Welcome to the forum and congrats on 4 days!! The first couple of weeks were by far the hardest for me so hang in there, it will get easier as you develop new sober routines.
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Hey all,
I’m Jonathan. I have 683 days of sobriety from alcohol. I’m 46, I love hiking, backpacking, baseball, my kids (10G, 12B, 16G), my dogs, and the Boston Red Sox - although definitely not in that order.
I suffered from untreated PTSD for years and made a mess of a life, a marriage, and most of the things around me. I am still in awe that I was able to keep a good career through all of it. Like a lot of other alcoholics I lied about anything and everything and was never able to live up to the values that I believed in. My solution was self harm and self destructive behaviors.
I walked into the rooms of AA drunk, angry, and in a very dark place. As I went to meetings I thought the people there must have been crazy, as they told these terrible stories of pain, and yet they spoke of hope, laughter, and healing. They never judged me, never told me what to do, but instead just shared what had worked for them.
Almost 2 years ago, I raised my hand in one of those meetings and I said that I was powerless over alcohol and I wanted help.
I’ve learned that a lot of the things we broke will never be repaired. Sometimes for the better. On the back end, I found myself as a loving, caring man who is completely emotionally available to my children and to those around me. If you need help, if I can give it, I will. And if I can’t, I am fully willing to sit and cry with you for as long as you need.
I’m so glad all of you are here. I need you.
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Hi there,
Thought I would add to this thread. My name is Jessica and my DOC is alcohol. I started drinking when I was about 16 and allowed it to be a self medication to all the trauma I endured my whole life. I had some issues with other forms of drugs and SH but managed to end that fairly quickly… alcohol was always there to be my “friend”… to be the thing I turned to when things were bad. I allowed it to play a big part in my life and didn’t think too much of it… until I lost my partner, my job and my friends due to my addiction… after that I started to drink very carelessly and reckless and had no desire to live…a few months into that I met someone and found out I was pregnant. My daughter literally saved my life.
I can say that I never allowed myself to get to that level again but I also didn’t see the problem in having “a couple drinks”. But over time those drinks turned into bottles and bottles turned into bottles and 12 packs. I allowed alcohol to be my crutch again and I am finally strong enough to say no more… my children mean the world to me and I want them to look at me and be proud. The things I endured as a child/teen they will never go through but I will not allow myself to traumatize them in a different way by drinking and not being fully there for them. I am getting sober for myself yes but mostly for my kids. 
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I feel a bit late to the party here, but what the hell.
I’m Alan. I’m a nurse from the UK, Midlands.
I’m 52 almost now & I’ve been drinking alcohol to excess almost daily for nearly 35 years and my drinking has ruined relationships, opportunities & my finances.
I don’t think I’ve ever managed more than 14 days without getting drunk in all that time.
This is only day 2 for me, but I’m determined that this must be a permanent change from now.
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Hi Alan, welcome, it is good to read your story. I posted a couple of months ago on this thread with my story.
I had a drink on holiday recently so now on Day 13. Hope to see you around here.
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Welcome Alan! Glad you are here. I’m on day 415 of my latest effort. This one is going to stick as far as I’m concerned.
As for me - I was never a violent or abusive drunk. I did a lot of things I regret but have moved past it all over the last 20 years. There are actual entire years in the 1990s that I simply don’t recall much of. I started AA in 2001 and did really well for a few years and then slowly relapsed more and more in private and began hiding it from my family. With that came the lying and cycle of regret. I’ve ruined jobs, relationships and other things because of my drinking.
I’ve been divorced about a year. Not because of drinking - but it forced me to come to grips with my addiction and I started over with my sobriety in March of 2021. I cherish my clear head and full and unwasted days and nights and plan to never go backwards. Each day is still a struggle at times. Especially around people I love who still use excessively. But I persevere and have stayed clean.
This is a wonderful forum and I come here multiple times a day for inspiration.
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Thanks Jenny for the welcome. Though I’m in the Midlands now & have been for the last 30 years nearly, I’m from Herts originally. Maybe it was leaving that triggered my drinking! 
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Welcome Alan! Fellow nurse in his 50’s here. Telling you it can be done. It takes the right mindset that is acquired through gaining the right knowledge. And we need support from our peers. All of that is available right here. In big amounts. So you’ve come to the right place! Happy to have you aboard. Wishing you all success!
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Haha, maybe! Although am pretty sure I sometimes used to drink because of Hertfordshire
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My name is Colin 32 years old now 12 days clean been a user of painkillers for 12 years due to getting hit by a car and basically got hooked ever since also binged on alcohol cocoa one and Valium All whilst holding a job down this the second time I have really went for sobriety last time a got 8 months dedicated for it this time tho because if I don’t I never see my kids again that there is more than I have needed to stop this forum got me 8 months last time and I stopped using it and then I went down the rabbit hole a don’t aim to stop this time
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My names Eddie I’ve been sober since March 9th 2022 just trying to live not exist nothing but love to everyone im trying to make new connections and leave the old me behind
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Welcome @EddieBurke good job on your sobriety. I hope you find this forum as encouraging and supportive as i have. See you around!
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Welcome Eddie! Congratulations on your recovery! Great to have u here 
amazing group of people on this forum. If it wasn’t for this group, I honestly dont know of I’d have the clean I have today.
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Hi my names Emma I joined T. S in 2018 I made it a large part of my early recovery I’m 41 and my Main doc is herion but that list also involves methadone, I got and stayed clean in late 2018 from the support of friend, recovery meetings and of course my crazy at T. S, it was the first serious time of given it ago even though I had done countless rehabs in and out patients, after I used it took me 18 mths to fully be bk into daily active addiction, my mental health and health in general are the worst, so I’ve made a descion no expectations on my shoulders that each day I’m gona get my head on that pillow not using. I definitely can’t do this alone. It feels lovely to b bk. 
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I’m really glad ur back 
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Ah that’s so. Lovely of you too say it feels lovely to be bk takes me out of my head and into us not me mode.small steps for me this time last time I was always clock watching always having expectations I’d feel a certain way once I hit a certain goal or number so I will take what I can from last time and be aware of this big hugs sent your way. 
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Hi,
My name is Clarence. I am new to sobriety and only have 53 days under my belt (hoping many more to come). I am from Brooklyn, NY and have been dealing with alcoholism since I first started drinking. But it really got bad within the past few years as more life stress (went from being an employee of my accounting firm to now owning/running the firm) and more money to feed into my alcohol addiction.
I finally got up the courage to seek help from outside of myself and began going to AA meetings. This has honestly been the greatest life decision for me as I no longer feel alone and have a community behind me to go through the on going struggle to stay sober.
I hope we all can reach sobriety one way or another as you can truly find happiness and purpose in life without alcohol being involved.
All the best to everyone going through this.
Clarence
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Forgot about this thread and realized I never posted.
My name is Chris and honestly my DOC is more but mostly alcohol, I come from a long line of alcoholics and Insisted I was different, that it wouldn’t get me like it did the rest of my family, well obviously I was wrong.
My drinking and drugging career started at 13, trying to be one of the cool kids I had short periods of sobriety in between mostly forced. Like most of us the second I had a chance to get my hands on something I was in. This continued until I was 37
I had destroyed my life, my career my relationship with my family, I was living in a hotel room attempting to take my life, when an old girlfriend who’s a close friend of mine, reached out and said 12 years of knowing you is enough to know it’s time for change, we talked she did a bit of yelling and I listened entered detox and said it was going to be an oil change, I didn’t believe I was an alcoholic, I felt it just got a grasp on me and I just needed to get the physical dependency gone, and I could just go back to life, I entered rehab with this mentality as well, as time went on I called sobriety a temporary stay. Just to get my footing. Then I realized shit maybe I am an alcoholic my relationship ended and I ended up in sober living going to AA and such and I realized my story isn’t unique it’s just like many others who I met and struggled with substances.
I am now a little over 2 years sober, I joined TS in 2020 and seen some ups and downs since, made some friends, enjoyed some crazy zooms, and became part of a family.
I still remember my first post, and first reply was @Matt and well Matt’s posts are informative and come off as sometimes condescending I was like whoa, what a dick. Until I read it again I was like damn he’s on to something it encouraged me to stay.
I say it all the time, you come here as a stranger. But stay as family
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This cracked me up 
I’m glad you stuck around Chris, I enjoy your posts too, you’re able to take things apart and talk clearly about things, and that is helpful. Rock on 
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Welcome to Talking Sober Clarence and thanks for introducing yourself! I hope this forum can be another source of support and strength for your sobriety just like AA already is. Congrats on your 53 days, that’s no small feat my friend. Welcome again and wishing you all success.
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