Hi Emily and welcome! I too have had periods of sobriety and know how good I’ve felt during those times. I had 10 years sober from 1995 to 2005. Went back to drinking until last January when I went to treatment and had 3 months sober. Since then I’m right back at where I was before treatment. I drink/drank 2 bottles of wine 5-6 days a week. I was on this site before and just came back. This is my first 24 hours and I feel like crap! I’m drinking a lot of water and will take the weekend to be sick (headache, blurred vision, foggy head) and string another 24 hours together. We can do this!!!
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Welcome. First you are incredible and courageous for saying these things and quitting. For me coming here to admit my issues with alcohol abuse and inability to moderate was freeing. I can relate to your statement that this time it’s for you and your decision. Someone here recommended for me to read Quit Like A Woman. I did and I highly recommend it. It’s changed my entire perspective. If you want to chat I’m here.
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10 years sounds amazing. If you’ve done it once, you can do it again. I would love to be able to say 10 years!
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I will check that book out. thank you!
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Hi and welcome,
Glad you found this app and the people in it.
First weeks are hard but you are doing it and if you push trough you never have to go trough this again. My addiction is alcohol too and I’m sober for more then 2 years now with the help of this app.
See you around! 🙋
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Welcome @Eleven17
Congratulations on day 4 or 5 now?
Looks like you already got some good advice for some awesome people. We’re glad you’re here. For what it’s worth my 2 favorite threads are
https://talkingsober.com/t/daily-gratitude-list/77723/1960
I drank lots of sparkling water my first few weeks from my favorite wine glass. Lots and lots of sparkling water.
I hope to see you around. Your worth it and we’re stronger in together.
It really is just one day at a time.
Just for today.
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Wow I can’t believe you managed to run ultra marathons whilst your body was being put thru all the alcohol.
…I used to drink a bottle of wine late at night and then meet a biking group in the morning and go a few miles, have no idea how my body did it, I was probably still drunk at the beginning of the ride. Makes me feel ill now just thinking about it.
You’re life and body is going to improve so much, these bad initial bits won’t go on forever.
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We can do it!!!
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Hi,
This is my first post, I’m on day 7, I thought by now I would feel great and I so feel better than I normally would on a Saturday morning, normally by now I would have had a pint of whiskey and a few beers waiting on the liquor store to open.
We can do this! I’m 54 years old and have drank since I was 18, somehow i made a career and have some nice things but I’m standing on the razor’s edge, I’m here reading and still shaking but we can do this!
This site will help I believe.
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Thank you @Dazercat. As of this morning, I completed 4 days and now beginning day 5. I never want to go through that again. I’ve been drinking at least 4 liters of water a day and still thirsty. And yes, sparkling water is my new best friend! And gum!
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@Eleven17 @VLM @LarryL This is great you have all found each other right now bc none of us have to do this alone, none of us have to feel like this again if we don’t want to. Stick with the winners and read all the advice you need, reach out when times get tough, BEFORE NOT AFTER, all we can do for you after the Pick up is give you a pat on the back but reach out before and we might just save a life. Talk to each other bc what you are feeling is what they are feeling, your not different your not special or the one who’s not that kind of alcoholic, You can all do this just remember it’s always only 24 hours and recovery is a We program not a me program. I wish you all the best on your journey. 
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Thank you @SoberWalker. I definitely do not want to go through this again. My husband celebrated my first 3 days of sobriety by planning a weekend vacation up north! So here I am up north enjoying sober time with my family playing in the pool with my kids instead of drinking on the pool deck watching from a distance. 
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7 days is fantastic @LarryL! Definitely something to be proud of! Yes, let’s do this together 
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I’m mad at myself. So I ask. 3 weeks of no alcohol and 21 days feeling pretty good reading as and then bam. Right back to it 5of 6 drinks. Feeling crappy. But never give up!
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Thank you @Badger! I dont know how I did it either. I am training for my first 100 miler and know I can do it if I stop drinking. What are you training for? Any bike races coming up?
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Thank you so much @Dolse71! It helps you all are here and feels better knowing Im not alone. Its a WE process, not a ME process. Love it.
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I empathize so much with your situation. I was drinking about a fifth of vodka a day up to about two weeks ago. (Drinking heavily for last 10 yrs or so, just turned 35.) I’ve tapered off and quit quite a few times, and the process is excruciating. In fact I have a whole routine which involves about three days of hell, while I drink small amts in wider spread time margins to stave off shakes and I suppose seizures. This also involves horrific dreams/hallucinations, racing heartbeat, insane night sweats, paranoia, depression etc. I’m now 5 days completely sober, and feel infinitely better. For me, getting past day three is the hardest. What helps me through the scariest part of this is mentally is to remember that I’m not in fact going crazy, it will pass, it will be shitty only temporarily. Also, it helps me to keep a podcast of humorous book constantly playing to kind of give my brain something less scary to focus on, even while trying to sleep. Obviously this is not medical advice, just my honest experience, wanted to let you know you’re not alone. I’m rooting for you, you sound like a tough lady!
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Thank you, it’s nice to know we are not alone, that someone understands us because normal people dont!
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We got this together!!!
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remember you said this bc there will be times you’ll look for sympathy and they won’t give it, there will be times you will want understanding and you won’t get it, there will be times you will think ‘Hey look at me, look how well I’m doing’ and no one will praise you, there will be times when you think everyone around you is changing but in fact only your perception of life is changing, they are exactly the same they have always been. Yeah, who wants to be normal anyway. Once you’ve found true sobriety you’ll never be normal, it’s far better than that.
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