Hey guys! I have reached 12 days sober. I haven’t gone this long without a drink in probably 4-5 years. It blows my mind that I always had it in me to just put the bottle down and was too scared. In these 12 days, I learned the amazing support system I have. I learned that the feeling of FOMO was silly. I can still have fun and hang out with my friends. I even went out to the bars one night with the group and just drank pop. Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging.
I do have a fear though, and it is my upcoming Birthday. It’s in 2 weeks and I’m honestly terrified. I have not had a sober birthday since I was 14 and this will be my 24th birthday. I still want to go out and have fun that day and celebrate but I’m scared that I will slip up. I honestly wouldn’t mind one last night of partying that I can truly appreciate before recommitting to my sobriety. The thought that I’ll never drink again really sucks for me and a final night before recommitting to never drinking again would be nice. I, however, know that’s a terrible idea. It runs a lot of risks. I could end up back to where I started, in the same state of drinking every night and blacking out multiple times a week. I don’t know what to do for my birthday. Any advice?
This thinking has wasted years of my life continuing in active addiction, always rationalizing one more date, one more occasion.. I actually made a topic yesterday speaking about a future quit date that never comes. Birthdays ect.. you can find the topic through my profile as im not totally sure how to directly share the thread. Might be helpful to you if you choose to reconsider or view the idea from a different perspective. I just really noticed the way you wrote that is how i talked to myself to never really quit.
Congratulations on 12 days! Do the friends you are going to spend your birthday with know you are trying to quit? It would be good to be upfront about it if you can, or at least tell one person you are going with so they can check on how you’re doing. I think you would surprise yourself with how good of a time you can have sober. Maybe go someplace like a restaurant instead of a bar where the focus will be more on the food? Don’t focus on never being able to drink again. We stay sober just for today, one day at a time. Happy early birthday!
Hey congrats on 12 days sober! Let me ask you this. Do you regret not drinking yesterday? I’m guessing the answer is of course not, you’re proud that you didn’t drink yesterday!
I had these thoughts, it’s totally normal. The amazing thing is that it’ll turn into “The thought that I’ll never **have** to drink again”. That’s what recovery gifts you. You can give yourself an amazing birthday gift (when the day comes) by staying sober. You won’t regret it.
For now just focus on the current day, no sense in worrying about something that isn’t here yet. Best wishes to you
Just think of it as one type of beverage that you can’t have. You can drink other things, eat, talk, laugh, dance, go to places, do activities, etc.
I love my sober birthdays. No chaos, no hangover, no negotiation, no stress. Just a full day and clear memories.
