The Continuing Support Thread for Anyone Trying to Lead an Alcohol-Free Life Spring 2026

[REP22]

Hello and welcome. I’m glad you’ve found your way here. We are a bunch of people who are trying to give up and keep off alcohol. No judgement, just honest support and kindness.
The original thread was started by @drybird2020 in 2020 and we have plenty of veterans and newer members who can offer advice and signposting. You are welcome here, whether you post several times a day, once or twice and then never again, or if you only just come to read but have no intention of ever posting.
Whatever your stage on the AF journey, and whatever you’re going through, someone here will have gone through it too. Don’t be shy about posting, we love to celebrate your successes of whatever shape and size - and will support you when things get challenging. We get it, we've been there too.
All we ask is that you’re genuinely trying to abstain. We don't encourage moderation-only here, as it can be triggering for some to read. If you’re looking to moderate your drinking rather than quitting it altogether then MN has another long-running and very active moderation/abstaining thread that’s always near the top on the alcohol support board. Lots of fine support there from those worthy people too. Keep trying. Sobriety may not be easy - but I guarantee you that it is worth it.
I started trying to give up drink in 2018, succeeded (mostly) in 2019 but had a few “wobbles”, one of which led me here in April 2023. I still struggle sometimes but the posters on this thread have been an absolute godsend of wisdom, support and encouragement, along with my dog - known here as Sid (not his real name), and they keep me going. I hope you find strength and comfort here too. This thread and its wonderful posters has been a lifesaver to many, and have certainly seen me through many good and not-so-good days.
These books were particularly helpful to me and I still go back to them from time to time: The Sober Diaries by Clare Pooley (Amazon - Sober Diaries) and The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray (Amazon - Unexpected Joy). Others have found This Naked Mind by Annie Grace (Amazon - This Naked Mind) helpful. There are Apps that help track your AF journey, including Reframe and the ones I use, I Am Sober and TryDry. Podcasts can also be helpful. I have found One for the Road by Sober Dave to be a good listen. But different things work for different people. Feel free to post and ask. There is solidarity, wisdom and support here. This is a safe space where your voice will be heard, understood and valued.
Warmer weather is coming. Keep an eye out for that first daffodil waving in the breeze, and make yourself at home. It's going to be alright. x

Morning
Sending lots of strength to all.
Grim day isn't it but the evenings are getting lighter each day so that's on my gratitude list for today, along with gratitude for my wellies that have fantastic grip and have saved me from many a tumble down the hills around here.
IWNDWYT x

Morning all.
Thanks to everyone for their kind words yesterday- it means a lot ❤️

Oh, I love a good pair of wellies @Lavrander !

Morning all.

I'm early up for this horrendous meeting.
I'm scared shitless for my personal safety. How the hell i didnt get bladdered last night is a miracle.

@Lavrander I'm in need of new wellies, what brand our these ?

Good luck @WendyWagon. Hope all is well. Sending strength and courage 💪

Morning all and good luck @WendyWagon.

I tried some zero alcohol cider last night as I'd put it in a recipe. Did not agree with me at all. It wasn't fizzy so I suspect the apple juice. So far I think I'm ok with actual apples so I'll have to look at different juices. I know tomato, citrus and pineapple are not recommended. Gah.

Good morning shipmates.

All power to you @WendyWagon 🏋️‍♀️💐

Strength and courage as we greet another Monday. It will be alright. x

They are Aigle Parcours @WendyWagon. Comfy and have lasted ages.

Anyone else tried the new Elton John fizz? 0% Blanc de Blanc from Sainsbury’s can’t say I was that impressed I thought it was tasteless and my husband thought it tasted like babycham!

I don’t post much but read every day & love seeing Sid’s gorgeous face! Today it’s 28 whole days! 4 actual weeks!! And as my next challenge (in my app) is 100 days I’m over quarter of the way through. 🤯
First world problems I know, but I’m working away & was given a free drink on check in, I’m so used to AF beer now I just asked for it but they had none, had a slight wobble while deciding (IT WAS FREE!!) then ordered a sparking water. The set meal was steak, first time EVER without red wine but I managed!

Sending hugs @Onewildandpreciouslife , I hope the treatment goes well.

Hope all's okay @WendyWagon

Feel better @ShyMaryEllen there's some horrible things around ATM - I was in bed all week last week! And I'm rarely ill.

I haven't seen traitors but think I might have to try it after reading these posts!

I tried the Elton John AF fizz..very disappointingly meh! Hey ho. I love m and s fizzero and it's cheaper!

Hope all have a good week x

Evening shipmates
A busy week ahead. Work is very difficult at the moment but nowhere near as difficult as drinking on top it.
Ive got a bit of time off coming up which will be nice!
@WendyWagon i hope the meeting was ok? It all sounds very stressful for you at the moment.
@Becky3825 do come back to us when you’re ready. You are missed!

@TwoNicePuppies well done on the Steak, that also felt monumental to me too. It should be a sticker on Try Dry. 4 weeks is brilliant, you should definitely be feeling some benefits by now :)

Thank you @FiloPasty I’m sleeping amazing well & was told yesterday that I have beautiful skin by a stranger! My Feb goal is to cut down on the AF beer/wine/cider to try to break the habit. I’ve ordered some Kombucha for when I’m cooking dinner (a trigger) to fill the void & help the gut microbiome recover! 🤞🏻

Evening sailors - all is well in the house of Maggie. However I have a big weekend coming up and am in need of some advice/support to get through, as for the first time I'm starting to feel the edge of a wobble.

On Friday DH and I are going to London to meet some lovely friends for the weekend. We don't see them very often, but always have a fabulous time and until now have enjoyed beers and fizz and cocktails together. We're going to see a couple of shows and we're also going out for a pre-theatre dinner on Saturday.

I've told them I'm not drinking, said I was doing Dry Jan and also have 'minor health scare' in my back pocket. But I'm worried I'm going to cave and have already had a couple of fleeting thoughts along the lines of 'one weekend won't hurt'. I've managed to bat them off so far. I really want to get through this AF, it's a huge challenge and `I don't want to fail.

Send me your coping strategies!!!

@WhatMaggieDid I had a wobble on my first holiday and made a rule that I wasn’t even allowed to contemplate it until I’d ordered first a non alcohol drink coke etc and saying thank you out loud 3 times. Plan ordering your drink first and ask the waiter if dining to remove your wine glass. I promise you it gets easier each time you say no.
Honestly now I almost feel joyful at saying I don’t drink and it’s because I feel and look so much better than I did just 4 short months ago x You’ve got this x

Try to look on it as 'There is only one thing I can't have, and that is alcohol, as I no longer drink it. I can have all the other things, so what shall I choose?'

A lot of bars now sell things like Seedlip (pretend gin), so you could have a 'G&T', or a virgin cocktail. If you are unlucky and there are no suitable AF options, soda water in a gin glass with a wedge of lime and ice is refreshing and looks better than a diet Coke in a half pint glass - I sometimes think that sort of thing makes more of a difference than we realise. Have a great time!

That should read No thank you! Just have that word with yourself now that you know you are going to need to verbalise it again. Sounds positive that you’ve already told them though, maybe they’ll be v supportive?

@FiloPasty I think they will be. They're just lovely so I'm not expecting any pressure from them. It's my brain that I'm worried about!

@WhatMaggieDid do you use an app? If so take it out if you have a wobble & think about how it’d feel to have a red day amongst all that yellow (or whatever colours yours are!) Play it forward; best case scenario it’s one night with a couple of drinks & you have a wonderful time followed by no hangover - that could lead to thinking you can moderate which is a slippery slope. A worse case would be a few leading to lots, getting drunk & ruining the weekend (you may have lower tolerance). Worse still would be falling down into the Venus fly trap & going back to whatever caused you to want to lead an AF life.
I had all of these thoughts just a few hours ago when deciding whether to have a free red wine with my lovely steak! Good luck and I hope you have an amazing time.

Morning all.
A few thoughts @WhatMaggieDid . I find it helpful to “talk back” to the thoughts. Sometimes the best thing is to shut them down “no, we don’t do that any more”, other times I am gentler “it’s OK, we’re doing a new thing, we can do this”.
I’ve noticed theatres are getting better at AF alternatives now, so view it as a sampling exercise.
And we are on the leading edge of a trend. I remember in the early days I would anxiously scan the drinks list for their AF offering, but if DH went to the bar he’d just loudly say “what are your alcohol free options?”. It never occurred to me you could do that!!
Finally, you will be surprised at how good staying sober for a show is. You will be present for the WHOLE THING and your bladder will thank you!

And you have us in your phone so you can always post if you need your resolve stiffening.

Morning everyone.
@WhatMaggieDidhave the conversations with your brain first. The 'just one weekend wont hurt' - but why do it in the first place? The thing you're missing out on is just being drunk - ie groggy, thirsty, woolly headed. The laughs, clinks of the glass, atmosphere etc has nothing to do with you drinking alcohol, so it's a 'what's the point' question you need to answer.

Absolutely practice ordering alcohol free. @FiloPasty's tip of saying no three times worked wonderfully when I was on holiday. I only had to decide to order an alcohol free drink three times. By the time I'd put the effort into saying no / ordering AF three times when others were ordering alcohol, the fourth was easy, and so on.

I think there is also a badge in TryDry for catch up with friends!

Morning all.

I survived the shareholders bun fight!
God the thirst for a drink was huge but the DH was wealding the basket in Marks and wasnt going down that isle!

Nasty things were said but i kept my cool. I kept my shares too. I know these weasels and there's no way on Gods earth I'm rollimg over. Win Wendy.
I wore red Givenchy darhlings.

Yorkshire tea was had.

Well done Wendy on many counts , the last two lines here have made my morning :)

@WendyWagon I’m imaging you sashaying in like Miranda Priestly :) glad it went as well as it could.

@FiloPasty i have been likened to dear Miranda!

My big German marketeer calls me Devil!