Staying Stopped - Alcohol Free, permanently.

[Drybird2020]

This thread is a kind and supportive environment for anyone committing to an alcohol free life.

From Day 1 onwards, you are welcome here for support, encouragement, tips and chat. There are many of us, at different points on the journey some have been sober for years, months, or weeks, others are just starting out, but all are
committed to an alcohol free life and the freedoms it brings...

Freedom from the tyranny of booze and the effort of figuring out how much to drink, and how and when to procure and drink it.

Freedom from guilt, self loathing, and 3am wake ups, and the fear of what might have been said and done the night before.

Freedom from the pervasive sense of dread and shame.

Freedom to embrace life with energy, and to face challenges with an uncluttered head, a lighter heart, and a lighter recycling bin.

If you've not yet decided whether total abstinence is for you, do feel free to hang out and ask questions but please be aware that discussion of drinking can be triggering, especially for those in the early stages of sobriety.

If you are still drinking, or planning on moderating (and this includes occasional or once in a blue moon drinking) have a look at the moderation threads, which might be a better fit for you.

I check in here every day as part of my recovery. It has kept me accountable, and the wonderful posters who contribute have helped me more than they could possibly know. This is day 137, and I'll be here for a long time!

@GreenMintTeaMug
They also have infected ingrowing toenails filled with green and yellow gunk.

[nods]

Yes indeed.

You don't get that with Feverteee mediterranean tonic either.

@myhandsareverycold oh urgh! That is so bloody horrid😦 😂 @GreenMintTeaMug that you don't, or ginger beer lol

I luurve ginger drinks. mmmm.....

Morning! Wonderful waking up in a tent not hungover! Sadly was woken very early by the calling of the Common Australian Crow, after being kept awake very late by the pissed up singing of several European Great Tits. Even at my drunkest I don't think I was ever really inconsiderate like that.

Morning my first post. I'm currently on day three of my recovery and had may relapses. My longest is two years. I desperately need to be able to stop for good this time as I'm getting myself in such messes where I can go in blackout for several days and not remembering what I have done , if it's day or night , quiet frightening. Losing. Jobs many jobs as well. I hope to get and give support as well.
Hi

Welcome @Juann00! Having been sober for two years is amazing!!! It shows you can do this:-)

Welcome @Juann00

It is good to have you with us!

I am happy to be hangover free this monring. i was a bit triggered yesterday after a pretty shit day but managed tor esist. I love AF beer for thise situations.

Dog walk and farm shop now- assuming ti does not piss down.

Thank you for your welcome as I really need support to stay off as my life is so much better sober. But Mr Alcohol is all ways on my shoulder saying just one then that's it for about 2 weeks as I can not do just one. I'm going to post everyday just to remind one you can never have just one

Good morning everyone! How are we all today?!
Hangover free!!! Yay!!!
Last night was 5 weeks for me. I celebrated with a sparkling white 0% wine by freixenet. Very nice!

Lovely to hear your embracing nature Hanging - remember it could be much worse camping - I remember big bugs in a soaking wet tent!!
Welcome Juann00 & congratulations Orlando. Please let us know if your AF cava was dry?

It is lovely indeed to get up fresh on a Saturday. I’m hoping it will stay dry enough to do some more gardening. I have new zest and big plans! I’m on day 27 here so dead chuffed with myself. I haven’t been this sober since pregnancy many years ago. . Have a lovely Saturday everyone. I will check in later at the witching hour as Saturdays alway give me the wobbles.

@iamyourequal it is a touch on the sweet side for me but was drinkable, needs chilling thoroughly though!

Thanks Orlando I will be giving it a go the next time I see it shopping!

Hi @Juann00 and welcome to the thread and congratulations for making to day 3 as well. You can keep going and this is a great source of support.

Saturday's are becoming a chore for me for one reason and another. I get weekends off work but it means meeting obligements for other people as well and I'm left feeling sorry for myself and wishing I could pick up a bit. It's not the alcohol that I miss but the zoning out of the mundanity of it all.

DH's family is still having a zoom hour where we play bingo or do a quiz and it's making me really narky as it feels like another obligement. And it's at 6.15 so I feel I can't relax until it's over and done with. DH feels the same apparently but won't say anything to his folks so it causes friction between us too.

We've got heavy rain forecast later on so I won't be able to go out on another bloody walk either!

Oh fuck that, @ulysses!! Retreat to bed with a headache. 🛌

I think many of us allow ourselves to be overcome by others’ needs/wants, and then self-medicate with alcohol. So if you remove the alcohol you might also need to redraw some boundaries.

Fucking hell.

I have just managed to accidentally order a pink laptop for DS1. School is gouing back and they are asking us to provide the older children with their own devices as far as is possible. The DCS have been using ours for homeschooling, but I am NOT keen for them to take my laptop to school (or taking such an expensive item to school anyway.........).

I am not sure how but I ordered a pink one. For my shy socially awkward 11 year old boy who is teased and bullied anyway due to ASD. I have been on hold for nearly 30 minutes trying to change it....

On the upside I ordered the lap top with money in my holiday account which i have saved from not-drinking.

On the downside I am still on hold.

DH is now also on hold in the cancellations queue and we are either going to try and change the coliur or cancel the order and start again depending on who gets answered first...

I know in theory I should teach poor DS1 to own a pink laptop with confidence and panache, but he has loads to cope with as it is right now and I'd rather just get him a non-pink one....

1 hour and 3 minutes so far..... on hold......

I used to work in schools and you are definitely right to NOT inflict a pink laptop on the boy, kids can be very cruel at that age!

Been for a walk here but the day is dragging a bit. It was nice to wake up to a weekend day without a hangover, but I think I need to work on my social life and get some evening activities in, if I'm going make this sober thing stick!

I hope you get it sorted @GreenMintTeaMug and soon. Online chat could be another option to try while you are holding if that's available? I booked tickets to Alton Towers as a surprise for the kids this week and I realised I had booked the Saturday rather than the Friday. I tried emailing to no avail but fortunately didn't have too long to hang on the phone for. And they changed it too without any fuss.

That's in 3 weeks time but next week we should have been going to France for a fortnight. I usually need a holiday by this time of year and more so than ever. DH has taken DD9 to his parents for a visit and DD14 is away to her friends now so I have a bit of time to myself.

I did that with the headache last @SparklingLime, then the noise of them all got me irate anyway! I might even join in one last time. I'm feeling like a bit of a misery today but it's also tied in with feeling tired too. I was up before 6am catching up with work work. My boss is revealing himself to be an absolute arse and I'm so glad someone else will be his direct report soon.

are you having those zoom bingo sesssions daily Ulysses?! That is my idea of a nightmare.

Finally got through to customer service 1 hour and 19 minutes on holld. Sorted now I think.

I am drinking ginger cordial and tonic water. I need to change all the bedding but I can't face it.

@Ulysses

Hi *@Juann00* and welcome to the thread and congratulations for making to day 3 as well. You can keep going and this is a great source of support.

Saturday's are becoming a chore for me for one reason and another. I get weekends off work but it means meeting obligements for other people as well and I'm left feeling sorry for myself and wishing I could pick up a bit. It's not the alcohol that I miss but the zoning out of the mundanity of it all.

DH's family is still having a zoom hour where we play bingo or do a quiz and it's making me really narky as it feels like another obligement. And it's at 6.15 so I feel I can't relax until it's over and done with. DH feels the same apparently but won't say anything to his folks so it causes friction between us too.

We've got heavy rain forecast later on so I won't be able to go out on another bloody walk either!

Thank you, I've had a tough 3 year, losing my home , job and car and was married to a violent , controlling, womaniser. I live on my own as my children have busy jobs. I also suffer with depression and Anxiety, although when I don't drink I feel much better but I get very lonely, and that when I want to pick up a drink so it all goes away but my drinking when I do go back gets very dangerous as I can easily get through a bottle of vodka a day. I don't get hangovers I have to go through withdrawals and it's awful, day 3 is the peek and I'm almost over it , it hasn't been as bad this time but I must not pick the drink up. I've got to be positive and start to do things even if it's a walk, shopping etc...... in stead of wallow in the misery. I'm having a hot choc tonight 😋

Sorry for not replying properly, I'm not to good at this yet

You replied just fine Juann00 :)

How are you right now? Did you have your hot choc? Whatever you do, do not pick the drink up.

I may have been overdoing the sober teats (laptops notwithstanding). My bank balance is looking a little low. I was spending nearly a tenenr a day though on booze if you averaged it out over the week.

alcohol is a shitting bugger for anxiety and depression. When I stop and start to feel calmer for a while I often mamage to forget this an think I am 'cured' and then i start drinking again and just fall down the rabbit hole of anxiety, self hatred, self loathing. What lies booze tells us. What harm we do to ourselves. It's not harmless.

Plus.... those verrucas and gungy toes. That image was very useful to me last night!