AIBU to not feel that 1 year alcohol free is an accomplishment? Feel flat about it all

I think it's absolutely amazing and a huge achievement. I wish you weren't so hard on yourself.

I'm sure your DH mentioned it as he's so proud of you.

There's alcoholism in my extended family and unfortunately some of them are no longer here to get there but your post gives me hope for others. Your line "there was nowhere else for the hurt to go" really reasonates.

You have your life back. Enjoy it and go a little easier on yourself.

Congratulations 🎊 this is a great achievement. Stop being so down on yourself, you're doing great 👍

Why are you belittling such a huge achievement. I don't know you, yet I'm so proud of you. And it wasn't easy, even if you say looking back that it was no big deal, it really was a huge deal but you are a stronger woman now and that made you fight it even harder. Please don't let anyone tell you anything but the fact you are amazing!!

Be proud of that year. Don't knock yourself, you've done some hard work and made a choice that's difficult every day.

Ah, thank you, yes, she’s pleased actually. The assessor explained to her a few things that she hadn’t realised were symptoms of her ADHD such as being highly emotional and going from 0 to 100 over small things and the inability to calm down and move on.

I think she feels like a weight has been lifted and she isn’t going crazy.

Wow OP, you did it! You went a whole year, even when shit things happened, even when working through hard memories and trauma, you chose to be sober. This is huge! Why do you think people in AA have chips for days and months and years? Because every day sober is an achievement. Here's a one year sober chip from a stranger on the Internet who sees how far you've come

Amazing achievement! Congratulations! Of course is a very well done moment!

Re ADHD, my DD had an ADHD assessment and diagnosis this morning.

The assessor warned her about alcohol as she gets older as there is a huge link between ADHD and alcohol dependency.

I think a much bigger achievement than hitting the 1 year mark is this part of your OP:

2025 had a LOT of difficulties but I have faced them without alcohol. Something I would have thought completely impossible 7 years ago.

You have proven to yourself that you can get through things without alcohol. That is fucking amazing. Well done and remember this in future tough times xx

You are one super amazing woman. Respect.

As the child of an alcoholic, I can’t even begin to extol the beauty of this milestone. You are making a huge impact in your children’s lives and future. Each day you choose to stay sober, you are choosing them.

Please take pride in your accomplishment. We all face demons in life. You made a choice to battle yours and you are winning.

Congratulations @1year!! This is such a fantastic achievement. All the previous ‘slips’ have been building you up to making it a year (and beyond!). Honestly, you should be so proud of yourself.

It’s a magnificent achievement.
Please stop being so hard on yourself. X

Absolutely well done. Having watched family members struggle with addiction I recognise how hard it is. Well done to your DH too it sounds as if he is ultra supportive and that is not to be taken lightly.

Oh my goodness you are being incredibly hard on yourself!

That's a great achievement.

And you really, really shouldn't feel guilty about your previous slip backs.

I say this as someone who spent a lot of my adult life trying to solve my problems by drinking alcohol. It's taken me a long time to kick that mind set.

Well done you.

1 year is an an absolutely amazing 🤩 achievement 🎊🎊!!!
if you told me I couldn’t buy clothes for a year , I’d be mortified. I’m about to embark on a one Invisalign journey. Both seem pretty impossible to me right now.

but you’ve achieved something so much better and so much more important. Important for you, your family, your health…everything. My “one year” things above seem superficial and ridiculous compared to what you’ve achieved.

be proud of yourself, don’t let yourself feel any different. Tell everyone 🎊

Part of ADHD is being hard on yourself. What you have done is genuinely a big achievement.

You are totally unreasonable! It's a massive achievement. You got it when you were ready to get it.

You've done the really difficult work and that level of self awareness and reflection takes a huge amount of courage.

Perhaps not feeling proud of yourself is a safety mechanism though, like not allowing yourself to be complacent and feeling like you've made it.

You should be so so proud!

You aren’t competing for a prize: you’re on a personal journey, where every period you go through and every challenge you face without the alcohol you’re trying to avoid is an achievement for you. Rather than focusing in terms of “failing” because you “slipped up” or feeling that a year isn’t long enough, you evaluate the whole. You reached a realisation, you made a decision, you changed your life and your approach to dealing with your troubles, you made great progress. Things are very rarely entirely linear, but each great step before the other, even if there’s a momentary set back in between, is what you build on ever higher as you go forwards. Well done.

Its an amazing achievement OP. A year means you've done all the stuff, Christmas, birthdays, high days and holidays alcohol free. It means you've been strong and brave and shown remarkable self control and determination.
The fact that you know all this and are still looking for something to blame yourself for says that you've a bit further to travel before you are prepared to see your own strengths and have the self esteem you deserve. So next step is working on your confidence. Because if you've managed what you have, then you should be proud.