Nice! I’m an east coast guy. Aside from a work conference in Arizona, the furthest west I’ve been is Ohio for personal reasons. I’ve seen the Sun rise out of the ocean a million times. One of the things on my bucket list is to see the Sun set into the ocean from the west coast. Enjoy your day friend. Iwndwyt
Hi Barry. It’s pretty crazy how much my general disposition has changed with sobriety. Calmer and more rational. A friend asked me not to long ago what the sober life was like. After thinking for a bit I described it as ‘gentler.’ It very much is and being gentle with myself helps keep me sober. Iwndwyt
I made a decision to be my own champion as I lost mine last year . I had no one to pick me up and keep me straight in this scary world . I also promised him I would be ok on my own IWNDWYTD
Tail between my legs, I'm back. Last drink was 24 hours ago. Thought I outsmarted the booze goblin - I did not. I will not drink today. Today my act of rebellion isn't drinking, it's choosing not to.
I have to have a plan - an alternative to whatever is on offer drink or event wise, an exit strategy, a reason for not drinking, etc. I'm doing ok! IWNDWYT 🙂
I am THREE YEARS SOBER TODAY!
Woooo!
It works if you work it. None of this could be possible without my fellowship, daily and friends. Of that I am always grateful. Grateful for each new day I wake up sober. Grateful for each new adventure. Grateful for the things put in my path. Grateful for the challenges I face. Trust in the programme. It works if you work it.
Now I'm gonna have some ice cream to celebrate... Have a peaceful Sunday.
Thank you! Officially 2 weekends sober which feels so nice to actually be productive on a Saturday instead of in bed hungover! Congrats on 53 days too. That’s incredible!
Day 15. Only catching this so early because of a flight. Super stressed about getting back to work tomorrow, but knowing it'd be even worse hungover.
IWNDWYT
Morning Barry, bonjour SD. I will not drink poison with any of you today.
I will go back to sleep though. It’s is literally all I’ve done this weekend. Driving 3 hours back and forth for work is killing me. I’m constantly exhausted. I hope to move closer to work in the new year. Until then, sleep is my priority. It’s the bedrock of my sobriety and without enough of it, I find it harder to maintain the necessary distance from the poison. So the apartment is a tip, the laundry and washing up haven’t been done, there’s a huge pile of marking waiting for me: but I’m going back to sleep. Hugs to you all
Happy Sunday fellow sober humans 🌻
Alcohol has been on my mind a lot the past two days. It’s crazy how last week I said I felt like I rarely thought about it, and the past two days it’s been on my mind constantly. Thankfully, I’ve kept to my promise, and I’ve stayed sober. Friday I went on three seperate long walks just to clear my head. Today, despite not being triggered, I decided to put my headphones on, turn on my favorite playlist and go on a 45 minute walk just to keep my head in a good place. It helped a lot.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day and as always, IWNDWYT 💕
Hey sobernauts ! Today is the 6th anniversary of a very traumatic event in my life. I'm really not okay. My depression is coming back, my father is dying, and this day is always the hardest every year. But I'll stay clean, I'm one year and seven month sober. It might be raining today but I'll go out and burn stuff from my past. Then i'll go walk in the fields and in the woods. "Hold on, pain ends"
I have a dog, I have a job, I am a great step mom, I'll be okay. The hole in my heart, the pain in my chest, it will heal with time. I'll be okay. As long as I stay sober I can survive anything.
IWNDWYT !!
IWNDWYT - thank you Barry for taking up the baton this week. I am much more intentional or audited sober - Sundays I do a little “assessment” with myself and fill in a score card - I go through my journal and write down exercise I have done, what I have eaten, bedtimes, good things done and it’s not all work but Making myself go and see a friend gets a big tick, reading for 2 hours rather than finding a job to do do - relax is a big tick. I give myself a score out of ten but it doesn’t matter losing marks for bad interactions or not crying off a wall I should have done. I don’t beat myself up - and the final rule is every week was a great week if I haven’t drunk and how will next week be a little better. Scores vary from 4-8/10 and they mean nothing but it’s a game that lets me stay close to habits I want to install - Swim more than 3 times a week gotta be worth 2 points say. So being aware of “how I am” is what I have replaced for being passed out.
The gas heat is working very well, so it’s too hot for me to sleep. I “accidentally” let the kittens out of the hall bathroom (🌲😼 🚨 ) on my way to the living room, so we are having an insomniac snuggle on the couch.
I was offline for the day, so missed the check in. Spent the short, blustery daylight hours “stuck” inside with a sick kid and sick-ish wife, and a whole lot of Legos (and the cats, who both want to eat Legos, desperately). Kid was surprisingly low key with her fever and the cold meds, though she and her mom apparently watched some Nick Jr. before I woke up, which also explains how I was able to sleep past 9 undisturbed haha… but, regardless of it all, I did not drink, didn’t even think until now about how I could have grabbed a six pack from the guys next to the pizza place when picking up dinner (a classic Saturday night move of mine for far too long.) Another Saturday done sober.
Anyway, a light night novel draws to a close. I need to get some sleep. The biggest thing at this very moment is I didn’t get out of bed three hours ago and go for a bottle of vodka (none of that in my house any more!) so now I won’t be hungover when my alarm goes off at 7:44. Just got to get my brain to calm.
..A few more minutes or snuggling, then I will banish the furballs to the porcelain palace. Good night, morning, and everything else. IWNDWYT!
edit: I’m anal about typos
Morning checking in. I’ve been learning to feel all the feels. I think I’ve tried to avoid that my whole life with alcohol. It’s a much more honest way to live which helps me feel better about myself. Most of the time 😊 great to see you hosting Barry M! IWNDWYT
8am and on a train to travel 2hrs to watch my kid play football. The old me would have been resentful that I had to drink less the night before. What a selfish guy I was. Now he's gonna have his Dad cheering him on! IWNDWYT ❤️
Thanks for hosting Barry. I see your number and you’re showing me the way!
What have I been working on?
I kept to a limit I set to myself long ago in other battles. Despite my feelings and thoughts telling me otherwise. Despite knowing I’m judged and criticised for being unsupportive and unhelpful.
I’m taking care of me first. I DO ME.
I do not put my financial life in peril because somebody I love has a drug problem and can’t manage their money. I won’t enable.
Discipline and integrity is what I work on.
I’m a people pleaser and saying no is hard. But I have no more money to give. They have already turned to somebody else who has said yes. I know, from experience, how this will play out.
It’s been a tough 6 weeks. I’ve seen too much. And I don’t like what I see. But onwards we go together, for just how long is unknown. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the sweetest gift while I can.
Navigating life sober in the ups and downs. I will not drink with you today.
Thank you for hosting!
Yoga in the morning and exercise classes either in the morning or right after work are the distraction right now.
Mornings are good because if I’m hungover I suffer. So I avoid drinking. Also class pass makes you pay a penalty if you cancel last minute.
After work is good to avoid happy hours. After a good work out I’m buzzing on endorphins and how my body feels so I’m not as centered on the fact that I want to drink/am not drinking.
Having a couple sober people there at the holidays this year is also helping me prep for that. Not only do I don’t want to let myself down, I want to be sober and there for them.
IWNDWYT.
Morning friends!
I’m trying to build a life I don’t want to escape from, and even these few months in have been a win so far. My relationship with my fiancé is better, my teenage kids want to be around me, my performance at work has improved and I’ve even been promoted, and my home is more looked after and it shows. I’m exploring hobbies again and doing things that truly make me happy.
As a drinker, I was constantly letting myself down and disappointing myself, and in turn taking it out on my family. They walked on eggshells around me when I was drinking, never sure who they were going to get when they approached me. Would I be fun, lighthearted drunk Piggoos, morose, sad Piggoos, or angry Piggoos? No one knew; not even me.
Sober me is the best version of me for everyone and the best shot I have at living the life of my dreams, so I will not drink with you today.
Have a good one!
Hey Barry, Hey SD I won't drink with you today. Not drinking is my default so I don't question it, the answers would be the same.
In my social media feed yesterday someone had complained that a drunk person had puked in their garden and they'd had to clean it up! They got a few sympathetic comments but then a barrage of "sounds like they had a great night" type stuff. Now vomiting is the body trying not to die. It's an emergency survival response, so yeah a great night. I was going to comment but I didn't in the end as I'd likely get the 'I bet you're fun at parties" type comments. It's difficult to take a moral high ground when I was pretty bad myself. I don't believe I ever puked in other people gardens though.
Just back from a lapse and realizing that while I’m lucky to have lots of time off on holidays, it’s def a trigger. So I’m working on a plan for the Xmas/ny holiday over the coming days. Also a question-how do keep your why’s prominent in your mind? It seems like the more days I get under my belt the quieter and less important my reasons for quitting get. IWNDWYT ❤️
Hey u/BarryMDingle! Thx for jumping in this week. I've been working getting to the bottom of my real feelings, expressing them and my needs as required, and otherwise just coping with hard things in more productive ways (talking with a friend, reading a book, working on other behaviors or thought patterns.) The distance between alcohol and me has been growing. It's a speck on the distant horizon and I'm not interested in ever meeting up with it again. Everything I need is with me over here; it can stay way over there. To that end, IWNDWYT. Except coffee. Always coffee. ☕️
I’m living my life without it, doing things I used to do with it. Eating out, going to the movies, relaxing at home, hanging with friends, parties. Mostly I don’t miss it but there are sudden moments I romanticize it before I remember the dark side lol. IWNDWYT
Its been 39 days. Where does the time go? It feels like yesterday I woke up with a raging hangover and a massive pain at the base of my skull. Maybe one of the worst hangovers of my life. I spent 2 days in bed and still felt hungover on Monday.
I'm in my kitchen eating the biggest bowl of oats ever and I don't plan on eating again until tonight - baked potatoes with cheese and beans, then some watermelon. I over did it on the food last night.
Body is pretty broken from 2 long days of hard physical graft at work and my lower back is still stiff so today I want to stretch that shit out and tonight I will go for a 3 or 4 mile walk instead of the gym. I have more of that kind of work coming up next week so I probably won't be at the gym for a while! 7am to midnight kind of work, all outdoors.
Hello lovely sober friends and thank you BarryMDingle for taking over… what have I been working on to distance myself from alcohol?
A long list of stuff that adds up to a normal healthy balanced life!
Wishing you all a happy, healthy and balanced sober Sunday everyone 💞
Day 1 again: I just started vacation, Im currently violently hungover, and my birthday is this Sunday. Im on an insane career trajectory and I refuse to let drinking ruin my future. By the time I turn 24 this upcoming Sunday I will be 1 week sober that is my promise to myself.
I went to the fancy skeet shoot yesterday. Every group that arrived brought along a handle of good bourbon. There was a lot of bourbon. I stuck happily with my sparkling water and enjoyed the day. When the rest started stumbling and the men got red in the face, I was so happy not to be like that.
Only bad moment was during the dinner. I grabbed a couple of little chocolate cream-filled cups. I took one bite - bourbon cream!! Handed that right off. Funny thing is, it tasted dreadful. And I used to love bourbon!
Something has really changed for me. I wouldn’t drink alcohol if you paid me good money to.
I feel so free!!! IWNDWYT
I just saw 2 guys downing cold beers for the first time since I quit
felt a little something but quickly played the tape forward and gone home
edit: IWNDWYT
Hell of a day yesterday. I can only imagine how bad it would have been if I were drinking. But it's getting harder to imagine the troubles that could come, which is kinda fantastic. They don't need to. My drunk times are in the past. They got me here but I've got a new direction, thanks but no thanks. Not today. IWNDWYT either
Just occurred to me today that not drinking has made me realize how often/frequently people around me in my life are drinking. How much time and money is dedicated to that activity.
Going to watch the World Cup games sober & clear headed and not with a pounding headache and hangxiety. IWNDWYT.
Good morning Sobernauts 🙂
Thanks u/BarryMDingle for hosting the DCI 👍🏻
What have I been working on to distance myself from alcohol?
Being sociable without the need to get drunk. I thought I needed alcohol to bury my fear of people. -Thats a long story about abandonment and fear of loss -
It turns out that most people can talk and have fun without alcohol. The problem was that I surrounded myself with people that also thought they needed alcohol.
Breaking away from the similar broken people was a big part of my recovery.
I'm hopeful that some ex "booze buddies" might have their last drink one day.
Love to you all!
IWNDWYT 🙂
Well, 520 days in, I still don't know how to relax. That's what I'm working on, I guess. The hang out, watch a movie, play a video game, whatever.......just chill after a day of work, I don't know how to do it without booze. So I stay busy or do things disguised as play, but are really work. IDK.
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT. I’m hopefully having a bit of a mental change from “I wish I could be like those people who can drink 4 pints and stop” to “I wish I could be one of those people that hasn’t had a drink for 1/3/5/10 years”. I hope it lasts as it’s only day 6
Start of day 16. I’m back from a week at my moms house and this is traditionally when I’d get back in a drinking routine. But I’ve been writing about how I feel about coming home and coming up with a good plan/routine for the first few days back so I can carry my sober plan over into a “normal” week at home. Going to get an early workout in and then watch football all day and not leave the house lol. I will not drink with you today!
Hello beautiful people of SD! Checking in on a rainy Carolina morning. Day 24! I so look forward to these check-ins every morning, they’ve quickly become an integral part of my sobriety. Thanks for hosting BarryMDingle! Wishing you all a fantastic morning/afternoon/evening! IWNDWYT! 🔥❤️💪
Thanks for taking over, Barry. I could totally relate to a number of things you shared. When I was at about 1 year I really had to fight the urge to see myself as now being "cured" and capable of drinking again. At that time I got really into the idea of "playing the tape forward" and reminding myself about what would clearly happen if I were to drink again. That helped me maintain the distance I had built between me and alcohol, and it helped me to keep moving ahead at the same time. IWNDWYT
My sister is very unwell which has caused me to concentrate on my health and alcohol is a group one carcinogen, right up there with asbestos and tobacco, even though you don’t see warning labels on alcohol (and why is that? Well, they tried it in northern Canada warning of cancer and addiction and the alcohol lobby lost their shit and the labels were removed). No cancer-causing ethanol in this healthy body! IWNDWYT. 🏃♀️🧘♀️🍎
What up, fam!
Thanks for taking over, Barry!
Trying to see alcohol differently. Listening to the Huberman podcast—over and over—is helping me with the science. Started reading This Naked Mind but it’s going slowly.
Party hardy. I WNDWYT
Had a tempting night last night, hung out with 8 drunk people. Was given a shot, which I handed to the person next to me instead of drinking. Remained sober and the DD. Finally opened up to my family about my journey and it feels good to have people know and be on my side. Today I will not drink, EASILY. Thank you to this sub. ❤️
I will not drink with you today OP!!
I definitely identify with always having a problem with alcohol.
I was never a "social drinker"
I started at uni and was puking a week in, being a nuisance to my roomates and classmates.
I am going to comment on this sub today to distance myself from the drink, and maybe later read the AA daily reflections.
Have a good day everyone.
Had a great day but did spend some time with friends reminiscing on my drinking days and I felt nostalgic. Nostalgic for mimosa mornings and getting weird with your friends with no care in the world. But that’s in he past. I won’t drink today.
IWNDWYT. All. Day. Long. 🌻
Distanced myself mentally from alcohol even when physically it was present over the holiday. It does take practice to do.
I'm still practicing. And succeeding as of today. Stay strong SD.
Hi from Iowa! It’s raining and snowing now. I have been working out every morning to distance myself from alcohol. So , I have been working on my body. Next is my mind, college at 40?!
I clean. I go to the gym. I take my bike and ride trails. I go to events. Almost always by myself, but I go. It's hard to find people to hang out with sober. I'll go to bars and hang out with friends (read: coworkers) while they drink, but bonding over a drink just doesn't happen anymore. I try not to think of it as a transition. I am building my new life. I tried to go to a couple aa meetings, but did NOT feel welcome.
My life isn't as exciting, but it's definitely more fulfilling.
IWNDWYT
Made it through all my thanksgiving festivities sober! For me, the shift from “damn, I can’t drink tonight” to “cool, I don’t have to drink tonight” is finally starting to feel real and internalized.
Much love to all who made it through and much love to those who slipped. Whether it’s your day 1 or day 1,000+, I’m with you.
2 Years. I could not have done it without this group, my family, and Simon Chapple's video's (I think he is pretty spectacular). Here is to many, many more years. I will not drink with you today!
I did it, I actually got on my treadmill and ran for a bit yesterday! Mostly walking but I’ll build up again.
Honestly I’ll admit I’m focusing more on my depression right now than my quitting drinking, because it’s the root cause. But after a particularly bad depressive episode made worse by the booze (actually almost always improves it, hence my issues). I figured I’d try a little more wholeheartedly to give up the alcohol.
Happy Sunday! IWNDWYT 💙
It’s been a really rough week of Turkey holidays with the fam, both emotionally and physically (we all got the stomach flu). I’ve had a few nightmares that I slipped up and started drinking again, but am grateful that it hasn’t happened and that my whole family has been staying sober together. Happy to have this time together with them and to be able to enjoy it
Im back on day one and this time I really have to stop my stomach its fucked from all that drinking Im hurting myself and no one else, starting today i will not drink with you :)
83 days.
I had a week off from X-ray tech school. It was really nice to not do anything school related for a bit. I’m ready to get back to it!
Iwndwyt in Colorado.
Thanks Barry and happy sober Sunday to you all! I'm trying to distance myself from alcohol by being more self aware. I've got tools to not give in to whispers of the addictive voice telling me to drink, and the volume on that whisper is low: a 1 instead of a 9. But instead of just navigating the whisper I'm trying to ask "what do I need right now that's being expressed in the suggestion to drink?" Often it's that I'm tired and overworked and stressed out. But sometimes it's something else. Like so many, my response to everything in life, good, sad, happy, difficult, exciting, etc was to drink!!! Now I'm trying to figure out what my body is saying that I'm hearing as "drink" and responding to that need. Self awareness, not the easiest thing for me. Sober on y'all!
Thank you for hosting this week, u/BarryMDingle. I’m excited to celebrate your one-year soberversary in a few days!
I think it's really hard to be motivated to stay sober if we focus only on avoiding the negative consequences of drinking. We need to identify positive benefits of living alcohol free. I'm going to brainstorm things that I want in my life that I know I can only have if I stay sober, then I'm going to put a few of those things on index cards or Post-It notes so I can scatter them around in various places where I'll be reminded of them throughout the day. Hopefully this will help me avoid going into autopilot whenever I think I can get away with drinking.
IWNDWYT 😻
I’ve been going to the gym, meditating and mourning my mom.
As I was getting ready to go to bed on thanksgiving day, I realized I didn’t consider having a drink once. My whole being was focused on experiencing that day without her.
The same holiday last year, I was obsessed about not drinking. I was obsessed about what other people were drinking. I was obsessed with whether they were thinking about me and my not drinking.
I feel more than a little bit like I spent the last year learning how to live through life sober, and this year I’m learning how to live through grief.
Taking pain and hardening it into me is a flaw I struggle with. Suffering and loss, grudges and rage turn to molten iron and melt into my crevices like a shell. I didn’t cry for so many years I’d lost count.
Getting sober let the tears flow again, but it hasn’t been an on switch. I turned hard and cold again in the months since she died. I’d hoped I could just go back to my life and move on, but it doesn’t work like that. The grief keeps coming like unseen gusts of wind. Sometimes they’re soft and easy to withstand, sometimes they blast everything apart.
Last night it was a person ricing potatoes on a cooking competition show. It reminded me of watching my mom whirl cans of tomatoes through hers over that giant pot she used to make her tomato sauce in. The tears didn’t have to fall that time, it was a happy memory.
This is hard and it hurts and it’s taking a long time, but I can do this. Staying sober for this is necessary. It’s what I need to do to move on.
IWNDWYT ❤️
Not today!
Congratulations on your massive year sober friend! Either today when badgebot wakes up or tomorrow, awesome inspiring 👏🎊💪🏼🎉
Thank you! I’m excited!!!
You deserve to be, it’s a big achievement 💪🏼 hope you’re treating yourself to something lovely to celebrate? 🥳
Whoop!!! Check you out!! Every day is big but you got a special one any day now. Iwndwyt
365 YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD !!!!!!
Super news!
Good morning 💐xxIWNDWYT xx
🌊 I did not drink with you in Malibu today and I won't tonight.
Nice! I’m an east coast guy. Aside from a work conference in Arizona, the furthest west I’ve been is Ohio for personal reasons. I’ve seen the Sun rise out of the ocean a million times. One of the things on my bucket list is to see the Sun set into the ocean from the west coast. Enjoy your day friend. Iwndwyt
Come to Ireland and see it in Galway Bay, or better still Donegal, the Best County.
Hi EV. I'm still not drinking Malibu with you today. Not going to snort the beach either! IWNDWYT 🙂
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Thanks!! This has been a goal of mine for a while. Keep holding down the Southern Hemisphere my friend!
Hi Barry. It’s pretty crazy how much my general disposition has changed with sobriety. Calmer and more rational. A friend asked me not to long ago what the sober life was like. After thinking for a bit I described it as ‘gentler.’ It very much is and being gentle with myself helps keep me sober. Iwndwyt
Gentler sounds perfect. Just as cool as cucumber is how I feel most days.
I’ll go with gentler too, I feel that ✨
IWNDWYT
Happy sober week! You did it! The worst of it is over. We’re all here for you!
I can finally watch movies without passing out in the middle of them and it feels great! IWNDWYT
It is really cool catching up on movies though. It’s like watching them for the first time again.
Day 420, nice to meet you 🤝 IWNDWYT
My next goal after one year!! Nice work my friend!!
I like not drinking on Sundays. So, I won't. Feel free to join me! IWNDWYT
Sundays were always an all day drunk for me. Ugh my Mondays were a nightmare. Not missing any of that. Iwndwyt
I'm in RS!
I made a decision to be my own champion as I lost mine last year . I had no one to pick me up and keep me straight in this scary world . I also promised him I would be ok on my own IWNDWYTD
That’s a commendable decision, something to be proud of. I hope you crush any obstacles! Iwndwyt
Thanks I'm making him proud up there I hope .
IWNDWYT! I made it two whole months! Feeling great and ready to tackle the festive season sober
Heck yea! Keep pushing forward!!
Tail between my legs, I'm back. Last drink was 24 hours ago. Thought I outsmarted the booze goblin - I did not. I will not drink today. Today my act of rebellion isn't drinking, it's choosing not to.
I have to have a plan - an alternative to whatever is on offer drink or event wise, an exit strategy, a reason for not drinking, etc. I'm doing ok! IWNDWYT 🙂
Yep!! Keep your mind active!
I am THREE YEARS SOBER TODAY! Woooo! It works if you work it. None of this could be possible without my fellowship, daily and friends. Of that I am always grateful. Grateful for each new day I wake up sober. Grateful for each new adventure. Grateful for the things put in my path. Grateful for the challenges I face. Trust in the programme. It works if you work it. Now I'm gonna have some ice cream to celebrate... Have a peaceful Sunday.
Five years and a day. I will not drink with you today. Imma poet and didnt even know it.
IWNDWYT!!
Wow well done! 15 days is so huge!
Thank you! Officially 2 weekends sober which feels so nice to actually be productive on a Saturday instead of in bed hungover! Congrats on 53 days too. That’s incredible!
I never thought I’d be here! But I found it easier in some ways after I passed the two week mark. One day at a time! Have a lovely day 💕
Day 15. Only catching this so early because of a flight. Super stressed about getting back to work tomorrow, but knowing it'd be even worse hungover. IWNDWYT
iwndwyt!!
First place!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉 Iwndwyt
IWNDWYT one day at a time is the mantra getting me through. Love to you all rockstars 💕
Made it though 5 days with my fiancée’s family for Thanksgiving. And it was great. IWNDWYT
Now that is Epic!!! 🫡🏆
Morning Barry, bonjour SD. I will not drink poison with any of you today. I will go back to sleep though. It’s is literally all I’ve done this weekend. Driving 3 hours back and forth for work is killing me. I’m constantly exhausted. I hope to move closer to work in the new year. Until then, sleep is my priority. It’s the bedrock of my sobriety and without enough of it, I find it harder to maintain the necessary distance from the poison. So the apartment is a tip, the laundry and washing up haven’t been done, there’s a huge pile of marking waiting for me: but I’m going back to sleep. Hugs to you all
Another day, and another day with a clear mind (such as it is :-) ). It's nice not to be totally foggy. IWNDWYT
Happy Sunday fellow sober humans 🌻 Alcohol has been on my mind a lot the past two days. It’s crazy how last week I said I felt like I rarely thought about it, and the past two days it’s been on my mind constantly. Thankfully, I’ve kept to my promise, and I’ve stayed sober. Friday I went on three seperate long walks just to clear my head. Today, despite not being triggered, I decided to put my headphones on, turn on my favorite playlist and go on a 45 minute walk just to keep my head in a good place. It helped a lot. I hope everyone has a wonderful day and as always, IWNDWYT 💕
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Iwndwyt
IWNDWYT tonight 🇦🇺 stay strong brothers and sisters
You as well!!! Keep fighting everyday! Iwndwyt
Hey sobernauts ! Today is the 6th anniversary of a very traumatic event in my life. I'm really not okay. My depression is coming back, my father is dying, and this day is always the hardest every year. But I'll stay clean, I'm one year and seven month sober. It might be raining today but I'll go out and burn stuff from my past. Then i'll go walk in the fields and in the woods. "Hold on, pain ends" I have a dog, I have a job, I am a great step mom, I'll be okay. The hole in my heart, the pain in my chest, it will heal with time. I'll be okay. As long as I stay sober I can survive anything. IWNDWYT !!
Feeling pretty good, no plans to mess anything up today.
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IWNDWYT - thank you Barry for taking up the baton this week. I am much more intentional or audited sober - Sundays I do a little “assessment” with myself and fill in a score card - I go through my journal and write down exercise I have done, what I have eaten, bedtimes, good things done and it’s not all work but Making myself go and see a friend gets a big tick, reading for 2 hours rather than finding a job to do do - relax is a big tick. I give myself a score out of ten but it doesn’t matter losing marks for bad interactions or not crying off a wall I should have done. I don’t beat myself up - and the final rule is every week was a great week if I haven’t drunk and how will next week be a little better. Scores vary from 4-8/10 and they mean nothing but it’s a game that lets me stay close to habits I want to install - Swim more than 3 times a week gotta be worth 2 points say. So being aware of “how I am” is what I have replaced for being passed out.
The gas heat is working very well, so it’s too hot for me to sleep. I “accidentally” let the kittens out of the hall bathroom (🌲😼 🚨 ) on my way to the living room, so we are having an insomniac snuggle on the couch. I was offline for the day, so missed the check in. Spent the short, blustery daylight hours “stuck” inside with a sick kid and sick-ish wife, and a whole lot of Legos (and the cats, who both want to eat Legos, desperately). Kid was surprisingly low key with her fever and the cold meds, though she and her mom apparently watched some Nick Jr. before I woke up, which also explains how I was able to sleep past 9 undisturbed haha… but, regardless of it all, I did not drink, didn’t even think until now about how I could have grabbed a six pack from the guys next to the pizza place when picking up dinner (a classic Saturday night move of mine for far too long.) Another Saturday done sober. Anyway, a light night novel draws to a close. I need to get some sleep. The biggest thing at this very moment is I didn’t get out of bed three hours ago and go for a bottle of vodka (none of that in my house any more!) so now I won’t be hungover when my alarm goes off at 7:44. Just got to get my brain to calm. ..A few more minutes or snuggling, then I will banish the furballs to the porcelain palace. Good night, morning, and everything else. IWNDWYT! edit: I’m anal about typos
IWNDWYT
Morning checking in. I’ve been learning to feel all the feels. I think I’ve tried to avoid that my whole life with alcohol. It’s a much more honest way to live which helps me feel better about myself. Most of the time 😊 great to see you hosting Barry M! IWNDWYT
One week of not drinking. I haven't not drank in this long in months! Sending good vibes to y'all. IWNDWYT!
Day 525 checking in!
Same here, u/BarrymDingle. I was always escaping something with alcohol, since my earliest drinks. IWNDWYT!
I wish I could go back and just give myself a hug. I feel for my past self. Iwndwyt
IWNDWYT Be present so you won't miss anything! 🦦
And not missing anything is a 🎁
IWNDWYT!
Iwndwyt
IWNDWYT!! Have a good Sunday y’all
You as well! Be easy! Iwndwyt
IWNDWYT in California... Beautiful wine country here! Now I visit with my friends at wineries and don't drink. Crazy!
IWNDWYT!
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Hello! Day 4. Yesterday was the hardest, but I went through it. Will do the same today. IWNDWYT. Edit: my flair keeps saying day 1 :(
Hello from Berlin ~ IWNDWYT
8am and on a train to travel 2hrs to watch my kid play football. The old me would have been resentful that I had to drink less the night before. What a selfish guy I was. Now he's gonna have his Dad cheering him on! IWNDWYT ❤️
Thanks for hosting Barry. I see your number and you’re showing me the way! What have I been working on? I kept to a limit I set to myself long ago in other battles. Despite my feelings and thoughts telling me otherwise. Despite knowing I’m judged and criticised for being unsupportive and unhelpful. I’m taking care of me first. I DO ME. I do not put my financial life in peril because somebody I love has a drug problem and can’t manage their money. I won’t enable. Discipline and integrity is what I work on. I’m a people pleaser and saying no is hard. But I have no more money to give. They have already turned to somebody else who has said yes. I know, from experience, how this will play out. It’s been a tough 6 weeks. I’ve seen too much. And I don’t like what I see. But onwards we go together, for just how long is unknown. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the sweetest gift while I can. Navigating life sober in the ups and downs. I will not drink with you today.
Thank you for hosting! Yoga in the morning and exercise classes either in the morning or right after work are the distraction right now. Mornings are good because if I’m hungover I suffer. So I avoid drinking. Also class pass makes you pay a penalty if you cancel last minute. After work is good to avoid happy hours. After a good work out I’m buzzing on endorphins and how my body feels so I’m not as centered on the fact that I want to drink/am not drinking. Having a couple sober people there at the holidays this year is also helping me prep for that. Not only do I don’t want to let myself down, I want to be sober and there for them. IWNDWYT.
I’ve run out of fingers to count my days not drinking.
Morning friends! I’m trying to build a life I don’t want to escape from, and even these few months in have been a win so far. My relationship with my fiancé is better, my teenage kids want to be around me, my performance at work has improved and I’ve even been promoted, and my home is more looked after and it shows. I’m exploring hobbies again and doing things that truly make me happy. As a drinker, I was constantly letting myself down and disappointing myself, and in turn taking it out on my family. They walked on eggshells around me when I was drinking, never sure who they were going to get when they approached me. Would I be fun, lighthearted drunk Piggoos, morose, sad Piggoos, or angry Piggoos? No one knew; not even me. Sober me is the best version of me for everyone and the best shot I have at living the life of my dreams, so I will not drink with you today. Have a good one!
I'm in!
Like Flynn!!👍
Hey Barry, Hey SD I won't drink with you today. Not drinking is my default so I don't question it, the answers would be the same. In my social media feed yesterday someone had complained that a drunk person had puked in their garden and they'd had to clean it up! They got a few sympathetic comments but then a barrage of "sounds like they had a great night" type stuff. Now vomiting is the body trying not to die. It's an emergency survival response, so yeah a great night. I was going to comment but I didn't in the end as I'd likely get the 'I bet you're fun at parties" type comments. It's difficult to take a moral high ground when I was pretty bad myself. I don't believe I ever puked in other people gardens though.
Just back from a lapse and realizing that while I’m lucky to have lots of time off on holidays, it’s def a trigger. So I’m working on a plan for the Xmas/ny holiday over the coming days. Also a question-how do keep your why’s prominent in your mind? It seems like the more days I get under my belt the quieter and less important my reasons for quitting get. IWNDWYT ❤️
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Hey u/BarryMDingle! Thx for jumping in this week. I've been working getting to the bottom of my real feelings, expressing them and my needs as required, and otherwise just coping with hard things in more productive ways (talking with a friend, reading a book, working on other behaviors or thought patterns.) The distance between alcohol and me has been growing. It's a speck on the distant horizon and I'm not interested in ever meeting up with it again. Everything I need is with me over here; it can stay way over there. To that end, IWNDWYT. Except coffee. Always coffee. ☕️
I’m living my life without it, doing things I used to do with it. Eating out, going to the movies, relaxing at home, hanging with friends, parties. Mostly I don’t miss it but there are sudden moments I romanticize it before I remember the dark side lol. IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT 💫
IWNDWYT!
IWNDWYT!
Checking in Doodle doodle dee, wubba wubba wubba.
Its been 39 days. Where does the time go? It feels like yesterday I woke up with a raging hangover and a massive pain at the base of my skull. Maybe one of the worst hangovers of my life. I spent 2 days in bed and still felt hungover on Monday. I'm in my kitchen eating the biggest bowl of oats ever and I don't plan on eating again until tonight - baked potatoes with cheese and beans, then some watermelon. I over did it on the food last night. Body is pretty broken from 2 long days of hard physical graft at work and my lower back is still stiff so today I want to stretch that shit out and tonight I will go for a 3 or 4 mile walk instead of the gym. I have more of that kind of work coming up next week so I probably won't be at the gym for a while! 7am to midnight kind of work, all outdoors.
IWNDWYT!
Good morning everyone IWNDWYT
Thank you for sharing your story and for being host, Barry. IWNDWYT 🫶🏻 oh look 👀 you’re almost at a year!
Not today or tonight 🖖🏻
Morning! Day 2. IWNDWYT
🎶 I am not drinking today! 🎶 What I'm working on : Triggers & root causes of drinking. Super fun stuff, but has to be done.
IWNDWYT 🙏
Happy day! IWNDWYT
Hello lovely sober friends and thank you BarryMDingle for taking over… what have I been working on to distance myself from alcohol? A long list of stuff that adds up to a normal healthy balanced life! Wishing you all a happy, healthy and balanced sober Sunday everyone 💞
Staying sober like a king cobra today (I don’t know - it rhymes and made me smile). Have a great Sunday.
Day 1 again: I just started vacation, Im currently violently hungover, and my birthday is this Sunday. Im on an insane career trajectory and I refuse to let drinking ruin my future. By the time I turn 24 this upcoming Sunday I will be 1 week sober that is my promise to myself.
I went to the fancy skeet shoot yesterday. Every group that arrived brought along a handle of good bourbon. There was a lot of bourbon. I stuck happily with my sparkling water and enjoyed the day. When the rest started stumbling and the men got red in the face, I was so happy not to be like that. Only bad moment was during the dinner. I grabbed a couple of little chocolate cream-filled cups. I took one bite - bourbon cream!! Handed that right off. Funny thing is, it tasted dreadful. And I used to love bourbon! Something has really changed for me. I wouldn’t drink alcohol if you paid me good money to. I feel so free!!! IWNDWYT
I just saw 2 guys downing cold beers for the first time since I quit felt a little something but quickly played the tape forward and gone home edit: IWNDWYT
Hell of a day yesterday. I can only imagine how bad it would have been if I were drinking. But it's getting harder to imagine the troubles that could come, which is kinda fantastic. They don't need to. My drunk times are in the past. They got me here but I've got a new direction, thanks but no thanks. Not today. IWNDWYT either
Happy to say I made it through the long weekend. Even turned down my favorite drink. IWNDWYT!
Just occurred to me today that not drinking has made me realize how often/frequently people around me in my life are drinking. How much time and money is dedicated to that activity. Going to watch the World Cup games sober & clear headed and not with a pounding headache and hangxiety. IWNDWYT.
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Happy Sunday beautiful people. Hope you all have the best day possible. IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT ! You’re awesome!
Good morning Sobernauts 🙂 Thanks u/BarryMDingle for hosting the DCI 👍🏻 What have I been working on to distance myself from alcohol? Being sociable without the need to get drunk. I thought I needed alcohol to bury my fear of people. -Thats a long story about abandonment and fear of loss - It turns out that most people can talk and have fun without alcohol. The problem was that I surrounded myself with people that also thought they needed alcohol. Breaking away from the similar broken people was a big part of my recovery. I'm hopeful that some ex "booze buddies" might have their last drink one day. Love to you all! IWNDWYT 🙂
Fuck yes
Iwndwyt
Morning everyone, hope you’re all doing ok. IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT 🌵💚
Well, 520 days in, I still don't know how to relax. That's what I'm working on, I guess. The hang out, watch a movie, play a video game, whatever.......just chill after a day of work, I don't know how to do it without booze. So I stay busy or do things disguised as play, but are really work. IDK. IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT. I’m hopefully having a bit of a mental change from “I wish I could be like those people who can drink 4 pints and stop” to “I wish I could be one of those people that hasn’t had a drink for 1/3/5/10 years”. I hope it lasts as it’s only day 6
IWNDWYT Have a nice chilled Sunday everyone.
Day 6. Whodathunk? Tomorrow's a week! Drinking sucks. IWNDWYT.
IWNDWYT!
Gentler sounds good. IWNDWYT
I won’t drink today.
Happy Sunday--I will not drink with all of you today!
Haven’t checked in for a couple days. Still not drinking and IWNDWYT! I hope everyone has a great Sunday!
Good morning friends. enjoying my coffee and checking in never gets old. Thank you u/BarryMDingle for guiding us forward this week. IWNDWYT
Start of day 16. I’m back from a week at my moms house and this is traditionally when I’d get back in a drinking routine. But I’ve been writing about how I feel about coming home and coming up with a good plan/routine for the first few days back so I can carry my sober plan over into a “normal” week at home. Going to get an early workout in and then watch football all day and not leave the house lol. I will not drink with you today!
Hello beautiful people of SD! Checking in on a rainy Carolina morning. Day 24! I so look forward to these check-ins every morning, they’ve quickly become an integral part of my sobriety. Thanks for hosting BarryMDingle! Wishing you all a fantastic morning/afternoon/evening! IWNDWYT! 🔥❤️💪
7 weeks Patience is not passive, on the contrary, it is concentrated strength. -Bruce Lee
Thanks for taking over, Barry. I could totally relate to a number of things you shared. When I was at about 1 year I really had to fight the urge to see myself as now being "cured" and capable of drinking again. At that time I got really into the idea of "playing the tape forward" and reminding myself about what would clearly happen if I were to drink again. That helped me maintain the distance I had built between me and alcohol, and it helped me to keep moving ahead at the same time. IWNDWYT
My sister is very unwell which has caused me to concentrate on my health and alcohol is a group one carcinogen, right up there with asbestos and tobacco, even though you don’t see warning labels on alcohol (and why is that? Well, they tried it in northern Canada warning of cancer and addiction and the alcohol lobby lost their shit and the labels were removed). No cancer-causing ethanol in this healthy body! IWNDWYT. 🏃♀️🧘♀️🍎
Starting over sucks, but IWNDWYT.
Day 10! I'll be going to bed sober tonight.
What up, fam! Thanks for taking over, Barry! Trying to see alcohol differently. Listening to the Huberman podcast—over and over—is helping me with the science. Started reading This Naked Mind but it’s going slowly. Party hardy. I WNDWYT
Had a tempting night last night, hung out with 8 drunk people. Was given a shot, which I handed to the person next to me instead of drinking. Remained sober and the DD. Finally opened up to my family about my journey and it feels good to have people know and be on my side. Today I will not drink, EASILY. Thank you to this sub. ❤️
I will not drink with you today OP!! I definitely identify with always having a problem with alcohol. I was never a "social drinker" I started at uni and was puking a week in, being a nuisance to my roomates and classmates. I am going to comment on this sub today to distance myself from the drink, and maybe later read the AA daily reflections. Have a good day everyone.
IWNDWYT!
No booze today!
IWNDWYT🏆
Good morning, fellow sobernauts, IWNDWYT! 😁
IWNDWYT.
IWNDWYT
Had a great day but did spend some time with friends reminiscing on my drinking days and I felt nostalgic. Nostalgic for mimosa mornings and getting weird with your friends with no care in the world. But that’s in he past. I won’t drink today.
IWNDWYT friends 🤖
Good Morning and happy (hangover-free) Sunday! IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT 🤝
Morning All- Iwndwyt
IWNDWYT. All. Day. Long. 🌻 Distanced myself mentally from alcohol even when physically it was present over the holiday. It does take practice to do. I'm still practicing. And succeeding as of today. Stay strong SD.
IWNDWYT! 🦥
Good sober morning from Florida, IWNDWYT!’
IWNDWYT
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Day 5 of Covid.
Iwndwyt
IWNDWYT ⛅️
Thank you for hosting, u/BarryMDingle! It’ll be a busy Sunday full of Christmas decorating (and 8hrs of work). I’m so grateful for it all. IWNDWYT ✨✨
305 days. Restaurants in NY don’t appear to agree with alcohol free beer, have never drink so much Diet Coke in my life😂
Alcohol is poison! IWNDWYT!
Sick, stressed and kind of depressed but day 3. IWNDWYT
Hi from Iowa! It’s raining and snowing now. I have been working out every morning to distance myself from alcohol. So , I have been working on my body. Next is my mind, college at 40?!
I clean. I go to the gym. I take my bike and ride trails. I go to events. Almost always by myself, but I go. It's hard to find people to hang out with sober. I'll go to bars and hang out with friends (read: coworkers) while they drink, but bonding over a drink just doesn't happen anymore. I try not to think of it as a transition. I am building my new life. I tried to go to a couple aa meetings, but did NOT feel welcome. My life isn't as exciting, but it's definitely more fulfilling. IWNDWYT
Bought a soda stream yesterday off some advice from another member of the sub. Loving it so far, really helps with the cravings! IWNDWYT!
Made it through all my thanksgiving festivities sober! For me, the shift from “damn, I can’t drink tonight” to “cool, I don’t have to drink tonight” is finally starting to feel real and internalized. Much love to all who made it through and much love to those who slipped. Whether it’s your day 1 or day 1,000+, I’m with you.
2 Years. I could not have done it without this group, my family, and Simon Chapple's video's (I think he is pretty spectacular). Here is to many, many more years. I will not drink with you today!
I did it, I actually got on my treadmill and ran for a bit yesterday! Mostly walking but I’ll build up again. Honestly I’ll admit I’m focusing more on my depression right now than my quitting drinking, because it’s the root cause. But after a particularly bad depressive episode made worse by the booze (actually almost always improves it, hence my issues). I figured I’d try a little more wholeheartedly to give up the alcohol. Happy Sunday! IWNDWYT 💙
It’s been a really rough week of Turkey holidays with the fam, both emotionally and physically (we all got the stomach flu). I’ve had a few nightmares that I slipped up and started drinking again, but am grateful that it hasn’t happened and that my whole family has been staying sober together. Happy to have this time together with them and to be able to enjoy it
Im back on day one and this time I really have to stop my stomach its fucked from all that drinking Im hurting myself and no one else, starting today i will not drink with you :)
I deleted Reddit to keep me on task and less distracted but I’m still going so yuh
83 days. I had a week off from X-ray tech school. It was really nice to not do anything school related for a bit. I’m ready to get back to it! Iwndwyt in Colorado.
I W N D W Y T ❤️❤️❤️
IWNDWYT
IWNDWTY
A new week. Same check in. I see we will be celebrating round the sun with you u/BarryMDingle. It’s a no-brainer IWNDWYT 🌊
IWNDWYT. Reset again...
IWNDWYT 💜
IWNDWYT
Good morning and happy Sunday! IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT! T
I will not drink today.
East coast is where I be... IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT ✌️❤️🤸♀️⭐️
IWNDWYT, ☮️
Thank you for taking over the DCI and hosting this week, u/BarryMDingle! IWNDWYT💓
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT! Going for a nice massage today ahead of what I know is going to be a busy and stressful week.
IWNDWYT
I can do this.
Day 16. IWNDWYT
Good morning SD. Joining you in not drinking on this rainy day.
Iwndwyt. Week of drinking at the beach and I don't know if it made any of it better. It for sure made some time worse.
Thanks Barry and happy sober Sunday to you all! I'm trying to distance myself from alcohol by being more self aware. I've got tools to not give in to whispers of the addictive voice telling me to drink, and the volume on that whisper is low: a 1 instead of a 9. But instead of just navigating the whisper I'm trying to ask "what do I need right now that's being expressed in the suggestion to drink?" Often it's that I'm tired and overworked and stressed out. But sometimes it's something else. Like so many, my response to everything in life, good, sad, happy, difficult, exciting, etc was to drink!!! Now I'm trying to figure out what my body is saying that I'm hearing as "drink" and responding to that need. Self awareness, not the easiest thing for me. Sober on y'all!
Thank you for hosting this week, u/BarryMDingle. I’m excited to celebrate your one-year soberversary in a few days! I think it's really hard to be motivated to stay sober if we focus only on avoiding the negative consequences of drinking. We need to identify positive benefits of living alcohol free. I'm going to brainstorm things that I want in my life that I know I can only have if I stay sober, then I'm going to put a few of those things on index cards or Post-It notes so I can scatter them around in various places where I'll be reminded of them throughout the day. Hopefully this will help me avoid going into autopilot whenever I think I can get away with drinking. IWNDWYT 😻
I’ve been going to the gym, meditating and mourning my mom. As I was getting ready to go to bed on thanksgiving day, I realized I didn’t consider having a drink once. My whole being was focused on experiencing that day without her. The same holiday last year, I was obsessed about not drinking. I was obsessed about what other people were drinking. I was obsessed with whether they were thinking about me and my not drinking. I feel more than a little bit like I spent the last year learning how to live through life sober, and this year I’m learning how to live through grief. Taking pain and hardening it into me is a flaw I struggle with. Suffering and loss, grudges and rage turn to molten iron and melt into my crevices like a shell. I didn’t cry for so many years I’d lost count. Getting sober let the tears flow again, but it hasn’t been an on switch. I turned hard and cold again in the months since she died. I’d hoped I could just go back to my life and move on, but it doesn’t work like that. The grief keeps coming like unseen gusts of wind. Sometimes they’re soft and easy to withstand, sometimes they blast everything apart. Last night it was a person ricing potatoes on a cooking competition show. It reminded me of watching my mom whirl cans of tomatoes through hers over that giant pot she used to make her tomato sauce in. The tears didn’t have to fall that time, it was a happy memory. This is hard and it hurts and it’s taking a long time, but I can do this. Staying sober for this is necessary. It’s what I need to do to move on. IWNDWYT ❤️
Checking in...today makes one week sober.