Now I have .
Geez I didn’t think of that
Thank u!
Where do I look to choose one? I like this idea
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Here’s a link of worldwide online meetings :
And of course there’s in the rooms :
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Morning from the UK. I know your situation very well. I have done all those things. This might sound very obvious but the second you have the urge to drink do you know what feeling/emotion triggers it? (Boredom, sadness, loneliness…anger?)
You are here now so do not be hard on yourself! Xxxxx
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Thank u
This is what I can do
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I have to work on this for real this time I’ve been doing this 30 years.
Your reply just reminded me that while my family was here for my daughter’s wedding .
My aunt who drank decided to remind me again and tell me details of how my mom committed suicide.
Maybe that was why I numbed myself this week.
And my trigger seems to be fighting my night time anxiety (so I can pass out)
Now that I am back I feel like I can get deeper and learn more about why I do what I do.
Already feeling more hopeful that I will do this.
Thank u for making me think BTW Good evening from Las vegas (of all the cities to have addictions)
I totally understand what you are saying. The truth of the matter is NO ONE here (and I’ll vouch for this) drinks cos they are so happy and content with themselves. No one. You dont numb your feelings if you are happy or drink to pass out. There people out there who can sit with their feelings- so please remember you are hurting and that is a massive burden.
I personally believe that every addict should address their inner child alongside recovery - it helps to understand why you are drinking etc. 
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I hear you with how hard it is to give up but these words stuck out to me. What if you didn’t have to just “function”? What if you got to live? It’s messy and hard but so is drinking.
On the other side of alcohol isn’t bliss or joy but it is freedom. Once you can take the alcohol out of the equation the living gets simpler, not easier but more manageable. You just have to find good enough reasons and distractions to not pick that drink up. Drive a different way home, eat a whole pizza or cake but don’t choose alcohol. Find your reasons, make a plan and get down to the recovery portion of living. Keep at it. I wish you all the best.
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Thank u much needed words to wake up to thus morning
Yes! I needed this!
I already know I’m going to make it today . Love your insight
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We’re here if you need us. 
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Hey Justme. I’m glad your here. I was the quintessential functional drunk. Isn’t it exhausting? Now I look back. It was the most exhausting thing in the world. And you got to be perfect. If you’re not perfect. You can’t drink all the time. So you got to be more than functional. You got to be the best. At least that’s how it was for me.
When I first found this app 29 months ago, all I did was gratitude work every day. Right here Daily Gratitude List. Gratitude The Air Of Recovery
Gratitude can have such a powerful impact on your life because it engages your brain in a virtuous cycle. Your brain has only so much power to focus its attention. It cannot easily focus on both positive and negative stimuli.
After awhile I got comfortable and started participating more in the forum.
Gratitude works.
I hope to see you around.
In recovery, we either learn to be grateful, or we don’t last.
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That nailed it exactly.
I do feel pretty exhausted from the "functioning alcoholic " I Said bye to that nut .
Thank you almost a full day in thus evening.
I definitely will use that gratitude list will start right
away.
After coming on here I have received so many new helpful tools and resources I already feel busy with recovery .
Thanks friend
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Man you sound just like me. I am on day 16 right now and you’re going to have to get over a hop but it’s much much better once you do!
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Thank u this advice here is valuable and good timing my friend.
Slumping in the couch and I’m up and get ready to attempt a cheerful walk around the nearby park
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Congratulations on your day 16!
Last night was extremely hard for me , I just want the withdrawals to go away soon so I can work on my next steps.
Thankful I still have my job because it is a very good job and I have lost so many from calling out sick “aka” hungover.
When I am hungover I just say “fuck it” keep sleeping its a no call no show !! Ugh!
I need to make it to day 7 because I remember that was the day when things started to clear out and less foggy sick feelings.
We just have to not drink no matter what right !
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Half way through day one!
It’s 2:30 vegas time and I just managed to get out of bed , brush my hair and apply alittle makeup .
LOTS of anxiety knowing I won’t and can’t drink today.
I have today and tomorrow off to build up some strength . Work things I had covid so I have to tell another lie and play along with it when I go back Sunday!!( I am sure most users know we’ll to good how well we can lie) BUT I plan not to be hungover when I go to work yay!
Plan today is walk, the groceries and stock up on kombucha and sparkle waters.
I just have to get through the store with no alchohol in my cart. And I plan to!!
I am literally so pissed off at myself and so sick of feeling sick and screwing up things that I am done!! Done I will be pep talking myself all through this day and checking it.
Thankful for this app
Also trying online meetings for the first time sounds really neat
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My pleasure.
This is what we do here.
Another great thread is the Daily Check In thread. It’s a good one to check in to hold yourself accountable and get and give support.
It’s way too hard going alone.
Oh, and don’t even think about going down that Booze isle. You walk right by that shit.
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When i was just starting with my sobriety i came here often read alot and just kept coming back. I have to remember all the negative emotions and different bad situations that i been in because of my alcohol consumption, keeps me from romanticizing using or going back the the toxic relationship ive had with excessive drinking and drugging. It takes alot of work but its possible to break from the chains of addiction alot of us here are proof just 1 day at a time. Your here starting your journey thats a good start, stick around and get comfortable, ask for help if you need someone to give suggestions of how to deal with certain triggers, events, or just to celebrate the day being sober. 
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Hello! You can do this. Just like you got to be really good at drinking, you can get really good at leaving it behind.
I was at about the same spot as you, 30 years of high functioning alcoholism. So good at it that I was miserable and didn’t even know why. I finally got so irritated with the control that booze had on me that I decided to take on sobriety for my next “high-functioning” project.
I read books about the brain science of alcoholism. I read books by people similar to me. (Professional women with dysfunction in their families- yes, I’m the daughter of an alcoholic pedophile who finally ended all our misery by suicide).
Also, I made a hard-core decision that I would not let that trauma and dysfunction control my life any longer. I got angry enough to put my foot down.
I told people close to me that I have decided to be done with booze. Most of my people have been great. And once I made the decision and told my people, well now I am working on the identity of being a person who doesn’t drink.
The first few weeks were very challenging. I had to concentrate hard on attending to myself. I substituted other comfort and sensory routines for the times I craved the drinks. These included hot showers, long walks with favorite music, deep breathing, checking in on this app. I kept reading books about people coming through this.
I added vitamin supplements and worked hard on better sleep habits. I reduced stress by selecting to avoid some triggering situations. I journaled regularly and interacted a lot in this forum.
I work on gratitude every day. Even with all the hard things that have happened in my life, I am strong and I deserve to be happy. I’m doing much better at taking care of my body and mind.
It’s been 7 months now and the cravings are becoming less frequent each week. I’ve added exercise back into my life and permission to have “play” in my life. It’s like I’m going back and taking care of the little girl I once was, the one who figured out how to grow up and out of her family and didn’t get to really be much of a kid.
Of course I still think about drinking frequently. It’s a huge part of our culture and was a big part of my life. But I’m so much calmer and feel truly free since I decided to leave it behind me forever. I tried moderation strategies for years and just wasted a lot of time and energy on negotiation with myself and my addicted brain.
The book that probably helped me the most was This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. Her down to earth explanations of the brain science made sense to me and helped me make the decision on my own to break up my relationship with alcohol.
I hope you can find your way to freedom. It is an amazing journey and a gift you can give to yourself. After all you’ve been through, please take the best care of yourself that you can. You deserve to be happy and safe.
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My mind started having thoughts again! And I found a Hammond Organ I have a garage sale for super cheese and that’s all it should. But I didn’t drink! How are you doing?
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