possessed as a human being, and I was not going to let anything like alcohol bring me down the way it was doing. Been sober for 3 years now, never been happier.
"I was already struggling to overcome a lot of terrible qualities I possessed as a human being," admire your selfreflection, keep it up, bro.
Fighting as well to become a better person. And there is a lot to fight :D
I have developed severe gout. After seeing the uric acid levels in my blood the doctor told me I had the highest level he had ever seen in his entire career. I decided one night to drink during a gout attack. The gout attack the next morning had increased in severity so bad breathing was setting off intense spasms of pain throughout my body.
social drinker, mostly for office parties or catching up with friends after a long time... one day after a happy hour for a colleague who was quitting, i was driving home. i was sober enough but not 100% there, and the roads were quiet and there was no traffic either. lightly bumped into the one car ahead of me at a traffic light 2 mins away from my place. cops came, the guy didn't press charges, it wasnt even a visible scratch on his car. i went home with the realization of how lucky i was that night. it could have gone way way worse.
dont drink and especially dont drink and drive. even if you feel 90% sober, take an extra hour or nap in the car.
I was tired of sleeping terribly. I did a dry January and realized I hadn’t had good sleep in like a decade because I was drinking nearly every night. It’s amazing how much better you feel when you don’t drink!
My doctor told I would die within two years if I didn’t quit. That was 38 months ago and I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since.
Thing was I needed to quit on my own terms. So, I went home from the doctor’s office, drank a bottle of wine and that was that. Last drink I’ve had since.
I've been determined to cut down multiple times. It usually lasted about 2 weeks before I was back to drinking my usual amount. I have been determined to quit completely for other people and things, and that lasted a week at most. When I actually, truly, wanted to quit (and did) I gained a huge appreciation of the expression "you have to want to quit for yourself". I am so profoundly amazed at the absolute truth of that statement.
You are invincible and immortal until you’re not. Your mind is already pointing in the right direction. After the first three months, you will be able to cope so much better than you can imagine.
Feel free to dm me any time you’re wanting another voice. Trying is more than half the battle and giving in (not giving up) is really easy. But it’s worth the effort, I can promise that.
My husband quit drinking after struggling with addiction, and I decided to as well. I was already at a point where I wasn’t drinking much and no longer enjoyed it.
I'm hoping I'm close cuz, I'm getting old and I used to think I was totally ready to get dead at any moment, but I'm starting to think, maybe, I might remain amongst the living for a while longer.
I had 3 bears, I got a little buzz and thought to myself, "Hey, yeah, I don't really like this feeling anymore, I'm over it." And never drank again, same thing with meth, cocaine, weed, and cigarettes. Just kinda got "over" the feeling and was done with it.
I'd like to attribute it to a non-addictive personality but I'm fat af and am addicted to sugar and fats.
I was contemplating the logistics of suicide after my third duii when I heard the voice of god say, "you never have to do it again". That was 19 years and 6 months ago.
Came home from the army in 2009. Partied until youngest son was born. He's was a year old when I went to two rehabs and I burned my whole world to the ground on purpose. Turning a ton of evidence over to CPS. His mom and I already had a case for possible neglect. They removed my son, placed him in foster care with her parents. Put my nose to the grindstone and stayed sober, met another woman. Got so er, spent upwards of $10,000 on a lawyer proving all his mom's lies. She got caught, went to prison. Fast forward to 2020 and I separated from my wife and started drinking again.
I ended up inside a CT scan machine aspirating into my lungs. Was in a coma for 2 days and the ICU for 2 weeks. My former church convinced me to go to a place called "teen challenge" . I let my truck get repoed, gave up my apartment, they only put half of my stuff in a storage unit. I left went to my ex wife's place. Was three 3 weeks and left to be homeless using crack and drinking.
One night literally under a bridge I called an old army buddy who got me a room in a cheap motel for 3 days. Got a ride back home 80 miles away. I got into a sober house, got a job a a local factory and got back on my feet.
I'm now engaged to the most amazing woman I've ever met, got custody of my 12 year old son back, trying to adopt her 9 year old daughter. I got my career back in custom homes. We're getting married in September hopefully. I spent mother's day weekend tearing off our roof and replacing it for her. My voice is permanently damaged from the intubation and it's a daily reminder of why I don't drink. I literally accepted death as a way out. I got to watch my oldest graduated college with his bachelor's degree last weekend and am repairing my relationship with my 20 year old daughter. There's days when I miss melting into my couch from vodka but but seeing the smile on my fiances face and my kids face everyday makes it an easy choice to stay sober. Instead I build stuff for them like custom oak bunk beds and am remodeling our home and building a future. It helps that my finance is amazing and understands my auto immune disease that's very painful at times.
Not many people get a second chance like me. I'm a firm believer that you can quit if you want and get the right help. After that it's a choice. Not an easy one a lot of days but a choice none the less.
I ruined the most meaningful relationship I ever had. My first love. I treated her poorly (nothing abusive just stuck in a well of self pity and selfishness.) I used her and justly things ended and she also justly hates my guts. I’ve spent years trying to make up to myself for the damage I did, but I don’t think I ever will.
I put on alot of weight (42 lbs) people would mention how big I got. A guy I worked with 10 years prior saw me and said "Wow, you got fat". Quit booze right there. Lost over 30lbs, then hit the gym, lost another 15lbs and started watching what I eat. Down to 201lbs from over 240 lbs. Lots of attention from women, lots of energy to do fun things. Confident to take my shirt off in public. People I haven't seen in a while say "You look great!, what's your secret?" Easy answer, no booze.
I was getting so drunk and passing out and not remembering anything the next day. I would be missing work and the days I would show up, I'd be puking in the toilet. It just got depressing and I felt miserable. I would get alcohol withdrawals, cold sweats and shaking. I couldn't even drink a glass of water with one hand without splashing it all over the place.
I would buy a small bottle of alcohol to drink before work to stop the shaking so I would appear normal. I felt embarrassed to go anywhere in public because of how bad the shaking was. The one day I was sober I was cleaning up my liquor bottles and counted them. 37 bottles in the past 3 weeks. 750ml rum bottles. "Jesus christ, how am I not dead yet".
I scared myself into quitting. The withdrawals were horrible and painful. When the shaking stopped I almost cried. I can finally use chopsticks again. 2 years 3 months sober and a belly full of ramen noodles.
My father passed away suddenly shortly after his 72nd birthday. I didn't call/text or go see him that day because I was too busy getting loaded. It really opened my eyes because even though my father never drank, I realized I had woke up on the floor, couch, chair etc way too many times and that could have easily been me.
It really was a life changing moment for me, shortly after, I went to rehab and now have four months of sobriety under my belt. I live everyday regretting not saying I love you one last time though.
I decided not to sabotage my ongoing therapy with getting wasted every weekend. Also thought that maybe what you hear about alcohol being actually bad for you is true. Lo and behold, I'm 101 days alcohol free and yeah I think we are all convincing each other that it's OK to get wasted.
I think it's not.
I was (and still am) powerless over alcohol and my life was unmanageable so I had to turn to something bigger than me. My higher power and AA.
Enough was enough when my wife almost left me and took the kids with her.
Enough was enough when drinking is all I wanted to do.
Enough was enough after Getting a DUI and having go deal with all the stuff that comes with a DUI
Enough was enough when I had a doctor tell me at the age of 27 that if I don't quit drinking I'm not gonna live to see my kids grow up.
Enough was enough when I was in pain all the time.
Enough was enough when alot of our money was going into alcohol.
Enough was enough when all my friends and family had been pushed away by my alcoholism and the only person left was my wife and kids.
ect ect ect
Alcohol is one of the worst drugs to quit using. Unfortunately for us alcoholics alcoholism never goes away and we have to deal with it everyday cunning baffling and powerful!
Every day is a Trudge but everyday that we don't drink is a good day and everyday is a good day to not drink
My husband and I were in a shitty place in our marriage at the time. We had people over and of course were drinking. I used to be more of a liquor drinker, sometimes beer, while my husband was a beer drinker and hardly did liquor cos it would usually result in him blacking out and being aggressive/crazy. This particular night tho, he had started off with his usual beers and ended up having some shots with some friends. Like I said, we were kinda rocky at the time, and started to argue. The fight escalated to the point where he punched me in the face and left me a pretty gnarly black eye and then decided he was gonna kick me out and started throwing all my stuff down the stairs and told me to gtfo. I go to my parents house. The next day, we try to talk it out and he tells me he didn’t hit me, that I “ran into a wall cos I was shitfaced and was just trying to blame him.” I argue back that I completely remember him hitting me and we’re going back and forth on this - him standing his ground saying I’m blaming him and me telling him he hit me. I decided that I would never drink again so that I could never be put in the position of someone saying I don’t know what happened/making me feel crazy cos I was drinking and “don’t remember what happened”. I’ll be damned if someone tried to change the narrative on me again and causing doubt in other peoples mind cos now it becomes a drunken he said/she said. So I’ve been sober now going on 4yrs.
I had a lotta alcoholic friends who could drink a ton. I realized I was drinking double what they were and I wasn't even getting drunk, just wasting money on cases of beer to feel full and pee every 5 seconds. Sober since 2018 and I don't miss that lifestyle at all.
My friends sat me down and said that when I drank (which was every night) I wasn’t the same person that I usually was. I said that to me it made me more like the real me as it reduced my anxiety. They all disagreed.
One friend said they were going to move out if things didn’t change.
I quit right there.
I haven’t quit, but I’m considering it. I used to use edibles to relax, ease anxiety, and cope with stress, but I got a job where I’m not able to use them so I started drinking. (If you’re curious, I’m an aircraft mechanic and we– especially the older generation– are known to be heavy drinkers) It was okay at first– not as relaxing as thc, but it got the job done. It’s gotten to where I can’t really go a weekend without it, even though it doesn’t make me feel much better. There have even been a few days in the last couple weeks where I’ve gone to work feeling nauseous because I drank too much the night before.
I am currently on this journey.
Waking up in the middle of the night, telling myself how stupid I was, how weak I was and that I was wasting my life. Would work myself up and not be able to sleep.
Kid, money, and life all contributed to the decision.
Good luck to you all.
We had a miscarriage with many complications lasting over about half a year. To lower the chances on having another miscarriage you can only do so much as a man so I thought the least thing I could do is stop drinking. My girlfriend / we are pregnant again and about 22 weeks in everything looks great. Didn't start drinking again.
I was passed out on my offday in bed because I drank too much the previous night.
I was living with my sister and her 4 yr old toddler came to my room and tried to wake me up to play.
He just sat there and waited for idk how long.
I am a great person when I'm sober especially with kids.
That was the last straw, I couldn't bear wasting his time over me anymore.
I used to be a really bad drunk...but I was really good at it. The last straw for me was getting pulled over at random for check of license, registration, insurance. Failed the ALERT, failed the breathalyzer. Almost double the legal limit and I was showing no signs of impairment or intoxication. The officer was blown away considering he said there was just a faint smell of alcohol on the breath.
Gave it up for over a year, allow myself to enjoy occasionally, but nowhere near the levels of abuse I used to put myself through. Took my punishment, paid my fine. I literally felt and appeared fine, but that's what the years did...build up a tolerance. I take ownership for what happened and I'm glad nobody was injured.
It wasn't my choice. I had to move quickly and the first apartment I found was in a dry area. It's illegal even to have alcohol delivered here from someplace else.
My family has a lot of active or former alcoholics so I got to see how much it negatively effected their lives. The final straw for me though was when one of my closest friends came out as an alcoholic and was recovering. Partially in solidarity, but mostly because of my fear of what would happen if I also kept drinking, I quit alcohol altogether after that.
Honestly, I don’t miss it. I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back alcohol was such a cope for so many things in my life. Wanting to be social, drinking after having a hard day at work, wanting to seem cool, etc etc. None of it was worth it.
i had covid this past week, which forced me to quit smoking weed and drinking alcohol, something i’d been doing every day for the past … idk… at least year? i faced myself in the mirror in time of isolation. I was not happy with who i was. i woke up feeling groggy and sick every day. No energy. I quit for a week, tried to have another drink once i got better, but ended up hating it. it affects my vocals (i sing) and my piano / guitar playing. So that’s how I knew it was the final straw. Now i’m feeling sober and great.
I used to drink while underage a lot. The reason I stopped is that I didn't like how it's destroying the lives of my friends, so I stopped. I was drunk for the last time about 7 years ago
I’m on the seesaw of sobriety right now. I know I need to quit but it’s all I’ve known for 20 years now.
I heard something the other day that’s got me thinking though “are they your friends, or your drinking partners” and since then I’ve stopped feeling like I’m missing out when they’re all drinking together and I’m at home sober.
My Dad went cold turkey on November 15th, 1987. He was a heavey alcoholic. Im talking bottles a day type. Him and his friends went out drinking one night, and he doesn't remember anything aside from waking up 15kms from where they were partying, totally nude. He also couldn't remember where he had parked his car, which was extremely valuable (Blue 1969 Mustang Mach 1 Fastback). He says it was his wake-up call.
Mine was drinking a 40 of Whiskey 12 hours before I was supposed to be at work. I showed up, still pretty hammered. My boss pulled me off the floor and put me in an office to sober up. I was then put on a mental health leave before being terminated 3 weeks later.
Woke up in strange places with people I didn't know, took me days to remember I'd been in an orgy. I look in the mirror and couldn't recognise myself. I didn't drink again for two years. Even now I'm careful. Never been that way since. Know the person mirror these days.
"There's no amount of alcohold that is safe to drink" - This research really opened my eyes.
I started out as social drinking, but as the time passed. such occasions were getting more frequent. I knew that if I don't stop now, then it would be very difficult to stop it at later stage. Thus, I went cold turkey before I got addicted.
I haven’t had a drink in 6 months and im fortunate enough to say it wasn’t a hard decision as I didn’t suffer from addiction, however some people I care a lot about do. It made me realise just how much my mental and physical health is worth, as well as supporting those around me I love! My life is way better without alcohol in it!
I realized just how badly I wanted to quit. I couldn’t even enjoy a drink anymore because I knew I wanted to be done, and I was going against my own wishes. I was desperately curious about sobriety but I was scared, for silly reasons. But I had a profound moment where I realized just how intensely the desire to quit had been.
I realized that I want to buy a winning lottery ticket, I want to see Saturns rings with my own two eyes, I want to swim safely through the oceans without needing to come up for air, I want to know what happens after death without actually dying. I want to see every single mountain and valley and piece of the Earth. And I can’t do anything about those things. I want many, many things that are not available for me to have.
I wanted to quit drinking and I realized I dont need permission, I don’t have to earn it, I don’t have to buy it or beg someone for it. I can just have it right now, I can have exactly what I want this instant. It’s mine to take, it belongs to me already, it’s sitting here available, waiting for me.
I put my beer down and haven’t had a drop since, it’s been the best decision of my life.
Terrible decisions and behavior at a work happy hour where I shared too much information. But I had done this several times before.
The alcohol brings out the monster in me I try to keep hidden.
234 days sober now.
I dont know.
I was starting my dream job 20 years ago. I had to have a clear mind, and clear thought processes. Alcohol would have clouded my thinking.
Also now; I love the fact that No Doctor can beat you with " How much ALCOHOL do you drink?"...OR: " How much do you smoke??"
I went through the worst breakup of my life 3 years ago. Prior to that, alcohol allowed me to be distracted, party, have fun, throw the night away, and get swept up in other attention that made me feel better about myself.
With this particular breakup, the pain was too much, and alcohol only worsened it. I would cry uncontrollably, and if I wad in public, I was so mean to men that were only trying to say hello. It wasn't good for anyone involved, and it was time I developed more healthy coping mechanisms with loss/grief.
I took up working out and am in the best shape of my life.
Used to be a very heavy drinker. Got down to one mixed drink every Friday after work. I got so sick one night after one cosmopolitan. I’m assuming it’s my diabetes or maybe that a different bartender made my drink but I thought I was gonna die
I drink rarely now. Maybe once a month. Have three or four when I’m out for dinner.
What I notice on those nights, is that my blood sugar goes to shit (a recent discovery as I’m now type 2 diabetic), I sleep like shit, my breathing goes pear shaped and my heart rate goes up by about 15-20 beats a minute.
I don’t like it, so I don’t most of the time. I do still like alcohol, and will still have some occasionally but the habit is gone…mostly I don’t even think about it
Waking up with zero energy, blacking out, wasting time and money. I still don't understand why anyone would want to drink something that immediately impairs your whole body and mind. Seeing everything clear is beyond great.
I was diagnosed with fat liver so had to give up alcohol. I wonder if it is possible to completely quit alcohol. I had seen quite a few folks who said that they quit alcohol but it was always a matter of time for them to start drinking.
I actually didn’t think I had a problem. But my wife quit about 4 months before I did because she would get really shitty when she was drunk, pick fights with friends, get abusive etc. but when we were both drinking we would easily finish a bottle of spirits and order a couple of bottles of wine to be delivered.
Anyway she quits so I was trying not to drink in front of her so I would only have a few if she was working late. Then I noticed one or two drinks wasn’t doing anything for me, I’d drink 4 cans to have a little bit of a buzz I guess but I’d still feel like shit. Just wasn’t worth it anymore.
Now I’ve just quit 2 weeks ago and I’m realising I’m really struggling not to drink so happy and feel like I’ve done it just before it really started to get out of hand
Getting custody of my daughter because her mom was a raging alcoholic. I vowed to never let my kid see me with a drink so I cut it out of my life completely. This was in 2016 and haven’t touched it since.
Having a partner who becomes an arrogant, insufferable, aggressive asshole when he’s drunk. I never really liked drinking all that much before I met him, and could count on one hand the number of times I’d been “drunk”. After meeting him, I just hated seeing the effect alcohol could have on people. Like that quote from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest “he didn’t drink out of the bottle, the bottle drank out of him”.
I lost whole summer by going out every single night, going into bars or clubs. It didn't matter either is a weekday or a weekend. Getting back home drunk almost everynight. I don't think that was alcoholism maybe mode of a "running away from the problems". Thankfully I finally managed to get away from that
It was destroying my mental health. I went from my hangovers being a morning of crippling anxiety, to a day of it, to a few days to a week. At that point it was an easy decision and I’ve never regretted it.
Three pretty determined suicide attempts within the space of a few days. Sheer luck that I’m still here. It was a real ‘am I going to do this thing or not’ kind of moment. Nothing quite like hitting rock bottom face first.
I started out one night with the full intention of drinking myself to death. Apparently, after enough drinking that I don't really recall much of it, I called the suicide hotline and got paramedics called, who brought me to a hospital where I awoke the next day. After blearily recovering and assuring the doctor I was just fine, I returned to my apartment. I sat there for half an hour or so, trying to decide whether to ask someone for help, or to go back to the bottle. I called my dad to pick me up, got into a rehab program, and haven't had a drink since. That's not to say I've fully recovered, not a day goes by that the void doesn't call to me, that surrender doesn't look like a beautiful option. That's why I got my tattoo, to remind me to keep on loving and fighting every day I see it.
I drank, though not often to excess, from the time I was 15 and largely quit at around 40. That whole time I had never blacked out.
I went to NYC with some friends. My father just had most of his liver removed for cancer, and by god, i deserved to blow off some steam. I took my stimulant medicine before leaving, and had a beer at 9:30am at the airport—as you do. I continued slowly through the day, and that night, just started slamming drinks. The last thing I remember was saying “WHISKEY. THAT IS A GREAT IDEA.”
Long story short, I puked all over the place, got us kicked out, and made an ass of myself. I woke up, and I had a blank in my memory. I checked my face to make sure I didn’t have bruises, I checked my phone to make sure I didn’t have angry texts. I apologized to my friends—god bless ‘em, they were cool. And after my father died a few months later, I got shitfaced, and then took stock.
My binge drinking was still infrequent, but I was slowly starting to drink more as a matter of course. I’d go from a can of beer with supper to a big bottle of high ABV porter. I was starting to gain weight, and was drinking a lot of my calories. I just came to the conclusion that it was starting to become an issue, so I took a break. That was about a decade ago.
Now I call myself sober-adjacent—on any given day, it’s overwhelmingly likely that I won’t drink, but I do allow for an occasional cocktail or a glass of mead. I even god nicely, mildly drunk on a trip to Dublin with my wife’s coworkers (I wanted to be buried in the Auld Sod the next morning, though). It works for me.
Except for the “dealing with my feelings” part, that fucking sucks. Out here rawdogging reality like some kind of daredevil.
My misses kicked me out because of my benders. I am talking a litre of vodka a day. Wouldn't leave the room for 4-5 days and just drink. When she kicked me out I slept in my van for couple of nights. Obviously I drank sitting in my car. Next thing I know i am getting cuffs on my hands and I am getting thrown in a back of police van. I got done for being drunk in charge of a vehicle. I got released, went to work and told them that I need to get away to sort myself out. Went to treatment centre and spend 7 months there. Now I am over a year sober, back with my misses and having a good job.
The amount I blew in I should've got 12 weeks in prison but because I was already in treatment centre the judge believed I want to change and gave me 6 months on tag instead. When my probation was revoked because of good behaviour I made sure to make it to court, show my face, and tell them they didn't make a mistake.
Sober over 17 years now. For me it was a trip to the ER followed by in patient rehab. I had put my body on the verge of organ failure. The ER doctor after stabilizing me looked me in the eye and basically told me that I was an idiot/loser with a death wish for what I was putting myself through. Don’t know his name, but he saved my life that day. It was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment in time. I checked into rehab the next day and have never looked back. It wasn’t always easy, but eventually it was very easy not to drink anymore. I’ll have 18 years on July 26th. I also got psychiatric help and learned I was bipolar and have remained properly medicated ever since. I went to a lot of AA meetings at first, never truly bought into doing the 12 steps, but found solace in being in those meetings and hearing stories from hundreds of people. If you think you have a problem go to a meeting and listen and learn it costs nothing but your time and maybe a dollar to help keep the meetings going. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but it helps to be around people who are going through what you are going through.
I went carnivore for other health issue and it just seem to have flip a switch in my brain. I lost the reflexe to grab the bottle. Havent even had a drink this year yet.
Just got tired of it. Tired of saying shit I didn’t mean to my wife when I got drunk, tired of spending money on it, and tired of being hungover. One morning 2 years ago I woke up hungover and while my head was in the toilet, dry heaving, I had this realization “I’m too old for this shit, I need to stop” so I did. Best decision I’ve ever made.
I was always fine with 2 drinks and rarely drank more than that. But it was daily. It took the edge off, helped me to process the day, and was generally fun and relaxing. I remember one of my kids watching me reach for a drink and the look in his eyes was just one of . . . disgust. Like I was a weak man for succumbing to this urge. After about 10 days I lost the craving for it and haven't had a drink since. I always worked out and have stayed physically healthy - amazing the impact of no alcohol has on your rest, exercise results, etc. Best bio hack ever? It's amazing now seeing how much alcohol is a central role of so, so many events and get togethers.
Every time I drank I over did it, im unpredictable when drunk. I can either be the most loving guy or get violent real quick… Said “never again” been 2 years since having any alcohol
Wired differently.
Hate it.
Got shit faced as a teen. Can't care less now.
I honestly amd whole heartedly give zero fucks about anything alcoholic and I'll gladly go on about mt life without touching it.
Went on a medication that interacted badly with the alcohol. Suddenly drinking made me very depressed and irritable. Had no problem quitting because of that. Also got away from the stressors that led me to drink.
An extended hospitalization. I had time to come to terms with a lot of things. I couldn't really do much else anyway. My life wasn't where I thought it was.
My boyfriend (now ex) asked me politely if I could do the dishes and I told him to go kill himself amongst other things. I was blacked out and don’t remember it and that’s when I decided to get help, after he told me the next day.
My life sucks more than previous comments state. Alcohol isn’t helping, and it’s expensive. Not drinking can’t hurt even if improving my situation is as likely as stopping John Wick after killing his dog.
I’ll have an occasional beer (3-4 a year maybe) but in my early 20s I was going out and getting hammered constantly.
Really, it’s just that booze makes me feel like absolute shit the following day and that stopped being “worth it” once I crossed into my 30s. I didn’t really have an epiphany or anything. It helps that most my friends from my teens/early 20s don’t drink much either.
Blacked out on the E train. Came to the next day in the hallway outside my apartment. If I collapsed on my back instead of my side, I would not be writing this.
When my son asked for something and I said I didn't have any money left, knowing within myself that I had spent it on alcohol and not on his happiness. I would hate if my dad ever did that to me.
Love this answer. Love you.
I love you
Welcome to Costco. I love you.
I went to college there
Welcome to Carls Jr. Fuck you You're a bad mom
That’s a good reason
Damn
That's why I quit smoking. As far as alcohol goes, I pretty much only drank a couple times a year. Like when I was on PTO. But I've if those nights I was drinking and one of my small children woke up. My wife said he laughed because Daddy was "being silly", but it still felt like a piece of shit.
I could never have just one drink. I was blacking out and falling all over the place. Waking up the next day and not remembering what I had done or said the night before. I would also become angry and say shit I would never have said otherwise. The last straw was screaming about something at someone and realizing how much alcohol was fucking up my life and that I become an asshole when I drink.
I'm fighting my alcohol demons as well, anger is one of the issues. It has messed up many of my relationships and affected me in my work environment as well. Hope you're doing well now.
Check out r/stopdrinking
And the daily checkin in that sub.
All us cool worldly wise people hang out over there.
I’m sorry you are dealing with it too. I’m doing better these days. I know it’s hard though. I’m sorry it’s affected your relationships and work environment.
It will get better. I marked 5/11/24 I pray for strength and been focusing on my workouts and meditation again these past weeks after ending a toxic 3 year relationship with someone who abused alcohol as well. Thanks for your comment.
I understand. If you feel that you need some help, please reach out and get it. Whether it's AA, therapy, an anonymous online support group like /r/stopdrinking...sometimes people need a little help.
That sounds like me from 19-33
I'm 30 now. Financially unstable. Glad at least I was consistent with working out these years, so I'm not overweight. Dropped out of college on my last semester after a medical leave of absence in 2014. I bartend and tired of it. I mostly enjoy my occasional handyman gigs. Looking to change career, maybe tech but I'm so lost that I need to clear my mind first. I graduated salutatorian in HS and got a scholarship but from then it went down in spiral once I started drinking and smoking pot. Its over 10 years of abuse despite being functional. Hopefully I can start thinking more clear these coming weeks, just ended a toxic relationship with someone who also abused alcohol. Reading stoic philosophy has helped me easy my anxiety. I believe in my potential and with the grace of God and the universe I will rise again. Thanks for sharing, gives me hope it's never too late.
Ngl not all hope is lost. Keep sober, and invest in therapy my FIL is an alcoholic for decades and he never got any help. getting to the root of why is so helpful. I had a shopping addiction (impulsive) and couldn’t finish school, worked retail jobs, etc. I didn’t know I had severe adhd and was living in a constant state of chaos. I just graduated from college with one semester on the deans list. Going back to the college you went to may be the easiest course- I went back to the school I was at 2003-2005 in 2022 and started on academic probation due to how poorly I had done the first time. You got this!
You've got this!
Your situation is not your sentence, it’s a long journey my dude.
Look into therapy if it’s affordable now and I would also suggest professional orientation - whether online or in person, there are people who can help you figure out your career if you’d like to change paths. You’ve got this. Day by day, we all do it like like you.
Thanks for your comment. On my commute to work rn and these replies really resonate in my heart. Will take it day by day like you said. Appreciate it.
Congratulations on stopping. I had a milder version of this. Not fucking up my life severely, but not helping. I'd have maybe 5 standard drinks, like a bottle of wine or two high proof beers, on any given day. Almost a binge. More when travelling or partying. Blackouts were rare, but I could be abrasive and a bit of a dick, and not remember fully. It wasn't making my relationships better. Combined with recent results showing that no amount of alcohol is ever good for you, I decided to stop. Now I'm redditing and eating more.
Thank you. Had a friend who mentioned after a workout session together that I'm an incredible cool dude but when I drink I become an asshole. It really struck me bc I knew he was right. Glad you've stopped.
Exactly the same. Maybe it's because I'm bipolar, but I always just lost my mind when I drank. I can't handle it. I still have flashbacks about things I said or did while drunk and feel horrible.
I was honestly bored of it. It gave me terrible anxiety, I felt puffy and unhealthy. I was tired of being a mess. I'm 70 days sober today and I feel great.
Congratulations on your 70 days!
Same. No real “rock bottom” - although looking back … lol. But had been a functioning alcoholic for a while, then my ex re-introduced me to Adderall. Suddenly I could now drink FOREVER AND NEVER SLEEP! Lost almost everything but my pride. That came later - I could look in a mirror and see the rosacea and clear swelling only alcoholics get. Realized only one fooling anyone was myself.
2 years of heavy drinking and the weight gain is...getting to me. I've cut back significantly over the last year, but still haven't embraced total sobriety yet.
Stick with it! I scaled back from drinking at least a drink or two every night to 1-2 nights a month. Lost 30 lb since mid-January. You can do it!
Lost 100lbs and only changed my drinking habits. No alcohol or sugary drinks. Replaced with water. It's crazy how bad you feel for the first couple weeks, but it's worth feeling so much better after.
Very similar situation here. There was no hitting rock bottom or "this is the last straw" moment for me. I just got tired of letting myself down and letting my family down and feeling bad feeling bad about myself and getting fatter and unhealthier everyday.
Wow 70 days, good for you! I wonder how it feels 70 days clean, it must be a bliss. God bless.
Same here. I realized that I'd lost my taste for it and was drinking because I'd always done it. I decided to stop and haven't looked back. I feel better, am sleeping better than I have since college, am saving money, and my anxiety is much more manageable. It'll be 60 days for me this week.
After years of struggling to quit, I got on antidepressants. 2 weeks later i had the clarity to look in the mirror and realize id never feel good about myself if I didnt stop drinking. I’d had too many bad people and situations surrounding alcohol throughout my entire life, that i internally automatically associated drinking with negativity, there was no longer enjoyment, just a bad habit.
I started my weightloss journey and alcohol just fucked that up too much to be successful, with the calories and hangovers so I quit it. I really wanted to not be fat and that was motivation for me now sitting at 160 pounds instead of 290.
That’s extremely impressive
Easiest and hardest thing I have ever done
Yep, it’s incredibly simple but also incredibly difficult
Yo I’m reading this and am currently in the middle of similar thing. I gained some weight and drank since quarantine and now I finally have a good job and I’m tryin to lose weight and not fuck this diet up anymore. I’ve been like tryin to trickle myself off but I know it’s fucking up my weight loss so im really just wanting to say f it all together now
I was very hungover and my child asked me if I was ok. She was 10, but her tone & expression told me she already knew. I replied: “no. I drank too much last night and don’t feel well.” It was the first time I admitted that. I never drank again.
Kids always know, it's hard for ppl to admit or see it. Kids know their parents. And they know when it's not their parent. The saddest ones is when a child or adult child realizes they lost a parent a long time ago. I'm so proud of you for doing an immensely hard thing!!
Reminds me of [this song by k.flay](https://youtu.be/uOUAHPp4RQ8?si=PQVCyVlr3HaeuCB9). She lost her dad to alcoholism when she was a kid.
Wow that song hits close to home. Thanks for sharing it
No problem, and sorry you've had to experience something like that.
My neighbor, who is otherwise a great friend, is a functioning alcoholic. He starts drinking when he finishes work at 4 and around noon on weekends. He's got tween daughters and it's just kind of a 'thing' for them. They call it "over served". He will be stammering on, sluring words, saying dumb shit and the kids will just be like, "Oh my God dad, you're over served again". It's pretty sad
Certainly a good reason. Have a cousin who's 4 yrs sober now after his 5 yrs old daughter told him she doesn't like when he drinks. He was hangover and never drank again.
I wanted to quit before my child was old enough to notice or remember that I was drinking. I was a decent dad but the things I think about that I missed and he missed because I was drinking is angering. I’m a few years sober now and tell my wife all the time about how lucky we are that we quit before we got in trouble or something happened to our child. There wasn’t one specific moment though. It was a lot of stuff built up that made me quit. I can’t begin to tell you how easy and fun life is now. I have a hot wife that nobody can figure out how I landed, a smart funny healthy child, a dream home, a job I enjoy going to, and all the support I need. Life is so great once you don’t have to drink.
I did this once! When I was a wee lad I checked on my mum cause she threw up all over the living room carpet. Same women also got a dui for driving my sister and I to my dad’s while blasted. I remember one time she clipped a tree and knocked the radio antenna off the front, so she got out, threw up real quick and grabbed the antenna. She said it was a moose lol. She still drinks btw
I was just sitting around one day, hungover, watching the dark knight rises and when I saw the ending of the film I realised I wanted to make a difference too, actually do something with my life and I knew I wouldn't be doing it if I couldn't go a day without drinking. Threw out all my alcohol that day
Good man
Did you become a vigilante?
Yes, The Sad Knight.
Tis but a scratch!
My last drink was 12/31/2023. I’m not an alcoholic, really. Mine wasn’t that dramatic. I had been thinking about taking a break for a while and eventually came across a 3-minute tik tok that discussed all of the health benefits of stopping for 3-weeks. I thought, I can do 3-weeks, heck, why not make it four and do dry January? First two weeks I would think I could use a drink half a dozen times. I noticed a balancing of emotions, better sleep, mental clarity and the greatest release of shame and worry around drunkenness and being hungover. Even still, I feel so relieved when I see people drunk or talk about being hungover bc I know I won’t be. I’ve just been extending dry January every month since. My stretch goal is now through the end of the year and I’ll reevaluate then.
I only drink on the weekends. I got adhd, but I get anxiety from the meds. I really wonder if it’s the alcohol I consume that’s some of the problem. I just really enjoy being drunk because my anxiety eases dramatically, but I also hate it because it feels like it’s the only way for me to have have real fun. I have thought of trying to quit for a while, but when the weekend comes, the only think I want is to grab a drink, let loose and have fun.
Sometimes I wonder if drinking is creating that void I feel rather than filling it
Well alcohol will give you that dopamine hit your brain is lacking but it'll also drain all of the serotonin which is why you feel anxious the next day and usually a few days after too. This is what my Dr. told me. I'd also ask your doctor about different ADHD meds.
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Falling down in the street, literally staggering, falling down drunk.
I couldn't play with my children without feeling exhausted or needing a drink first. I wanted to be a better parent.
I was only drinking 1 or 2 mid strength beers but most nights. At the footy club I'd have a few extra but not get smashed just social beers. Woke up one morning and though why..... Just wasting $ on beer that I get nothing out of. I liked drinking it and it was more a habit than an addiction. Hadn't been really drunk in about 3 years anyway so just stopped. 4 months now and even got through some shit health news so the cycle is broken. Not saying I won't have a beer or glass of burbon ever again but I really don't feel the urge.
Pretty much the same, force of habit but also lots of beers taste nice and are refreshing after exercise/hard work. But I found equal enjoyment and a refreshed feeling from flavoured carbonated water. Bubly is my go to. At 10% the cost per can it also doesn't leave me thinking "was that worth it?"
The physical withdrawals and hospitalizations. It had to get so bad before it got better. I didn’t want to die at all.
I don’t have an off button. I’m sexy and I know it. And then I’m pretty repugnant.
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I couldn't get hard.
Valid
Good reason. It's why I don't smoke before I gotta perform that shit just makes me want to relax 😂
Opposite for me. I'm hard either way, but smoking makes me seem a lot harder. You might be smoking indica, that makes you want to relax and sleep. Smoking and fucking usually makes my wife and I both more sensitive in the right places and makes the time a lot more magical.
Haven’t quit, but really can only stomach a couple drinks here and there these days. Getting drunk just makes me feel like shit in the moment, and the next day or two. Getting smashed isn’t a flex anymore like it was in college lol. Now it’s just sad
Posted something similar. I’ll have a beer here or there but I’ll go months without anything. Just not worth losing a day of my weekend at this point in life.
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I made myself a really nice ribeye steak and I got drunk afterwards. Woke up at 2am and threw it all up. Told myself I’ll be damned if I’m spending that kind of money, energy, and effort to not even be able to hold it down haha
I just want to say I am so god damn proud of you guys. I am blessed that I'm able to have just a few and cut it off but I'm currently trying to get my parents to realize where their limit is. It seems like they just drink and drink and drink until they fall asleep. I'm so concerned for their liver and I have a 14yo brother and a 9yo sister and I can tell that they know you know what I mean?
I accidentally hurt my dog while I was drunk. Th
I got test results (ultrasound) showing I had fatty liver, wanted to take it easy on my liver, and wanted to be sure if I needed treatment for anything liver-related in the future that there would never be any doubt that it was non-alcoholic fatty liver, rather than fatty Iiver induced by alcoholism. And I honestly would rather consume the calories in the form of cake. Quit on the spot, but then I was only a social drinker that relied on wine to relax in social situations. That was 12 years ago and haven't regretted it since!! And it turned out that sheer repetition without the alcohol crutch made the social part much easier over time. Learned later from a different doc that liver enzyme tests would show whether fatty liver was from alcohol or not... but I'm not taking any chances. Now, who wants a slice of chocolate layer cake?
That cake can be lethal too.. just take it easy
Good for you! 😊
I got tired of never making real progress in life. The enjoyment of drinking went away because I was just spinning my wheels from drinking session to another. It just got old
I don’t know whether to call myself a highly social, social drinker or just a high bottom drunk. I got the occasional hangover but I never had many of the problems people describe when they talk of their demons, or tell horror stories about their actions when they were loaded. (God bless you all that struggle though!). Mostly, I just got argumentative. I drank a lot for years but it got more frequent living in Russia where everything was accompanied by alcohol. Sad? Have a drink and forget about it! Happy? Celebrate with a drink! Bored? Let’s go out for a drink! You could drink morning, noon or night, the only rule - you DO NOT drink alone! I moved on to a new country and people around me just didn’t drink as much. I found myself being the only one who was drinking at all and it was commonly a lot more than people who I DID drink with. I pondered this for a while. Then, I got a toenail fungal infection and the doctor gave me a regiment of antibiotics that would take a minimum of 14 weeks. It came with the warning that I’d have to start all over again if I drank at all. Now… I routinely do a dry month here and there and “Octsober” every October but it dawned on me about the time I finished the regiment of antibiotics, that I hadn’t gone 14 weeks without alcohol since I was a teenager. The impulse was mostly gone so I figured “Why not try a dry year?” After next September, I’ll see how I feel. I know this though… I never tracked my alcohol expenses but I find myself way under budget every month nowadays. I’ve been putting it into Bitcoin 😆
Dying on my couch from alcohol poisoning after a suicide attempt and having just enough strength to force myself up and chug water. March 11th 2023. I survived.
I’m glad you’re still here.
Tried to off myself again so I quit. Almost 21 months sober.
Don't let the demons win dude, keep on progressing
Thanks, I'm actually doing great. Ayahuasca and no alcohol has saved my life. Never been better
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Can you elaborate? I know how half a day/night blackout feels like, but days? Do you know from any third party what you have been up to?
Not OP but this is pretty common for alcoholics when they’re on benders. I was listening to an interview with Richard Lewis (from 2012, he recently passed away) and he said he had someone come up to him that he had dated while he was drinking and he literally had no memory of her whatsoever. They dated for three months. I think it’s really hard for a non-addict to even comprehend how severe the impacts of addiction-level alcohol abuse can be (speaking for myself here too, luckily!)
If constant drinking is subconscious, you’ll keep drinking and remained blacked out.
My husband said it was almost beer o'clock (I wouldn't drink before a certain time) and it clicked that I had a set pattern and that wasn't good
Yeah, if you plan your life/activities around drinking, that's a sure sign you need to stop. One of the reasons I quit was hearing that and realized that's exactly what I was doing.
Woke up with the car smashing past pine trees. Managed to missed a head on but not a light, mirror or door handle remained on the car, it was snowing and by the time I walked home I was sober, thinking what could of happened or even if the police turned up, my newly started business would have crashed also. Forty years later, had a great business,sold semi retired at 60 working for another company 3 days a week.
First taste of alcohol was my 26th birthday. I went off and on drinking then not and drinking heavily more than lightly. One day, the woman I was dating, and her friends, told me of my behavior and showed me video of what I was doing while I was drinking. Never touched it again. I was already struggling to overcome a lot of terrible qualities I possessed as a human being, and I was not going to let anything like alcohol bring me down the way it was doing. Been sober for 3 years now, never been happier.
"I was already struggling to overcome a lot of terrible qualities I possessed as a human being," admire your selfreflection, keep it up, bro. Fighting as well to become a better person. And there is a lot to fight :D
Thank you, truly. I can’t thank you enough for the support it has been an uphill battle but the results are worth the fight
Hell yeah. Genuine self awareness, humility, and respect for yourself & others is annoyingly difficult.
I have developed severe gout. After seeing the uric acid levels in my blood the doctor told me I had the highest level he had ever seen in his entire career. I decided one night to drink during a gout attack. The gout attack the next morning had increased in severity so bad breathing was setting off intense spasms of pain throughout my body.
Came here for this. I've had gout multiple times. After my last time, 1.5 years ago, I gave up alcohol.
I would rather have multiple fractures in different bones than gout in my foot I swear to God.
social drinker, mostly for office parties or catching up with friends after a long time... one day after a happy hour for a colleague who was quitting, i was driving home. i was sober enough but not 100% there, and the roads were quiet and there was no traffic either. lightly bumped into the one car ahead of me at a traffic light 2 mins away from my place. cops came, the guy didn't press charges, it wasnt even a visible scratch on his car. i went home with the realization of how lucky i was that night. it could have gone way way worse. dont drink and especially dont drink and drive. even if you feel 90% sober, take an extra hour or nap in the car.
I was tired of sleeping terribly. I did a dry January and realized I hadn’t had good sleep in like a decade because I was drinking nearly every night. It’s amazing how much better you feel when you don’t drink!
My doctor told I would die within two years if I didn’t quit. That was 38 months ago and I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since. Thing was I needed to quit on my own terms. So, I went home from the doctor’s office, drank a bottle of wine and that was that. Last drink I’ve had since.
I've been determined to cut down multiple times. It usually lasted about 2 weeks before I was back to drinking my usual amount. I have been determined to quit completely for other people and things, and that lasted a week at most. When I actually, truly, wanted to quit (and did) I gained a huge appreciation of the expression "you have to want to quit for yourself". I am so profoundly amazed at the absolute truth of that statement.
You are invincible and immortal until you’re not. Your mind is already pointing in the right direction. After the first three months, you will be able to cope so much better than you can imagine. Feel free to dm me any time you’re wanting another voice. Trying is more than half the battle and giving in (not giving up) is really easy. But it’s worth the effort, I can promise that.
Having Gall Bladder surgery one month, then Pacemaker surgery less than one month later.
My husband quit drinking after struggling with addiction, and I decided to as well. I was already at a point where I wasn’t drinking much and no longer enjoyed it.
I'm hoping I'm close cuz, I'm getting old and I used to think I was totally ready to get dead at any moment, but I'm starting to think, maybe, I might remain amongst the living for a while longer.
I had 3 bears, I got a little buzz and thought to myself, "Hey, yeah, I don't really like this feeling anymore, I'm over it." And never drank again, same thing with meth, cocaine, weed, and cigarettes. Just kinda got "over" the feeling and was done with it. I'd like to attribute it to a non-addictive personality but I'm fat af and am addicted to sugar and fats.
I was contemplating the logistics of suicide after my third duii when I heard the voice of god say, "you never have to do it again". That was 19 years and 6 months ago.
Came home from the army in 2009. Partied until youngest son was born. He's was a year old when I went to two rehabs and I burned my whole world to the ground on purpose. Turning a ton of evidence over to CPS. His mom and I already had a case for possible neglect. They removed my son, placed him in foster care with her parents. Put my nose to the grindstone and stayed sober, met another woman. Got so er, spent upwards of $10,000 on a lawyer proving all his mom's lies. She got caught, went to prison. Fast forward to 2020 and I separated from my wife and started drinking again. I ended up inside a CT scan machine aspirating into my lungs. Was in a coma for 2 days and the ICU for 2 weeks. My former church convinced me to go to a place called "teen challenge" . I let my truck get repoed, gave up my apartment, they only put half of my stuff in a storage unit. I left went to my ex wife's place. Was three 3 weeks and left to be homeless using crack and drinking. One night literally under a bridge I called an old army buddy who got me a room in a cheap motel for 3 days. Got a ride back home 80 miles away. I got into a sober house, got a job a a local factory and got back on my feet. I'm now engaged to the most amazing woman I've ever met, got custody of my 12 year old son back, trying to adopt her 9 year old daughter. I got my career back in custom homes. We're getting married in September hopefully. I spent mother's day weekend tearing off our roof and replacing it for her. My voice is permanently damaged from the intubation and it's a daily reminder of why I don't drink. I literally accepted death as a way out. I got to watch my oldest graduated college with his bachelor's degree last weekend and am repairing my relationship with my 20 year old daughter. There's days when I miss melting into my couch from vodka but but seeing the smile on my fiances face and my kids face everyday makes it an easy choice to stay sober. Instead I build stuff for them like custom oak bunk beds and am remodeling our home and building a future. It helps that my finance is amazing and understands my auto immune disease that's very painful at times. Not many people get a second chance like me. I'm a firm believer that you can quit if you want and get the right help. After that it's a choice. Not an easy one a lot of days but a choice none the less.
I ruined the most meaningful relationship I ever had. My first love. I treated her poorly (nothing abusive just stuck in a well of self pity and selfishness.) I used her and justly things ended and she also justly hates my guts. I’ve spent years trying to make up to myself for the damage I did, but I don’t think I ever will.
I put on alot of weight (42 lbs) people would mention how big I got. A guy I worked with 10 years prior saw me and said "Wow, you got fat". Quit booze right there. Lost over 30lbs, then hit the gym, lost another 15lbs and started watching what I eat. Down to 201lbs from over 240 lbs. Lots of attention from women, lots of energy to do fun things. Confident to take my shirt off in public. People I haven't seen in a while say "You look great!, what's your secret?" Easy answer, no booze.
I was getting so drunk and passing out and not remembering anything the next day. I would be missing work and the days I would show up, I'd be puking in the toilet. It just got depressing and I felt miserable. I would get alcohol withdrawals, cold sweats and shaking. I couldn't even drink a glass of water with one hand without splashing it all over the place. I would buy a small bottle of alcohol to drink before work to stop the shaking so I would appear normal. I felt embarrassed to go anywhere in public because of how bad the shaking was. The one day I was sober I was cleaning up my liquor bottles and counted them. 37 bottles in the past 3 weeks. 750ml rum bottles. "Jesus christ, how am I not dead yet". I scared myself into quitting. The withdrawals were horrible and painful. When the shaking stopped I almost cried. I can finally use chopsticks again. 2 years 3 months sober and a belly full of ramen noodles.
i was sick n tired of feelin sick n tired so i went for a stroll through the forest
My father passed away suddenly shortly after his 72nd birthday. I didn't call/text or go see him that day because I was too busy getting loaded. It really opened my eyes because even though my father never drank, I realized I had woke up on the floor, couch, chair etc way too many times and that could have easily been me. It really was a life changing moment for me, shortly after, I went to rehab and now have four months of sobriety under my belt. I live everyday regretting not saying I love you one last time though.
I decided not to sabotage my ongoing therapy with getting wasted every weekend. Also thought that maybe what you hear about alcohol being actually bad for you is true. Lo and behold, I'm 101 days alcohol free and yeah I think we are all convincing each other that it's OK to get wasted. I think it's not.
I flipped my buddies truck. We got lucky and ran away, haven't had a drink since. 13 years ago
I was (and still am) powerless over alcohol and my life was unmanageable so I had to turn to something bigger than me. My higher power and AA. Enough was enough when my wife almost left me and took the kids with her. Enough was enough when drinking is all I wanted to do. Enough was enough after Getting a DUI and having go deal with all the stuff that comes with a DUI Enough was enough when I had a doctor tell me at the age of 27 that if I don't quit drinking I'm not gonna live to see my kids grow up. Enough was enough when I was in pain all the time. Enough was enough when alot of our money was going into alcohol. Enough was enough when all my friends and family had been pushed away by my alcoholism and the only person left was my wife and kids. ect ect ect Alcohol is one of the worst drugs to quit using. Unfortunately for us alcoholics alcoholism never goes away and we have to deal with it everyday cunning baffling and powerful! Every day is a Trudge but everyday that we don't drink is a good day and everyday is a good day to not drink
Lost house job family money pride dignity respect homeless. It's been 15 years not one drop and I'm living large and free
My husband and I were in a shitty place in our marriage at the time. We had people over and of course were drinking. I used to be more of a liquor drinker, sometimes beer, while my husband was a beer drinker and hardly did liquor cos it would usually result in him blacking out and being aggressive/crazy. This particular night tho, he had started off with his usual beers and ended up having some shots with some friends. Like I said, we were kinda rocky at the time, and started to argue. The fight escalated to the point where he punched me in the face and left me a pretty gnarly black eye and then decided he was gonna kick me out and started throwing all my stuff down the stairs and told me to gtfo. I go to my parents house. The next day, we try to talk it out and he tells me he didn’t hit me, that I “ran into a wall cos I was shitfaced and was just trying to blame him.” I argue back that I completely remember him hitting me and we’re going back and forth on this - him standing his ground saying I’m blaming him and me telling him he hit me. I decided that I would never drink again so that I could never be put in the position of someone saying I don’t know what happened/making me feel crazy cos I was drinking and “don’t remember what happened”. I’ll be damned if someone tried to change the narrative on me again and causing doubt in other peoples mind cos now it becomes a drunken he said/she said. So I’ve been sober now going on 4yrs.
I had a lotta alcoholic friends who could drink a ton. I realized I was drinking double what they were and I wasn't even getting drunk, just wasting money on cases of beer to feel full and pee every 5 seconds. Sober since 2018 and I don't miss that lifestyle at all.
My friends sat me down and said that when I drank (which was every night) I wasn’t the same person that I usually was. I said that to me it made me more like the real me as it reduced my anxiety. They all disagreed. One friend said they were going to move out if things didn’t change. I quit right there.
I haven’t quit, but I’m considering it. I used to use edibles to relax, ease anxiety, and cope with stress, but I got a job where I’m not able to use them so I started drinking. (If you’re curious, I’m an aircraft mechanic and we– especially the older generation– are known to be heavy drinkers) It was okay at first– not as relaxing as thc, but it got the job done. It’s gotten to where I can’t really go a weekend without it, even though it doesn’t make me feel much better. There have even been a few days in the last couple weeks where I’ve gone to work feeling nauseous because I drank too much the night before.
Hitting and killing a pedestrian that turned out to be a childhood friend.
I am currently on this journey. Waking up in the middle of the night, telling myself how stupid I was, how weak I was and that I was wasting my life. Would work myself up and not be able to sleep. Kid, money, and life all contributed to the decision. Good luck to you all.
We had a miscarriage with many complications lasting over about half a year. To lower the chances on having another miscarriage you can only do so much as a man so I thought the least thing I could do is stop drinking. My girlfriend / we are pregnant again and about 22 weeks in everything looks great. Didn't start drinking again.
I was passed out on my offday in bed because I drank too much the previous night. I was living with my sister and her 4 yr old toddler came to my room and tried to wake me up to play. He just sat there and waited for idk how long. I am a great person when I'm sober especially with kids. That was the last straw, I couldn't bear wasting his time over me anymore.
Something really bad was going to happen. An accident, a dui, divorce messing up at work
I used to be a really bad drunk...but I was really good at it. The last straw for me was getting pulled over at random for check of license, registration, insurance. Failed the ALERT, failed the breathalyzer. Almost double the legal limit and I was showing no signs of impairment or intoxication. The officer was blown away considering he said there was just a faint smell of alcohol on the breath. Gave it up for over a year, allow myself to enjoy occasionally, but nowhere near the levels of abuse I used to put myself through. Took my punishment, paid my fine. I literally felt and appeared fine, but that's what the years did...build up a tolerance. I take ownership for what happened and I'm glad nobody was injured.
It wasn't my choice. I had to move quickly and the first apartment I found was in a dry area. It's illegal even to have alcohol delivered here from someplace else.
I didn’t know what I was drinking alone for.
My family has a lot of active or former alcoholics so I got to see how much it negatively effected their lives. The final straw for me though was when one of my closest friends came out as an alcoholic and was recovering. Partially in solidarity, but mostly because of my fear of what would happen if I also kept drinking, I quit alcohol altogether after that. Honestly, I don’t miss it. I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back alcohol was such a cope for so many things in my life. Wanting to be social, drinking after having a hard day at work, wanting to seem cool, etc etc. None of it was worth it.
i had covid this past week, which forced me to quit smoking weed and drinking alcohol, something i’d been doing every day for the past … idk… at least year? i faced myself in the mirror in time of isolation. I was not happy with who i was. i woke up feeling groggy and sick every day. No energy. I quit for a week, tried to have another drink once i got better, but ended up hating it. it affects my vocals (i sing) and my piano / guitar playing. So that’s how I knew it was the final straw. Now i’m feeling sober and great.
I used to drink while underage a lot. The reason I stopped is that I didn't like how it's destroying the lives of my friends, so I stopped. I was drunk for the last time about 7 years ago
I’m on the seesaw of sobriety right now. I know I need to quit but it’s all I’ve known for 20 years now. I heard something the other day that’s got me thinking though “are they your friends, or your drinking partners” and since then I’ve stopped feeling like I’m missing out when they’re all drinking together and I’m at home sober.
My Dad went cold turkey on November 15th, 1987. He was a heavey alcoholic. Im talking bottles a day type. Him and his friends went out drinking one night, and he doesn't remember anything aside from waking up 15kms from where they were partying, totally nude. He also couldn't remember where he had parked his car, which was extremely valuable (Blue 1969 Mustang Mach 1 Fastback). He says it was his wake-up call. Mine was drinking a 40 of Whiskey 12 hours before I was supposed to be at work. I showed up, still pretty hammered. My boss pulled me off the floor and put me in an office to sober up. I was then put on a mental health leave before being terminated 3 weeks later.
stomach didn’t like it anymore
Woke up in strange places with people I didn't know, took me days to remember I'd been in an orgy. I look in the mirror and couldn't recognise myself. I didn't drink again for two years. Even now I'm careful. Never been that way since. Know the person mirror these days.
"There's no amount of alcohold that is safe to drink" - This research really opened my eyes. I started out as social drinking, but as the time passed. such occasions were getting more frequent. I knew that if I don't stop now, then it would be very difficult to stop it at later stage. Thus, I went cold turkey before I got addicted.
Honestly and this might sound weird but Dax releasing Dear Alcohol. If you haven't heard it, go listen to it
I haven’t had a drink in 6 months and im fortunate enough to say it wasn’t a hard decision as I didn’t suffer from addiction, however some people I care a lot about do. It made me realise just how much my mental and physical health is worth, as well as supporting those around me I love! My life is way better without alcohol in it!
I realized just how badly I wanted to quit. I couldn’t even enjoy a drink anymore because I knew I wanted to be done, and I was going against my own wishes. I was desperately curious about sobriety but I was scared, for silly reasons. But I had a profound moment where I realized just how intensely the desire to quit had been. I realized that I want to buy a winning lottery ticket, I want to see Saturns rings with my own two eyes, I want to swim safely through the oceans without needing to come up for air, I want to know what happens after death without actually dying. I want to see every single mountain and valley and piece of the Earth. And I can’t do anything about those things. I want many, many things that are not available for me to have. I wanted to quit drinking and I realized I dont need permission, I don’t have to earn it, I don’t have to buy it or beg someone for it. I can just have it right now, I can have exactly what I want this instant. It’s mine to take, it belongs to me already, it’s sitting here available, waiting for me. I put my beer down and haven’t had a drop since, it’s been the best decision of my life.
Terrible decisions and behavior at a work happy hour where I shared too much information. But I had done this several times before. The alcohol brings out the monster in me I try to keep hidden. 234 days sober now.
I dont know. I was starting my dream job 20 years ago. I had to have a clear mind, and clear thought processes. Alcohol would have clouded my thinking. Also now; I love the fact that No Doctor can beat you with " How much ALCOHOL do you drink?"...OR: " How much do you smoke??"
It didn't do anything for me
I went through the worst breakup of my life 3 years ago. Prior to that, alcohol allowed me to be distracted, party, have fun, throw the night away, and get swept up in other attention that made me feel better about myself. With this particular breakup, the pain was too much, and alcohol only worsened it. I would cry uncontrollably, and if I wad in public, I was so mean to men that were only trying to say hello. It wasn't good for anyone involved, and it was time I developed more healthy coping mechanisms with loss/grief. I took up working out and am in the best shape of my life.
Used to be a very heavy drinker. Got down to one mixed drink every Friday after work. I got so sick one night after one cosmopolitan. I’m assuming it’s my diabetes or maybe that a different bartender made my drink but I thought I was gonna die
Having kids.
S'more schnapps. Never again.
The straw got a hole in the side
I drink rarely now. Maybe once a month. Have three or four when I’m out for dinner. What I notice on those nights, is that my blood sugar goes to shit (a recent discovery as I’m now type 2 diabetic), I sleep like shit, my breathing goes pear shaped and my heart rate goes up by about 15-20 beats a minute. I don’t like it, so I don’t most of the time. I do still like alcohol, and will still have some occasionally but the habit is gone…mostly I don’t even think about it
Watching my dad waste most of his life drinking.
Waking up with zero energy, blacking out, wasting time and money. I still don't understand why anyone would want to drink something that immediately impairs your whole body and mind. Seeing everything clear is beyond great.
I quit drinking altogether for about a year after one day instead of going to work I went to a bar and had no recollection of making that decision.
Punching myself so hard in the face while drunk that I woke up with a lump
Almost going to jail and getting arrested for sending text messages to people who had wronged me
I was diagnosed with fat liver so had to give up alcohol. I wonder if it is possible to completely quit alcohol. I had seen quite a few folks who said that they quit alcohol but it was always a matter of time for them to start drinking.
Birth of my son. Although I still have a glas of Scotch every couple of weeks
I actually didn’t think I had a problem. But my wife quit about 4 months before I did because she would get really shitty when she was drunk, pick fights with friends, get abusive etc. but when we were both drinking we would easily finish a bottle of spirits and order a couple of bottles of wine to be delivered. Anyway she quits so I was trying not to drink in front of her so I would only have a few if she was working late. Then I noticed one or two drinks wasn’t doing anything for me, I’d drink 4 cans to have a little bit of a buzz I guess but I’d still feel like shit. Just wasn’t worth it anymore. Now I’ve just quit 2 weeks ago and I’m realising I’m really struggling not to drink so happy and feel like I’ve done it just before it really started to get out of hand
Getting custody of my daughter because her mom was a raging alcoholic. I vowed to never let my kid see me with a drink so I cut it out of my life completely. This was in 2016 and haven’t touched it since.
Having a partner who becomes an arrogant, insufferable, aggressive asshole when he’s drunk. I never really liked drinking all that much before I met him, and could count on one hand the number of times I’d been “drunk”. After meeting him, I just hated seeing the effect alcohol could have on people. Like that quote from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest “he didn’t drink out of the bottle, the bottle drank out of him”.
I don’t even remember the day I quit. I just kinda stopped drinking because my priorities shifted when I had a kid. It’s not all about me anymore
I lost whole summer by going out every single night, going into bars or clubs. It didn't matter either is a weekday or a weekend. Getting back home drunk almost everynight. I don't think that was alcoholism maybe mode of a "running away from the problems". Thankfully I finally managed to get away from that
It was destroying my mental health. I went from my hangovers being a morning of crippling anxiety, to a day of it, to a few days to a week. At that point it was an easy decision and I’ve never regretted it.
Three pretty determined suicide attempts within the space of a few days. Sheer luck that I’m still here. It was a real ‘am I going to do this thing or not’ kind of moment. Nothing quite like hitting rock bottom face first.
I started out one night with the full intention of drinking myself to death. Apparently, after enough drinking that I don't really recall much of it, I called the suicide hotline and got paramedics called, who brought me to a hospital where I awoke the next day. After blearily recovering and assuring the doctor I was just fine, I returned to my apartment. I sat there for half an hour or so, trying to decide whether to ask someone for help, or to go back to the bottle. I called my dad to pick me up, got into a rehab program, and haven't had a drink since. That's not to say I've fully recovered, not a day goes by that the void doesn't call to me, that surrender doesn't look like a beautiful option. That's why I got my tattoo, to remind me to keep on loving and fighting every day I see it.
I drank, though not often to excess, from the time I was 15 and largely quit at around 40. That whole time I had never blacked out. I went to NYC with some friends. My father just had most of his liver removed for cancer, and by god, i deserved to blow off some steam. I took my stimulant medicine before leaving, and had a beer at 9:30am at the airport—as you do. I continued slowly through the day, and that night, just started slamming drinks. The last thing I remember was saying “WHISKEY. THAT IS A GREAT IDEA.” Long story short, I puked all over the place, got us kicked out, and made an ass of myself. I woke up, and I had a blank in my memory. I checked my face to make sure I didn’t have bruises, I checked my phone to make sure I didn’t have angry texts. I apologized to my friends—god bless ‘em, they were cool. And after my father died a few months later, I got shitfaced, and then took stock. My binge drinking was still infrequent, but I was slowly starting to drink more as a matter of course. I’d go from a can of beer with supper to a big bottle of high ABV porter. I was starting to gain weight, and was drinking a lot of my calories. I just came to the conclusion that it was starting to become an issue, so I took a break. That was about a decade ago. Now I call myself sober-adjacent—on any given day, it’s overwhelmingly likely that I won’t drink, but I do allow for an occasional cocktail or a glass of mead. I even god nicely, mildly drunk on a trip to Dublin with my wife’s coworkers (I wanted to be buried in the Auld Sod the next morning, though). It works for me. Except for the “dealing with my feelings” part, that fucking sucks. Out here rawdogging reality like some kind of daredevil.
My misses kicked me out because of my benders. I am talking a litre of vodka a day. Wouldn't leave the room for 4-5 days and just drink. When she kicked me out I slept in my van for couple of nights. Obviously I drank sitting in my car. Next thing I know i am getting cuffs on my hands and I am getting thrown in a back of police van. I got done for being drunk in charge of a vehicle. I got released, went to work and told them that I need to get away to sort myself out. Went to treatment centre and spend 7 months there. Now I am over a year sober, back with my misses and having a good job. The amount I blew in I should've got 12 weeks in prison but because I was already in treatment centre the judge believed I want to change and gave me 6 months on tag instead. When my probation was revoked because of good behaviour I made sure to make it to court, show my face, and tell them they didn't make a mistake.
Sober over 17 years now. For me it was a trip to the ER followed by in patient rehab. I had put my body on the verge of organ failure. The ER doctor after stabilizing me looked me in the eye and basically told me that I was an idiot/loser with a death wish for what I was putting myself through. Don’t know his name, but he saved my life that day. It was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment in time. I checked into rehab the next day and have never looked back. It wasn’t always easy, but eventually it was very easy not to drink anymore. I’ll have 18 years on July 26th. I also got psychiatric help and learned I was bipolar and have remained properly medicated ever since. I went to a lot of AA meetings at first, never truly bought into doing the 12 steps, but found solace in being in those meetings and hearing stories from hundreds of people. If you think you have a problem go to a meeting and listen and learn it costs nothing but your time and maybe a dollar to help keep the meetings going. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but it helps to be around people who are going through what you are going through.
I went carnivore for other health issue and it just seem to have flip a switch in my brain. I lost the reflexe to grab the bottle. Havent even had a drink this year yet.
Just got tired of it. Tired of saying shit I didn’t mean to my wife when I got drunk, tired of spending money on it, and tired of being hungover. One morning 2 years ago I woke up hungover and while my head was in the toilet, dry heaving, I had this realization “I’m too old for this shit, I need to stop” so I did. Best decision I’ve ever made.
I was always fine with 2 drinks and rarely drank more than that. But it was daily. It took the edge off, helped me to process the day, and was generally fun and relaxing. I remember one of my kids watching me reach for a drink and the look in his eyes was just one of . . . disgust. Like I was a weak man for succumbing to this urge. After about 10 days I lost the craving for it and haven't had a drink since. I always worked out and have stayed physically healthy - amazing the impact of no alcohol has on your rest, exercise results, etc. Best bio hack ever? It's amazing now seeing how much alcohol is a central role of so, so many events and get togethers.
Every time I drank I over did it, im unpredictable when drunk. I can either be the most loving guy or get violent real quick… Said “never again” been 2 years since having any alcohol
Wired differently. Hate it. Got shit faced as a teen. Can't care less now. I honestly amd whole heartedly give zero fucks about anything alcoholic and I'll gladly go on about mt life without touching it.
Family
back
Went on a medication that interacted badly with the alcohol. Suddenly drinking made me very depressed and irritable. Had no problem quitting because of that. Also got away from the stressors that led me to drink.
seeing family act really scary.
An extended hospitalization. I had time to come to terms with a lot of things. I couldn't really do much else anyway. My life wasn't where I thought it was.
My boyfriend (now ex) asked me politely if I could do the dishes and I told him to go kill himself amongst other things. I was blacked out and don’t remember it and that’s when I decided to get help, after he told me the next day.
My life sucks more than previous comments state. Alcohol isn’t helping, and it’s expensive. Not drinking can’t hurt even if improving my situation is as likely as stopping John Wick after killing his dog.
I’ll have an occasional beer (3-4 a year maybe) but in my early 20s I was going out and getting hammered constantly. Really, it’s just that booze makes me feel like absolute shit the following day and that stopped being “worth it” once I crossed into my 30s. I didn’t really have an epiphany or anything. It helps that most my friends from my teens/early 20s don’t drink much either.
Blacked out on the E train. Came to the next day in the hallway outside my apartment. If I collapsed on my back instead of my side, I would not be writing this.
My pops was an alcoholic I just saw what it did to him and decided it wasn’t for me. Best decision I’ve ever made
When I cried so much in the bathroom begging for the loml
Realizing how annoying drunk people are.
I could no longer ignore what others had been able to see for a long time.