Wow! As of today I’ve been sober for almost 3 months! And even though I still have some strong cravings at times (nearly always on weekends), I work through them. My strongest craving so far came on day 2 alcohol-free. Here’s what happened.
Day 1 sober went fine, and day 2 started off that way too. But as I drove back to work after an appointment, with plans to finish my day and then exercise to help me get through the night, I was suddenly ready to forget the whole thing and drink as soon as I got home. My lizard brain had started whispering:
This is impossible. You’re a drinker. It’s okay. Just have one. You’re not that bad.
Then, all of a sudden, Stevie Nicks came on the radio singing “Landslide,” one of my favorite songs, and I heard those lines:
I’ve been afraid of changin’
‘Cause I built my life around you
And I realized how terrified I was to live without alcohol. I had built my life around it in a way. I knew I was really going to have to be strong to stop, which felt overwhelming.
But I started to calm down, and then I remembered that I had joined BOOM. It calmed me more to know I could go online and read people’s stories when I got back to work, which I did. And just like that, everything shifted.
I remembered that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. I remembered that others who had felt these same fears were now happily sober and had been for months and even years!
Going sober just seemed so extreme and like it would take enormous effort, endless discipline and a steel mind for abstinence, waging an internal war every day to fight the cravings. Nobody told me I might love it so much it would be easy!
I was afraid of creating a division with my husband. Not being able to reconcile a new me with him. But now I’m almost one year alcohol free and he joined me sober in January !
When I stopped drinking after drinking for so long. The scariest thing was just the unknown. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel. Would I still be me?? And now after years sober I feel like a tower of life and light…..I have regained my heart and sight…..I’m lighter than air
There wasn’t one thing that didn’t scare me, every part was equally terrifying at the beginning… now it’s only 75% terror and 25% I got this!
Simply connecting with that community of voices meant that I was back on track.
I stayed on track. And now I’ve been alcohol-free, sober, for almost 3 months!
Overall, I am much happier this way. Not drinking at all is the only way I can be at peace about alcohol. There’s just no question in my mind that I would quickly go back to my old ways if I drank again. I know that. My dad quit for many years and then started up again and was drinking every night. I know deep down that if I kept drinking, I would be the same.
These days I drink some Diet Coke during the day (I need to quit that someday, too, but not now 😊) and sparkling water at night. That helps me, especially because my husband either drinks or smokes pot in the evenings. His habits really don’t seem to affect my determination to stay sober, though. I’m generally okay with what he does because I think we are all on our own journeys and need to come to our own conclusions. If he were getting drunk and belligerent, I would feel differently. I would only have issues with his habits if they negatively affected our relationship, and we are able to communicate when problems come up. (He is accepting and respectful of my decision to stop drinking.)
Not drinking has also allowed me the space to do a lot more reading (which I have always loved) and explore some spiritual concepts that interest me and bring me more peace.
I stopped drinking 84 days ago. At almost 3 months sober I am still at the very beginning of this new way of life, and I mean that in a good way. I feel hopeful about life after a year alcohol-free, or two years, because I am much more content this way. I have dreams about things I might like to do with my life. Some days are still hard, of course, and I worry about how I’ll feel if I get hit with a really tough life event. But my motivation to stay sober is growing.
I felt very stuck before, and now I am slowly and surely becoming unstuck.
I hope all of you in your first days or weeks of this alcohol-free journey can fight through the tough parts in the very beginning so you can get to the place where it really does start to get a little easier and a lot more hopeful.
Related reading : How do you Stop Drinking? Our Community Shares What Worked for Us
So in conclusion, I have to thank Stevie Nicks (for day 2) and all of you lovely people on BOOM (for that day and every day since). 😊
I’ve never felt so free!
How do you go Sober? ( more reading in blue titles)
B Be accountable Talk to Us We Understand
A Avoid alcohol like the plague Ideas Here
L Let yourself enjoy regular sober treats Ideas Here
A Allow yourself to cry when needed Ideas Here
N Nourish your body with good food Ideas Here
C Create happy & fun memories Ideas Here
E Enjoy the precious moments in your day Ideas Here
W Work hard to get what you want Ideas Here
O Organise things for less stress Ideas Here
R Realise you can’t control it all Ideas Here
K Keep going & prepare for success Ideas Here
S Sleep enough for body & mind rest Sleep Solutions
If you’re “sober curious” … If you are drinking too much too often and want to stop or take a break…or if you have stopped drinking and are trying to stick to sober! Talk to Us.
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