Hello all, new to this forum. Today I am two weeks into my latest attempt at sobriety.
It’s hard going so far as I have a lot going on with my life that’s having a negative impact on my mental health. I am a life long sufferer of poor mental health.
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Welcome to Talking Sober Philip. Congrats on being sober for two weeks, that’s excellent work friend. Being sober gives us a chance at recovery. Recovery means working on a better life through any way that suits you best. For me it meant and means -among other things- going into therapy and work on the reasons behind my substance abuse. Working on the whys of my fragile mental health. Actually personally I rather call it discovery instead of recovery, because I never had much of a life to be proud of anyway. And now I do. It’s hard work but it’s a work of love and it’s the only way to have a better life friend. Using drugs or drinking will not help. It will just make everything so much worse. Glad you’re here with us Phillip. The opposite of addiction is connection. I hope you can find some here like I did. Welcome again and wishing you all success.
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Welcome Philip! 
I’ve grappled with mental health stuff too, and the men in my family have been grappling with it on my dad’s side at least since my dad’s father. It has generational impacts.
It is possible to learn to live healthy. For us that means sober. Being in our addiction keeps us in chains.
The good news is you are not alone in overcoming addiction while living an interesting mental life (I like to think of it as interesting). There’s lots of people like this in addiction recovery.
Keep in touch here, and read some resources, and look at some groups you can join - groups helped me feel much less alone. There are groups online and in person.
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Welcome aboard @Life_is_not_easy
I too suffer with MH issues, sobriety didn’t fix me but it did help me to begin coping in more healthy ways, hang in there.
You’re not alone 
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Hi @Life_is_not_easy
I struggle with my mental health too. I have for years. I hope that sobriety gives you the clarity you need to breathe through that struggle. Welcome 
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Welcome and so glad you are here.
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Welcome! Congrats on 2 weeks!! That’s an incredible milestone. I started talk therapy about a month ago and just finally got to the point where I KNOW sobriety is what I need to help my mental health. I’m a first time mom and fell into alcoholism during the early months of postpartum which comes with a whole new set of mental health issues.
Every day is incredibly difficult but what helps me is knowing that alcohol will just numb my mental health issues temporarily and will actually just end up making them way worse come the hangover. Talk therapy has been a great space for me to just let everything go.
Wishing you luck!! You got this 
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Welcome Philip… great to have you here with us and congrats on your 2 weeks 
. Hope to see you around
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Warm welcome friend, youre in the right place. We cant do it alone 
SUD and other mental health issues are so linked, but Sobriety is VITAL to managing mental health issues. so stay accountable and ask for help, check in here, keep busy and take it one day at a time. Maybe meditation would help, and i highly recommend the Insight Timer app for tons of free guided meditations.
Im only one week ahead of you in sobriety and have always struggled with mental health, especially anxiety. But today i found myself literally skipping down the street I was just suddenly overcome with a good mood. It didnt last all day, I still have a lot of work to do and lufe is life, but it was a peek at myself starting to get better. Hope that is helpful in some way 
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Welcome @Life_is_not_easy addiction and mental illness often go together. You’ll find people from around the world with similar or different experiences. This place is an amazing supportive community. This place, AA, therapy, and meds were keys to my sobriety.
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Congratulations on beginning your journey. It may not seem like it now, but staying sober gave me the room to work on my mental health, to replace self-medication from alcohol with self-care, and after the initial super anxious period my overall anxiety has been much much lower and more manageable.
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1st off CONGRATS 
on 2 wks! 2nd it gets easier when you treat the mental health side of the beast so we’re not out here self medicating. 3rd attending meetings really help along side of changing your people, places, and things. Stay grounded partner, you’ve got this! If you ever need someone to talk to you’ve got us right here!
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Thanks to all who replied for your warm welcomes and kind words.
The longest I managed being sober in the past is 9 months in 2017. I felt so great back then and I’m determined to beat that length this time.
I am a 40 year old male from the UK. Alcohol has blighted my life since I first started drinking 20 plus years ago.
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Maybe try ameeting hundreds of them in the uk meet like minded people who have been were you are now wish you well
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Welcome and congratulations on your sober time.
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