What a beautiful post. 
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I had been going to the AA Friday night men’s meeting in Burlington off and on. They have a custom at the end of the meeting of recognizing and celebrating any length of sobriety, usually expressed in days. At the time, I was twelve and a half years sober. I was using the AA Grapevine days counter, but I wanted something more. Went looking for a sobriety days counter app, and found Sober Time. Like @Lisa07, I was setting it up and found out about Talking Sober. That was in 2017, and boy am I glad I got involved with the community before COVID hit! In 2020, I ramped up my involvement with TS, as my AA meetings were curtailed to where I needed the outlet for sharing that is so readily available here.
You are all heroes, we are all blessed.
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I found Talking Sober first actually, early June 2019, googling for online peer support to help me with sobriety. Four years earlier I had quit smoking and found great peer support in a forum called Quitnet, so I already knew how powerful a tool it could be for me. As an aside, at first I joined a Dutch and an American quit smoking forum, but somehow the American one stuck. I’ve always been an Anglophile.
As to my quit date, it took me a very long time to acknowledge I had a problem with substances. I quit smoking tobacco and marijuana at the same time, after 35 years of daily use, although marijuana had gotten less through the years and was slowly replaced by ever more frequent drinking of alcohol. But smoking tobacco really was the only addiction I acknowledged. Looking back that’s totally crazy.
Anyway, I made some great friends at Quitnet and the one I grew closest to had just left after visiting me here in Amsterdam. I’ve been living alone ever since I went to live on my own age 20, and i’m totally accustomed to it but after she left I got very depressed and feeling lonely. So much so it made me bit suicidal, especially late at night after drinking alone. Or early in the morning waking up hungover. Or doing my job that felt like a dead end. Or hanging around in the bar binging three nights a week, listening to the same old banter and irritating myself crazy over it.
I had enough. I wanted out. But I knew I didn’t really want to die. I wanted to live but not like that. So at the beginning of June I decided to look for another online forum, not one just for smoking. I found Talking Sober. I joined June 2 2019. I quit drinking the same day. Then, one week later, I drank a few for one night. Thinking to myself why in the hell I did because I already felt a lot better being sober. That was the last night I drank.
For me an online forum like this was the perfect fit. I had (and still have some) problems with face to face meetings, the bigger the gathering the more so. Online there’s a filter between me and the world, I can switch of my computer or telephone when I want to. And I can write instead of talking, so I can think before I say anything (in writing).
I did go to meetings too for a while, I’ve been to AA, NA, to a secular Dutch group called de Buitenveldertgroep, and lately I’ve visited some Recovery Dharma meetings. They all have their merits and face to face meetings may in a way be better than an online forum, but this is my recovery home base. This is the place that got me through, where I made new friends, where I’m home.
It’s important to have physical contact with people, to make friends in my own community and that still is a struggle for me. But on the other hand I’ve made some fantastic friends here, all around the world. I met quite a lot of them and some have become really close. This place has saved me. I’m forever grateful to Robin for creating it and forever grateful to everybody here for being themselves and supporting me and themselves in their journeys towards a better healthier happier life. Love.
PS. I never use the app much. It has my counters, that’s about it really.
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Through google I think. The group was much smaller than now (December 2016). I learned so much from it then. All these nice normal people have the same as me! Who do you call normal said Mel, and I often think about that
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I certainly spent many years in denial about having a drinking problem ONLY because I knew how to keep my jobs and never drank and drove. Which is ridiculous when I think back on it now. There were so many other problems in my life that were a direct result of my drinking.
The biggest one was the obvious one, I was simply killing myself.
I had an awakening in June of this year when my alcoholic mother came to visit me.
I was judging her toxic behavior all the while repeating the cycle myself.
Something clicked in my mind about childhood traumas I had never acknowledged or dealt with and I knew I had to stop if I didn’t want to be like her.
I was living with a drinker at the time and I live in a small town where drinking culture is definitely at a high.
I felt alone, scared yet absolutely determined and I knew I needed to find likeminded people on a similar path.
I went to the App Store on my phone and looked up any kinds of sober community apps available and found this one.
I think this community is a huge reason for my sobriety so far and plan to keep utilizing it as I continue to build my alcohol free life.
All of you brighten my days in countless ways. 
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To tell the story of how I found myself here, we have to go way back to 2014. Like @JazzyS, I downloaded an app to help quit smoking (probably the same one). It helped, until I quit quitting.
Fast forward to 2018, I wanted to quit drinking. I remembered that quit smoking app and so I looked for one for alcohol, Sober Time caught my eye. After installing it, I entered in my quit data. While exploring the app, I found the forum. I was a little reluctant to post, so I read a while. I finally made my first post. Eventually, I relapsed and deleted the app.
5 months later, quit again, I remembered this community, so I reinstalled the app and came back. I started to share my story and interacting more with the community. I gravitated to several other members that had a similar sober date, we became pals, and even though many had moved on from TS, we still keep in touch; and with many, we’ve met up in person.
I think finding your little group is key. When I first came here, I looked up to and admired those who were approaching their first year, people like Derek, David, Scott, and Stevie, but I couldn’t relate to them and felt they probably had a hard time relating to me as I was so fresh. So I stuck the little group of newbies and we supported each other along the way. That’s what it’s all about!
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Like many others I found TS by accident. Looking for a timer to survive Dry January i downloaded the app and found this community. For a long time i was only reading as i only wanted to do January. The more i was reading and understanding what the real problem is i decided to go on after January 2019 
. Best decision ever and forever grateful for TS.
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Like many of you, I was looking for a counter app. I think I was on day 18 and having a hard time keeping track of my days. I looked for a sober counter and found this app. Didn’t realize it had a community feature right away but was so glad to find it. I read and read and read and realized my struggle was common, that there was a well paved path out of this pit of despair and that it was really hard for everyone. I was happy to no longer be alone in my journey to sobriety. We could suffer together and celebrate together.
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Thanks for the thread @Dazercat . I was on day one doing a detox at home too sick to go out to attend an AA meeting but knew for Damm sure I was going back there 
and in my pit of despair I found my home here and posted new topic . I’ve not regretted my decision for a single day (even those who have stressed frustrated and triggered me all have their place and belonging here and I am grateful for them for journeying along with me ) so many have pulled me through the tough days and I know will pull me through many more .Today I’m a very grateful recovering alcoholic and addict 
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I don’t really remember, but I think I find the sober timer first and later discovered the forum.
Anyway it is five years since now and had been to great help especialy in the first time and during the Corona Lockdowns.
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Hi I’ve just started it today. As have been drinking to much the last year. Went from 2 times a week till 3-4 times a week. And was drinking more in those days. Last drink was Sunday 5 days ago. So was looking for something to Keep me of it. As I’m going on holiday next weekend. Found it on playstore. Think just having the app for it to show you how much days you’ve been of it will help. as well as talking to others. Thanks Stevie 
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Welcome, Stevie! How did I find the Talking Sober app? I found it welcoming, and I want to keep it that way.
Here are some solid ideas for keeping sober that have worked for folks around here.
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I woke up this morning with the shame and regret that usually accompanies an alcoholic bender. I know there are local AA meetings but decided to search the Apple Store for AA and found this app.
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Welcome John.
Glad you found us.
Have a good read around. Lots of great like minded recovery people around here.
Join in when you’re comfortable.
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Thank you.
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Hi John. I’m new to this too. Been on the app about 3 days. But it seems really helpful and lot of kind people that want to help.hope you try and stick with it and it helps. All the best Stevie 
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On Google about 2weeks ago 
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I searched for a sober site when I stopped drinking around 10 months ago. I came across a few but never stuck with any of them. Recently I searched again out of boredom and loneliness. Most of my friends are hard drinkers. I’m amazed at the amount I used to drink. That’s pretty much all we had in common. One of them actually expressed disappointment when I told him I don’t drink. So I pretty much fired most of my old friends as friends😄. I’ll find new ones
I found this site and find it helpful and supportive. I hope I can help others on their journey.
That’s what keeps me coming back.
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I googled sober community.
Was previously on a different app which went downhill so I left.
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