Welcome to Talking Sober! 2023 update!

Hello :wave: and welcome :hugs:

With more than 49,000 topics, 1.6 million posts and 38,700 members, it can be hard to know where to start. This topic has been put together to help you with that.

We are people from all over the world who are working out how to do life sober - from alcohol, other drugs, sex and love addictions, self harm . . . we all have different stories and are at different places in our journey, but we are all here today and thatā€™s what matters!

First and foremost, please take a few minutes to familiarise yourself with the forum rules and guidelines:

Remember that the forum, and therefore anything you post except in private messages (or certain categories like the lounge - more on this later!) is available for anyone on the internet to find. Bear this in mind with your username, profile information and any other details you wish to post. Find out more about the forum at About - Talking Sober - Addiction Recovery Forum & Support Group

Your Talking Sober active moderators are @Eke @Its_me_Stella @Lisa07 @Misokatsu @Mno @SassyRocks @Thirdmonkey and @siand. Our role here is to help keep things running smoothly, keep the forum tidy and review flags, etc. If you see something that you think is not in the spirit of the forum guidelines, please flag it!

To contact us directly, send a private message to @moderators. Please note, that tagging @moderators in a post does not work . . . only in a PM. You can tag us each individually in a post.

The frequently asked questions thread has a collection of some really useful topics and questions that pretty much all of us have asked or thought about at one time or another. Some of the posts are quite old but there is some great content there. We highly recommend reading thru theseā€¦

Some other helpful infoā€¦

Keeping the forum tidy

With nearly 11,000 active members using the forum each month and numbers going up all the time, keeping the forum tidy helps everyone find and make the most of the support thatā€™s here. There are a few things you can do to help!

  1. Use the search bar :mag: in the top right before you create a new topic - you might find someone has recently asked the same question as you. Joining active conversations is a brilliant way of building a network here quickly, as well as getting the benefit of the information that has already been offered.
  2. When you do create a new topic, use the categories and think about adding a tag. This helps people find other conversations and community they relate to, as well as avoiding subjects they may find triggering or traumatic.
  3. Lots of people like to use the forum as a type of journal, checking in regularly to keep track of their progress and get support along the way. Please keep any journal type posts to one topic, rather than creating new check in posts every day.
  4. Those with Regular status (trust level 3) can add tags and categorise topics to other peopleā€™s posts, this is encouraged.

Posting while under the influence - Seeking Help

Posting while under the influence or while actively using is against forum rules. Moderators and members with ā€˜Regularā€™ status can move these posts to the Seeking Help category, or you can opt-in to this category if you would like to support those struggling with active addiction. These posts will not show up on the main forum.

More about the moderators

The moderator team are volunteers and members here too, seeking and receiving help in our own journeys through sobriety. We do not read all posts and rely on the community to help keep things ticking along. Helpful info for new members

Trust levels and ā€˜the loungeā€™
When you join the forum, the functionality available to you is limited. The more you participate, the more you are able to do here. Note that the easiest way to increase your trust level is to read lots, which is also likely to be pretty useful for your sobriety! When you achieve Regular status (Trust Level 3) you get access to the lounge which is a category that is not visible on the main forum.

Respecting personal boundaries

The connections we forge here, often while we are at our most vulnerable, can feel incredibly close. This is of course one of the amazing things about the forum, the support that we all give and receive, but it does occasionally lead to emotional entanglements that may not break the rules but can be difficult to deal with. We are all adults and free to make our own choices, but it is something to be aware of when entering into conversations, particularly via private message. Respecting personal boundaries in recovery

One of the best pieces of advice I see here (and give) often is to read, read and read some more. You might be surprised at how much you can relate to someone on the face of it very different from you, or you might find just the answer youā€™re looking for.

Keep checking in and reach out whenever you need to :pray: :sparkling_heart:

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Roll call! NB. if you post an introduction thread as a new topic, it may be moved here by one of the moderators :slight_smile: (see ā€˜Keeping the forum tidyā€™ in the OP)

(Original 2021 Roll Call here)

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To get started on sobriety, I recommend these two threads ::


And

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I suggest everyone bookmark this thread! It has so much helpful info!!

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Mental health and addiction often go hand in hand. This thread is so wholesome and lovely.

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This post has been a go to for me. For our new members, figure out how to bookmark posts and start building your own sober toolbox. Reference it often. It helps!

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Calling all forum friends! We have been tasked with bumping this thread with some favorite posts or anything that could help a new or returning member (+me!) And try to keep it bumped regularly. Help us out if you can. @anon27760155 youā€™re amazing.

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Not for the faint of heart, but it works for me.

Continuing the discussion from Truth and tough love:

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And the updated version

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Lots of stories here from people with more than a year sober:

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One of the best things you can do for accountability here is keep checking in! The daily check in thread is for exactly that. Update on your numbers, your struggles and success, and celebrate with others or cheer them on when they need a lift.

Checking in daily to maintain focus #50

Note that the maximum limit for replies on a topic is 2,500 so there will be new daily check in threads through the year!

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This is one of the topics in the frequently asked questions about sobriety thread linked to in the OP, but itā€™s good and worth posting again!

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So you want to work on your physical recovery?

People ask a lot about weight loss. In recovery, especially around substance use, itā€™s a complicated thing. It depends on our habits before and after getting sober. But for sure a more attainable goal once we get our heads screwed on straight! And a worthy way to pass sober time.

Here are a few currently active, fitness-related threads if youā€™re interested in sharing your health journey or looking for tips/accountability!

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Some more wholesomeness!

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Sober weekendsā€¦ Hang out here!

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What to do with all that time and money that sobriety has given you?

Lots of ideas here if you need inspiration, or share what keeps you busy :blush:

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A helpful tipā€¦if you want a thread you started deleted and cannot delete it yourself via the trashcan at the bottom of the opening postā€¦instead of flagging yourself, send a private message to @moderators asking us to delete it.

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For anyone with any length of sobriety, but especially for those in their first few weeksā€¦ Working out how to live with a partner who drinks can be tough!

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Feeling amazing in early sobriety? Amazing! But good to be aware of the ā€˜pink cloudā€™ā€¦

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This just popped up on my feed and itā€™s a great resource so dropping it in here:

How it works physical - Roadmap to recovery

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