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.

My experience is that “cutting back” is much harder than stopping completely @BoringWind , but many doctors have a very weird relationship with alcohol 🤣

@Onewildandpreciouslife yep I agree, I’d rather have none than one!

@Onewildandpreciouslife thank you so much for the new thread.

I also find posts written when drinking difficult. I agree with @ShyMaryEllen .

yesterday it was 10 months since I had a drink. I never thought I would get here and am so glad I did.

At the beginning I decided I would do whatever it took to not drink - and that's what I did. I ate what I wanted, didn't exercise if I didn't want to, didn't do things that I knew would trigger me (dinners/trips away/a week alone in my mother in laws apartment/whatever), saw a therapist, posted on the thread, went to bed early. The eating/exercise wasn't particularly healthy (I gained 20 pounds I think judging by my clothes) but not drinking was going to kill me. 20 pounds wasn't.

accepting that I just will not drink - ever - has been really liberating. So we are planning a trip away around my birthday. We found a lovely boutique hotel in one of my favourite places in the world. we are going to book it. Last year I'd be worrying about how to drink as much as I wanted while away without access to all my stashes of wine at home. Should I hide a bottle in my suitcase? How will I get rid of it. What if dh notices I went from 0 to drunk in seemingly 2 glasses of wine. even if I did hide the bottle, what if one bottle isn't enough.

Now I am thinking how lovely it will be to wake up to that view, how nice dinner will be, how I can read my book looking out at the sea if I can't sleep. Life is so so much calmer and I can look forward to things free of worrying about wine. Toward the end it was like I was in a 3 legged race tied to a bottle of wine. I could move forward a bit, I could get to places sometimes - sometimes I didn't bother - but it was damn hard- and what was even the point?

Best of luck to everyone on the journey.

@anewyearthisyear I think your post is very helpful.
Planning for a different future is a good thing.
I used to hide my stash all over the house and our old sports car that was in the garage.

I went on a diet a month after I gave up the grog. It was the right time for me. I don't eat chocolate or sweets but I changed some foodstuffs to full fat etc as my health was poor. I'd eaten one side of the cupboard to the other for nearly twenty years. Crisps, curries and pies!

Welcome @BoringWind . Hopefully you will get good news from your tests, but if there is damage, the liver is very good at healing as long you treat it well.

My husband's liver was very badly damaged by his drinking, to the extent he was suffering jaundice and other physical symptoms. He gave up alcohol completely a few years ago.. His liver will always be scarred and needs to be monitored annually but his liver profile test now reads completely normal and the doctors have said all the damage that was able to heal has healed really well.

I think the doctors were quite surprised he has genuinely been able to abstain, as his blood tests proved; he was in his 60s when the physical symptoms manifested, and had been drinking heavily for pretty much the previous 40 years.

Best wishes to you and your husband @PhantomOfAllKnowledge I hope he (and you) are well.
My doctor said my mild enzyme elevation is more likely than not a temporary issue that will be fixed by abstinence. Just hoping he’s right.

Just checking in. Thank you for the new thread @Onewildandpreciouslife . And glad that you are on the mend @REP22 . I find your voices very calming and wise so it's good to still be here. I'm now on 160 days. No-one is more surprised than me. Well, maybe my husband IS more surprised but he's very happy about this current miracle. I'm feeling strong, no real desire to drink but I know my resolve hasn't been properly tested despite not avoiding situations, places or people . Life is calm and the noise inside my head is quieter than it ever has been. I really didn't appreciate how much noise alcohol was creating. So I'm taking the peace, one day at a time. I'll keep checking in daily to see @mermadeincornwall post. Thank you all for the comfort, wisdom and for creating a safe space. You lot are my daily ritual 🎉 x

Hi all. Enjoying reading your updates. @anewyearthisyear your post really resonated with me as I too did all those crazy things. I once sneaked a bottle of gin on an all inclusive holiday FFS because I didn’t think I’d be able to get “enough”. Absolutely crazy.

I’m enjoying a lot of food and treats but i lost nearly 2 stone last year and I don’t want to put it back on as Im so much fitter so I plan to give myself this week then get back to my healthy, high protein meals which I actually do really enjoy. But realistically, no one’s craving lettuce or Greek yoghurt!

I’ve also stocked up on AF drinks and sparkling water. So day 2 nearly done and I’ll be heading up to bed soon. Still no contact from DD but she’s been in contact with her dad asking how I am doing so I’m hoping she will accept my apology and I can try and make things up to her when she’s ready.

Hoping everyone has had a good day ❤️

A running buddy on the thread @Onewildandpreciouslife, great! We can discuss shin splints and black toenails together😂

Thank you for the posts today everyone, they have been equally supportive, inspiring and reflective. I’ve enjoyed reading them all. Welcome to anyone new, I’m pretty recent myself.

@Onewildandpreciouslife thanks so much for the new thread

Speaking of blood tests, I have a whole bunch being done on Wednesday and am hoping liver is looking good , it will be my six month AF anniversary that day. The last one showed elevated liver enzymes but GP wasn’t concerned and I of course lied about how much I was drinking.🙄

Have a good week everyone

@TickleMeElmo1 well done on 6 months!

When I used to work in community MH our consultants used to say to mentally multiply reported alcohol consumption by 2. They are all used to people under reporting.

@needastrongoneI used to run too but then started going to the gym and my running got displaced! I’m having massive FOMO about your runs though so went out for one on Saturday, hopefully I can get back into at least a couple times a week.

@anewyearthisyear congratulations on your 10 months and the holiday sounds fab.

I laugh now but I. My drinking days I would take a gym kit on holiday every time and rarely if ever make it to the gym. Now I really enjoy getting up and living life. Rather than being hungover and looking forward to lunchtime bottle of wine. I do not miss it!

@TickleMeElmo1 yay to six months! X

@Lovechicken mindset sounding strong, do put some treats in though, I’m slightly addicted to Reece’s peanut butter cups, I try and use sparingly but they are quite nice just a little half on top of the Greek yogurt and fruit!

When I used to work in community MH our consultants used to say to mentally multiply reported alcohol consumption by 2. They are all used to people under reporting.

I had heard this too. I told the absolute truth to my new GP last January when I went. I hope to god she didn't multiply by 2!!

I will not drink today

Morning sober warriors. Day 3 for me today.

I hardly slept a wink last night - even though I didn’t sleep much at all on Sunday night and was exhausted. Every time I nearly nodded off, my brain just kick started me awake. I know it’s the alcohol leaving my body and my brain adjusting, but it’s so depressing lying awake watching the minutes and hours tick by. Fortunately, if you can call it that, I’ve been a chronic insomniac and am used to functioning on very little sleep so I know I’ll get through the day ok and just crossing my fingers that this phase passes soon.

Working again today but I really enjoy my job so I’m actually happy to get out the house and chat to my co-workers rather than just sit and brood about everything bad I’ve done. We have a family celebration at our house on Thursday night so I’m really hoping that DD comes and I can apologise to her face to face. Dreading it though too as I’ll be extremely anxious about seeing her.

DH has stopped having his (almost) nightly beer - he is a very moderate drinker but enjoys one beer in the evenings. I can’t stop feeling guilty that he feels he has to do that but he’s saying “something has to change” and recognising how hard it is for me to sit and watch him enjoy his beer. Not so much because I’m a beer drinker but more the association that alcohol means relaxing and down time. So I’m trying to be grateful that he’s doing this rather than telling him it’s ok for him to drink as he doesn’t have a problem, which is what I’ve said in the past when I’ve tried to stop.

Anyway enough about me! I know a few folks are having some health checks - hoping for good things for you. I am contemplating having some blood tests soon then maybe 3 months down the line to see if there’s improvement - but worried it’ll be a green light for drinking if the results were relatively ok. Will ponder some more but interested in the experience of others.

Need to get ready for work now but wishing you all a peaceful and sober Tuesday ❤️

I would recommend getting the blood tests done, but in 3 months, rather than now. Results stay on your records and it is remarkably difficult to get them changed. You can get DIY liver function kits if you want a benchmark, and if they came back worryingly high you could see your GP, but (voice of experience) if there is damage all you can do is stop drinking, and you are doing that already. If you find you slip back to drinking again, tell your GP, but unless you feel ill, maybe leave it for a while? Your liver function is likely to be significantly better after 90 days of sobriety.

Re the sleeping- yes, it’s the brain resetting, and the next stage is likely to be vivid dreams. I quite enjoyed my ‘free cinema pass’, but experiences vary. If you get nightmares (the news is so bad that’s a possibility) remember that it’s temporary and if you drink you have to do it all again.

Try to ride it out, and try soothing music or hypnosis as you fall asleep, have a relaxing bedtime routine if you have a tv in your bedroom maybe watch a gentle programme before nodding off and if you wake up worried. Nothing demanding enough to switch your brain on properly, but something to take your mind off a nightmare if you have one.

You’re doing all the right things - just keep doing them 💐

@ShyMaryEllen I was thinking of paying privately for the tests so they are not on my records.

I had night tremors once after a massive bender and they were absolutely terrifying. People trying to kill me/fight me, thinking I’d had a stroke, zombies coming etc. wasn’t enough to make me stop drinking though but it’s a good thing to remember if I’m tempted to go on a bender again.

I’ve ordered a snoozeband so will report back on how it goes!!

I’ve woken up full of anxiety and panic about what my ultrasound will show. Last night I was thinking back through the years of evening drinking and I can’t stop worrying. I don’t even have a date yet and I don’t know how I’m going to cope. I have a therapy appt this afternoon. The guilt, regret and shame is incredible.
My blood test showed a mild elevation that started to come down after 7 alcohol free days when we retested.

When I used to work in community MH our consultants used to say to mentally multiply reported alcohol consumption by 2. They are all used to people under reporting

Yes, I used to under-report, I remember trying to calculate what would sound plausible but not excessive. I used to say I drank "a bottle of wine" over the weekend. Even if they'd doubled that it would still have been vastly under reporting! Six bottles of wine (or equivalent in beer) over the weekend was more like it.

t's one thing I really love - just being able to say 'I don't drink alcohol' when asked by doctors. They can multiply that as much as they want - if you multiply 0 by 1 million, it's still 0 💟

@BoringWind So sorry you are feeling anxious, and there's no point saying "try not to worry" I know, because worrying is never something we do voluntarily!

What helps me when I'm worrying about something is planning what I would do and how I would react in the absolute worst case scenario. That might sound counter-intuitive, thinking about the worst outcome, but if I can feel prepared for it mentally and practically, I feel calmer.

You are in a really good position because you have already done the most important and best thing you can do by making the decision not to drink. Whatever has happened to your liver, it will already be self-healing and it can only get better.

Everyone is different, but I had been binge-drinking from the age of 18 until I gave up at the age of 50, my health generally is not particularly marvellous but I somehow escaped any permanent liver damage.

There is every reason to hope you will be fine, but if not, you are looking after your liver now, you have medical support, everything will be OK - as I know from my husband's experience, moderate liver damage is not the end of the world, as long as you make the necessary changes to your lifestyle, which you have already done.

Can I join. My drinking has been an issue for me since I can remember. Always the drunkest, terrible debilitating hangovers.

I successfully quit for 6 months earlier this year but thought I could moderate.

I have now moved on the occassional
social drug use. This weekend was a low I was at a friends party and doing it on
my own.

I am just disgusted with myself.

I get huge social anxiety which I think is why I’ve always drunk too much. I have a newish job requiring more office time and I’m just finding I’m exhausted by this and find social situations more overwhelming hence the coke now.

I need to quit I think but everyone I know drinks. I did enjoy the 6 months I did but how do I not fall back into old ways.

I’ve name changes for this as ashamed.

Good morning shipmates.

Horrible event over, we fight another day.

I remember the dreams, absolutely vivid.
I too had a raised liver reading but it normalised in six weeks. No issues since.
The other thing I had was leg tightness and pain.

Still no progress on the house so no cottage for Christmas 🎄 The removals wouldn't be able to move me. Second week of January now looks possible.

@Lovechicken it's great your husband is supporting you. My husband is a very light drinker and he really didn't have anything for nearly a year. He got his wife back.

Hello @needtoquit and welcome. Social anxiety - yes. It used to seem to me the only way to cope with group social occasions was to drink, as otherwise I was too shy and self-conscious to talk to anyone. Of course, this was counter-productive as I would drink excessively, embarrass myself, over-share, fall over - I can't even bring myself to write about all the ways I have humiliated myself when drunk over the years.

I've concluded now that I would rather be the person in the corner who doesn't say a lot but quietly observes, and leaves at a reasonable time and is up the following morning fresh as a daisy while everyone else is nursing hangovers. It really is 100x better than the false and temporary 'confidence' of being drunk.

Morning.

A slow plod done this morning, my legs are protesting still about the long run!

I love the phrase ‘he got his wife back’, it’s such a hopeful phrase.

I do totally understand the worry about what the drinking did to my body, and so there’s no sense in saying don’t because that’s a real thing for me too. That said, as reassurance - and as an absolute bottom line - I try to tell myself that the only thing I can do is not drink, and that is whether I’ve done damage or not. I can only put good things into my body to try and help and look after myself going forward as best I can. I can’t do any more than that - so when that particular anxiety bubble floats into my brain I try hard to keep telling myself that fact. The liver is an extraordinary organ too and has remarkable resilience. My enzyme levels are normal now, if that helps. X

@Lovechicken - please allow yourself the help from your DH, you probably feel like he shouldn’t have to or you don’t deserve it etc. You do. Promise. I hope you get some sleep soon, but yes - I imagine it’s the brain chemistry resetting itself. This too shall pass. Your family sound lovely btw.