Newly sober and struggling - advice wanted

It certainly does ! :slight_smile:
Just stay focussed… read a lot on here, lots of experience to benefit from.

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Thank you!
I’ve been reading a lot and this community is awesome.
I realise the first few days/weeks are the hardest, but I’m so determined! Drinking became a sort of ‘hobby’, it’s a case of changing habits.

Appreciate the support Fargesia! :slight_smile:

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I enjoy reading people’s tips. I’m also a newbie here, so not much advice to give… but hi! And good luck.

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Welcome to the sober family! This community is a huge factor why i have 66 days free from weed and alcohol. You can pick your rock bottom. At my lowest i was drinking excessively, feeling stuck, suicidal. But deciding to live sober one day at a time (ODAAT) Im finding joy and a stronger will. Stick around!

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Good Morning,
Welcome, I am in early sobriety I just started last month. I have been sober for 23 days now.
I too feel like drinking became a hobby. My daily to do after work and before bed time.
The first week was tough and I secluded myself to the comfort of my home and my sheets Lol.
It worked though I made it past that first week.
This app too has been one of my biggest tools.
I feel that if you truly want this and make it a priority coupled with reaching out and sharing you can be successfully. It gets better. a lot better. Not to mentioned the sober mornings we all love those here.
ODAAT :butterfly:

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I am a recovering drug addict but addiction is addiction,right? I feel certain that if I got myself on the right track after 54 years of using most everything the last 20 serious opiate addiction.then anyone can.Are you going to meetings? I do not do 12 step but have respect for the program it does work well.
It’s a known commodity def works if you work the steps. I had a friend staying with me and took him to a meeting last Saturday and the folks there inspired me.
I am in a S.M.A.R.T. recovery group (self management and Recovery Training). Same goal,sobriety. Today I mark 73 days clean and sober. One thing I have done is replace my bad habits with good ones. Exercise,meditation,healthy eating, and much to my surprise reaching out to new people. Hang in there I know it may sound trite but take it one hour one day at a time. It willl get easier.

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We are glad you are here. Keep sharing and reading. I have 3 days but had over 5 years …. So long term sobriety is possible but also very delicate. For me, I need to be grateful for one day clean and sober at a time and be willing to become part of a community. All the best to you :heart:

Welcome! I’m on Day 4 sober from alcohol. Drinking was my hobby too, and I drank to excess every day. I’m slowly trying to find new distractions and ways to relax. It is hard this first week. But we are strong and can do it!

Hey! This app is very helpful! Stay consistent and take a look around! We are here to help!! I just hit 10 days today and I feel amazing. The people on here are family and we will support you through your sobriety❤️

Welcome to this great sober community Forman.
I am pretty active on here getting and giving support and doing my gratitude list every morning.
Have a good read around.

Join in when your comfortable.
:pray:t2::evergreen_tree::blue_heart:

What I have found is that I will have good and bad days. I am a binge drinker so my cravings hit me at weird times. I joined this site because it’s a safe place and very relatable. I started journaling because literally every therapist I ever had told me to do this. I also removed myself from social media. Who needs to see how happy everyone is, all the time. Not possible and when you’re struggling, it can be a trigger. I’m also very open and honest with my family and friends. That builds support. I appreciate the support received here. One day, moment, second at a time. Best of everything!!

here’s some stuff that helped me idk if it’ll help you but i hope it does!

  1. write down the reason(s) why you became sober on sticky notes and put it places where you’re gonna see it. such as the bathroom mirror, the fridge, or even your phone background

  2. get rid of any alcohol in your home and if you can’t do that then put it so it’s out of sight. you’ll still want to drink but i find it easier when I don’t see any bottles nearby

  3. pick up a new hobby. gardening, yoga, woodworking, just something to keep you occupied. it helps get rid of the urge when you’re spending a lot of time learning a new skill

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I’m quite the same. I become a lunatic on grog. It’s safer for me to do hard drugs than alcohol and that’s a scary thought. I hate myself drunk, and so does everyone else.

On day 5 ATM. No drugs, no booze, no vape, Just work, food, my antis, and nicotine inhaler.

Does it get easier? I’m asking myself the same thing.

Look at all the sober or in recovery people. They seem much happier and healthier. I strive to be a long term sober person, I hope you can be too.

I feel depressed when I think about starting something new? :frowning:

Cmf so good to see that I’m not the only one who has been sober for a good while before the demons got his clues back in. Any advice right now would be amazing I feel like the 3.5 years were all for nothing. All people see is that I failed. I know I will feel better when the alcohol is completely out of my system it’s only day three but right now I feel totally worthless

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Hey sorry to hear your are struggling. Just know that the 3.5 years you had are certainly not for nothing. You can build on that experience and recall how good you felt to be clean and sober after 2 years, 3 years … even 6 or 8 months! You still have the mind of a sober and clear headed person and you can get back to stability earlier than you were able to in the past. You know what worked and what didn’t. Trust yourself and the lessons you’ve learned. And now you have this experience, just like I do, to help yourself and others. Best wishes!

Thank you so much for your advice. I’m struggling to understand why I did it. I can only come up with I don’t feel like I deserve to be proud of myself. Or deserve the love and respect of my family

This was me for quite some time, even in early recovery. You are worth it. You are infinitely loved. I started to accept this as I participated fully in recovery. ODAAT.

You do deserve love and respect and support from your family and others. But most of all from yourself. I’ve experienced similar self talk and have found therapy, meditation, journaling, and support groups like this one to be really helpful.

And sometimes there is no answer as to why - and we can simply accept that it is/was and then we can see how we can learn and grow from the experience. You have this opportunity now.

Congratulations! I’m proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself! Not only does it get easier, it gets better, and better to the point where you just wonder why you didn’t do this years ago hang in there!