Get Started on Staying Sober Today

Sober? How Did I Get HERE?

I often wonder, “How did I get here?” “How did I get to the point where I needed to stop drinking completely?” I think to answer that, it is important to ask, “How did I start?”

I grew up in a conservative Catholic home where the mantra was literally “children should be seen and not heard.” We had a formal living room with sofas we couldn’t sit on. It was a general rule that if we had fun today, we shouldn’t have fun tomorrow. I don’t know if that rule was the Catholicism talking, or the stoic Midwest attitude?

I believe my parents did the very best with what they knew and how they were raised. We were always provided for and loved. We were never physically abused. Yet, there was always this unexplainable darkness in my home. The air always felt heavy. I found myself spending a lot of time at my friend’s houses as a kid.

My parents were not drinkers. Dad would have the occasional beer, but Mom was very anti-alcohol. Why? Because her parents were daily drinkers, I think?

I LOVED my grandpa with all my heart. My grandparents had a lake cabin and my sister and I would stay with them a couple of weeks every summer. He would take me fishing, let me drive the pontoon, and make us root beer floats. Their cabin had a revolving door with friends constantly dropping by. It was bright, cheery, and fun. The air was light.

Every afternoon, like clockwork, they would open up the pine cabinet over the refrigerator and pull out a plastic bottle of scotch. (Only later in my life did I realize they drank cheap booze.) They’d have three or four, maybe more (I didn’t count), and that was happy hour. Oftentimes, friends would drop by, and the drinks, laughter, and conversation would just flow. I thought it was incredible! I don’t ever remember them drinking anything else after happy hour? I do recall grandpa getting glassy-eyed and a little louder every once in a while.

My very first beer was on that lake. My buddy and I were fishing on the pontoon. We were around 14 years old. We looked down in the water to see the glimmer of a six-pack that had fallen off someone’s speedboat. I dove down to the bottom to get it. It tasted horrible!! But we pushed on, and soon a warm, new feeling surrounded us. I was hooked.

—So, that’s the innocent beginning of my not-so-illustrious drinking career. It helps me immensely to write this down. It’s a piece of the puzzle. I desperately wanted to escape my conservative Catholic upbringing, and drinking alcohol (among other things) seemed to be a way out. As I’m spending more and more time AF, I’m finally starting to address and come to peace with these feelings. Dealing with the root of the problem is so important in figuring out how to make the change I’m looking for. This would not be possible if I were still drinking.

Everyone has their own story.

Think about yours. It could be about your first drink, or it could be the reason you started drinking more. Answering the question, “How did I get here?” can be a powerful tool in figuring out, “How do I get out?”

Start today by joining us in Boom and writing a bit of your story.

There is no one tool I know of that makes sober stick, aside from sharing your thoughts with compassionate people who live the reality of it every day. In Boom, I’ve watched us evolve. I’ve watched us relapse. I’ve been so confident of my alcohol-free life that I’ve thought, why can’t you just figure it out?

And then it became me again who slipped and slid… It’s humbling…..to the core!

I wish there were an easy path.

There isn’t! Some of us figure out sooner than others how to make it last longer, but in reality, we’re all just a drink away from opening that door. A door that is culturally not only accepted, but encouraged!

EVERYONE here on Boom is a warrior, and I’m so proud to know every one of you!! I mean that with all my heart and with the utmost respect. We’ve decided, each and every one of us, that our relationship with alcohol must change and we’re fighting our asses off to make that happen.

Alcohol is insidious. It slowly changes our perception of ourselves to that of a person watching their own demise. It has promised me so much, but in reality delivered so little.

Remember…..each and every day AF is a victory!!

I am reminding myself of that right now.

I promise to be 100% AF today, and I sure hope you can join me.

How Much Wine is too Much ?

If you are drinking too much too often maybe we can help.

WHO ARE WE?

Online Community Support to Stop Drinking – BOOM!

How to Participate in our Boom Rethink the Drink community

check in – Daily Check in Posts
read in BOOM – Advice from all of us for your first 30 days sober
read in Boozemusings –30 posts for 30 days To Help You Quit Drinking
write – How Posting in the BOOM Community can help you Rethink the Drink
respond – A Question a Day for 31 Days to help You Quit Drinking
discuss – A Book Club About Much More Than Quit Lit
support – There is no “Quick Fix” – Community is the Cure

How do you go Sober?

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

One response to “Get Started on Staying Sober Today”

Anonymous

June 29, 2025

This:
“It helps me immensely to write this down. It’s a piece of the puzzle. … As I’m spending more and more time AF, I’m finally starting to address and come to peace with these feelings. Dealing with the root of the problem is so important in figuring out how to make the change I’m looking for. This would not be possible if I were still drinking”

Right. Me too.
I must remain AF to be able to continue to figure it out. Clear eyes – deep heart. Another both/and reality – to love those who raised us, and to also not love so much the dark stuff that raised them. Freedom does take some effort and detective work.

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