dunno why it took me until now to find this thread…
this summer i was drinking liquor before i brushed my teeth in the morning until i fell asleep that night, every single day drinking a half-gallon of fireball.
yesterday was 4 months of sobriety. got my coin last night. it took the entire month of august at an in-patient rehabilitation facility, but that month thoroughly changed my life.
when you went so long without it, hope is a hell of a thing…
i remember reading the quitting alcohol thread at 2p2 and sinking (further) into a hole knowing quitting could never be something i could do… anyway, i’m gonna read this thread and hopefully be a regular. to anyone reading this who is thinking about quitting, it’s worth it.
Just stay the course Wiper, things will get better.
I have no idea how hard it is to quit an addiction like that, but I have insane respect for everyone who has managed to do it.
I think the best advice I’ve read over this thread and the 2p2 thread is: “Just focus on not drinking today”. Don’t worry about how you’re going to make it 6 months, or a year, or through family events, or through weddings, or football games without drinking. Just focus on not drinking today. Then wake up tomorrow and focus on not drinking that day.
I don’t drink anymore, but I am addicted to something else that’s limited my life, hurt me, and hurt my friends and family in more ways than I imagined. I’ve lived in denial and made a comfy online world where no one can see.
Day 2 of sobriety. Can’t wait for the obstacles to get to day 3.
We soon learned that carrying the message of recovery was not about chasing people down and forcing them to listen, but standing still and honoring our true space. We live the message through our words and actions, generating an environment that people want to be part of. They become more comfortable with us, but may not even know why.
The first time I quit I was legally required to as a stipulation of my probation. I drank basically exclusively craft beer. I transitioned my love of craft beer into love of food and cooking.
There are also some non alcoholic craft breweries out there. Mainly west coast. You’d have to ship to KS I assume.
Bravvus(CA) makes a great NA Stout. Their IPA is ok. Athletic (CA) makes a bunch of great IPAs. There’a a bunch of breweries like that, but I only find like 1 mediocre stout and IPA at Whole Foods here. None of the liquor stores carry any craft NA stuff I’ve found.
My entire social life revolved around bars and drinking. Abstinence can seem like a death sentence. It’s not.
+1 on Athletic NA beers. You can order from them for $12/six pack, free shipping. Also, +1 on enjoying events without the alcohol – you get to do all the things, except the drinking. My previous thoughts were like, I’m going to drink a lot while I’m doing X, it will be great. Now, it’s like, I’m going to do X, it will be great.
there are a lot of things an alcoholic can’t really enjoy so I suggest moving your life towards positive habits that enrich you, things you wanted to do before but couldn’t do. Go run, keep a garden, cook good food, get a telescope to study astronomy or whatever does it for you. To me, drinking NA beer would be like trying to have something without having it so I’ll pass personally.
I drank non-alcoholic beer at parties and poker games during my sober period. Kaliber was the best available back then imo–not sure what’s out there now in the NA beer category.
The Heineken zero-alc is pretty good actually. I’d agree though that if you want to quit it’s better to make a clean break than it is to try to substitute.
You can stop drinking and still behave like a drunk. Consider this my sobriety. Fuck this motherfucker and every shred of serenity, joy, and yes, sobriety I have let him cost me.
Eight years sober today. It’s a useful milestone, reminds me to be grateful, but it’s still a one day at a time program. So I’m just going to do today today.
How can it get people in trouble? It helps me and a lot of other people. If there’s a religious or allergy issue, sure, don’t drink them. But drinking one or two NA beers instead of a 12 pack of real beer? That’s a win in my book.
Speaking for me personally, drinking NA beer reminds me of habits that lead to no good. A nice cold bottle of NA beer is a step toward a nice cold bottle of real beer which is a step toward 30 nice cold real beers and a bottle of scotch.
Fair enough. I’m all for anyone removing and avoiding their triggers. For me, it gives genuine enjoyment, and helps me avoid feeling sorry for myself, which could lead to more bad feelings or actions.
My friend was on an ankle bracelet and had to do breathalyzers certain times of the day iirc. We went fishing on his parent’s boat one day and he was pounding the NAs faster than I was actual beers with alcohol in them. Dude was straight jonesing.
My body’s been really hurting after any alcohol cconsumption lately. I’ve developed an odd codependency with whiskey and grinding tournaments over the last few years but something’s changed over the last few months and I’ve been feeling like I got into a car wreck after my sessions. Gonna go in a 30 day cleanse with zero booze, fried food, sodas and see if I can reset game a little bit. Posting for accountability I guess.
