Hello @MelB! Welcome. 
Thank you! Happy to be here! 
Welcome @MelB!! Congrats on your sobriety so far. I too need to quit smoking. I had to wait a little bit until I felt a bit stronger in my sobriety before I attempted to quit smoking. But thatās next. One thing at a time. Baby steps 
Hello All,
My name is Danielle iām 34 and iām an alcoholic and I think I have struggled with this disease, ever since the murder of my brother 11 years ago or so. Iām glad to say iām 76 days sober and hope for many more days, months, years and practice sobriety for the rest of my life. I never realized how horrible alcohol makes me feel, I hate myself when I drink, I do it so I donāt have to feel the pain, and also make horrible decisions in the process. I am choosing to break the dysfunction, I was raised around alcohol and want to stop using alcohol as a crutch. Being raised with so many alcoholicās in my life I realized, I donāt want to be miserable and I choose to be happy. Unfortunately i can not drink like a normal person and thatās ok & accept my disease. Thanks all & wish everyone success on this journey of seeking sobrierty with a whole lot of faith we can get through this. š:hugs:
6 Likes
Welcome!! Thatās an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of yourself! 
Iām sorry to hear about your brother, thatās awful 
stay strong!
2 Likes
Hello. My name is Eric and I am an alcoholic. I have known for the better part of 20 years that I have had a problem with alcohol. I have lost jobs, relationships, my freedom and the trust of my friends and familyā¦ I have multiple alcohol related arrest and have lost parental rights to my son. Through all this I still continued to drink. I have always kind of been the life of the party and canāt comprehend having fun without alcohol, life just seems so boring without it. I am now on day 10 and look forward to working on myself and moving on. That I can be happy and sober.
2 Likes
So youāve sacrificed your life in return for being the life of the party Eric.
And canāt comprehend having fun without alcohol.
Itās taken the parental rights to your son away from you and seen you arrested multiple times, friends and family donāt trust you, youāve lost jobs and relationships because of it.
And lifeās boring without it?
All your words.
Day 10 - brilliant! In what will unfortunately seem like a lifetime (maybe 60-90 days all in) youāll really have moved so far from the booze that youāll have the clarity to look back at your first post and see fully the devastation this poison has caused to you and anyone within itās radius.
I donāt say this with malice Eric, Iām just at the point now where Iām coming to terms with the wake of my implosion.
THE GOOD NEWS is that once you have that clarity you can pick yourself up and do something about it!
14 days is the next hurdle, 30, 60, 90 (one day at a time!) and then youāll really start to be free of this awful thing!
1 Like
Hi
Im Greg, soon to be 28. I had trouble childhood, my dad often beat the shā¦ out of me, while mother encoured him. And generally there was lack of any emotional support.
Ive joined neonazi gang at age of 14. The gang, lifestyle and being part of something filled the hole in my heart, as the gang was kind of a family that accepted and protected me.
As years go by I grow up to understand that im not a nazi nor racist, as well as most of hatefull ideology lack sense and are pathethic.
At age of 20 As i run off the gang, rejected all contacts and anything that was in common with this nonesense.
At some point i felt void. Something missing. It was the hate. Struct sense of rules and guidence. That thing was actually empowering me, giving sense of pride, confidence and the will to go further.
So i lost it for common sense. That was 8 years ago. And since that time i was doing whatever i can to fill the void inside me.
I started using drugs then. Loads of diffrent ones, over 350 diffrent psychoactive substances. Ive have become politoxycomaniac addict.
Ive learn with time that drugs have become substitute of close relationship with anyone (girlfriends,friends, family,life), as it is easier to escape reality through high, rather than face the reality.
Outside i seem fine, talky lad with no problems at all, yet inside im rottening with high functioning depression, anxiety, loneliness and drug addiction.
2 years ago i started thinking about some future, carrier-wise. And i actually made it to e-commerce, where im taking steps on a ladder of my carrier.
But im alienated, i dont have anyone to whom i could be true and tell who 'em I, one depressed and alienated junkie scared to get to close with anyone (thats why i ruined all potental relationships, its like if i open myself ill be able to get hurt, so i avoid even this).
I verdosed opioids couple of hours ago (surprisingly first time), and i realised i want to live.
So as being realist im not saying it is the day ive stoped doing drugs. It is a day when i started fighting the problem.
Greg
4 Likes
Yes you said right what I wanted to say! āAddiction doesnāt discriminateā
Welcome new members! and thank you for sharing your stories. 
Thanks for your question!
Iāve struggled with this; I announced my sobriety bday on FB, and the response was incredible.
I fear that attending an AA meeting at the church might make others uncomfortable. Iām concerned more about others than myself. Iām proud of being sober!
What do you think? Are my concerns valid, or am I maybe subconsciously making an excuse to not attend meetings?
1 Like
And now 19 days!!
While Iām at a year, Iām still one day at a time.
It really helped to find areas to invest my emotional energy and time; the more I think about other things the less I think about drinking.
1 Like
@Pastor_Aaron i am in no position to speak to your reasons for not attending a meeting. You know you better than anyone else. I am greatly interested in removing the stigma associated with addictions, to encourage more who are in need of help to seek the help they need rather than suffer silently for the fear of social repercussions and being viewed as a pariah. I am not questioning your intentions or actions.
1 Like
Good luck Greg
Hi Brittany, i was reading your story and it sounds like music means as much to you as it does to me, music is my soul, anytime im feeling some type of way it has ALWAYS been my outlet. Let your music be your outlet for the pain and trying times youāve had to go through. Iām also brand new here and Iām one week into my sobriety, you got this!
1 Like
Hi, my name is Susie, and I have been sober for a little over 9 years now. I am now 55 years old, and I live in Newport, NC with my husband and my 16 year old daughter. This is my second (and last) marriage. I ruined my first with drinking, and I am working part time. My older daughter lives nearby with my grandbabies, and my son only lives a few states away. I am so blessed to be some part of my kids lives, and itās thanks to the program of AA, and not drinking one day at a timeā¦
6 Likes
Very similar backgrounds, with alcohol.
Father was an alcoholic, which made life very difficult for me and my four brothers. I was the oldest and always tried to fill the fatherly role.
So, when my brother passed away under strange circumstances. I took the loss as a parent and brother very hard.
I soon became a person I hated. The drinking only temporary suspended all the pain of the loss.
I understand and relate to every word in your post. Plus, a million things more.
1 Like
Hi Iām Tony. Iām 31 and Iām an alcoholic. I got this app about a month ago as a means to an end. Iāve reset the counter 4 times already. Starting from 0 again today! I was supposed to be at work today but had to call in sick as I relapsed last night.
Iāve never gone more than a month without alcohol in my adult life- my partner doesnāt drink or do drugs (never has) I drink when shesā away usually.
I keep my drinking from people and usually drink by myself.
Iām reaching out on this forum as I have failed time and time again to cease drinking alcohol.
I would love to go more than a month sober. I achieved 30 days last year, but itās getting progressively more difficult to do this.
Anyways hello to all on your journey!
3 Likes
Welcome @MelB @Danielle_Nicole_Oval @ericG @Greg @Susie_Best55 @Antol all you beautiful people. Hereās some stuff to get you startedā¦ Let us know if you need anything. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your support and kindness melāŗ