The Continuing Support Thread for those who want an alcohol free life - Autumn 2026

[Onewildandpreciouslife]

Hello and welcome. I’m glad you’ve found your way here. We are a bunch of people who are trying to live a life free of 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, solidarity 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.

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.

Whatever your stage on the AF journey, and whatever you’re going through, someone here will have gone through it too. 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.
Keep trying. Sobriety may not be easy - but I guarantee you that it is worth it.
Come on in.

Top tips - Set a goal
Indulge yourself with nice things to compensate- early bed, bath, herbal tea, zero alcohol alternatives, all the chocolate etc
Download the Try Dry App

btw on the booze calories front - I lost 2 stone in my first 6 months of sobriety without really trying too hard. I focused on 3 healthy meals and treats but the weight fell off.

Ha! After eight sober years I'd gained three stone!

To be fair, those years included lockdowns, and I think a lot of people gained weight then.

I second the hot bath, AF alternatives, and will add a Snoozeband or similar if people are struggling to sleep. It took ages for my sleep to settle down, but listening to rain noise or hypnosis through comfortable headphones/eyemask really helped. The Snoozeband brand is expensive, but if you have a gap on your Christmas list, it's worth it. There are far cheaper ones on Amazon though - you don't have to pay a fortune to get sleep headphones, and they are definitely worth it.

Like @IChooseTo i am reaching 22 months this week. This thread was invaluable in my first year. I read it religiously! Thanks to the stalwarts for keeping it going. I don’t have time to be an active remember but I really appreciate stopping by and catching up on everyone here and there.

I think the last time I posted I was celebrating 500 days. Someone asked what my highlights were and I didn’t get around to a reply. In no particular order:

• I started reading novels again. I love books but I all but abandoned them when the kids arrived. Apart from dipping into poems all I read was the news (an unhealthy addiction to the guardian’s politics live blog has thankfully died given how utterly sh*t the Grauniad now is!).
• no hangovers
• I can’t say I have ‘saved’ money but I i am not accumulating debt in the same way. It’s around £3000 less expenditure each year.
• slightly more tolerance for my pain in the ass DH
• aspirations

I don’t appear to be able to sleep for more than 7 hours! I mean it was constantly broken before - waking up at 3 am to down a pint of water due to dehydration- but I had hoped to be able to snooze more! Maybe that will come when my children are older.

I probably tried to do too much too soon. I was utterly miserable for lots of reasons when I got the point of needing to stop drinking. I embraced my freedom. I got a new job, returned to full time work, , sold/bought a house, moved, plus holiday and 3 kids all that entails. Anyway, the wheels eventually came off and I have chronic stress. I got to a point when I thought ‘two bottles of wine would make all of this melt away.’ But I didn’t. I called the doctor, signed off and started on anti anxiety pills to get me to calm the hell down!

i am quite knackered but enjoying some
inner positivity that I have never known. I am so glad I have kept off the booze. I hope my body has heals properly as I certainly abused it for most of my adult life (pregnancies
excepted). I don’t miss drinking now. Hopefully this thread will will some
newbies to get there too x

A great thing is being able to leave the misery behind - there's so much to do!

Today I did some planning, played music in a group, applied for a job, tackled some big chores, watched my favourite Netflix programme.

Morning all. Day 2 for me today and an early start as I’m working. Still a tad rough but overall okay although I didn’t sleep great (but that’s not unusual for me).

I’m new here and am finding the posts that tell me getting sober is the best thing ever both inspiring but also hard to believe at this time because my brain still wants to think I can drink in moderation - but I really want to be coming back in a year and saying it’s the best decision I ever made 🤞🤞. I’m sorry some people are finding some of the posts triggering - I guess it’s hard to get the perfect balance for everyone. But I hope we can.

I might try a snoozeband - thanks for the tip @ShyMaryEllen - silly question - do you have to physically switch it off or does it turn itself off? I tried a relaxation app on my phone but my brain was anticipating me turning it off which paradoxically made me more awake, if that makes sense?

Hope everyone has a good Monday ❤️

Morning.

I love that saying @taylorean, that there’s so much to do being sober. So simple and so postitive. Thank you.

I’ve woken up and been inspired by the posts overnight, I am actually going to read them again and it’s useful that they are at the start of this thread actually, because they are easy to reference. I hope I haven’t triggered anyone by my posts - I’ve been sober since January (bar 2 very small blips, which actually reinforced my AF choice, for my own reasons). I sincerely hope people will post again.

Bit knackered today, sleep has probably been in my top three AF benefits, maybe even at the top but I always am a bit knackered after my long run during marathon training. Unsurprisingly. Just about to hop on the treadmill for a run/walk 30 minutes and then some stretching to wake up the legs.

They automatically disconnect when the broadband connection is lost. So if you set the source of the ‘noise’ to switch off after a while the Snoozeband switches off too. As an example, I use Rain Rain, a free app that has numerous sounds of rain in various degrees of intensity and situations. It has a timer setting that I keep set to 90 minutes. After that, it fades out and the band disconnects.

You can do the same with Audible, which has hypnosis tracks on it, and numerous other apps. I know what you mean about the end of tracks - some go from relaxing music to a loud advert for the next in the series, which defeats the purpose of listening.

Honestly, @Lovechicken, being fully sober is so much better than flirting with cutting down. Most of us on here have done both at different times, so we know. Not thinking about the next drink, not waking up worried about what we said, did, posted or whatever, losing the awful anxiety, having time to do things (whether following interests or just keeping the house clean), all of that and more comes with cutting out, rather than cutting down, plus having a larger disposable income and (for some) smaller clothes. It can take a while to bed in, but when it becomes the ‘new normal’ it is amazing. We still have to stay on top of it - after eight long years I thought I could have an ‘odd drink’, but that broke the mindset of being a non-drinker that I’d worked so hard to achieve, so now I’m back on the front line, fighting to get it back.

That mindset is vital. Knowing we can’t drink alcohol, in the same way that we can’t drink cyanide is what keeps people sober, and losing that knowledge puts us back to the beginning.

@ShyMaryEllen thanks! Will defo look into this ❤️

Morning all.

Welcome @Lovechicken ! And well done for getting to day 2. The first 4/5 days are the hardest physically and mentally- then you need to avoid the trap of “oooh I’ve managed 4 days, I don’t have a problem” (we’ve all fallen for that one in the past!)

Lovely to hear from you @IChooseTo, and @SmellyMe and congratulations on 22 months 👏👏.

I love you talking about “inner positivity that I have never known” @SmellyMe - yes!!

Good to hear from you @ShyMaryEllen - I get it, and thought that might be why you’d been quiet. It’s a tricky balance.

I am so tired at the moment, but I think that’s related to my meds - I’ve been on steroids for a few months to deal with treatment side effects, and have now come off the steroids and crashed. My bloods are fine, so hopefully it’s a temporary thing.

I will not drink today

Morning all

@ShyMaryEllen has phrased it really well: That mindset is vital. Knowing we can’t drink alcohol, in the same way that we can’t drink cyanide. I keep in mind that I am always one sip away from Square One, even after two years. My head knows that too, because when I am tempted, it isn't a single drink that I'm picturing because it tastes nice, it's the feeling of getting drunk. Fast-forwarding to the day after is what helps me most in that situation, drawing on my abundant stock of terrible memories and my certainty that I never, never want to feel like that again.

Hope you slowly build back that energy @Onewildandpreciouslife, thanks again for the thread.

That’s what my two blips taught me the most - although they didn’t lead to a binge, each were a glass but… it didn’t taste like some magic elixir like I’d imagined. But mainly, I ended up thinking about booze all the time again being honest. I’d opened that psychological door. It needs to be shut. Not ajar. It’s easier. Cleaner. Simpler.

@REP22how are you and Sid today?

Thanks @needastrongone . It doesn’t help that I’m trying to build back my running base! But my running is the thing that gives me a sense of control so being knackered is a price worth paying!

On mindset more generally, I think different internal voices work for different people, and at different times. My default inner voice is very critical (thanks mum!), so to get sober I had to be very gentle with myself and have a curious mindset, whilst still being ridiculously motivated by the TryDry yellow teacups!

Good morning shipmates,

Sid and I are mending well thank you @needastrongone - had a bit of a wobbly weekend. I find drinking references a bit challenging sometimes too @ShyMaryEllen. I watched the Netflix documentary "The One About Matthew Perry" about the late Friends actor yesterday. It really struck a chord and made me think.

Strength and courage to you all. How are you doing today @GunnelVallquist? Lovely to see you @Lovechicken - I am glad you've found us. x

Strength and courage. xx

Thanks for the new thread @Onewildandpreciouslife

I have a terrible cold and feel very sorry for myself. Going to try and get some sleep, but my headache isn’t shifting.

Those are very good tips @FiloPasty. I would just add that you need to be prepared and have a plan - ie if you associate pouring out a glass with relaxation, have an alternative in the house, or if you’re having friends over that drink, think what you will do, or if it’s a pub, what stock phrase will you use? Failing to plan is planning to fail as they say. If you like feeling in control and plan ahead then that’s something I’ve found very useful in the past!

Agree with @ShyMaryEllen cutting down kind of sucks. You just end up expending lots of energy bargaining with yourself whether you can have “just one more”. Making an advanced decision of not having any frees up your headspace.

Oh and I’ve been AF for over a month now! I can’t remember the exact date of my last drink, it was a week or so before 1st of October, but I’ll count from the 1st as it’s an easier date to remember.

Longest I’ve lasted (bar pregnancies) was 2.5 months, so if I keep going to the end of the year I’ll beat my own record.

Just need to come up with excuses for Christmas.

Late good morning all.
Tough day today but we plod on.

Sending strength and good thoughts @WendyWagon ❤️

I'm pleased people understand. I honestly didn't mean to be bossy or anything similar.

100% agree @ShyMaryEllen I don’t post often but read all updates, we support each other here but people posting when drinking is triggering for many of us.

Duly noted. And I apologise profusely, the last thing I want is to upset or trigger anyone.

@needastrongone you've articulated so well exactly how I feel. Keeping the door ajar is mental torture, closing it firmly and keeping it shut is far easier.

When you try to change a habit, your brain will bargain with you - was I really that bad? Maybe I could limit drinking to special occasions / weekends / stop after a few? The mental bargaining takes up so much energy. By stopping completely, you take that away.

I'm new to this @ShyMaryEllen, so I hope I've not posted anything triggering without meaning to. It's always helpful when old timers point newbies in the right direction, so thanks for the reminder.

@Lovechicken I would never dream of drinking a full sugar can of Coke, or even ordering a hot chocolate. Think of the calories! Then I'd sink a bottle of wine. For the first fortnight I allowed to drink/eat anything I wanted to get past those initial cravings for alcohol. It helped. Be kind to yourself.

@LlamaFluff my plan to avoid drinking over the Xmas period is to say I had a really hectic boozy spell (which I did) and my sleep went to pot and felt really run down. Switched to non-alcoholic alternates and realised I soon forgot what was in the glass and enjoyed myself just as much, so for now I'm enjoying sleeping well and waking up feeling fresh.

I have my first sober gig tomorrow. I've been sober at concerts before (grudgingly) when I was pregnant or had to drive, but this is the first time I'm choosing to be sober and I'll be throwing myself into it with great gusto! Looking forward to some lovely food, great music and dancing like a loon.

Happy Monday everyone!

Hey all 👋
I’m new here and on day 8 of no alcohol. I’ve drank a lot for as long as I can remember, with the exception of being pregnant and breastfeeding and when my boy was a toddler. I also did 200 days alcohol free in 2020 - 2021 but went back to it.
For the last few years it’s been 1-1.5 bottles of wine a night, with occasional nights off.
I’ve just recently gone on HRT so had some blood tests done, and it showed mildly elevated liver enzymes. We repeated the test after 7 days alcohol free and they had started to reduce and the doc says he’d be surprised if there was anything permanent. They are sending me for an ultrasound to double check though.
Anyway, I know nobody can reassure me but I’m here absolutely terrified I’ve done permanent damage.
Peace to all x

Glad you found us @BoringWind . It’s scary when we think our drinking has had identifiable physical consequences. The scan will help give you a bit more information so you know what (if anything) you are dealing with, but the liver can be very good at repairing itself if we let it.

And you may be agreeably surprised by how much better life is alcohol-free.

Thanks @Onewildandpreciouslife
The doctor said it’s more than likely a sign that it’s time to “cut back” rather than anything permanent, so I’m trying to hold on to that but I keep imagining worst case scenarios 🤦🏻‍♀️
@CrazyCatMam i did a sober gig on Saturday and loved it! Hope you enjoy ☺️