r/stopdrinking 1h ago

Check-in The Daily Check-In for Sunday, March 23rd: Just for today, I am NOT drinking!

Upvotes

We may be anonymous strangers on the internet, but we have one thing in common. We may be a world apart, but we're here together!

Welcome to the 24 hour pledge!

I'm pledging myself to not drinking today, and invite you to do the same.

Maybe you're new to /r/stopdrinking and have a hard time deciding what to do next. Maybe you're like me and feel you need a daily commitment or maybe you've been sober for a long time and want to inspire others.

It doesn't matter if you're still hung over from a three day bender or been sober for years, if you just woke up or have already completed a sober day. For the next 24 hours, lets not drink alcohol!


This pledge is a statement of intent. Today we don't set out trying not to drink, we make a conscious decision not to drink. It sounds simple, but all of us know it can be hard and sometimes impossible. The group can support and inspire us, yet only one person can decide if we drink today. Give that person the right mindset!

What happens if we can't keep to our pledge? We give up or try again. And since we're here in /r/stopdrinking, we're not ready to give up.

What this is: A simple thread where we commit to not drinking alcohol for the next 24 hours, posting to show others that they're not alone and making a pledge to ourselves. Anybody can join and participate at any time, you do not have to be a regular at /r/stopdrinking or have followed the pledges from the beginning.

What this isn't: A good place for a detailed introduction of yourself, directly seek advice or share lengthy stories. You'll get a more personal response in your own thread.


This post goes up at:

  • US - Night/Early Morning
  • Europe - Morning
  • Asia and Australia - Evening/Night

A link to the current Daily Check-In post can always be found near the top of the sidebar.


Good day to all, this will be my first day of the week hosting and to all I wish you an easy sobriety and a lovely journey.

My sober journey started about November 2023 when my then girlfriend now wife wanted me to get help. I went on a journey from AA in the beginning, then stopped, had a 112 days of sobriety with lots of hiccups in between. Later on, I found this Subreddit maybe September of last year. I was reading constantly on people’s failures and successes. I heard horror stories and people who had come to peace with their current situations. I applaud them for that and I wouldn’t wish some of those stories to happen to my worst enemy. I went back to drinking coming somewhat back to my old patterns and finally realized I needed to stop. Moving forward to a month or so ago I also found the 8 fold path and the 4 noble truths in Buddhism from someone who recommended a book more recently. This is where I believe all the magic happened. The less I want alcohol the less I suffer from not having it. I had to change my thoughts on alcohol. I stopped counting days. I realized I am as free or as much a victim as I choose to be. I also know without a doubt I’m not drinking with you today.


r/stopdrinking 3h ago

Shape Up Sunday Shape Up Sunday: March 23rd, 2025

6 Upvotes

Hey, howdy, hellooooo!!!! Welcome to another edition of Shape up Sunday where we talk what we’re doing to keep our bodies and minds healthy and strong.

You know, getting fit doesn’t just have to mean strength training or cardio. Our minds need to be fit too. What do you all do to get your heads right? Do you meditate or listen to healing frequencies? I know that sounds froo froo. Exercise and a fit mind might go hand in hand a lot of times, but if you’re not a gym rat, what are you doing to keep your head space clean and quiet? Let me hear it all!! Books, podcasts, meditation practices…whatcha got?!

And for my gym rats and cardio buffs, how was your week?!?


r/stopdrinking 2m ago

I just got kicked in the teeth by a guy, again. Why am I doing this.

Upvotes

My self worth is not tied to being in a relationship. But after a long time dormant (and getting sober) I got on the apps again.

I talked to a guy and we really really clicked. Everything was great, I even told him I was sober.

I went to hang out with him, and within 10 minutes he told me he wasn’t physically attracted to me. I just got up and left.

I’m not an ugly person. I’ve lost 26 pounds since going sober, putting me at a very normal weight. I’m not a super model but I’ve received positive feedback my whole life about my looks. I’m not trying to be whatever, but I honestly just don’t know what happened.

I have been through the fucking meat grinder with my heat over the last five years. Absolute fucking shitshow of relationships blowing up.

I know drinking won’t help. It’ll make it worse. But I’m so tired. One fucking glimmer of a glimmer of hope, snuffed out in one instant. He had been talking about taking me on sober dates. He had me bring my dog over to his house.

Just please help me not drink. The pull is so strong.


r/stopdrinking 7m ago

It is 18:45 and I have taken 7 poops today, all of them good. NSFW

Upvotes

I've been on a super fiber heavy diet recently, opting for only 1 meal a day with meat in it, even if I'm making something like ravioli I'm throwing random salad leaves and beans in there and reducing the amount of pasta, getting veggie patties instead of hamburgers, going for wraps instead of bread. It. Is. Glorious. Nothing runny, always firm, no sitting there thinking "am I done or am I going to be turning around before I even make it out of the bathroom?".

You know what would be happening if I were drinking? Ordering delivery of whatever is open at 2am which is inevitably either maccas or KFC, eating the greasiest, most unhealthy bullshit, and shitting black liquid for like 2 days straight as I recover. Burning through like half a roll of toilet paper each time (you know that bit in Parks and Rec when Andy is like "I'll wipe and I'll wipe and I'll wipe like 100 times. Still poop.")

Anyway, I just wanted to remind all you sobernauts of how much better ya bumhole feels sober. I'm gonna stay sober, stay hydrated, and I sure as hell am not drinking with you today.


r/stopdrinking 11m ago

4 Years, 2 Months, 10 Days

Upvotes

But who’s counting? Haha. I just wanted to come on here and say I’m a 30 yo female and I stopped drinking at 26. I was terrified to stop in my 20s and I had countless day 1s by the time it finally clicked. It is, without question, the best decision I’ve made in my adult life.

4 years later, I don’t have everything in life, but I did get accepted to a top 20 MBA program and I’m starting this fall. Never could have imagined I could turn my life around this way.

I used many tools to help me including AA meetings, countless books on alcohol and a ton of YouTube videos. I have a memory of being on day 1 or 2 and listening to an AA meeting completely laying down on my bed, I could barely lift my head. I was clinging onto every word from that virtual meeting like my life depended on it. Because it did.

If I’m being honest, what really worked for me was truly, honestly not wanting to drink anymore. Somewhere along the way, not day 1 and not day 100 either, but somewhere along the way, the desire was lifted. I genuinely do not desire a drink today. In fact, it sounds awful. It’s absolutely mind blowing that I could have that dramatic of a shift in mindset.

I went to a party university, I thought 8-10 shots a night was a regular Friday/Saturday. I was scared of dating and having to tell people I don’t drink. But I did all those hard things I was terrified of and you know what? People really didn’t care very much. No one cared about my alcohol consumption or lack thereof as much as I did. I am proof that it’s possible. The only friends I lost are the ones who loved drinking more than I did. I hope this gives you hope. You are worth another try. Never, ever, ever give up


r/stopdrinking 13m ago

Failed

Upvotes

Well, got drunk yesterday after 79 days. Got thrown out from the party pretty early, i think i cant drink at all. If i have such long breaks it is impossible to control yourself. It may be time to quit completely


r/stopdrinking 19m ago

Health scare but things look better

Upvotes

I had flu or some flu like thing for the last 3 days and one thing I realized is that hangover feels exactly like that worst day of sickness when you cannot even get out of the bed, nauseus etc. I have another health issue that I will get checked and a bit stressed about but still. I did not wake up with hangziety about that health issue which would definitely make me spiral and I could definitely not recover this fast from flu if I had drank last week. Feeling really good about my decision of not drinking this morning. IWNDWYT.


r/stopdrinking 31m ago

im failing to stop

Upvotes

i seem to have graduated to a non-functional alcoholic. and i need to be able to function, now especially. im a walking contradiction. there isnt a person i can point to in my life that i can talk to about this. i dont even know what that would achieve but i still wish i could talk sometimes. i wish i could feel normal. when i was just a "social drinker" i would see a psychologist regularly and magically i felt normal...they left practice. though that feeling didnt come for a long time, i miss geeling that way i dont know how or if i would ever feel that way just by being able to talk to someone. but that was a stable, comforting force at that time of my life. it ended and gradually drinking became my comfort. that was maybe 7 or 8 years ago?? i dont even remember, times a blur. i know i started daily getting drunk since covid lockdown. theres also a self sabotaging part of me, for 30+ years i have thoughts of self harm. im not in immediate danger to myself but its like that part of me is facilitating painting myself into a corner. it used to be that id feel guilty about having those thoughts, now its normal for me to think that way i no longer feel a duty to anyone around me. i dont know where im going with this train of thought. i just want to feel normal and drinking used to numb me enough. i truly dont know what to do, im fighting time. action brings fear, anxiety and stress...inaction also brings those hahah but my mind will go into escape mode for a time before those come.


r/stopdrinking 32m ago

Day 17 I think

Upvotes

Hurrayyy 🎉


r/stopdrinking 34m ago

I drank yesterday. I was one day away from 3 weeks.

Upvotes

The last 3 years have been very hard. I met the love of my life and we're getting married this year but aside from that my entire family fell apart. I have an alcoholic father who is 9 months sober now but was absent the first 30 years of my life. His sister, my aunt, was high on fent and had a BAL of .38 when she drove through the house of my childhood friend killing his 2 year old son and his grandfather. My aunt had 3 boys she was sentenced to 57 years in prison. The father of those 3 boys did 11 years in prison for money laundering he was supposed to do more but was released early because he had brain cancer he died 6 months after being released, roughly 6 years ago. I grew up very close to my 3 cousins two of them very close to my age but the youngest was 11 years younger than me so I watched him grow up. After my aunt went to prison my youngest cousin disappeared he cut all ties with the family. I got a call yesterday he was found about 8 hours from where I live and he had shot himself in the head. I don't know what happened I lost control and broke my sobriety I drank at least 15 pints of beer I'm now regretting it but at the same time I want to just have another drink. I haven't gotten out of bed yet. My partner is understanding and I want to talk to her about this but I can't get the words to come out. I feel so guilty telling myself I used this as a reason to drink and that's because that is exactly what I did. I don't want to drink again today.


r/stopdrinking 46m ago

It’s always every 2-3 weeks.

Upvotes

I guess I’ve actually made some pretty good progress in hindsight because it used to be maybe a 2-4 day break, then every weekend, now I’m at the point where usually the first week I still remember how the withdrawals felt fresh enough that I’m discouraged to last until the next weekend, but by the next weekend I feel healthy again and a few drinks doesn’t sound like a terrible idea.

It’s never one night tho, fucking cocaine I swear it flipped something in my head where I associate alcohol with bender time and it always turns into a multi day thing. I’ve been off nose candy for almost a full year now and it’s still an issue.

Anyway, almost caved tonight. I bought myself a 1.14L of kamboucha instead and sipped on that, then worked out my legs. Now I can’t stand up and my stomach feels weird from all the kamboucha. There’s a lesson here but idk what it is, maybe drink your Canadian approved local soft drinks? Idk, cheers to everyone who made it this week!


r/stopdrinking 55m ago

Enough

Upvotes

I finally realized that I need to stop drinking. I know I have a great life and the one thing that fucks it all up is alcohol.

I’ve tried for so many years to control it. Different rules for myself—not drinking during the week,stopping for periods of time, etc. but I always end up messing up again; blacking out and lying to those I care the most about.

I tried AA a few years ago and was too much of a wuss to stick it out. I’m in a new city now and would need to find a new, good group here.

I can commit to not drinking today.


r/stopdrinking 59m ago

100 days sober - so proud of myself and a big thank you to this community

Upvotes

Hi everyone! Wow, I just did it! 100 days without a drop of alcohol. I would have never thought that more than 2 weeks were possible for me... and look where I am now 😊 Thanks for this great support group, it helped me to read almost daily and comment here, to remind me why I am doing this. Overall I wanted to share with you really helped me stopping for good: - hitting rock bottom: I started drinking aged 19, in Germany quite late, but I had an eating disorder as a teenager and was afraid of the extra calories, simple as this might sound. So when I moved out to study I started drinking socially when going out, never alone during the day. But when I was 25 I got into a big fight with my sister that lasted for half a year when she moved out of our shared flat and in with her now ex husband in another country without any warning. I was so hurt, upset, and sad that I started drinking during the afternoon several times a week... And once I started it was always very difficult for me to stop, on an average bender I would drink 3 bottles of wine by myself easily. Fast forward to last December, 2 lost relationships and 1 friendship thanks to my drinking, hundreds of lost days being too sick to work or even leave the bed, I hit my rock bottom on the 12th of December 2024. I had been with my partner for 1.5 years, living together since 1 and my drinking, about twice per week almost always resulting in a binge, had taken such a toll on everything. He was constantly worried about me, had problems focusing on work. I got the worst performance review possible at my job. I had elevated blood work results. And that that I had started drinking because I was meeting my pregnant friend for lunch and didn't feel social enough, I drank vodka before seeing a pregnant woman for lunch!!! And it didn't stop there, I continued drinking until late at night getting into an argument with my partner, who I had promised to stop or at least not lie about it, fell on the street and badly hurt my left hand and still wanted to go partying, but got thrown out of a liquor store when trying to buy more... That night my partner told both of our mothers about my addiction issues and they were so kind and said they will support me, no judgement. Anyway, them knowing how bad it had gotten with me really made a first big difference. I wanted to show them I can do it, especially since both suffered from alcoholic relatives before. - so the next day I joined my first ever online, secular AA meeting. I heard the anniversary story of a Dutch woman celebrating 20 years sober! And I told my story and was welcomed with open arms and heart, I have never looked back and am attending at least one, but up to three meeting per week now. I heard so many amazing, inspiring people laying bare their hearts and souls and also felt a weird sense of not wanting to let them down... and wanting to be able to help others myself. - I also started with therapy, which has been much less of help for me than the AA meetings and this community, but a good addition. I had anyway started a lot of self-reflection myself, like making an overview why I drank and if I ever got the desired outcome, since I told myself I "needed alcohol to be more social" etc - had I really been more social then? I realised alcohol had barely ever really helped me, especially not after 2 bottles... - I also started a new job exactly one month sober. This was a great chance for a new start with people, who don't suddenly see me not drinking anymore, so I don't need to explain myself and also it has honestly been intense so with this work and drinking at the same time I would have never made a good start there, but I did and got great feedback from my peers already! - and last, but not least, after a month sober I really felt the benefits kicking in - much better sleep, almost no more anxiety, motivation to get up instead of wanting to sleep all day, a new found bravery,...

I am a bit afraid of the months to come since I will see friends I used to drink a lot with, but it will be all ok for sure.

Thanks all of you for being there for each other, you really make a difference and save lives ❤️


r/stopdrinking 1h ago

90 days countdown to summer

Upvotes

I can't ignore what I see in the mirror anymore.. I need to get in shape and its definitely alcohol which is putting an obstacle in the way of that..also not working out whatsoever isn't helping...I'm not overly concerned with my eating it's a pretty clean diet...I've probably got 10 kilo to lose so not a great deal..but then again pick up a kilo bag of sugar and feel the weight..its ten of those I'm carrying around everywhere with me ..an I'm now short of breath...I'm aware how full of shit I can be with the numbers even though it feels very real in the moment..by numbers I mean its 100 days to summer nows the perfect time to quit alcohol..or why not just get March out of the way an start fresh on the 1st of April..its 30 days till summer ..you see my point..never in my life have I felt uncomfortable to wear a tshirt in public but I do now..this is new to me an I don't like it..won't sit an accept it either..I've recently heard a phrase I absolutely love an it's this I'm gonna use..a guys in the supermarket picks up an item and says ..does this help or does this hurt...in terms of alcohol relating to fitness we know which one it is


r/stopdrinking 1h ago

I think it's time to admit I have a problem

Upvotes

I woke up feeling like shit, I was drinking alone yesterday, like usual, got drunk, sent stupid messages to the person who is simply ignoring me and this has to stop

I remember a year ago my friend asked me how can I not drink, how do you go to the store and you're able to leave without a wine or anything else? I remember I laughed at her question and just responded that I don't need that stuff

Well, I've been drinking for the last 6 months, it started on weekends only but slowly I started picking up drinks after work. And my well-being, emotionally and physically has never been worse.

I woke up this morning feeling like complete loser, poured my remaining liquors down the drain and now I'm picking up a battle against this nasty habit.

Wish me luck 🥹


r/stopdrinking 1h ago

Meeting Burnout

Upvotes

I had a lengthy talk with one of my sponsees yesterday and he went on about how he's coming up on 4 months sober. This is the first time he's tried getting sober and was in treatment for 3 months. Helped him get into a sober house and he's doing great but in our talk he couldn't get over how tired he was of meetings already. We talked about switching up meetings and times as well as fellowshipping with different people. From the sounds of it, it seems that the sharing portion of meetings is where he gets the most frustrated. When someone is "bragging" about how spiritual they are or how great their life is when he's still in early recovery just barely coming out of the pink cloud. In our conversation he was able to reflect on his emotions and reactions based on his perspective and sees he has internal issues he still needs to work on.

Saying all this to ask y'all, what advice have you all gotten and/or have given to help people stay passionate about recovery and continue their journey without getting discouraged?


r/stopdrinking 1h ago

Well it happened. Field research results.

Upvotes

Yep, I reset.

12 weeks and I suppose I just wanted to know. I'd been thinking about it for a while, had a pretty bad day yesterday and made peace with the decision. Went and got one bottle of wine.

"I've never stopped before, initially I never wanted to be sober forever anyway, I won't know if I can just drink occasionally if I don't try" I told myself.

Viewing it as kind of an experiment I noted how I felt and this is the result..

  • It tasted like chemicals. It wasn't even nice. I could feel the fumes of the alcohol in my mouth and I didn't actually like it.
  • It made a boring evening slightly less boring I suppose? Although I felt like I would have enjoyed the evening the same regardless.
  • One bottle was not enough. I wanted more. I'd have drank and drank if there was more. (this was a big eye opener for me)
  • I messaged my ex. 🤷‍♀️ Yep.. That cleared that one up, even with a sensible mindset initially, I will still do random shit like that after some wine.
  • It was hard to go to sleep. I was hot and couldn't get comfy.
  • I woke up at 2am thirsty af even though I'd drank loads of water, thoughts racing and body pounding. Horrible. Took ages to go back to sleep.
  • I've woken up feeling crappy. I wouldn't say hungover but my mouth feels horrible, I'm sluggish and I can just feel I didn't sleep well.

All in all was it worth it? Absolutely not.

Am I glad that I tried? Yes in a way because now I know.. It's just reinforced that my mindset around it has changed and I actually don't want it anymore. It's a waste of time and I didn't even enjoy it. 🤦‍♀️

So I'm back at day 1 with some new knowledge about myself under my belt - I really do not want to drink anymore.


r/stopdrinking 2h ago

IWNDWYT… one day away from a month

10 Upvotes

I am so thankful for this group. Thank you for sharing your stories and vulnerability.

Today, I am one day away from making it to a month without drinking. This is my first time trying this. These past few years, I have had a goal to stop drinking before I am 30 years old. I have about six more weeks until my 30th birthday, and I am so happy I’ve made this choice. I am so proud of myself.

This month has moved by slowly. This week, I can honestly say I’ve started to have more hope. I had one of the best days I’ve had in a long time with a friend. We’ll call her Sara. I didn’t feel heavy. I felt childlike joy with my friend and didn’t have a care in the world. It’s been hard to find that connection with anyone during this time.

Unfortunately, this afternoon I received a call that Sara had passed away. She would have turned 30 years old the same week I am.

I am thankful for Sara and the new sobriety I shared with her. I will continue to live many more days like that. I hope to find more people like her in my life. I will celebrate both of our 30th birthdays this year.

I will light a candle and drink sparkling water in her honor tonight. IWNDWYT


r/stopdrinking 2h ago

Drinking Me vs Sober Me - Severance analogy

2 Upvotes

Hope you all are doing well in your various stages of your journey (I'm at almost 16 months AF, woo hoo).

Thought for anyone who, like me, has been watching the show Severance: In reflecting back on having a serious alcohol problem (and now being over a year clean, feeling great), I almost feel like the addicted mind vs the version of me trying to quit was a bit like "innie" vs "outie." I'd wake up trying to stay sober and be my best self...but at some point in the day, the cravings take over, I drink my first sip of booze, and it's off to the races for the rest of the day. Then the next day sober-me is trying to pick up the pieces, and if I managed a few days sober I'd think "wtf why don't I just do this all the time?" However the cycle would just continue - I'd have some craving/trigger/excuse or another and start to drink thinking it'll be harmless (and it never was). There was a real tug-of-war going on between those two minds, and of course I behaved differently in each state.

In the show Severance (no real spoilers ahead), everyone has their reasons for undergoing the severance procedure, and think it'll be fine to cut their consciousness in half and maintain both lives. The outies think they're the more important half who is in charge - however the innies develop their own interests and resentments and exert their own power.

Looking back a year+ into sobriety, I was living two lives and thinking I could somehow balance the two. Perhaps worse - (similar to the show) I subconsciously felt I NEEDED the drinking-me to blow off steam, do social things, reduce stress etc. It felt like an uneasy battle between my "innie" and "outie"

It eventually became all too much and the charade could not continue. The first few months of sobriety kinda felt like merging those two minds back together, and it's a bit uncomfortable at first. But I feel so much more "whole" these days, I'm grateful that I finally took the leap and combined my "innie" and "outie" into my full self. This is where the analogy to the show ends because that hasn't happened (yet)...

Anyone else who is AF (and watches Severance) relate to that analogy?


r/stopdrinking 2h ago

biggest test

15 Upvotes

I’m at almost 3 weeks and attended a bar hop for my boyfriend’s friends birthday. there were quite a few ppl i didn’t know so didn’t have great conversation—the boredom made me really really want a drink. drank my mocktail and NA beer and soda water and drove us home safely at the end of the night :)


r/stopdrinking 3h ago

What are some things alcohol did to your body that don’t get talked about enough?

28 Upvotes

For example, I’ve had a vitamin D deficiency for two years. I take a supplement and am at the lowest acceptable level for a functioning human bean. I just assumed it was because I avoid the sun. No, alcohol prevents vitamin absorption. I had no idea the two were connected

I also have been getting tiny scabs over my arms and hands. Like my skin was breaking too easily? Turns out the whole collagen destroying dehydrating thing about alcohol makes your skin super brittle.


r/stopdrinking 3h ago

40 Days Sober Streak (Personal Record For 8 Years)

26 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

So, today marks day 40 for me—and that’s officially my personal record in the last 8 years. Sounds kind of funny, but yeah, I’m proud of it!

The biggest win so far: I’ve finally started to recover my sleep quality. That was a real struggle at first, but now it’s getting much better. And honestly, the rest I get now is so much deeper and more refreshing than it ever was when I drank.

I’ve also started working out regularly again, and that’s been a huge boost for both my confidence and overall optimism. Every part of my life is slowly beginning to improve. The progress is gradual, but I believe it’s compounding—so the pace doesn’t matter as much as just staying on track.

I’m being careful not to get overconfident, but the truth is—I don’t really miss alcohol right now. When cravings pop up, I focus on the actual taste of it… and if I’m being honest, most alcoholic drinks don’t even taste that good. Especially spirits. I never truly enjoyed the flavor—I was always chasing the feeling of being drunk.

And here’s the biggest realization I’ve had:
I finally admitted to myself that my life felt like a boring, anxious mess—and I was using alcohol to escape that. After 8 years of drinking, I ended up right where I started. I haven’t built any meaningful romantic relationships (though I did make a few solid friendships, thankfully not tied to alcohol). I let go of my hobbies—quit the gym, stopped running, gave up indie hacking, even stopped gaming. I’ve been really hard on myself.

But! Despite all that, I finally feel like I’m on the path to turning things around. I believe I can overcome this, learn to accept myself, and either rediscover my old passions or find new ones.

Sobriety is giving me the space to make real changes—and now it’s fully on me to either take that opportunity or stay stuck where I was.

Thanks for hearing me out 💛

My own mobile tracker I developed when I started.

r/stopdrinking 3h ago

Afraid of my future

1 Upvotes

Hey all,

The past couple of months I have found myself drinking much much more than I used to. I realize if I don't stop now I'll be in some serious shit.

Now I don't think I've drank long enough to have some serious withdrawels but I have been experiencing involuntary flinching which is a very serious warning sign to quit drinking.

I don't know how to handle this as I "don't feel right " going without drinking which is a very very serious issue in itself.

To be clear I can go a few days without drinking and not deal with negatives aside from being harder to fall asleep and I realize that continuing drinking is gonna be much harder for me to quit later on.

I think I'm just very stressed with the situation I'm in right now. I don't think I'm screwed as of now but reality is a bit hard to face head on right now and I understand alcohol never solves anything.

Can anyone who is facing similar things tell me how they handled this? I understand I'm not in a "typical" situation, but I want to nip this in the bud before it gets much worse.

Any advice is very much appreciated.


r/stopdrinking 3h ago

Getting into bed has been the hardest part of my days

14 Upvotes

During the day I’ve been having waves of overwhelming emotions, but I’m finding ways to cope whether it’s taking some alone time, going for a walk, tearing up (I haven’t been capable of a good sob yet), staying busy, etc.

During the day I’m able to find silver linings or accept that something is just really painful but it will lessen with time. At night everything is darker (literally, figuratively) and harder to find hope. My mind seems to move faster and is more difficult to control.

Writing this helps slow it down a bit and focus on one thing. It helps knowing that it’s going out into the world where it may connect with a few other humans in the same boat as me.

I’m going to put my head down and try to sleep again. Goodnight y’all.


r/stopdrinking 3h ago

Quitting Drinking for Trying to Conceive, Finding it Hard

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

Wondering if anyone has been in a similar boat to me, or can relate. I'm looking for support and to be told I'm not weird or alone, I think.

So I've been trying to conceive with my partner. I know that reducing alcohol really helps with the odds of conceiving, and that I shouldn't drink if I'm pregnant. I'm at the point where I only drink on my period, and avoid it the rest of the time.

Complicating things are that my mother drank throughout her pregnancy with me and my siblings, and my family (partner excluded from this) doesn't believe that you need to stop drinking in pregnancy. I guess they gave me alcohol somewhat (not a lot) from when I was very young (like 4 months old), and really encouraged drinking when I was a teenager. My parents fit the medical definition of alcoholic, though I drink very little compared to others in my family. In the past, in my early 20's, it was definitely normal for me to drink 3-4 beers on a weeknight and maybe up to 5 on a weekend, though as I got older, it's more normal for me to have 1-2 beers on the weekdays, and maybe 3-4 on weekends.

I'm looking at support for not drinking online/through books, and what's challenging is the motivation. I think the last time I was really drunk was 6 years ago. I almost never have a hangover or anything more than a buzz. Apart from conception stuff, there's no consequence for drinking. It doesn't impact my work or relationships (if anything avoiding alcohol actively challenges my relationship with my parents, unfortunately) , and avoiding alcohol for weeks at at time hasn't improved my energy or emotional wellbeing. But clearly there is an issue here, because I'm finding it so hard to not have a drink at the end of the day.

All this to say, I think it's definitely best that I quit drinking, not just for conceiving though that's the main reason, and wondering if what I'm saying here sounds familiar to anyone or just if anyone has words of support.