60 dry days!

[alcohole]

A couple of months ago, I posted under a different username about drinking a lot, with work being a massive trigger. The main thing was drinking alone through the week to get a confidence boost. I was reliant on it to be successful at work almost/get me through the day. The full extent isn’t something I’ve spoken about with anyone in real life, which causes its own challenges eg most of my peers drink. I don’t normally binge when with people, I binge alone. So my family/friends probably don’t realise I have an issue to understand why buying me drinks is annoying or why I don’t want to socialise with them if it revolves around alcohol

Since the thread, I’ve had 60 dry days! Not consecutive as I did drink once in December (work do, so managed to avoid Xmas/new years). Even that night I drank, I had 2 cocktails and soft drinks for the rest of the night, which is still better than my previous drinking. Overall I don’t really feel that different or look that different, am still the same weight and my skin seems to be purging. But i think my mindset is shifting and I have more of a future focus. It’s definitely impacted some of my friendships though as I avoid nights out

Well done on 60 dry days - that's a fantastic achievement given what you said about where you were with this before.
As you get more confident with it perhaps you can go back to the nights out. I happily drink AF beer in the pub with drinking friends, although I agree it was easier to just avoid the whole thing in the early days. Or suggest a meet up for a walk or to go to an art gallery or cinema or whatever you and friends are into

Thank you

I think the more I socialise, the more likely I am to drink right now just because it’s so natural for my friends to! I think I trust myself on a night out, but I don’t trust myself alone after a night out if that makes sense.

It takes a period of adjustment. I swerved nights out for about two months because I didn't enjoy them but something in my brain completely changed and now I feel fine not drinking and enjoy my nights out SO much more. I'm eight months sober and it's honestly mad how different life is. I was the same as you - I drank at home pretty much every night (a bottle of wine) and then I'd leave events after drinking a normal amount and go home to drink wine alone etc. I also think it took a while for my skin etc to look better - I would say around 100 days in is when I finally started to feel and look properly better hahah