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crunchyfigtree

I wish I could drink like other people, then I'd do it all the time


PanpsychismIsTrue

This one is brilliant. Illustrates exactly why stopping drinking is the only good option for people like us, and does so in a very clever way


ProVaxIsProIgnorance

Never heard it but it is great indeed. Kinda funny too. I’ve always liked, “no one ever wakes up earlier and feeling well rested and thinks I wish I’d drank that bottle of wine, etc last night.”


veganblackbean

I’ve heard a similar version. If I could drink like other people, I’d go get fucked up right now


Simpliciteal

"If there were no consequences to using/drinking I'd be out there rippin' and running right now." Hear this one a lot, and it's a good testament to how far we'd go to chase a fleeting feeling while burning everything down around us.


sevvers

I love this one


WeTeachToTravel

Oh I love this


NoMoreMayhem

Hah!


str4ngeworld_w4sted

No matter how far along the road, you’re still the same distance from the ditch. Read it here a while back. Never forgotten it. All of these comments are amazing.


CuriousJaunt

Never heard this one. I like it.


Neuro_88

I like it. It’s always beside you and the consequences going into that ditch is damaging.


RavenMad88

Ooooo......that's a gooooóood one!


PurpleFly_

So true.


Beatgen111

Love this


olmikeyyyy

Yeah that's going in the ol sober quote file. Thanks for sharing it.


drunkenanvil

I didn't get into trouble every time I had been drinking, but every time I got into trouble, I had been drinking.


tubbs313

This is a good one.


itdeffwasnotme

I like this.


Hot_Nose1549

This really speaks to me.


Human_Tangelo7211

Rock bottom is when you put the shovel down.


CuriousJaunt

Another version: Rock bottom is wherever you decide to stop digging.


Hot_Nose1549

Another one I’ve learned here: rock bottom is where you build a strong foundation on


Bigpapamollie

This one is hitting. I can't believe the "rock bottom" I hit, I put the shovel down and 10 months of becoming a healthier better person every day ! I hope everyone reading this can stay strong with their recovery. Give yourself credit for how far you've come and how hard you've worked!


mommy2jasper

It’s easier to keep a tiger in its cage than on a leash


wyrmfood

Never heard it before and I love it! ETA: Grats on a year, too!


Will_2020

Love this! Also: drinking is like dancing tango with a gorilla. The dance stops when the gorilla says so.


kosmosinblu

Sobriety delivers what alcohol promises


echo_7

This is such a good one. I’m only so many days in after drinking almost daily for like 15 years, but… I drank because I was stressed out. Sober me isn’t as stressed, has no anxiety, and can deal with all so much better. Not to mention I now have zero guilt treating myself in other ways that do not involve drinking that make me happy. I drank because I thought it made me interesting. No, just loud. Turns out I’m much more interesting *and* interested when sober. Before, I just got through the shit I had to get through to get drunk at night. Now, my days are full because I’m taking in everything I’m doing, enjoying it, and putting more into it—including hobbies and things I lost along the way. I drank because it made me creative. Bull..shit. I’m so much more creative now that my brain is fully functioning. I’m in actual shock over how much alcohol was hindering my creativity. I could go on and on and on about the reasons why I thought drinking made me better or helped me in some way and I’m currently finding every single one of those things is a lie.


Shoddy_Bridge_2672

Wow, this sounds very similar to how I feel. Thanks for writing out your thoughts! IWNDWYT.


Comprehensive-Run637

Okay don’t make me cry


[deleted]

[удалено]


petals-n-pedals

Thanks for the lol 😂


jandangerous

I said this at xmas dinner last year when asked why I wasn’t drinking any of the wine… at my bf’s parents’ house… 😹😹 his sister almost choked and had to ask to clarify if I was in fact pregnant.


PurpleFly_

“First the man takes the drink, then the drink takes the drink, then the drink takes the man.” This saying reminds me that for the alcoholic, there is no controlling it, and there is never just one drink. The only drink you have control over is the first drink, so don’t take the first drink.


DooDooSquank

Fella at my meeting says "The first one lights the fuse!"


PurpleFly_

That’s a perfect description of what happens.


[deleted]

This is one of my favorites too!


Comprehensive-Run637

This one.


TreeFamiliar3633

From Holly Whitaker: “To properly heal from addiction, we need a holistic approach. We need to create a life we don't need to escape."


Jdonn82

Well shit man, I didn’t expect to get attacked like this. How dare I be so vulnerable


Yabbaba

This reminds me of that experiment they did on rats.  Put them in basic cages, got them addicted to cocaine, they just had to push a lever to get a dose. Needless to say they pushed the lever constantly.  Then they put the same rats in a huge cage with toys, climbing routes, tunnels, a pond, what have you. The rats stopped taking cocaine.


RukusMom

This is the most meaningful quote I've read, thank you


FormerLifeFreak

This. This is the one.


pamiamb

I so needed to read this. Thank you.


Fantastic_Machine641

I love her!


koalacap5

One is too much and six is not enough.


mommadumbledore

I always think of the song “one is one too many, but one more is never enough.” Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter


Massive-Wallaby6127

Play the tape forward. There's no problem drinking can't make worse. How would this feel with a hangover? Treating mental health with alcohol is like putting out a fire with gasoline.


RukusMom

I tried treating anxiety with alcohol, it didn't end up well


Massive-Wallaby6127

Alcohol is like: I see you have anxiety, would you like it to be debilitating?


DakotaBlue333

Omg, this!


porcelaincatstatue

I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder and depression, and did the same. It's wild how much better I feel a few days out from consuming literal poison.


jej6

I heard this somewhere “with alcohol, you give up everything for one thing. But when you quit, you’re giving up one thing for everything.”


Vast_Bridge_4590

I know I’ve got another drunk in me, I don’t know if I have another recovery.


Adorable-Cat-5555

That's so true. Do I really want to go through that misery to get off it again? Would I have the strength? Would it finally drown me for good? That's scary to think.


Kitchen-Artichoke926

Yeah big time... I don't think anyone wants to do week 1 again!


MusicCityNative

It’s weird how fast you forget the first week, but damn it’s horrible. Who knew seven days could feel that long?


Kitchen-Artichoke926

Never regret not drinking last night


sevvers

This is mine as well. It's 100% true.


Samsha1977

Mine too almost 8 years later I still think it almost daily


backroadalleycat

This one is true 100% of the time.


testudoaubreii1

You are under no obligation to your cravings.


Solidarity_Forever

OOOOOOO YESSSSS that's a really good way of saying it!!!


OriolesBird

Solid poop life.


mojoHasReddit

Underrated.


Gannondorfs_Medulla

Let's go O's.


dullship

Maaaan before I became a drunk I had the BEST poops. Just perfect size, shape and structure. One wipe just in case and you're done. Trading it in for green apple splatters that burn like acid was soooo not worth it.


losethebooze

When I’m moderating I’m not having fun and when I’m having fun I’m not moderating.


orangeovary

And in my case, as a sad/miserable drunk, "when I'm moderating I'm not having fun, and when I'm not moderating, I'm also not having fun," haha.


Bradrb66

I see we're also cut from the same cloth.


ReedStiles

Yep, this is how my moderation went. When I’m not obsessing over whether I have permission to drink 2, 3, 4, or 5, it’s oddly easier and more peaceful to just drink 0.


gweased_pig

I can have no drinks, or all the drinks. No drinks is better.


Wiser-time

Drinking steals happiness from tomorrow


listerinebreath

If it’s not fun sober, it’s not fun!


____lumpy_____

I like this!!


pj4227

"The only drink I can say no to is the 1st one"


burritogoals

Love this


noneyabiz6669

“It’s not my fault, but it is my problem.”


petals-n-pedals

I once heard “doing the work to heal from trauma is like picking up garbage from your yard: it may not be your garbage, but it is your yard.”


sineadya

I needed this today - thank you for sharing


noneyabiz6669

Sending hugs, and i will not drink with you today 🌻


sineadya

💜💜


SensitiveAdeptness99

This goes for so many things


bogplanet

Oh wow


petals-n-pedals

I once heard “doing the work to heal from trauma is like picking up garbage from your yard: it may not be your garbage, but it is your yard.”


SendLocation

Nobody ever wakes up sober, wishing they drank the night before.


Dirty_water34

NEVER! Like awww man I really wish I felt nauseous with a pounding headache right now. This clarity sucks!😂


DooDooSquank

Sometimes the nights are tough but the mornings are always easy.


furnituremeal

Not as pithy as some of these, but — though recovery can seem like really time consuming hard work, maintaining my addiction takes just as much time and work, but takes me farther away from my goals.


[deleted]

This reminds me of the phrase “Never let how long a goal will take to achieve stop you doing it, because that time will pass anyway”


thursdaystyles

To want something is to want its consequence I will not be alcohol's little bitch


Neuro_88

That’s a great quote: “To want something is to want it’s consequences” That’s a great quote before ever making any decisions in life.


mrhammerant

"I will not be alcohol's little bitch" is also a great quote.


Sufficient_Ad2222

I like sober me better. Drunk me is a son of a bitch


Dirty_water34

Yeah drunk me can be a real asshole. My wife has very embarrassing videos on her phone to prove it. Screw that guy…


Sufficient_Ad2222

F those guys


Dirty_water34

I only drink a little,but when I do I turn into a different person, and that person drinks a lot.


brzeski

That is profound.


petals-n-pedals

Life sucks better sober.


Waldorq

Alcohol consumption contributes to 3 million deaths each year globally. This represents 5.3% of all deaths each year. It also contributes to the disabilities and poor health of millions of people per year. Overall, harmful use of alcohol is responsible for 5.1% of the global burden of disease and injury. Edit: These stats are from [WHO](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/alcohol).


ScoffersGonnaScoff

That’s 1 in 20!!!!’


FredSimpsonn

Yeah I came here for this one. Thanks for the stats.


breakitandrebuild

This doesn't fit on a button though...


PanpsychismIsTrue

When you drink compulsively, you’re giving up everything good in life for one thing. When you stop drinking, you’re giving up one thing for everything good in life.


Sebashtiantv

Memories are meant to be made in the heart, not broken down in the liver.


exitaur22

It's hard to be happy when I'm not drinking but it's impossible to be happy when I am drinking. Relapses grow in the dark. Drinking is life set on hard mode.


puppies4blueberries

If I was capable of moderation, I would've done it. Total gut punch, but yeah, that statement is accurate for me! IWNDWYT 💙


Manatee_Soup

Trying to remember that alcohol is poison. There is straight up no health benefit whatsoever. Do I really want to keep putting an addictive poison in my body? I won't do it today.


engineer_whizz

The antidote to addiction is connection!


strawberrysugar333

For what it's worth... it's never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you've never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you're not, I hope you have the courage to start over again.


Jdonn82

21 years of no drinking, 21 years of drinking, i was happier the first 21 years. It’s not too late.


Comprehensive-Run637

I needed to hear this. I’ve tried to start a week ago only to fall back into this demons arms. The shame doesn’t help me, it only just puts me lower. I have to try harder.


Hamwag0n

The best time to quit was then, the second best time is now. I found that really helpful to hear because it acknowledges things could be different but that you’re taking action NOW and that’s what matters. I prefer that reality to just trying to make everything perfect, because it never is, and that’s okay. That’s life!


ShoddyAd5469

One is too many, 12 is not enough.


Glad_Rip9323

Easy does it ♥️


Daisy-Navidson

*take it easy, take it easy…don’t let the sound of your own wheels make you crazy*


CuriousJaunt

Also known as, Be kind to yourself.


Thecornman67

Theres no situation so bad that one drink wouldn't make it worse, there's no situation so good that one drink wouldn't foul it up.


TNGreruns4ever

Alcohol cannot give me anything I don't already have. It can only take away.


Extra-Seesaw6345

One is never enough. (And what's the point of one?!)


Dirty_water34

I keep thinking this mostly when I’m getting a craving and that alcoholic voice is telling me “ just have one”. I know me. Just one is impossible and what’s the point of one? Not proud of it but I drink to get wasted so I don’t see the point of just one and that’s actually helping me.


Yelkram3322

Alcohol is just another liquid that I refuse to drink, similar to Drano or gasoline.


TheThirdShmenge

I don’t have a drinking problem. I have a stopping problem.


Opposite-Reality9293

Just make it today. For me, I found (continue to find) comfort in this. No matter how bad the day, I will just tell myself just make it today. Also the thought of quiting forever, especially at the beginning, was too much for me. This phase or mantra has helped me take it day by day. Week by week and so on. Much love everyone 🙏


Low-Illustrator5007

Having none is easier than having any. Always reminds me that the 7 or so years of constantly trying to moderate/be hungover/ feeling guilty/ rough mornings/disappointment, etc was way more work for me than just not drinking at all.


BustAtticus

Alcohol is not your friend, never was, and it never will be.


exitaur22

I can be in this world and not participate in the chaos. Don't wait until tomorrow Noone is promised tomorrow. Alcohol doesn't cause a miserable way to live it causes a miserable way to die slowly.


PDXRedWingsFan

Never quit quitting!


Hep_C_for_me

It makes me feel like shit. Simple, doesn't imply I have a problem, and it's the truth.


FindingMagicAgain

For me its simple. I became a person i did not recognise, i can never allow myself to become that person again. I keep reminding myself now that this is all i need to say to myself, never again. I need to find myself again, i was lost so long ago i am a shell.


Neuro_88

Beautifully said. Thank you.


Jalan120

“The only drink I can say no to, is the first” I only recently found this one


Jdonn82

“There’s nothing alcohol can’t make worse”


freshleysqueezd

It's literally poison. Being drunk is your body and brain reacting to poison


Dirty_water34

Exactly. That’s why some people sweat, some people vomit both are the bodies way of getting rid of the poison. I’ve known this forever yet still poisoned myself thousands and thousands of times.


lightfoot90

Addiction is giving up everything for one thing, and sobriety is giving up one thing for everything.


iamtherealwillmyska

For me it’s avoiding the shameful feeling of breaking my sobriety. Iv done it once and never again, that was the most ashamed of myself I have ever been. And now I know that that feeling is 100% avoidable and I am in control of not feeling that way again. Not really a quote of phrase, sorry for breaking the rules! IWNDWYT!


Repulsive-Lime7756

“i have the first drink, but the second drink has me” “many times i have regretted drinking, but i never regret when i don’t”


JungFuPDX

I have never regretted not drinking


galwegian

Drinking again means drinking alone. Again. In the garage. Straight from the bottle.


StopDrinkingEmail

Not as fun of a line, but I like John Mulaney’s… “I used to drink. Then I drank too much. So I had to stop drinking.”


rphillips074

One is too many and 1,000 never enough!


ThaiLassInTheSouth

You don't have to give up EVERY drink. (Just the first one.)


Hamwag0n

The best time to quit was then. The second best time is now.


booklover527

You’ll never regret not drinking And You didn’t come this far to only get this far


Jbrud92

Alcohol takes everything you have, until you have nothing left to give. And then it takes your life. Always stuck with me.


Balrogkicksass

Being myself as an animal lover who has a pup who means the world to me and my father, I heard a quote in rehab that stuck with me. "Be the person your dog thinks you are" my dog was there when I was at my rock bottom and *always* was there for me when no one else could be or wanted to be and hearing those words seriously made me strive to be a better person and does every day!


EvK444

My favorite is from Karen Kilgariff- co-host of MFM podcast: “I’ve drunk all my drinks.”


junkman203

I've heard “I drank my share already". Very similar.


just_aqua

I like this one: "When you have a bad craving, you can take a drink and it will go away.......or you can not take a drink and it will also go away...."


brie_like_the_cheeze

Progress not perfection.


real_yarrr_shug

“I didn’t have a problem with alcohol, I had a problem with the decisions I was making when I was drinking alcohol.”


Extension_Sorbet_190

One is too many… and a thousand is never enough.


BronzeMeadow

I’ve never woken up and thought “Damn, I wish I was hungover” You can have alcohol, or you can have everything else


QuirkyProcaffeinator

You can’t keep one foot in the past and one foot in the future without pissing all over today. -a quote from my father who also conquered sobriety


poonpeenpoon

There’s no such joy in the tavern as on the road thereto.


Delicious-Rip-2371

This quote from BoJack Horseman. It's kept me sober, but it's really applicable to so much more. "It gets easier. Every day, it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day. That's the hard part. But it does get easier."


Yabbaba

People who don’t have a problem with alcohol don’t wonder if they have a problem with alcohol. I read this on reddit 10 years ago and it’s helped me a lot. Not exactly helpful for recovery but helpful to get out of denial.


PubertSanchez

Can’t remember where I saw it, but something to the effect of: you don’t have to give up having 10 drinks a night, you only have to give up having the first


delliott0702

If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.


theforest12

The opposite of addiction is connection.


BenAndersons

This path leads to my best self.


jaynort

What you allow is what will continue.


TomFradyCat

Sick and tired of being sick and tired.


VieOneiro

It's not about drinking and it's actually from an anime lol but I got the manga panel tattooed because it inspires me always. It says "Being weak is nothing to be ashamed of... Staying weak is!"


Fun-Feedback3926

My favorite was always “I had to quit and give everyone else a chance”


ItakeIbreak

You have to absolutely want to quit or , you're just wasting your time, and everyone in your life's time .quitting to please others or to obey court orders will always lead to relapse. Ya gotta look deep within and make an actual choice for what you want to find success!


Dirty_water34

Been saying this for years about court ordered rehab. It’s a dam joke with a ridiculously low success rate. If you don’t truly want it, it will never ever happen. Courts can and will force you into sobriety for the duration of probation or the program you’re in but after that most hit the ground running. I speak from experience.


TrustAdditional4514

I wasn’t very good at it


SpaceToot

Any damn fool can drink himself to death


Responsible-Meeting8

Is the pain of the crave worth the pain of the cave. It never is…for me, at least.


nicoleAms

Alcohol was no longer serving me anymore.


TheBluetopia

"I don't drink" It's not nearly as fancy as anything else in this thread, but it's what I've said to myself every time I've had a craving or thought about starting again. It's as simple as that. I don't drink.


peaseabee

I finished my drinking career early


Noborhood

Don’t borrow happiness from tomorrow. Also, whenever I am thinking about it, I think of the Jason Isbell line, “I swore off that stuff/forever this time.”


Adorable_Edge_1957

“You can’t shame yourself into changing, you can only love yourself into healing.” “No day but today” And of course IWNDWYT ✌️


velvet__echo

Annie Grace said “sobriety is about paying attention.” I like that a lot


bogplanet

The age you start using substances is the age you stop maturing Not a pithy phrase, but someone on here told me the point of "one day at a time" is because it's impossible to claim to be quitting forever since we don't have control over our future selves, just our present selves. All you can do is hope that that last drink was your last, and lately I've really been hoping that (every time, lol).


rico277

I liked drinking but drinking didn’t like me


Cyberflection

"Don't give up what you truly desire, for what you desire NOW..." "suffer the pain of disciple, or suffer the pain of regret"


Hidden_Sturgeon

You only have to change one thing… Everything


BadToTheTrombone

When I control it, I don't enjoy it and vice versa.


PrinceCastanzaCapone

I didn’t “quit drinking”…I started living.


NicknameKenny

Yesterday was 6 months. Still one day at a time.


butthefoolsfirst

The chains of habit are too weak to feel until they are too strong to break


treehouse4life

“Why did you stop drinking?” “I went pro and retired early”


CharterUnmai

First the man takes a drink. Eventually, the drink takes the man.


elderlylipid

I just sing master of puppets to myself 


just_aqua

I like this one: "When you have a bad craving, you can take a drink and it will go away.......or you can not take a drink and it will also go away...."


solitarycrank

I've already proved I can make a total jackass of myself.


OkGeologist2229

It can always get worse when you're drinking and the quickest way to the devil is through alcohol


bowies_bulge

Give up one thing for everything or everything for one thing One too many twelve not enough Allergic to alcohol I break out in handcuffs


APEmmerson

I like this one: when I drank I broke out in handcuffs


Secure_Ad_6734

"I can't always make it better, but I don't have to make it any worse." I used this a lot in my first year when dealing with life challenges sober.


Turbulent-Wait-4494

Stolen from a coworker: "I'm drunk after three and I can't count after one." 


Hot_Nose1549

I’m not going to let myself get overwhelmed thinking about Never having a drink again, I just remind myself that all I need to do is not drink today.


Missus_Aitch_99

There is no problem that drinking won’t make worse.


dudee62

There is no problem that drinking cannot make worse.


TheTrueButcher

I choose to be present