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

Hello shipmates,

A very hearty welcome to @WorkMess2025 @HarvestMouseandGoldenCups, @ElizabethBennetsFineEyes and @endlesswashing - I am so glad you have found us. Sorry if I have missed anyone.

I get the unsettling dreams too @WhatMaggieDid - just plausible enough to be realistic but definitely unpleasant. I usually have something playing softly in the background, to distract me from my thoughts if I wake. Usually Saturday Kitchen on quiet loop. Sid prefers 'Police Interceptors' but that's not especially restful. I've just started on series 1 of Gone Fishing with Mortimer and Whitehouse. Sid likes Ted, but I don't think he appears until series 3.

I agree about alternative treats as well. I was a devil for chocolate milkshake when I was first giving up. Not so good for the waistline but definitely the lesser of two evils. Do whatever you can to stay true; whatever helps in the short term. It won't be forever.

How's the legacy-building going @WendyWagon ?

I am definitely on the mend after the weekend. Back off to London tomorrow for another peep at Marie Antoinette at the V&A. Sid has put his paw down on any procurement of nurses' outfits for him to pose in. So here he is, smiling at us all and reminding us that the sun will shine again. It will be alright. xx

You're absolutely right that it will get easier. It is like that at first - like an itch you can't scratch. But every time you resist it, you garner strength for the next time you get a craving, because even if the actual craving is particularly strong (as can happen) you can remember your own courage in resisting it the last time.

I had a very stressful day at work today. I don't usually get mid-week cravings but I am fully expecting Friday night to be tough - that was my worst binge-drinking night in the bad old days.

Evening shipmates! And how lovely to have some new folk with us on the voyage!
Hows everyone doing? I have to say at 51 days now I’m feeling quite peaceful with not drinking. But I have been here before so not being complacent. But my sleep is better, my anxiety has pretty much vanished and I don’t cry anymore unless I’m watching a sad film.
And I’m just NICER to myself. Probably still a dick to other people at times though (going AF can’t cure all my personality quirks!).
When I drank I was so self critical and horrible about myself. So I have practiced very hard to say nice things even when I have faltered on the AF journey. I’m certain this has helped me stay AF as I don’t tell myself I’m a useless worthless failure, terrible mother etc etc. What’s done is done!
For those in the very early days that would be my advice! Don’t be too hard on yourself! And write down how you feel after a drink if you’re just starting out. It really helped me think twice before I caved!
And @REP22 i got tickets for Marie antoinettte at V&A in March! Very excited indeed!

Sober and tucked up in bed. Stuffed myself with sourdough bread and butter with soup. Exhausted and so ready for a super early night and a better day tomorrow.

Thank you everyone for your support 💜

Day 7 for me. Still have not touched a drop and not really had any cravings thanks to AF wine and stuffing my face with chocolate biscuits - bizarre as I have never had a sweet tooth!

Lovely to see more people join 👋

I’ve been wondering… are/were we all wine drinkers? I could have bottles of spirits unopened in the house for years but it’s wine that got me.

found you all! marking place will post a long overdue update later x

Hello @ponzusoup! Hope all is well with you.

Brilliant news about the tickets @Carpetburn - ironically I am all of a bit of a dither about the Marie Antoinette exhibition. I've had tickets to go again tomorrow but my companions have just this minute let me down. Grrr. Looks like I will have to go by myself. 🙁

Yes, wine was my primary drink, sometimes real ale or Guiness but rarely spirits - if I did have spirits it was as a long drink with a mixer. Never did 'shots'.

However, if I was on a drinking binge and the wine/beer ran out I would drink anything that happened to be in the house. I remember once ferreting out half a bottle of really cheap brandy I had bought to use in a Christmas cake, and mixing it with something really stupid like orange juice or squash or something, just to prolong the drunk feeling.

I ate an awful lot of crap in the evenings when I first gave up alcohol - chocolate, family sized bags of crisps or Doritos etc - it did help me fill the alcohol gap. When I felt strong enough I sorted out my eating and knocked that on the head; I now stick to healthy meals and no evening grazing. But the option of eating something rubbish does still exist as a lesser-of-evils option should I get a bad alcohol craving, and I am comfortable with that. Eating rubbish is far less detrimental to my wellbeing than drinking and easier to manage as a temporary relapse.

@PhantomOfAllKnowledge I’m ok with the chocolate biscuits for now. As you say, it’s the lesser of two evils 😁

@ThatCleverFox I stopped drinking wine about 2 years ago after frequently being in disgrace following any wine consumption. And feeling diabolical after wine! But I replaced it with other options. It did not go well and here I am!
oh that’s annoying @REP22 but am sure you will still enjoy!
Ive finished some of the books recommended to me by you lovely people so further suggestions welcome. I’ve started Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce as I love her in the Traitors and the link to her guardian article was shared on here I think! I like all sorts of dark and twisty books and a good dose of dystopian gloom. But I’ve really enjoyed some of the lighter recommendations I’ve had like The people on platform five! So if you’re reading something cracking do share!

@ponzusouplovely to see you back!
@ThatCleverFox wine drinker here. Same as you with the spirits - never my thing except in the ‘80’s when I was partial to an underage Bacardi and Coke. I was fond of a few pints in the pub though. Congrats on the one week!
@REP22 Gone Fishing is such a lovely calming program! DH loves it especially Ted!

@Carpetburn Not at all dark and twisty but I’m just about to finish Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton and it’s a beautiful, calming and heartwarming read. I’ve absolutely loved it.

@ponzusoup!! Great to see you. Hope you are doing well?

@WhatMaggieDid I enjoyed Raising Hare as well. I've got a bit of a backlog of books to catch up on. Haven't read the newest Richard Osman yet, and Hamza Yassin is winking at me from the cover of his book on the coffee table.

@Carpetburn I saw the posts on The Traitors thread about Harriet's books; they look good. She's a smart lady; she may well win (if not picked off soon). Clare Pooley's third book, written after The People on Platform 5, is in a similar style and I enjoyed it too. It's called How to Age Disgracefully. None of the same characters (though Iona is mentioned) or scenarios but I found it equally satisfying.

I've found a backup taker for one of the MA tickets, which is something. I strongly suspected that I was going to be let down at the last minute. Perhaps it can't be helped - but to let it go through the steps of booking tickets, trains, time off work, daycare for Sid... Never mind. I shall still enjoy it again. It would have been a shame if they had gone to waste. I will leave the third ticket (13:15 entry time) at the exhibit entrance for anyone else who might want it; they were turning numerous people away last time.

Strength and courage mes amies. All shall be well. x

P.S. Slimmer of the Week at SW tonight! Not sure how that happened. Feel a bit of a fraud. Karma will come calling for me next week I suspect. x

Congratulations @REP22.

I suspect I have your missing kilos. I got so much chocolate at Christmas/birthday that it was inevitable, I’m sure. If you would like them back, I’m sure something can be arranged. Send Sid over with a (large) kitbag, and I’ll hand them over. You know it makes sense.

Thanks @WhatMaggieDid and @REP22 I shall have a look at those! And congrats on slimmer of the week!

Yay a sticker @REP22 if I didn’t have teen orthodontic appointments I’d be jumping on a train to see the exhibition, sounds fabulous.

@ThatCleverFox huge wine drinker (well now reformed) but it had started to go into a couple of cocktails, a bottle of wine, occasionally into the second and then a whisky, brandy whatever was there that was stronger. Too much anyway. I like to think I was a connoisseur but really I was just a heavy drinker. Trying to blur out all the noise. It’s surprisingly a lot quieter without the alcohol.

Well done @REP22. Take good care of that sticker!

Welcome to all our new shipmates. Lovely to have you here. I do believe posting here made all the difference. It sort of built a foundation of daily commitments that were real, rather than previously were all in my head or in notes just to me. So do get stuck in. I love to read everyone's updates even if I don't respond to them all.

For anyone in their first 30 days that hasn't tried it I found Annie Grace's The Alcohol Experiment really helpful. Download the naked mind app and you can sign up for free - it's 30 days of short videos and it also encourages you to journal as well. It was another tool in the kit that helped me to not just commit at the time but even now (nearly 200 days!) commit to not restarting.

The Rest is History podcast on the French Revolution has a couple of episodes just on Marie Antoinette - really fascinating.

I baked a LOT of desserts and did not pay attention to the 'serves 10' listing in the early days.

@Lavrander I am an avid The Rest is History Podcast listener. Always listen to the new ones each Monday, they are just brilliant arnt they?

Morning all, zumba this morning at 9-15, I am going to rock that booty! Feeling positive, slept well and determined to make today a productive one. Going to get a load more of my baby clothing on vinted later too.

IWNDWYT 💜

@ThatCleverFox Larger drinker here. You wouldn't believe it to look at me though. But I can/could drink any man under the table when it came to demon Stella

@CarpetburnI read Blood Orange years ago and can’t quite remember it but I know I enjoyed it. Enjoy! I just finished Wild Dark Shore and couldn’t recommend it more. Incredible book.

Good morning all.

I had a bad day health wise yesterday but I've read all the updates. The dog wouldn't leave me which is always a bit worrying!

I finally put a post up on LinkedIn closing down my involvement with the shambles skincare company. I also announced my new company although I've owned it for nearly three years and was restricted from trading. The owner of the skincare brand is a huge swaggering plonker but he's been curtailed. If he boasts we're watching him. He owes plenty of us money. It will be frustrating the hell out of him because his ego is ginormous.
As we say in Wiltshire 'makes I laugh'.

I was a wine drinker. A whole larder of whiskey etc but not for me.
Funny enough my DS said recently I'm not getting any champagne at his wedding. As it is the only thing I might miss I was a bit pissed off. Tbh he only 26 so i dont expect this temptation anytime soon!

Hi All, on day 14 and going well craving wise. I was hoping some of you can help me with a sleep question. I am sleeping ok, I have had lots of vivid dream but was expecting the REM rebound so been alright with that. However, I am not really getting enough deep sleep and feeling tired because of it. How long did it take for you to get into a normal sleep pattern where you actually felt rested the next morning?

I am exercising (classes 3x a week plus 1-2 jogging sessions) and improving my eating as the sugar cravings start to settle down. Not sure what else I can try- any ideas or is it just being patient and giving it time? Thanks for reading.

I was a wine drinker- 2 bottles and I could pass as a 'little tipsy. We have loads of spirits but I rarely touch/touched them. Would have the odd beer but never really bothered by it. Wine though- open a bottle and I would open another and another. So glad to be free of it!

What AF wine have you liked, I tried one but it tasted like 'corked' wine so I tipped it down the sink.

Feel like tonight might be my first proper temptation. Having the most awful day. Couple of real sucker punches. One at work which I assume was just someone taking out a bad day on me but left me feeling really shaken. One with a really serious money issue I thought we’d got sorted and it turns out is anything but.
I’m desperately craving a good cry or several bottles of red wine when I get home. Which answers the am I a wine drinker question!
Sorry for the offload. I’m trying to prevent a slip by writing it down.