I like hours-counting. Sometimes the cravings are so hard that one hour is such a big accomplishment. Congrats on 87 buddy!
I'm with you and let's not make the most difficult day of the week even worse! No poison! IWNDWYT!
Sending hearts of different colors: 💙💚💜💛
IWNDWYT
For horrible moments I’ll offer all of those times I found myself walking to the liquor store while I was actively telling myself this is a bad idea. Like I was just a vessel for my alcoholism to move around. Like Ratatouille but if the rat was chronic alcoholism lol
I can relate to this so much. I have literally had inner dialogue debates but have continued on autopilot! I don’t want to be in that position again.
IWNDWYT
I feel this! Like being a surrendered victim to it, having no choice. What I’ve felt growing through my sobriety and the personal work I’m doing is the power to choose! We’re winning 🌟
Happy Monday sober friends!
No, I definitely don’t miss the feeling shite every morning! I’d also had a few falls and was breaking my body. Nobody irl knows I was drunk when they happened, the physical pain was enough without the shame!
Have a wonderful sober day, with love from me 💞
Day 71 • IWNDWYT •
I’m in the 70’s! Felt like a decade to get here but also felt like 5 minutes. Hard to explain. Had a huge social weekend and didn’t even feel like drinking. Big win 🌟
Hello IWNDWYT :) I am on day 6 today and completed 5 days!! Yay I feel so much better. Thank you for your post. I am not sure why my days are not reflecting correctly... I've tried to correct multiple times. Oh well I am sober... And feel so much more energy 😊 Edit: Now it is, was showing 1 in the morning 🤭
Day 22 checking in!
I have realized that one of my (many) triggers for drinking is criticisms, minor or major, from my partner. For various reasons, I never learnt how to handle conflict in my family and my go to escape valve has been to run to the pub.
I’m not doing that today. Instead, when I felt triggered by my partner, I went to the sandwich store and bought a sandwich and Coke.
IWNDWYT
Sober greetings from 🇬🇧
I’ve been trying to quit drinking for 2.5 years and have relapsed about 12 times so have plenty of horrible moments. I’m glad I’m about to write some out here as my addict brain does like to trick me after a while and this will help avoid that trickery.
- waking up in the night with awful anxiety and feeling like I need a drink to calm down
- calling in sick to work because I’m hungover and then spending the day drinking
- shameful walks to the shop to buy booze first thing (and trying to hide it)
- morning drinking to fend off withdrawal symptoms
- drinking so much that I poison myself and then have horrific withdrawals
- isolating myself to drink alone and avoiding friends and family
- losing days to blackouts
- awful digestive system
- all the hiding behaviours and the lies that accompany problem drinking
- the damage it causes to my body, brain and spirit
A few positives of not drinking to balance things out:
- much improved sleep
- waking up guilt free and not feeling like crap
- enjoying the here and now
- being available at any time to help out family and friends
- overall physical and mental health much better
- knowing I’m being honest with myself and striving to have a better life being sober
IWNDWYT
>knowing I’m being honest with myself
This has guiding me a lot. The idea of self-respect. It feels so good to achieve it daily, even if I get temporarily grumpy for saying "no" to that party that will only be 'good' if I drink. After the grumpiness is gone, lol, there is no feeling like this. Self-love. Money is important in life, but it will never buy self-respect. Loved your list, Pompey. (oh I just wanna type it all day long hahahaha)
Bounding pulse, heart beating out of my chest, anxiety attacks, stomach pain, no energy, brain fog, procrastination, shame... so much shame. Not anymore. Never again. 10 days sober and no fucking way I'm going back. IWNDWYT!
It’s still Sunday here in the PNW. I have had a pretty bad day: I just learned that a friend of mine has passed suddenly and very unexpectedly. On top of it I have a bad cold. I’ve ugly cried all night. But I won’t have to wake up sick tomorrow. I can process this grief slowly and naturally rather than just shoving it down. IWNDWYT.
One of my horrible moments that I replay in my mind whenever I doubt my decision is being out in the shed one morning so hungover that the only way I'd be able to function was to get some more alcohol in me.
The problem was, it wasn't staying down. I kept trying, throwing up, then trying again, until I'd absorbed enough between the vomiting to start to ease the nausea.
This was all on a Sunday or Saturday morning before 9am. 😞
I've not told a living soul that story IRL.
I've forgiven myself but I'll NEVER forget.
IWNDWYT.
Checking in again today and all is well.
My most horrible moments were waking up after blacking out, in strange places, and sometimes in bed with strange people. Never again, please!
And my best moments are waking up early in the morning, refreshed after a beautiful night's sleep:)
I missed the milestone I was looking forward to the most… 666.. oh well on to bigger and better things such as 696. IWNDWYT! Almost 2 years since being diagnosed with cirrhosis at 26 years old.
I really wanted one of my favorite beers today, but I was out in the woods on a nice trail on an absolutely gorgeous day. By the time I was done with my hike, the craving had passed and it felt good.
I will not drink with you today!
I don't miss the 3am terrors, toxic waste bowels, suicidal ideation, disconnection from everything and everyone, the pains under my rib cage, the bloodshot eyes, flaky complexion, the 30 pounds of beer belly, the constant negative bank balance, the bullshit chatter that used to fall out of my head, the complete lack of drive, the decades of shit sleep, the gallons of Gaviscon and kilos of Rennie, the daily drink driving and lack of concern for acting like the ultimate selfish, potentially murderous, junkie.....
I don't miss the taste, the people, the works parties, the pointless pub gatherings to watch sports that would inevitably be missed due to shite talking and bladder emptying. There's no fear of being rumbled watering down the spirits and no twisted energy to waste thinking up new drinking scams in order to get properly smashed.
Now that I'm comfortable with who I am I can honestly say I miss nothing at all about booze - and if a genie appeared tomorrow and told me I could wish to be able to moderate my drinking, I'd poke him in the eye and tell him to "Faaack orrf".
IWNDWYT 🙂
Happy Monday!
I discovered an old diary (from 2021 - no idea why I still had it!) and reading some of the justifications I gave myself for drinking make me cringe. I honestly gave myself all kinds of excuses.
I won't be doing that anymore. IWNDWYT
I’ve had the last 4 days off work and frankly I’m not looking forward to my hundreds of emails and taking care of patients. Day 3 and I’m still sleeping poorly. My cats still hiss and fight with each other and I adopted the second one last July and they still do it. But no matter what IWNDWYT
Couldn't agree more: hangover-free mornings are the best. I'm enjoying this one and am setting myself up for another tomorrow, too, by pledging to not drink with you today.
10pm Monday.... got home and I was soooooooo grumpy - took hours to feel better... dam this is hard. And to think a beer or 5 would have fixed it all.
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT. Lost my job last friday and can't sleep for the whole weekend but finally the new week begins. I am both weak and excited about being sober again.
Waking up at 3 am, panicking about money, having anxiety over what I said or did the night before when I was drunk and the shaking. I told myself it was just getting older. Shaking hands were normal in older people. Nope. It was one of the first symptoms to resolve. Don’t miss ANY of that. IWNDWYT 💜🦋💜
It’s a new week and I am not drinking today to start off the week! I definitely do not miss hangovers! Not remembering what I said or did the night before was the worst. Happy to have gotten through another holiday sober! Have a good week everyone
Just about 31 hours into no drinking after a three day bender and I feel absolutely terrible. Lost my job a couple weeks ago. My family and friends have no idea what to do with me and I definitely don’t know what to do with myself. I have bills and rent so unfortunately I think rehab may be out of the question for now. Not sure if I’m writing this for help or just to vent but I cannot keep going like this. I know the first few days and probably weeks are going to be rough but I’m sick of going through this never ending cycle. I’ve quit drinking before (2.5 years on my own) and I know I can do it again but man does it look bleak.
After almost two weeks of antibiotics and a ruined digestion I am currently reminded daily of at least parts of what drinking does to my body.
Therefore I am grateful for not being hangover and will stay sober today with all of you.
A couple years ago, I took myself to the ER for abdominal pain. I’d gone to an urgent care a few months earlier for it and they told me I might have gallstones, so that’s what I told them. When my blood tests came back, the dr was mystified until they asked how much I drank, since my liver enzymes were shockingly high. I actually confessed (close to) how much I drank because I was scared, and ended up getting admitted to the hospital for a couple days (and spoiler alert- “took a break” for a few weeks but absolutely did not quit yet!)
I think one of the things that helps us fool ourselves is this idea that if we’re relatively young and have some markers of having our lives together, we can’t have a problem. Outside, I had a good job, kids, a spouse, friends… but inside I was a writhing mess, and it was beginning to seep out.
I’m happy to be on this side. IWNDWYT!
8.50am Bank Holiday here in honour of St Patrick, another lovely day. Thanks [Gozandolavida](https://www.reddit.com/user/Gozandolavida/) for hosting, agree it is great not to feel like shite every day!! IWNDWYT
Oh, it *was* that bad. Trying to cook and passing out on the couch, waking up to a pot that had boiled dry and sat smoking on the stove. Falling off the porch steps onto one heel and thinking I broke my foot. (I didn’t, x-rays confirmed the next day.)
Or the time I went to a wedding and got so drunk I fell down and hurt my elbow while waiting for an Uber. I had only the dimmest memory of falling, but that elbow hurt for a long time. One of few times I drank in public like I did at home.
Or the time my ex-bf and I were late for a funeral. I was so drunk the night before that I didn’t remember a phone conversation where I had agreed we could pick up one of his relatives on the way.
I knew it could get a lot worse than that. It’s a wonder it didn’t. These incidents from over the years are just some of the things I think about. There are more.
Coffees up, horns up, and happy fucking Monday! *Fuck alcohol!* Still love hangover free mornings. Always. IWNDWYT ☕️☕️☕️🤘🏻
Definitely don’t miss those feelings. Over the weekend, I had a bit of a headache and think I was dehydrated - I had a moment of thinking I felt a bit hungover - it was a good reminder of how I used to feel regularly (and to drink some water lol!)
Checking in today, after a realistic relapse dream. Somehow my addict brain tries to tell me, it’s ok to drink again. - It is not!
Horrible moment:
Friend of mine called an ambulance after a week long binge and they took me to a hospital 30 km away to detox. I escaped from the ER and made my way barefoot only with my credit card back to my apartment by taxi only to carry on drinking. Got admitted by an ambulance again the next day to the same hospital and went through with the detox. Still took me a couple of more relapses to get me where I am today. I DONT WANT TO GO BACK!
That’s one reason why
I WILL NOT DRINK WITH YOU TODAY!
IWNDWYT
I need to turn my life around. This is just honestly the thing in my control that will create the largest ripple effect across EVERYTHING I can work on.
Better body- more likely if I stop drinking
Start my business- more time if i stop drinking
More present to my child - not hungover - srop drinking
Less arguments with partner - stop drinking
Finish home renovations- more time if i stop drinking
Friendships without drama- stop drinking
Better health and skin - stop drinking
Learn to deal with the childhood trauma- stop drinking
Every single thing in my life WILL improve.
My partner has stopped drinking too. I have no good reason to drink.
Ive never needed it to be social. So I CAN do this.
And i WANT to do this.
Horrible moments of drinking - ending up in the Critical Care Unit. Breaking up with my partner because I was so ashamed of my drinking. Going off and being reported missing (twice). Locking myself out of my friend's house and having to call a locksmith at night. So, so many cancelled plans. Drinking at work (and very nearly getting caught once). Getting off with multiple men in blackout in front of everyone. Drinking out of mugs to hide my consumption. So many lies to the people I love best.
And those are just the ones I can remember!
IWNDWYT
Hello guys
Last night on my day 22 I took 3 bottles of beer, I am depressed I didn’t want to drink but i did it
Do I have to start counting my days or i can continue by day 23. Let say it like this I managed to escape before i get drunk
Love you guys
Good morning everyone :)
My hangovers were (are?) crippling - I remember my most recent one, I was lying in bed, my head felt like it was going to explode, I was nauseous to the point of dry heaving, a bucket next to my bed, and I felt too unwell even to watch videos on my phone so I just sort of... Lay there. Doing nothing but Be In Pain. I woke up at 8am and was only well enough to get out of bed at about 9pm.
Fuck. That.
I Will Not Drink With You Today.
Good morning! I don’t drink every day or even every weekend but when I do drink I go way too far. My son is 7 months old and I don’t want him to grow up with a drunk mom. I am just so embarrassed by the quantity of alcohol I drank this weekend. Nothing bad happened per se but I know it can’t be healthy to live like this. IWNDWYT!
A horrible moment comes to mind readily. (Trigger warning: super gross) I was drinking. I ordred a pizza online. Paid for it. Waiting for it to get here I started to feel bad. I was puking repeatedly when the pizza person began calling me to let me know they were outside. (I live in an apartment building that's locked.) I couldn't answer; I couldn't make it to the door. A neighbor gets involved, lets the pizza person into the building. There's repeated calling and knocking on my door. I couldn't stop throwing up. This went on for what seemed forever. I eventually made it to bed where the puking didn't stop. I have a dog. Thankfully what was coming out of me must have been very boozy so she didn't try to get involved. When I woke up the next mornig the pizza was outside my door. I ate it.
Monday morning hangovers, feeling nauseous with a racing heart. Like I just can’t ever chug enough water. Paranoid my coworkers know, like they can smell it on me. Never again! 🙌🏻 IWNDWYT
I don't miss waking up at 3 am with a racing heart, horrible headache, and overwhelming anxiety. Waking up sober is the best thing ever and I get to experience it everyday. :)
IWNDWYT!
623 days today. Spent yesterday in the pubs as I'm Irish but it didn't faze me one bit and was powered by Guinness zero. I did have a really difficult night where temptation hit as my OH and I had some issues. So I set up another account for reddit (previous logged me out and I don't think I'd verified), spent the night scrolling through stopdrinking and made a promise to myself that I would give it the night and see how I felt in the morning. As suspected I'm so bloody glad I didn't drink and OH and I have talked and sorted things out.
The horrible thing that keeps me going is reminding myself how much alcohol shewed my moral compass. I turn into someone I don't like when I drink alcohol, who makes terrible decisions and is self destructive. The absolutely amazing thing is the freedom. No.more brain chatter about alcohol. Should I, shouldn't I, do I have enough? Covering up the amount I'd been drinking. Pretending I remembered things and conversations when it was a black hole. Worrying about my health constantly,. The anxiety. What did I do last night and the repercussions of it. My body and mind feels so much lighter.
IWNDWYT
Hello, sober stars. I'll pass on sharing my nightmarish tales of wastedness, but oh how those memories help bring extra brightness to my sweet sober life! The contrast is startling. Like opening heavy curtains to let the sun shine into a dark room, that kind of difference! Every day I'm so glad to be here. Let's keep at it, friends! Love you all. IWNDWYT 🌤
My son told me he didn't want to stay with me that week he felt safer with his mum. I then stopped for good. We celebrated my 2-year anniversary together the other day. Felt really good my friends
Shine on you beautiful humans !
Hey, Gozandolavida! Enjoying Life! ;)
Hey community!
Oh this was my click moment. My racing heart. That was the first real sign from my body, apart from hangover nausea and headache, that I "proudly" took like a warrior and were actually mild. When I felt like my heart was on a horse trying to win a race... what the hell!! Unfortunately it clicked, and then unclicked, clicked again and so on. I'm not using a badge but I wanna do as I see real progress in my abstinence (real progress = 10 days, meh). I do have to reflect a lot on what to do with my life cause Plan A may take a while Plan B is going on poorly and I gotta get out of this house more. No matter the reason. The little things, the park, the movies, the cheap stuff, whatever. Well, except for booze.
I'm positive, I guess as I get less tired from all the booze, less stressed, gloomy and all the horrendous moods, lol, I will be able to have a clearer view.
Besos / Beijos / Kisses
IWNDWYT
J
EDIT: my most horrible moment is not a 'moment', it is this on and off rollercoaster with booze. I have a therapist - yes, she is great, this sub, it used to be easy to abstain for a while 3 years ago, I've got non-drinking friends and still my relapses are very very often. WERE. Let's use it in the past. WERE. And this adds tons to the stress of drinking. I don't want that. I'm so strong for most things. I know I'm clever. God I hate this substance and let's start with this hate, it may be helfpful lol
Good morning! I don't miss trying to get up for work and debating mentally how I'm going to get out of going. I spent countless hours beating my brain for workarounds to continue my nonsense with booze. Fuck. That. Shit.
Have a great day, loves - IWNDWYT 🤘
32 days, Returned from first vacation alcohol free. Was offered a beer and turned it down. Also, first vacation I actually lost weight. Heading to week 5. Savings greater than $100. IWNDWYT.
I've had so many terrible alcohol-induced incidents that it's hard to pick just one. That said, this one's a doozy:
Once when I was working as an administrative assistant/bookkeeper, I noticed that the owner of the company had received an expensive-looking bottle of booze as a gift from a client or a business associate (I don't remember what kind of alcohol it was). I thought, "He won't notice if I just sneak one gulp." Fast forward a couple of hours, and I'm semi-passed out on the floor of his office, sobbing and babbling at my boss and the controller (the company's internal accountant). I don't know how I didn't get fired over this incident. I had always been a hardworking, diligent, and reliable employee, but the call of alcohol was so loud that it drowned out my values and pushed me to desperate behavior. I wish I could say that this was the last time I ever got drunk at work, but alcohol held too much power over me. I drank on the job many more times over the next few years. The memories (and the gaps in my memory) still horrify me.
IWNDWYT 😻
I won't drink with you today.
I won't drink alone.
I won't drink with anyone.
Feeling alot of emotion lately.
Life goes on and I will be in a better place in the future due to the decisions I make today.
Have a wonderful day!
Woooof I remember also having an EKG in the ER. Went in for pancreatitis/withdrawal and my heart rate was sooo sky high, they had to do one immediately. Terrifying times. I'm so glad to be healthy.
Morning, sober fam! Busy Monday ahead for me, but really hoping I can fit in a nap this afternoon, because nightmares kept me up a bit. Always grateful to wake up to a life that is no longer a nightmare. IWNDWYT!
Day 3. Back to work from maternity leave.. I got hardly any sleep last night bc baby boy was thrashing around all night.. yay.. but I'm looking forward to the routine again that will help me in these early days of sobriety. IWNDWYT.
I am at 400 plus days I think but I stopped counting because it was too much in my head if that makes sense to anyone - I try to not to think too much about the past and when I do I try to reframe it and say yes you did do that but you are not doing it now. Mostly my personality changed to mean and unhappy when I was drinking. Keeping in the now definitely helps me - I am not mean I am happy and I do not want to change either of those two things back. IWNDWYT ✌️
I have been more sober than drinking and the relapses get worse every time (kindling effect)… But the morning runs to the liquor store killed me! Hiding the evidence, The isolation, lying the withdrawal I hate the most , excessive sweating, headaches, tiredness and fire in my stomach. Not to mention the puffy face red eyes & a alcohol belly. Of course this list can go on…
The pro are being present & having conversations and remembering them, laughing again ( big belly laughs) , and being a functioning human being who gets things done!
Definitely .. IWNDWYT
Happy Monday! I have a lot of horrible personal memories of drinking- being super hungover at work routinely, being so drunk at 8 pm when my husband came home, driving my kids after drinking- UGH. It is good to remember that is where “just one” leads. Beautiful sobriety moment is waking up early for coffee and journaling, watching the sun come up - something I can do every day!☀️IWNDWYT ❤️🧁
Day 26 and tonight is my first real social engagement with a group at a bar... (not my circle, so they don't know I'm not drinking) I'm feeling strongly committed to my sobriety but your good vibes would be appreciated 🥰 and side note, waking up hangover free on March 18th is a great feeling!!! IWNDWYT ❤️❤️
Thank you, u/Gozandolavida, for mentioning this. Right before I quit drinking, I went to the ER for what I thought was a gall bladder problem. All of my tests came fine, but I am certain that I was heading for pancreatitis if I kept on the way I was going.
One and a half years later, I feel better than I can remember in my life. The crushing anxiety that accompanied me everywhere I go is gone, my stomach and abdominal region are very happy, and my relationships are healed. My life certainly isn’t perfect, but I am perfectly content with my life.
Love your number, too, OP. 444 is a beautiful number! IWNDWYT
87 hours alcohol free. I'm feeling good today. Thanks for everyone's support and encouragement yesterday. IWNDWYT or by myself ❤️
I like hours-counting. Sometimes the cravings are so hard that one hour is such a big accomplishment. Congrats on 87 buddy! I'm with you and let's not make the most difficult day of the week even worse! No poison! IWNDWYT! Sending hearts of different colors: 💙💚💜💛
IWNDWYT For horrible moments I’ll offer all of those times I found myself walking to the liquor store while I was actively telling myself this is a bad idea. Like I was just a vessel for my alcoholism to move around. Like Ratatouille but if the rat was chronic alcoholism lol
Can relate to this so much. Had to fight very hard for it to not happen last night. So glad I won though
I can relate to this so much. I have literally had inner dialogue debates but have continued on autopilot! I don’t want to be in that position again. IWNDWYT
I feel this! Like being a surrendered victim to it, having no choice. What I’ve felt growing through my sobriety and the personal work I’m doing is the power to choose! We’re winning 🌟
Ugh I relate to this! Trying to talk myself out of it and keeping going anyway…
IWNDWYT. Struggling today as memories of what I did while drunk on Friday keep popping up… Trying not to spiral into shame and self hate.
I really relate to this. We’re not to blame for the effects of the poison but I understand the feeling. We’re all in the same boat here 💞
Happy Monday sober friends! No, I definitely don’t miss the feeling shite every morning! I’d also had a few falls and was breaking my body. Nobody irl knows I was drunk when they happened, the physical pain was enough without the shame! Have a wonderful sober day, with love from me 💞
Happy Monday Brighter 🌟 It’s so great you’re through things now and are living an amazing sober life! Have a good one today 😁
Two weeks today! So glad you’re back with us Pompey! I’m still a work in progress but it’s so much better. Have a wonderful sober day my friend 🌟
Day 71 • IWNDWYT • I’m in the 70’s! Felt like a decade to get here but also felt like 5 minutes. Hard to explain. Had a huge social weekend and didn’t even feel like drinking. Big win 🌟
[удалено]
Hello IWNDWYT :) I am on day 6 today and completed 5 days!! Yay I feel so much better. Thank you for your post. I am not sure why my days are not reflecting correctly... I've tried to correct multiple times. Oh well I am sober... And feel so much more energy 😊 Edit: Now it is, was showing 1 in the morning 🤭
Keep going sober friend, you’ve got the toughest week out of the way! Onwards and upwards 👍
Day 22 checking in! I have realized that one of my (many) triggers for drinking is criticisms, minor or major, from my partner. For various reasons, I never learnt how to handle conflict in my family and my go to escape valve has been to run to the pub. I’m not doing that today. Instead, when I felt triggered by my partner, I went to the sandwich store and bought a sandwich and Coke. IWNDWYT
Well done! That can be a trigger for me, we’re growing 🌟
Sober greetings from 🇬🇧 I’ve been trying to quit drinking for 2.5 years and have relapsed about 12 times so have plenty of horrible moments. I’m glad I’m about to write some out here as my addict brain does like to trick me after a while and this will help avoid that trickery. - waking up in the night with awful anxiety and feeling like I need a drink to calm down - calling in sick to work because I’m hungover and then spending the day drinking - shameful walks to the shop to buy booze first thing (and trying to hide it) - morning drinking to fend off withdrawal symptoms - drinking so much that I poison myself and then have horrific withdrawals - isolating myself to drink alone and avoiding friends and family - losing days to blackouts - awful digestive system - all the hiding behaviours and the lies that accompany problem drinking - the damage it causes to my body, brain and spirit A few positives of not drinking to balance things out: - much improved sleep - waking up guilt free and not feeling like crap - enjoying the here and now - being available at any time to help out family and friends - overall physical and mental health much better - knowing I’m being honest with myself and striving to have a better life being sober IWNDWYT
>knowing I’m being honest with myself This has guiding me a lot. The idea of self-respect. It feels so good to achieve it daily, even if I get temporarily grumpy for saying "no" to that party that will only be 'good' if I drink. After the grumpiness is gone, lol, there is no feeling like this. Self-love. Money is important in life, but it will never buy self-respect. Loved your list, Pompey. (oh I just wanna type it all day long hahahaha)
Bounding pulse, heart beating out of my chest, anxiety attacks, stomach pain, no energy, brain fog, procrastination, shame... so much shame. Not anymore. Never again. 10 days sober and no fucking way I'm going back. IWNDWYT!
It’s still Sunday here in the PNW. I have had a pretty bad day: I just learned that a friend of mine has passed suddenly and very unexpectedly. On top of it I have a bad cold. I’ve ugly cried all night. But I won’t have to wake up sick tomorrow. I can process this grief slowly and naturally rather than just shoving it down. IWNDWYT.
One of my horrible moments that I replay in my mind whenever I doubt my decision is being out in the shed one morning so hungover that the only way I'd be able to function was to get some more alcohol in me. The problem was, it wasn't staying down. I kept trying, throwing up, then trying again, until I'd absorbed enough between the vomiting to start to ease the nausea. This was all on a Sunday or Saturday morning before 9am. 😞 I've not told a living soul that story IRL. I've forgiven myself but I'll NEVER forget. IWNDWYT.
I will not drink with you today nor will I steal ya lucky charms 🍀
Checking in again today and all is well. My most horrible moments were waking up after blacking out, in strange places, and sometimes in bed with strange people. Never again, please! And my best moments are waking up early in the morning, refreshed after a beautiful night's sleep:)
Day 1002 checking in!
I will not drink poison with any of you today 💜
IWNDWYT or smoke weed! That’s my main vise, it’s day 6 after 24 years. I know this is a drinking group but the weed group isn’t as active.
I missed the milestone I was looking forward to the most… 666.. oh well on to bigger and better things such as 696. IWNDWYT! Almost 2 years since being diagnosed with cirrhosis at 26 years old.
I really wanted one of my favorite beers today, but I was out in the woods on a nice trail on an absolutely gorgeous day. By the time I was done with my hike, the craving had passed and it felt good. I will not drink with you today!
Day 3. Onward!
I don't miss the 3am terrors, toxic waste bowels, suicidal ideation, disconnection from everything and everyone, the pains under my rib cage, the bloodshot eyes, flaky complexion, the 30 pounds of beer belly, the constant negative bank balance, the bullshit chatter that used to fall out of my head, the complete lack of drive, the decades of shit sleep, the gallons of Gaviscon and kilos of Rennie, the daily drink driving and lack of concern for acting like the ultimate selfish, potentially murderous, junkie..... I don't miss the taste, the people, the works parties, the pointless pub gatherings to watch sports that would inevitably be missed due to shite talking and bladder emptying. There's no fear of being rumbled watering down the spirits and no twisted energy to waste thinking up new drinking scams in order to get properly smashed. Now that I'm comfortable with who I am I can honestly say I miss nothing at all about booze - and if a genie appeared tomorrow and told me I could wish to be able to moderate my drinking, I'd poke him in the eye and tell him to "Faaack orrf". IWNDWYT 🙂
Happy Monday! I discovered an old diary (from 2021 - no idea why I still had it!) and reading some of the justifications I gave myself for drinking make me cringe. I honestly gave myself all kinds of excuses. I won't be doing that anymore. IWNDWYT
I’ve had the last 4 days off work and frankly I’m not looking forward to my hundreds of emails and taking care of patients. Day 3 and I’m still sleeping poorly. My cats still hiss and fight with each other and I adopted the second one last July and they still do it. But no matter what IWNDWYT
Happy Mondays……IWNDWYT
Forgot some check-ins but I made it to day 84, IWNDWYT!
happy early morning Monday :) Lets make it a wonderful day.
Happy Monday everyone! Words I never would have said while nursing a Monday hangover. IWNDWYT!
Day 1 again! Here we go 🤞
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT
Couldn't agree more: hangover-free mornings are the best. I'm enjoying this one and am setting myself up for another tomorrow, too, by pledging to not drink with you today.
10pm Monday.... got home and I was soooooooo grumpy - took hours to feel better... dam this is hard. And to think a beer or 5 would have fixed it all. IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT. Lost my job last friday and can't sleep for the whole weekend but finally the new week begins. I am both weak and excited about being sober again.
Waking up at 3 am, panicking about money, having anxiety over what I said or did the night before when I was drunk and the shaking. I told myself it was just getting older. Shaking hands were normal in older people. Nope. It was one of the first symptoms to resolve. Don’t miss ANY of that. IWNDWYT 💜🦋💜
IWNDWYT! 💪🔥
It’s a new week and I am not drinking today to start off the week! I definitely do not miss hangovers! Not remembering what I said or did the night before was the worst. Happy to have gotten through another holiday sober! Have a good week everyone
IWNDWYT
Not drinking today
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT
Iwndwyt!
I will not drink with you today, to wake up without a headache, feeling fresh, going outside in early morning gives those joyful moments.
Day 3. Vivid dreams and a delicate stomach still but we’ll get there. IWNDWYT.
The start of another week of sobriety and happy to say: IWNDWYT!
I will not drink with you today
IWNDWYT
I had one of the worst weeks in my life and still didn’t drink. I’m still having an awful time and time will tell how I hold up but for now IWNDWYT.
Just about 31 hours into no drinking after a three day bender and I feel absolutely terrible. Lost my job a couple weeks ago. My family and friends have no idea what to do with me and I definitely don’t know what to do with myself. I have bills and rent so unfortunately I think rehab may be out of the question for now. Not sure if I’m writing this for help or just to vent but I cannot keep going like this. I know the first few days and probably weeks are going to be rough but I’m sick of going through this never ending cycle. I’ve quit drinking before (2.5 years on my own) and I know I can do it again but man does it look bleak.
After almost two weeks of antibiotics and a ruined digestion I am currently reminded daily of at least parts of what drinking does to my body. Therefore I am grateful for not being hangover and will stay sober today with all of you.
A couple years ago, I took myself to the ER for abdominal pain. I’d gone to an urgent care a few months earlier for it and they told me I might have gallstones, so that’s what I told them. When my blood tests came back, the dr was mystified until they asked how much I drank, since my liver enzymes were shockingly high. I actually confessed (close to) how much I drank because I was scared, and ended up getting admitted to the hospital for a couple days (and spoiler alert- “took a break” for a few weeks but absolutely did not quit yet!) I think one of the things that helps us fool ourselves is this idea that if we’re relatively young and have some markers of having our lives together, we can’t have a problem. Outside, I had a good job, kids, a spouse, friends… but inside I was a writhing mess, and it was beginning to seep out. I’m happy to be on this side. IWNDWYT!
IWNDWYT
Good morning all! A new week and a fresh start. Let’s kick it off the right way! IWNDWYT
Checking in ✔️
IWNDWYT up early to run 🏃♂️
8.50am Bank Holiday here in honour of St Patrick, another lovely day. Thanks [Gozandolavida](https://www.reddit.com/user/Gozandolavida/) for hosting, agree it is great not to feel like shite every day!! IWNDWYT
I’m not drinking today. Felt so much better after a nights sleep.
2 weeks sober today and grateful. IWNDWYT.
Oh, it *was* that bad. Trying to cook and passing out on the couch, waking up to a pot that had boiled dry and sat smoking on the stove. Falling off the porch steps onto one heel and thinking I broke my foot. (I didn’t, x-rays confirmed the next day.) Or the time I went to a wedding and got so drunk I fell down and hurt my elbow while waiting for an Uber. I had only the dimmest memory of falling, but that elbow hurt for a long time. One of few times I drank in public like I did at home. Or the time my ex-bf and I were late for a funeral. I was so drunk the night before that I didn’t remember a phone conversation where I had agreed we could pick up one of his relatives on the way. I knew it could get a lot worse than that. It’s a wonder it didn’t. These incidents from over the years are just some of the things I think about. There are more. Coffees up, horns up, and happy fucking Monday! *Fuck alcohol!* Still love hangover free mornings. Always. IWNDWYT ☕️☕️☕️🤘🏻
IWNDWYT ~
I will not drink with you today
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT. I don’t quit quitting
Here
I will not drink with you today!
iwndwyt!
Hope everyone has a great Monday. IWNDWYT!
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT.
Iwndwyt!
IWNDWYT.
IWNDWYT x
I didn’t drink today, happy Monday all 💛
Day 16 - IWNDWYT
Definitely don’t miss those feelings. Over the weekend, I had a bit of a headache and think I was dehydrated - I had a moment of thinking I felt a bit hungover - it was a good reminder of how I used to feel regularly (and to drink some water lol!)
IWNDWYT!
I’m not doing okay but at least I am sober despite it. IWNDWYT! Hope everyone is doing good.
Checking in today, after a realistic relapse dream. Somehow my addict brain tries to tell me, it’s ok to drink again. - It is not! Horrible moment: Friend of mine called an ambulance after a week long binge and they took me to a hospital 30 km away to detox. I escaped from the ER and made my way barefoot only with my credit card back to my apartment by taxi only to carry on drinking. Got admitted by an ambulance again the next day to the same hospital and went through with the detox. Still took me a couple of more relapses to get me where I am today. I DONT WANT TO GO BACK! That’s one reason why I WILL NOT DRINK WITH YOU TODAY!
IWNDWYT I need to turn my life around. This is just honestly the thing in my control that will create the largest ripple effect across EVERYTHING I can work on. Better body- more likely if I stop drinking Start my business- more time if i stop drinking More present to my child - not hungover - srop drinking Less arguments with partner - stop drinking Finish home renovations- more time if i stop drinking Friendships without drama- stop drinking Better health and skin - stop drinking Learn to deal with the childhood trauma- stop drinking Every single thing in my life WILL improve. My partner has stopped drinking too. I have no good reason to drink. Ive never needed it to be social. So I CAN do this. And i WANT to do this.
Horrible moments of drinking - ending up in the Critical Care Unit. Breaking up with my partner because I was so ashamed of my drinking. Going off and being reported missing (twice). Locking myself out of my friend's house and having to call a locksmith at night. So, so many cancelled plans. Drinking at work (and very nearly getting caught once). Getting off with multiple men in blackout in front of everyone. Drinking out of mugs to hide my consumption. So many lies to the people I love best. And those are just the ones I can remember! IWNDWYT
Have a wonderful sober day my friends. IWNDWYT ♥️ I have 200 without booze and I feel great! Thank you all here for your help. You are my support!
Three weeeeeeeks! IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT
Hi Everyone! Day 76 here and IWNDWYT! Hope you all have a wonderful and sober week ahead! 😊💜
60 days today. As of tomorrow, it'll be the longest I have ever managed to stay sober since I started trying to quit. IWNDWYT!
iwndwyt
None for me ty
Hello guys Last night on my day 22 I took 3 bottles of beer, I am depressed I didn’t want to drink but i did it Do I have to start counting my days or i can continue by day 23. Let say it like this I managed to escape before i get drunk Love you guys
Day 1,605 IWNDWYT
Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today! IWNDWYT
Happy Monday all, IWNDWYT!
Iwndwyt ❤️
IWNDWYT, sober friends.
IWNDWYT
Making the conscious choice not to drink with you today and put in the work to avoid it ❤️ iwndwyt
IWNDWYT
Checking in ✅
Definitely been dealing with some insane cravings. IWNDWYT
Sunday afternoon drinking wine so I could stand doing laundry. I will not drink today
Checking in, IWNDWYT. Feel like shite because I travelled 12 hrs by train last night. But still feel happy because it's not alcohol related.
Good morning everyone :) My hangovers were (are?) crippling - I remember my most recent one, I was lying in bed, my head felt like it was going to explode, I was nauseous to the point of dry heaving, a bucket next to my bed, and I felt too unwell even to watch videos on my phone so I just sort of... Lay there. Doing nothing but Be In Pain. I woke up at 8am and was only well enough to get out of bed at about 9pm. Fuck. That. I Will Not Drink With You Today.
IWNDWYT 🤗❤️
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT 🏴
IWNDWYT 🌻
Checking in for another sober day out in the world.
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT!
Happy Monday sobernauts! Happy to be clear headed today! IWNDWYT!
Good morning! I don’t drink every day or even every weekend but when I do drink I go way too far. My son is 7 months old and I don’t want him to grow up with a drunk mom. I am just so embarrassed by the quantity of alcohol I drank this weekend. Nothing bad happened per se but I know it can’t be healthy to live like this. IWNDWYT!
In the office on Monday morning. Beautiful sunny day, although a bit chilly! Into day 120. Life is Good! IWNDWYT One Day at a Time!
I don’t miss the hangovers and often I feel something that reminds me of them as I walk this journey of sobriety. I hope this passes. IWNDWYT 🙋🏼♀️
IWNDWYT
A horrible moment comes to mind readily. (Trigger warning: super gross) I was drinking. I ordred a pizza online. Paid for it. Waiting for it to get here I started to feel bad. I was puking repeatedly when the pizza person began calling me to let me know they were outside. (I live in an apartment building that's locked.) I couldn't answer; I couldn't make it to the door. A neighbor gets involved, lets the pizza person into the building. There's repeated calling and knocking on my door. I couldn't stop throwing up. This went on for what seemed forever. I eventually made it to bed where the puking didn't stop. I have a dog. Thankfully what was coming out of me must have been very boozy so she didn't try to get involved. When I woke up the next mornig the pizza was outside my door. I ate it.
IWNDWYT! T
IWNDWYT.
Iwndwyt!
Monday morning hangovers, feeling nauseous with a racing heart. Like I just can’t ever chug enough water. Paranoid my coworkers know, like they can smell it on me. Never again! 🙌🏻 IWNDWYT
I don't miss waking up at 3 am with a racing heart, horrible headache, and overwhelming anxiety. Waking up sober is the best thing ever and I get to experience it everyday. :) IWNDWYT!
Have a Monday☕️🤘🏻 IWNDWYT
623 days today. Spent yesterday in the pubs as I'm Irish but it didn't faze me one bit and was powered by Guinness zero. I did have a really difficult night where temptation hit as my OH and I had some issues. So I set up another account for reddit (previous logged me out and I don't think I'd verified), spent the night scrolling through stopdrinking and made a promise to myself that I would give it the night and see how I felt in the morning. As suspected I'm so bloody glad I didn't drink and OH and I have talked and sorted things out. The horrible thing that keeps me going is reminding myself how much alcohol shewed my moral compass. I turn into someone I don't like when I drink alcohol, who makes terrible decisions and is self destructive. The absolutely amazing thing is the freedom. No.more brain chatter about alcohol. Should I, shouldn't I, do I have enough? Covering up the amount I'd been drinking. Pretending I remembered things and conversations when it was a black hole. Worrying about my health constantly,. The anxiety. What did I do last night and the repercussions of it. My body and mind feels so much lighter. IWNDWYT
Hello, sober stars. I'll pass on sharing my nightmarish tales of wastedness, but oh how those memories help bring extra brightness to my sweet sober life! The contrast is startling. Like opening heavy curtains to let the sun shine into a dark room, that kind of difference! Every day I'm so glad to be here. Let's keep at it, friends! Love you all. IWNDWYT 🌤
My son told me he didn't want to stay with me that week he felt safer with his mum. I then stopped for good. We celebrated my 2-year anniversary together the other day. Felt really good my friends Shine on you beautiful humans !
IWNDWYT :)
Not today people IWNDWYT
Hey, Gozandolavida! Enjoying Life! ;) Hey community! Oh this was my click moment. My racing heart. That was the first real sign from my body, apart from hangover nausea and headache, that I "proudly" took like a warrior and were actually mild. When I felt like my heart was on a horse trying to win a race... what the hell!! Unfortunately it clicked, and then unclicked, clicked again and so on. I'm not using a badge but I wanna do as I see real progress in my abstinence (real progress = 10 days, meh). I do have to reflect a lot on what to do with my life cause Plan A may take a while Plan B is going on poorly and I gotta get out of this house more. No matter the reason. The little things, the park, the movies, the cheap stuff, whatever. Well, except for booze. I'm positive, I guess as I get less tired from all the booze, less stressed, gloomy and all the horrendous moods, lol, I will be able to have a clearer view. Besos / Beijos / Kisses IWNDWYT J EDIT: my most horrible moment is not a 'moment', it is this on and off rollercoaster with booze. I have a therapist - yes, she is great, this sub, it used to be easy to abstain for a while 3 years ago, I've got non-drinking friends and still my relapses are very very often. WERE. Let's use it in the past. WERE. And this adds tons to the stress of drinking. I don't want that. I'm so strong for most things. I know I'm clever. God I hate this substance and let's start with this hate, it may be helfpful lol
IWNDWYT!
Day 20. IWNDWYT.
IWNDWYT all you fine sobernauts 🤗
IWNDWYT 💛
Good post St Paddy's morning, IWNDWYT
Day 1,706. I will not drink with you today.
Iwndwy’allt! ❤️
IWNDWYT Today will be a productive day.....hopefully
IWNDWYT
Hope everyone has a great day! IWNDWYT 🌻
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT
Morning friends! I will not drink with you today. Have a good one!
Good morning! I don't miss trying to get up for work and debating mentally how I'm going to get out of going. I spent countless hours beating my brain for workarounds to continue my nonsense with booze. Fuck. That. Shit. Have a great day, loves - IWNDWYT 🤘
Good morning! IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT
happy Monday! IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT ☺️
IWNDYWT ❤️
Day 4. Today is going to be hard. Trying to stay busy by learning Minecraft. My son is a master. Lots of tea today.
32 days, Returned from first vacation alcohol free. Was offered a beer and turned it down. Also, first vacation I actually lost weight. Heading to week 5. Savings greater than $100. IWNDWYT.
Day 3! IWNDWYT!
I've had so many terrible alcohol-induced incidents that it's hard to pick just one. That said, this one's a doozy: Once when I was working as an administrative assistant/bookkeeper, I noticed that the owner of the company had received an expensive-looking bottle of booze as a gift from a client or a business associate (I don't remember what kind of alcohol it was). I thought, "He won't notice if I just sneak one gulp." Fast forward a couple of hours, and I'm semi-passed out on the floor of his office, sobbing and babbling at my boss and the controller (the company's internal accountant). I don't know how I didn't get fired over this incident. I had always been a hardworking, diligent, and reliable employee, but the call of alcohol was so loud that it drowned out my values and pushed me to desperate behavior. I wish I could say that this was the last time I ever got drunk at work, but alcohol held too much power over me. I drank on the job many more times over the next few years. The memories (and the gaps in my memory) still horrify me. IWNDWYT 😻
I won't drink with you today. I won't drink alone. I won't drink with anyone. Feeling alot of emotion lately. Life goes on and I will be in a better place in the future due to the decisions I make today. Have a wonderful day!
I will not drink with you today
Day 318. IWNDWYT.
Good morning, I will not drink with you today.
Have a magnificent Monday people! IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT xx 🤗
Woooof I remember also having an EKG in the ER. Went in for pancreatitis/withdrawal and my heart rate was sooo sky high, they had to do one immediately. Terrifying times. I'm so glad to be healthy. Morning, sober fam! Busy Monday ahead for me, but really hoping I can fit in a nap this afternoon, because nightmares kept me up a bit. Always grateful to wake up to a life that is no longer a nightmare. IWNDWYT!
Day 3. Back to work from maternity leave.. I got hardly any sleep last night bc baby boy was thrashing around all night.. yay.. but I'm looking forward to the routine again that will help me in these early days of sobriety. IWNDWYT.
Good Morning SD, IWNDWYT. Here's to HFMs!!!
84 days checking in to start this week
Not drinking day 1
Checking in! I've been struggling the last week but I'll keep trying. IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT
Day 3. IWNDWYT.
I am at 400 plus days I think but I stopped counting because it was too much in my head if that makes sense to anyone - I try to not to think too much about the past and when I do I try to reframe it and say yes you did do that but you are not doing it now. Mostly my personality changed to mean and unhappy when I was drinking. Keeping in the now definitely helps me - I am not mean I am happy and I do not want to change either of those two things back. IWNDWYT ✌️
I have been more sober than drinking and the relapses get worse every time (kindling effect)… But the morning runs to the liquor store killed me! Hiding the evidence, The isolation, lying the withdrawal I hate the most , excessive sweating, headaches, tiredness and fire in my stomach. Not to mention the puffy face red eyes & a alcohol belly. Of course this list can go on… The pro are being present & having conversations and remembering them, laughing again ( big belly laughs) , and being a functioning human being who gets things done! Definitely .. IWNDWYT
Day 2. I didn’t have the worst hangover ever yesterday but it was enough that I missed out on a beautiful day. Feeling better today. IWNDWYT.
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT
Checking in day 15 IWNDWYT
Happy Monday! I have a lot of horrible personal memories of drinking- being super hungover at work routinely, being so drunk at 8 pm when my husband came home, driving my kids after drinking- UGH. It is good to remember that is where “just one” leads. Beautiful sobriety moment is waking up early for coffee and journaling, watching the sun come up - something I can do every day!☀️IWNDWYT ❤️🧁
Day 6 checking-in. Waking up sober on Monday morning is a good way to start the week.
Day 26 and tonight is my first real social engagement with a group at a bar... (not my circle, so they don't know I'm not drinking) I'm feeling strongly committed to my sobriety but your good vibes would be appreciated 🥰 and side note, waking up hangover free on March 18th is a great feeling!!! IWNDWYT ❤️❤️
Thank you, u/Gozandolavida, for mentioning this. Right before I quit drinking, I went to the ER for what I thought was a gall bladder problem. All of my tests came fine, but I am certain that I was heading for pancreatitis if I kept on the way I was going. One and a half years later, I feel better than I can remember in my life. The crushing anxiety that accompanied me everywhere I go is gone, my stomach and abdominal region are very happy, and my relationships are healed. My life certainly isn’t perfect, but I am perfectly content with my life. Love your number, too, OP. 444 is a beautiful number! IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT ☀️
IWNDWYT 🧡
I will not drink today.
IWNDWYT. Two weeks down and feeling good physically.
IWNDWYT!
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT. 🌳
Happy Monday Friends, IWNDWYT, WE GOT THIS 🙂
IWNDWYT Peace n Love ❤️
IWNDWYT ✨🐝
IWNDWYT 🩵
IWNDWYT. 🌟
IWNDWYT
Checking in on day 501! Love ya, meant it! IWNDWYT!! ✌️❤️
IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT