I hit 10 days today, but I drank 2 beers yesterday while at the pub for 8 hours, peer pressure. I honestly don’t feel like I’ve relapsed though. First of all, I didn’t chug the two beers right away and then continue to like 7 or 10 like I would and second of all, didn’t feel like drinking again today. I don’t feel like I’ve “fallen off the wagon” and need to get back up, I feel like I just drank 2 beers at a party and that’s it, not that I plan on doing it again any time soon.
I sorta see the counter as something that counts how long I’ve been sober and not drinking excessively, not necessarily a single drink or such (even though I still know I should avoid it). Does that make any sense? How have all of you handled it?
I think if you dont reset there will always be a little part of your mind that says its okay to keep dabbling. The longer you dabble the closer you will come to the black outs.
I am a real alcoholic though and I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt thay one beer, one anything would take me right out and maybe never make it back.
I agree you could be tempted to have one or two again and them boom the ticking time bomb will go off. That’s how it worked with me anyway.
You’re fine so reset and keep going, but given you’ve had alcohol you were not sober.
Learn to resist peer pressure. Were people really pressuring you or were you imagining a lot of irony in your head? Often we make things out to be worse in our heads than they really are and most people couldn’t care less or don’t even notice you are not drinking.
I had two beers the first time I quit drinking last spring. It was after a race with some friends. (I am usually a wine drinker) I told the group in my IOP when checking in the next day and they told me I had to reset. I was so surprised. I didn’t get drunk, it was certainly not my drink of choice.
Now it makes so much sense to me. Just having one or two doesn’t count toward our days of sobriety. It is too easy just “to have one” if we didn’t reset. And if we keep having one or two, soon we will be right back to drinking the way we used to. Happened to me.
I didn’t reset after my first screw up, I felt the same as you. But I reset Friday when I messed up again- I realized I was kind of lying to myself by not resetting. Now I have a true measure of me sober days. The last 24 are now Just a memory😣
Do what you want. But when I relapse I reset my counter. Because if I don’t reset the counter had no meaning anymore and I would relapse more easily. It’s also a lie to yourself and the little voice in your head would say: you can drink tonight and still be “sober”
Do what you feel is best for YOU. Its your quit. Let’s be honest, 2 beers is kinda like responsible drinking and most ppl on here probably couldn’t just have 2 beers and write it off, myself included.
The question is, what is your goal for your quit. Is it total abstinence? Then reset. Honesty to yourself is crucial.
It was very literal pressure, I have a few close people who don’t really believe it’s a problem and think I’m overreacting cause ‘they are doing it and they are fine, we’re still young’ (we’re 25). I will have to learn to handle them better.
Honestly, I thought I would feel fine, but I feel guilty, I do. I didn’t have a clear goal like total abstinence but I just knew I had to stop being either drunk or hungover day in and day out. Even though I didn’t keep drinking and even felt pretty much okay, I still feel that the number on the counter is not earned, so I will reset it after all. Thank you for the advice ️
Your chips have bad mojo on them now. Reset. Move forward and start collecting a fresh set.
Progress, not perfection. Keep coming back.
When we reset the whole group benefits and grows stronger!
Plus, where else can this type of honesty be celebrated and cherished?
Slippery slope, in my opinion. It’s like when I started “taking the dog out for a walk” and would chug 2 beers while I was out back then hide them in the garbage so when I came in, I was still on my 1st or second beer as far as my wife knew. People in this forum only know what you choose to share with us…but using my previous example, I always knew when I was 4-5 beers deep…and guess what, my wife isn’t stupid, she could tell as well. But to each, her or his own. My only input to this conversation would be, I used different online counters in the past to just try to self-regulate, not to quit. Moderation is one thing and it’s wonderful if you can moderate…but chances are, you have come to this place because u cannot or have difficulty with moderating.
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