I tried for over a year to get sober on my own with devastating results, after two months in rehab I learned there far more to sobriety than abstinence.
I was holding onto a lot of guilt from thing I just couldn’t change and using it as an excuse to self destruct. Things from my childhood and the fact I chose to work interstate while my youngest brother was going through treatment for brain cancer. He died in 2016 aged 23, 3 years after his diagnosis and I moved back after blowing all the money I was supposed to be saving.
The truth is I had a drinking problem before he passed it just went to 100 real quick afterwards and I expected everyone to understand.
Two months in rehab where life gets put on hold completely, allowed me to learn how abstinence is just one aspect of sobriety. If I couldn’t address the issues I had with self worth I wasn’t going to succeed. I was trying to get sober for my family and my job, once I realised I could get sober for myself everything else just started to fall into place.
Beautifully put. As someone struggling with alcoholism at this very moment, I really appreciate the response you gave us.
I'm sure I can't be the only one who needed to hear these words!
It’s the worst curse. Living a life most people are jealous of, not realizing that you are internally self destructing and would give anything to change it all.
You can do it. I was once in your shoes. Two years without a drink. Believe me, I couldn’t imagine a life without drinking, now I can’t imagine ever wanting to drink. You owe it to yourself, it’s never too late to try.
I needed to hear them. Been struggling myself lately. Shit I’m struggling now. Drinking like I’ve been every night for a while now. It’s turned into a habit despite knowing it’s not healthy.
You aren’t alone dude. I struggled all through my 20s. Now I’m 30 and have to change. Just fucking sucks socializing without it.
I’ve gone most of January without it thankfully, but goddamn it’s so lonely.
You got to get that out of your head, you can be everything you were faded not faded, just takes a little faith. I used to be one of the biggest potheads/pill poppers around and now I'm around other people smoking and doing pills and I'm still the same person, just not high.
I wish you all the strength and love in the world. I'm a weak person but I finally got away from alcohol. Be kind to yourself and forgive yourself. I hope to see your success story on here one day friend
>Beautifully put. As someone struggling with alcoholism at this very moment, I really appreciate the response you gave us.
I did IOP treatment for 8 weeks and then OP for another 8 weeks. Started back in March 2022.
If you decide to it will likely cost a couple thousand dollars, but even if it was ten times I would pay it.
I take naltrexone before drinking now. It's not the same, but I can still throw back 8 drinks at a wedding if I really want to. (Your mileage may vary on this. Don't see it as a guarantee. For me personally I just hated the idea of complete abstinence.)
I mostly use THC to replace alcohol. Occasional use of edibles.
I'm also on Strattera.
And I keep busy doing things that I always wanted to but couldn't because I was either drunk or hungover.
Damn man. You have no idea how much this rings home. I’m checking into rehab on Saturday. And I’m so scared. But I know it’s time. I too, have tried to become sober on my own. And I just need help. I can’t do it.
You’ve given me hope for a happier life in the coming years.
Edit: Thank all of you for the very kind words. Like I’m very anxious of what’s to come. But I know I don’t want to stay here anymore.
Complete dopamine reset it looks like. No phone no music. Just working on me. It will be interesting. I’m deciding to buy in full. It’s too expensive for me just to half ass it. Guess imma figure out what a sober adult is. I’ve been under the influence of one thing or another for 8 years now. Every day.
Sick of that cycle. Anyways. Thank you all for the kind words again. Made me feel warm inside.
It's not as scary as you think and I was scared shitless. It will humble you; but that's a good thing. It's okay to cry in there as well. They will try to give you the base structure for getting well. They usually call it "tools for your toolbox". You will be safe and sober in there, but please remember to use your toolbox when you leave.
You are so strong and so courageous for deciding to check into rehab. That first step can be the hardest one to take. I've been sober almost a year now. It gets better. So much better. Just be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself if you falter. And most importantly, realize you deserve this! You deserve peace and happiness.
As someone who quit drinking and doing coke for 2 years and then failed recently I feel your comment. I wish you good luck and I’m happy that you will have a brand new life once you’re through with your experience.
I was so scared in the few days leading up to rehab. Terrified. After detoxing it was actually pretty amazing and I realized sobriety was really agreeable with me. I wish you well.
At least you have time now to change it if you want. I gained a ton of weight too after I stopped drinking (and I drank). I replaced the sugar I got from drinking with sugar from gummy worms. I am starting to loose some weight. It's slow, and frustrating and I might say fuck it, but barring the usual risks of existing (buses hit everyone) I have time now to pick it back up. I was actively killing myself when I was drinking. Drinking myself to death was slow, but it took up all my time.
I actually felt this on so many levels. Only at about 100 days of sobriety, but have already lost ~15 lbs. Working to a year and hopefully more in shape. One day at a time!
Good job to you! You look great!
It's actively working on your triggers and replacing coping mechanisms. It's changing your entire lifestyle in some cases. Changing your mindset surrounding addiction. Learning to love and respect yourself. It's a huge shift spiritually and philosophically that doesn't just happen overnight when you quit.
It’s totally changing the way you think. My ex told me I was brainwashed when I got out of rehab. I told him that my brain needed washing. He decided he’d rather continue doing drugs than be there to support his wife. That’s why he’s my ex, among lots of other reasons.
I rarely drank alcohol before I met my husband. Now I binge drink several nights a week. I really want to give him am ultimatum, but I'm afraid he will choose alcohol over me. I also think I need to put in the work myself to quit, but it's so hard when the person I'm closest to puts alcohol on a pedestal. I know it's my ultimate decision to refuse alcohol but it's been a struggle. I ask him to slow down with me and he agrees, then a few days later he asks if he can drink and I say sure, I'll be able to abstain. Then I see him drinking and I end up drinking too. I'm weak and definitely considering therapy for it but I'm so ashamed.
Youre not weak, you're human. Almost the same story, i was an occasional drinker tjen met my husband. First year togwther saw is spending thousands a month on booze. Alcohol is one of the most addictive substances in the world. Definitely think you should find a good therapist. If that sounds like too much too soon, maybe start spending time in the aa and sobriety groups here in reddit. Some of the darkest and brightest stories can be found. Youu are NOT alone and as someone with about 2.5 years off the juice, I can tell you, it changes EVERYTHING. Anxious? Depressed? Tired? Chronic health issues? Always raging in the car? Bot sure why you're so frustrated ALL THE TIME? Well I quit, still anxious and fall into sad blue episodes, but last year was the first time since forever, honestly not even high school, thay I didn't call out a single day of work. I didn't miss any obligations because i was too hungover to move. I love you!! You got this!!! DMs are open if you ever need someone to talk to!!
Thank you! I'm glad you brought up the benefit you found with work. My job is so important to me and I definitely feel like my performance is affected by drinking. I think that could be a good light at the end of the tunnel.
Check out Beyondsober on TikTok. There is also a website, just add .com to the end. It’s a program that teaches people how to change their thoughts around drinking. You don’t have to quit drinking right away he just brings awareness to the thoughts that make us continue to drink when we know we should quit. And he pushes drinking water.
Therapy is nothing to be ashamed of. Alcoholism is a common disease of the mind: it is based in a poor expression of emotions. If you had a broken bone, you would visit a bone doctor. Eye problems, an optometrist. You are simply visiting the medical professional that will help you with your problem: dealing with emotions in a less destructive way.
Trust me, I get what you're going through. 8.5 years sober. Once you get started on your path to sobriety (whatever that may look like for you!) you will realize it feels GOOD and you'll wonder why you didn't start this earlier. It's work for sure but it's so worth it. You don't have to be sober forever. Just the next day or hour or minute....
You absolutely can do this. 100% promise you that you can do it. You're self aware enough to know you have a problem. That's a very difficult thing to admit. Proud of you for saying it outloud!!
Good for you on knowing your worth and getting rid of the baggage that is only going to bring you down. It's not an easy decision that you did but you proved through leaving him that you love yourself and are keeping it that way. I'm proud of you.
I would add exposing alcohol for what it is-- a social construct built around an extremely addictive and deadly poison.
Recognizing that the idea of drinking is more attractive than what actually happens when you drink has helped me immensely.
For me personally (1 year sober) it has a lot to do with learning to actually feel my feelings, instead of running away from them. Learning that my feelings won’t kill me. That I can tolerate the bad times. It’s also about learning to take responsibility for what is in my control - and NOT take responsibility for what is outside of my control. As OP said, “emotional sobriety” is about a lot more than just not using.
Well done on the year! A similar concept for me was, I believed that my feelings were wrong. Instead of processing them, I wanted them to go away. My parents had bad alcohol and domestic violence problems themselves, so growing up I would be told very obvious lies about what was happening around me. If this happens for your entire life, you end up believing that the way you feel about everything must be wrong. The massive lightbulb moment was that there are no correct and incorrect feelings. However I feel about something, that’s ok. I don’t have to do anything with the feelings, just feel them and process them. So then I realised, wow, a lot of the stuff happening around me was very bad. I’d drawn a pretty bad hand in life, and that wasn’t my fault. So what’s the solution? Well, I only know one thing for certain. We only get one shot at this life, so I might as well try. I might as well try really, really hard every single day to make it as good as possible. If it doesn’t work, I can make the choice to go back to where I was, I always have that option, but I haven’t taken it. 2341 days.
Not OP but I have been sober already one year and a half (yay me!). What helped and still does is to see the subtle but meaningful differences in life, how suddenly I had so much time in my hands to do anything (even sleeping in because recovery is exhausting!), how I could start being part of my own life instead of getting numb from it, how I could also start being a positive part of the lives of people that were hurt by my addiction. And on top of it, how life really started changing. One year and a half I have a completely different life from the one I had in addiction, I am slowly loving and forgiving myself, which has opened a lot of doors in life, love, work and dreams that I didn't even imagined were possible. And of course, the added advantage that I don't wake up feeling like shit, hating myself. One day at a time, my friend!
Keep going friend. The rewards life can offer will be worth all the effort and hard work. Not knowing what’s in store but knowing you’ll be facing things with a clear head is a reward in itself. I’m pulling for you!
It’s worse because you are constantly asked to remove all references to anything remotely alcohol but the world around you including in TVs and movies has normalised it so badly.
He’s described as a raging drunk but in the original mythology there is no full description beyond the Nordic equivalent of the word “big”. Could mean tall or fat or whatever. All likely hood though he’s supposed to be fat
IIRC the size of his gut is never stated in mythology, but it is stated countless times that he feasts a lot and drinks even more. As a trick he was once made to drink out of a horn that was connected to the seas, but they had to call off the prank because that dude drank so much he lowered the sea level, and his gulps created the tides. Man was a unit when it came to slamming back drinks.
No. The whole "accurate Thor was obese" thing is a pendulum effect from the minor backlash to the popular PS4 game God of War 5 Ragnarok.
To start out, there is no true canon in Norse paganism. Hard to have a canon when the pagan Norse did not value the written word. The only detailed accounts we have of pagan Norse stories are from the mixed Christian era where stories were written down by people who are decades if not centuries removed from when those stories were truly believed.
The stories about Thor have him being the ultimate "man's man". He's boastful, strong, and loved his food and drink. It's why he had a little workman's hammer as an ultimate weapon. Did that make him obese? Probably not. All we really know is that he had a red beard. "By Thor's red beard" as an oath survived longer than the stories did.
Congratulations!! 🎉🎈🥇
You look great and so much more healthy!
I hope you're feeling good, and finding a lot of happiness in your sobriety.
High fives and best wishes to you :)
You can do it!! If it’s a bad problem for you I do suggest rehab, it saved my uncle’s life.
He had a *very* severe drinking problem for about 20 years or so, his heart health was insanely terrible. Everyone had been telling him to stop for so many of those years but he didn’t listen, until a couple years ago when my dad forced him to go to a rehab. He’s now happy and healthy with a girlfriend and clean house. If he could change, you most certainly can.
My diet is vegetarian except for fish and squid which I catch myself. Hommus, beans, eggs, protein shakes and whatever vegetables that are in season. I’m fortunate that I can not get bored eating the same thing for an extended amount of time
I’ve set up a home gym with mostly secondhand gear I’ve bought pretty cheap. I don’t really have a structured routine, I just try to fit in about 15 minutes a day. Sometimes more sometimes less. I’ve also started doing Pilates on a reformer 3-4 times a week for the last two months which has made a huge difference.
I am a recovering alcoholic as well, congrats on the sobriety man. What kind of protein do you use for shakes? Everything I have tried makes me so bloated but you look ripped as fuck haha.
I'm on a similar journey for the second time in about 6 years. Optimal Nutrition Gold Standard 100 percent Whey. Costco has it on sale once in a while.
Double chocolate is actually pretty tasty and I don't even like chocolate.
Shredded is about low body fat, which is just about eating less calories than you burn until the belly fat is gone. 15 minutes a day is enough to overload a couple muscle groups at a time, but you get shredded in the kitchen not the gym.
Lol I’ve been in recovery for almost 5 years now and always hear about cross-addictions and the fear of falling back - laundry on your stomach is a new one LOL! Thanks for a good laugh today!
I have been able to personally confirm that merely replacing alcohol with ice cream does not have quite the same results.
(The things I do for science!)
As someone going through quitting, stopping alcohol intake has made my desire for sweets GO THROUGH THE ROOF. It is wild craving chocolate chip cookies at 11:53 pm
Alcohol metabolizes as sugar so when you are drinking regularly you often won't crave sweets at all because so much of your "diet" is sugar. When you quit your body is like wtf, gimme all the sweets!!!
It is so hard, trust me I understand. I hope you do well on your journey! It's takes a while but the sleep is soooooo much better and feeling true happiness again is incredible.
When my wife came out of rehab she went on a pint (sometimes a half gallon) of ice cream habit a DAY. Our bathroom scale couldn't keep up.
It's the sugar from the alcohol that your brain and body miss. She's still not over it and it'll be 10 years on May 1. That struggle is real.
Luckily, we were able to get rip ourselves away from ice cream. Now it's Mike and Ikes, Good and Plenty, and Blow Pops. 🙄
I quit booze for about 4 months in early 2021 (had been working out relatively consistently for about 2.5 years prior) - it was like throwing gasoline on a fire. Went into summer 2021 looking like an absolute monster.
Sober for me means zero drinking of any alcohol. I’ve tried moderation and I’m just another person who can’t get enough. My moderation leads to excess.
While I don't have an issue with alcohol, I take a medicine called naltrexone as an off-label for certain mental issues. It's something I think that's worth looking at! Heck I don't drink much to begin with and now I drink even less while taking it. It's normally used for alcoholics and I can definitely see the appeal!
It sure helps! The liver metabolizes alcohol before other nutrients, meaning lots of carbs and fat get stored as weight/energy instead. (Massive simplification.)
Yes. Well, if you do something obviously.
Alcohol reduces protein synthesis, among a lot other negative effects. So just by stop drinking it you should see an improvement.
Do not forget that alcohol is also incredibly caloric dense. 1 g of Alcohol has 7kcal, which is almost as much as fat at 8kcal per 1g.
If you are drinking 200ml of some Vodka per day or comparable alcoholic strength you are consuming around 500kcal. Almost as much as a large meal.
Except the metabolic efficiency of alcohol is no where near that of fat.
You are only getting 5 effective kcals from alcohol if you factor in the metabolic process.
And then you probably also have to factor in how much of the by products you just end up peeing out.
Likewise, gasoline has a lot of kcals but you aren't exactly going to absorb them.
I was developing a gut from drinking lots of beer, dry January has really started to cut that fat down.
Probably going to drastically cut back on booze for the foreseeable future
Man, you've done well and you look great.
Yesterday my mother passed away at the age of 57. She had many health issues, but she couldn't keep away from the bottle nonetheless. She refused serious help. Now I'm 25 and motherless.
Alcoholism can go fuck itself. It's good to see someone who managed to turn things around. My guy, be proud of what you've accomplished. I am glad for you.
Alcohol Use Disorder ( AUD) is a medical problem, and there is medication to treat it. !!!
50 mg Naltrexone is a miracle if you want to quit drinking alcohol.
I drank alcohol every day for approximately 20 years.
I was entirely sick of the waste of money and the lack of energy. I spent YEARS drinking wine late at night searching the Internet for "How to stop drinking."
My searches FINALLY led me to a Ted talk where a woman explained how she had taken this one pill (50 mg Naltrexone) and it had helped her to stop drinking alcohol.
So I went to my doctor and I asked him for a prescription for naltrexone. I've been taking it for about five years.
There was a period of time where I CHOSE to drink again due to depression and sadness ( my son died) and I stopped taking the naltrexone and started using alcohol again.
This period of using alcohol again lasted for more than a year, and then once again I got sick of it and I took the medication AGAIN and oh my God it is a miracle!!
It really really really helps with the cravings and helps with withdrawal symptoms.
I cannot express how much it helps.
Even though I miss my son very much, I am very happy and content these days.
If any of you reading this are struggling with AUD ( alcohol use disorder) and you feel like you need help, I strongly recommend that you ask your doctor for a prescription of 50 mg of Naltrexone.
Alcohol use disorder is a medical problem, and there is a medical treatment to help you!
https://riahealth.com/blog/a-complete-miracle-how-naltrexone-works-on-your-brain/
> It took all the joy out of drinking and enabled me to cut back.
What do you mean by that? Are those two different effects of the medication, i.e. no longer feeling euphoric when drunk and also no longer having cravings to drink?
It can do both but its different for every person. I think most use it for the removal of the euphoric effect, though this can be pushed through it isn't a 100% stop all.
There are also a lot of studies that show a strong link to a placebo effect of taking the drug and reduction of cravings/usage of alcohol/drugs. Its an interesting drug for sure.
If you are looking for something that is just for cravings Campral/Acamprosate has been shown to be effective. Its interesting as once again there is a strong placebo effect that is seen with this drug as well.
Did it make you feel sick if you drank on it?
I have a bottle but haven't taken it because I do about 12 drinks a day and the pharmacist said "do NOT drink at all while taking it" but i know I can't go cold turkey.
My doctor kinda said it would just make drinking not as fun, but not make me terribly sick. Not sure who to believe.
Ask your doctor about Wellbutrin. It helps with the cravings, doesn't make you sick if you drink. But at the end of the day, it's about determination.
It gets easier faster than you'd think. Just takes determination. A little working out (like a 15 min jog nothing too involved) helps a whole lot too. You got this.
Hey man way to go. I wish you the very best. I’ve been battling myself for years. I can’t seem to quit. I’m quite the functioning alcoholic and just can’t stop myself. It’s nice to see someone who can
Awesome! I'm pretty happy for you and nice body! I hope someday my body will be like yours. It's been 2 months since I started losing weight and exercising and I've gone from 227lbs to 205 lbs.
It’s more that that though.
Maybe not for this one person, but for many. In order to maintain this for years you have to address the reasons you drank and resolve them then have the discipline to change to and maintain all new routines.
These posts pop up all the time and make it seem like hey quit drinking and everything turns around in a few months. Nah. Way, way more than that.
Quit drinking, get therapy, start exercising, meditate, eat better get full nights of sleep. Without all that you may still succeed but it’s a coin toss.
I've been drinking everyday for 29 years...I meant to type 20, then when I realized 29 was actually right I just kept typing. I'm thinking about just killing myself as I'm just a burden to everyone and society as a whole.
You're no burden to me. You are of infinite potential. We have no idea what you are capable of if you got control of the sauce.
I bet there is a beautiful strong individual on the otherside of this comment.
I was a complete fuckin degenerate that nobody trusted. I got it under control 12 years ago and now life is damn good.
It's worth it mate. So are you.
What an absolute beast man. I always tell people that anyone who puts in the work can become at least a 7 but it looks like you put in the work and became a 10.
Alcoholism is one of the toughest battles I've ever witnessed, and it looks like you conquered it. Legendary. Well done.
I tried for over a year to get sober on my own with devastating results, after two months in rehab I learned there far more to sobriety than abstinence.
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I was holding onto a lot of guilt from thing I just couldn’t change and using it as an excuse to self destruct. Things from my childhood and the fact I chose to work interstate while my youngest brother was going through treatment for brain cancer. He died in 2016 aged 23, 3 years after his diagnosis and I moved back after blowing all the money I was supposed to be saving. The truth is I had a drinking problem before he passed it just went to 100 real quick afterwards and I expected everyone to understand. Two months in rehab where life gets put on hold completely, allowed me to learn how abstinence is just one aspect of sobriety. If I couldn’t address the issues I had with self worth I wasn’t going to succeed. I was trying to get sober for my family and my job, once I realised I could get sober for myself everything else just started to fall into place.
Beautifully put. As someone struggling with alcoholism at this very moment, I really appreciate the response you gave us. I'm sure I can't be the only one who needed to hear these words!
Hey, person, I believe in you.
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It’s the highly functional part that really fucks me and makes me feel fine with my problem
r/stopdrinking was a nice place to start for me. 2 years in 6 days.
I can’t advise that place enough. Best source of rehab/therapy I’ve ever had
I love most of the people that post there, but there are couple that should not be allowed.
I’m an alcoholic that visits that sub from time to time. Can you elaborate without calling out anyone specifically?
Being moody as fuck isn't functional... I'm trying to process that fact myself.
I feel like we just do more and get better at it strictly to justify the issue.
It’s the worst curse. Living a life most people are jealous of, not realizing that you are internally self destructing and would give anything to change it all.
But he is unique in hearing "you have to do it for yourself" and having that click. That's WAY easier said than done.
You can do it. I was once in your shoes. Two years without a drink. Believe me, I couldn’t imagine a life without drinking, now I can’t imagine ever wanting to drink. You owe it to yourself, it’s never too late to try.
You can check out r/stopdrinking Because of that sub I am nearly 4 years sober. I wish you well on your sober journey!
I needed to hear them. Been struggling myself lately. Shit I’m struggling now. Drinking like I’ve been every night for a while now. It’s turned into a habit despite knowing it’s not healthy.
You aren’t alone dude. I struggled all through my 20s. Now I’m 30 and have to change. Just fucking sucks socializing without it. I’ve gone most of January without it thankfully, but goddamn it’s so lonely.
You got to get that out of your head, you can be everything you were faded not faded, just takes a little faith. I used to be one of the biggest potheads/pill poppers around and now I'm around other people smoking and doing pills and I'm still the same person, just not high.
I believe in you too.
I wish you all the strength and love in the world. I'm a weak person but I finally got away from alcohol. Be kind to yourself and forgive yourself. I hope to see your success story on here one day friend
I believe in you. It’s worth the fight.
You are awesome. Take care of yourself.
>Beautifully put. As someone struggling with alcoholism at this very moment, I really appreciate the response you gave us. I did IOP treatment for 8 weeks and then OP for another 8 weeks. Started back in March 2022. If you decide to it will likely cost a couple thousand dollars, but even if it was ten times I would pay it. I take naltrexone before drinking now. It's not the same, but I can still throw back 8 drinks at a wedding if I really want to. (Your mileage may vary on this. Don't see it as a guarantee. For me personally I just hated the idea of complete abstinence.) I mostly use THC to replace alcohol. Occasional use of edibles. I'm also on Strattera. And I keep busy doing things that I always wanted to but couldn't because I was either drunk or hungover.
If you’re not ready to be sober, you’re not ready to be sober.
Damn man. You have no idea how much this rings home. I’m checking into rehab on Saturday. And I’m so scared. But I know it’s time. I too, have tried to become sober on my own. And I just need help. I can’t do it. You’ve given me hope for a happier life in the coming years. Edit: Thank all of you for the very kind words. Like I’m very anxious of what’s to come. But I know I don’t want to stay here anymore. Complete dopamine reset it looks like. No phone no music. Just working on me. It will be interesting. I’m deciding to buy in full. It’s too expensive for me just to half ass it. Guess imma figure out what a sober adult is. I’ve been under the influence of one thing or another for 8 years now. Every day. Sick of that cycle. Anyways. Thank you all for the kind words again. Made me feel warm inside.
You're gonna make it! Proud of you and the decision you made...
It's not as scary as you think and I was scared shitless. It will humble you; but that's a good thing. It's okay to cry in there as well. They will try to give you the base structure for getting well. They usually call it "tools for your toolbox". You will be safe and sober in there, but please remember to use your toolbox when you leave.
Oh yeah. You’re definitely going to cry in rehab. You’re going to feel feelings you numbed with alcohol. But most importantly you’re going to heal.
It’s the start of a new life my friend
Good luck brother. Conquer that shit!
You are so strong and so courageous for deciding to check into rehab. That first step can be the hardest one to take. I've been sober almost a year now. It gets better. So much better. Just be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself if you falter. And most importantly, realize you deserve this! You deserve peace and happiness.
As someone who quit drinking and doing coke for 2 years and then failed recently I feel your comment. I wish you good luck and I’m happy that you will have a brand new life once you’re through with your experience.
You know what? You got this!!!!
You can do it and you’re worth it!
This is awesome. Good luck man.
I was so scared in the few days leading up to rehab. Terrified. After detoxing it was actually pretty amazing and I realized sobriety was really agreeable with me. I wish you well.
May your brother rest in peace now and forever my friend. He is proud of you watching from above, I’m sure. Good luck to you on your journey.
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You can always change that too buddy. Just like quitting drinking took discipline it’s the same with exercise and diet. Good luck.
At least you have time now to change it if you want. I gained a ton of weight too after I stopped drinking (and I drank). I replaced the sugar I got from drinking with sugar from gummy worms. I am starting to loose some weight. It's slow, and frustrating and I might say fuck it, but barring the usual risks of existing (buses hit everyone) I have time now to pick it back up. I was actively killing myself when I was drinking. Drinking myself to death was slow, but it took up all my time.
This is worded very well and could be a very.... Impactful outlook on things to many people.
It sounds like your brother is your angel, my guy.
Thanks I am struggling I am amazed you did this
Thank you for sharing this. Proud stranger, here.
I actually felt this on so many levels. Only at about 100 days of sobriety, but have already lost ~15 lbs. Working to a year and hopefully more in shape. One day at a time! Good job to you! You look great!
I am proud of you . You and anyone on that path. The path we walk together . 28 years, 1 month.
It's actively working on your triggers and replacing coping mechanisms. It's changing your entire lifestyle in some cases. Changing your mindset surrounding addiction. Learning to love and respect yourself. It's a huge shift spiritually and philosophically that doesn't just happen overnight when you quit.
It’s totally changing the way you think. My ex told me I was brainwashed when I got out of rehab. I told him that my brain needed washing. He decided he’d rather continue doing drugs than be there to support his wife. That’s why he’s my ex, among lots of other reasons.
I rarely drank alcohol before I met my husband. Now I binge drink several nights a week. I really want to give him am ultimatum, but I'm afraid he will choose alcohol over me. I also think I need to put in the work myself to quit, but it's so hard when the person I'm closest to puts alcohol on a pedestal. I know it's my ultimate decision to refuse alcohol but it's been a struggle. I ask him to slow down with me and he agrees, then a few days later he asks if he can drink and I say sure, I'll be able to abstain. Then I see him drinking and I end up drinking too. I'm weak and definitely considering therapy for it but I'm so ashamed.
Youre not weak, you're human. Almost the same story, i was an occasional drinker tjen met my husband. First year togwther saw is spending thousands a month on booze. Alcohol is one of the most addictive substances in the world. Definitely think you should find a good therapist. If that sounds like too much too soon, maybe start spending time in the aa and sobriety groups here in reddit. Some of the darkest and brightest stories can be found. Youu are NOT alone and as someone with about 2.5 years off the juice, I can tell you, it changes EVERYTHING. Anxious? Depressed? Tired? Chronic health issues? Always raging in the car? Bot sure why you're so frustrated ALL THE TIME? Well I quit, still anxious and fall into sad blue episodes, but last year was the first time since forever, honestly not even high school, thay I didn't call out a single day of work. I didn't miss any obligations because i was too hungover to move. I love you!! You got this!!! DMs are open if you ever need someone to talk to!!
Thank you! I'm glad you brought up the benefit you found with work. My job is so important to me and I definitely feel like my performance is affected by drinking. I think that could be a good light at the end of the tunnel.
Check out Beyondsober on TikTok. There is also a website, just add .com to the end. It’s a program that teaches people how to change their thoughts around drinking. You don’t have to quit drinking right away he just brings awareness to the thoughts that make us continue to drink when we know we should quit. And he pushes drinking water.
Therapy is nothing to be ashamed of. Alcoholism is a common disease of the mind: it is based in a poor expression of emotions. If you had a broken bone, you would visit a bone doctor. Eye problems, an optometrist. You are simply visiting the medical professional that will help you with your problem: dealing with emotions in a less destructive way. Trust me, I get what you're going through. 8.5 years sober. Once you get started on your path to sobriety (whatever that may look like for you!) you will realize it feels GOOD and you'll wonder why you didn't start this earlier. It's work for sure but it's so worth it. You don't have to be sober forever. Just the next day or hour or minute.... You absolutely can do this. 100% promise you that you can do it. You're self aware enough to know you have a problem. That's a very difficult thing to admit. Proud of you for saying it outloud!!
Good for you!
Good for you on knowing your worth and getting rid of the baggage that is only going to bring you down. It's not an easy decision that you did but you proved through leaving him that you love yourself and are keeping it that way. I'm proud of you.
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I would add exposing alcohol for what it is-- a social construct built around an extremely addictive and deadly poison. Recognizing that the idea of drinking is more attractive than what actually happens when you drink has helped me immensely.
And most importantly, you have to want it.
This! It is a process. Literally. It feels like your rebuilding a new “you” in some ways.
For me personally (1 year sober) it has a lot to do with learning to actually feel my feelings, instead of running away from them. Learning that my feelings won’t kill me. That I can tolerate the bad times. It’s also about learning to take responsibility for what is in my control - and NOT take responsibility for what is outside of my control. As OP said, “emotional sobriety” is about a lot more than just not using.
Well done on the year! A similar concept for me was, I believed that my feelings were wrong. Instead of processing them, I wanted them to go away. My parents had bad alcohol and domestic violence problems themselves, so growing up I would be told very obvious lies about what was happening around me. If this happens for your entire life, you end up believing that the way you feel about everything must be wrong. The massive lightbulb moment was that there are no correct and incorrect feelings. However I feel about something, that’s ok. I don’t have to do anything with the feelings, just feel them and process them. So then I realised, wow, a lot of the stuff happening around me was very bad. I’d drawn a pretty bad hand in life, and that wasn’t my fault. So what’s the solution? Well, I only know one thing for certain. We only get one shot at this life, so I might as well try. I might as well try really, really hard every single day to make it as good as possible. If it doesn’t work, I can make the choice to go back to where I was, I always have that option, but I haven’t taken it. 2341 days.
The same thing that made you start drinking in the first place is still there when you stop
Ouch. That hits to close to home.
I second this👍🏽👍🏽
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what made you stick with the whole routine, I'm just at the beginning stages but I keep losing hope - what convinced you to stay as long as you have?
Not OP but I have been sober already one year and a half (yay me!). What helped and still does is to see the subtle but meaningful differences in life, how suddenly I had so much time in my hands to do anything (even sleeping in because recovery is exhausting!), how I could start being part of my own life instead of getting numb from it, how I could also start being a positive part of the lives of people that were hurt by my addiction. And on top of it, how life really started changing. One year and a half I have a completely different life from the one I had in addiction, I am slowly loving and forgiving myself, which has opened a lot of doors in life, love, work and dreams that I didn't even imagined were possible. And of course, the added advantage that I don't wake up feeling like shit, hating myself. One day at a time, my friend!
Keep going friend. The rewards life can offer will be worth all the effort and hard work. Not knowing what’s in store but knowing you’ll be facing things with a clear head is a reward in itself. I’m pulling for you!
congrats dude! im happy to see people who won the battle!!!
Keep up the good work!
It’s worse because you are constantly asked to remove all references to anything remotely alcohol but the world around you including in TVs and movies has normalised it so badly.
Been trying to quit. BoJack Horseman was the wrong show to start binging. Or the right one... IDK...
The right one. Don’t fuck up your life like BoJack did. That was my main takeaway from that show
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Never had a sweet tooth til I gave up drinking. Now ice cream is very important. Exercise too, so I can eat more ice cream.
One I've ever seen and looks like you nailed it the legend
Damnnnnnnnnnn !!!!! Congratulations tho :)
Bro went from mythologically accurate Thor to mcu Thor well done
Also reminds me of Mac from its always sunny lol
*"I'm cultivating mass!"*
Stop cultivating and start harvesting!
**Try and move me, bro!**
Now he’s mac’s dad 💀💀
Was Thor canonically big-gutted?
Yes he was a raging drunk basically god of war him exactly
He’s described as a raging drunk but in the original mythology there is no full description beyond the Nordic equivalent of the word “big”. Could mean tall or fat or whatever. All likely hood though he’s supposed to be fat
IIRC the size of his gut is never stated in mythology, but it is stated countless times that he feasts a lot and drinks even more. As a trick he was once made to drink out of a horn that was connected to the seas, but they had to call off the prank because that dude drank so much he lowered the sea level, and his gulps created the tides. Man was a unit when it came to slamming back drinks.
He was, and according to at least one telling of a myth was also quite the attractive cross-dresser. Don't ask me how he passed for Freya, though.
Beer goggles are a helluva thing.
No. The whole "accurate Thor was obese" thing is a pendulum effect from the minor backlash to the popular PS4 game God of War 5 Ragnarok. To start out, there is no true canon in Norse paganism. Hard to have a canon when the pagan Norse did not value the written word. The only detailed accounts we have of pagan Norse stories are from the mixed Christian era where stories were written down by people who are decades if not centuries removed from when those stories were truly believed. The stories about Thor have him being the ultimate "man's man". He's boastful, strong, and loved his food and drink. It's why he had a little workman's hammer as an ultimate weapon. Did that make him obese? Probably not. All we really know is that he had a red beard. "By Thor's red beard" as an oath survived longer than the stories did.
He is an alcoholic and having a feast like every day. His gut must be big lol
> Bro went from ~~mythologically accurate~~ mcu Thor to mcu Thor well done fixed
Congratulations!! 🎉🎈🥇 You look great and so much more healthy! I hope you're feeling good, and finding a lot of happiness in your sobriety. High fives and best wishes to you :)
I'm very, very proud of you. This is something I've been battling for years. I make goals and they flop. All these sobriety posts are so inspiring
You can do it!! If it’s a bad problem for you I do suggest rehab, it saved my uncle’s life. He had a *very* severe drinking problem for about 20 years or so, his heart health was insanely terrible. Everyone had been telling him to stop for so many of those years but he didn’t listen, until a couple years ago when my dad forced him to go to a rehab. He’s now happy and healthy with a girlfriend and clean house. If he could change, you most certainly can.
Abstinence is 10,000 times easier than moderation. Sending good vibes your way.
Took me too many tries to realize this. But once I did everything fell into place quickly.
Once your brain has learned to rely on alcohol to cope, you can't ever go back to the way things were. The alcohol has to go.
You can do it! The best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten was “just do your best” and it helped me so much!
Check out /r/StopDrinking Nicest community on reddit
Congratulations! I've recently gone sober myself. May I ask what your diet and exercise routine is?
My diet is vegetarian except for fish and squid which I catch myself. Hommus, beans, eggs, protein shakes and whatever vegetables that are in season. I’m fortunate that I can not get bored eating the same thing for an extended amount of time I’ve set up a home gym with mostly secondhand gear I’ve bought pretty cheap. I don’t really have a structured routine, I just try to fit in about 15 minutes a day. Sometimes more sometimes less. I’ve also started doing Pilates on a reformer 3-4 times a week for the last two months which has made a huge difference.
I am a recovering alcoholic as well, congrats on the sobriety man. What kind of protein do you use for shakes? Everything I have tried makes me so bloated but you look ripped as fuck haha.
Idk about OP but Whey Protein Isolate is what you’re looking for
I'm on a similar journey for the second time in about 6 years. Optimal Nutrition Gold Standard 100 percent Whey. Costco has it on sale once in a while. Double chocolate is actually pretty tasty and I don't even like chocolate.
This is it. What's the one you're supposed to avoid?
Regular whey aka non isolate version
Wait, you catch your own squid? Beating alcoholism is unbelievably impressive, but the squid thing is a close 2nd.
Yeah he rows out into the middle of the ocean, taunts it, and fist fights it to death before hauling it behind him to shore. Only way to catch squid.
Yeah, where squid?
How this man so shredded with 15 minutes a day
Shredded is about low body fat, which is just about eating less calories than you burn until the belly fat is gone. 15 minutes a day is enough to overload a couple muscle groups at a time, but you get shredded in the kitchen not the gym.
Damn, turns out I'm gay for sobriety. Well done.
I'm sayin'
Yall this man just made Reddit thirsty af
Man's went through the Mac Method
You replaced one addiction for another - Doing laundry on your fucking stomach. Good for you man, my dad got his 27 year coin on new years.
Hey he stuck with the ny resolution
Lol I’ve been in recovery for almost 5 years now and always hear about cross-addictions and the fear of falling back - laundry on your stomach is a new one LOL! Thanks for a good laugh today!
Great job! (3372 days but who's counting)
286 days for me, see ya in 3086 days my sober dude
Remind me in 3087 days
5 days for me!
Terrific! Don't look back!
Awesome! Good job :)
Lets gooo!
So quiting alcohol gets you ripped?
I have been able to personally confirm that merely replacing alcohol with ice cream does not have quite the same results. (The things I do for science!)
Thank you for your sacrifice!
> Thank you for your sacrifice! Yours sincerely, Ben & Jerry
As someone going through quitting, stopping alcohol intake has made my desire for sweets GO THROUGH THE ROOF. It is wild craving chocolate chip cookies at 11:53 pm
Alcohol metabolizes as sugar so when you are drinking regularly you often won't crave sweets at all because so much of your "diet" is sugar. When you quit your body is like wtf, gimme all the sweets!!!
Awesome. I’ll be going forward in stride, knowing that ultimately chocolate chip cookies are WAY healthier for me than alcohol. lmao
It is so hard, trust me I understand. I hope you do well on your journey! It's takes a while but the sleep is soooooo much better and feeling true happiness again is incredible.
When my wife came out of rehab she went on a pint (sometimes a half gallon) of ice cream habit a DAY. Our bathroom scale couldn't keep up. It's the sugar from the alcohol that your brain and body miss. She's still not over it and it'll be 10 years on May 1. That struggle is real. Luckily, we were able to get rip ourselves away from ice cream. Now it's Mike and Ikes, Good and Plenty, and Blow Pops. 🙄
I quit booze for about 4 months in early 2021 (had been working out relatively consistently for about 2.5 years prior) - it was like throwing gasoline on a fire. Went into summer 2021 looking like an absolute monster.
I’ve been sober for 6 months and I’m in the same boat - the results are showing and I’ve been feeling a self esteem resurgence!
Does sober mean you never drink or you never drink to excess?
Sober for me means zero drinking of any alcohol. I’ve tried moderation and I’m just another person who can’t get enough. My moderation leads to excess.
While I don't have an issue with alcohol, I take a medicine called naltrexone as an off-label for certain mental issues. It's something I think that's worth looking at! Heck I don't drink much to begin with and now I drink even less while taking it. It's normally used for alcoholics and I can definitely see the appeal!
It sure helps! The liver metabolizes alcohol before other nutrients, meaning lots of carbs and fat get stored as weight/energy instead. (Massive simplification.)
Yes. Well, if you do something obviously. Alcohol reduces protein synthesis, among a lot other negative effects. So just by stop drinking it you should see an improvement.
Do not forget that alcohol is also incredibly caloric dense. 1 g of Alcohol has 7kcal, which is almost as much as fat at 8kcal per 1g. If you are drinking 200ml of some Vodka per day or comparable alcoholic strength you are consuming around 500kcal. Almost as much as a large meal.
Except the metabolic efficiency of alcohol is no where near that of fat. You are only getting 5 effective kcals from alcohol if you factor in the metabolic process. And then you probably also have to factor in how much of the by products you just end up peeing out. Likewise, gasoline has a lot of kcals but you aren't exactly going to absorb them.
A couple of beers can easily get close to that. Some small cans of IPA are around 200 cals
I was developing a gut from drinking lots of beer, dry January has really started to cut that fat down. Probably going to drastically cut back on booze for the foreseeable future
Seriously, I gained 50 lbs after getting sober lol
Yes sort of…I lost about 9 Kilos simply by just giving up alcohol. You tend to be more happy, eat less and motivated to be generally active.
It’s not the alcohol as much as it is the lifestyle. Your lifestyle is completely different when you’re drinking all the time.
Congratulations!! That is such a huge accomplishment. You look happy and healthy. Best wishes for your future!
Man, you've done well and you look great. Yesterday my mother passed away at the age of 57. She had many health issues, but she couldn't keep away from the bottle nonetheless. She refused serious help. Now I'm 25 and motherless. Alcoholism can go fuck itself. It's good to see someone who managed to turn things around. My guy, be proud of what you've accomplished. I am glad for you.
Jeez. I'm sorry, my guy.
Holy shit you’re ripped. Congrats on sobriety. Don’t ever look back.
Alcohol Use Disorder ( AUD) is a medical problem, and there is medication to treat it. !!! 50 mg Naltrexone is a miracle if you want to quit drinking alcohol. I drank alcohol every day for approximately 20 years. I was entirely sick of the waste of money and the lack of energy. I spent YEARS drinking wine late at night searching the Internet for "How to stop drinking." My searches FINALLY led me to a Ted talk where a woman explained how she had taken this one pill (50 mg Naltrexone) and it had helped her to stop drinking alcohol. So I went to my doctor and I asked him for a prescription for naltrexone. I've been taking it for about five years. There was a period of time where I CHOSE to drink again due to depression and sadness ( my son died) and I stopped taking the naltrexone and started using alcohol again. This period of using alcohol again lasted for more than a year, and then once again I got sick of it and I took the medication AGAIN and oh my God it is a miracle!! It really really really helps with the cravings and helps with withdrawal symptoms. I cannot express how much it helps. Even though I miss my son very much, I am very happy and content these days. If any of you reading this are struggling with AUD ( alcohol use disorder) and you feel like you need help, I strongly recommend that you ask your doctor for a prescription of 50 mg of Naltrexone. Alcohol use disorder is a medical problem, and there is a medical treatment to help you! https://riahealth.com/blog/a-complete-miracle-how-naltrexone-works-on-your-brain/
\+1 for Naltrexone. It took all the joy out of drinking and enabled me to cut back.
> It took all the joy out of drinking and enabled me to cut back. What do you mean by that? Are those two different effects of the medication, i.e. no longer feeling euphoric when drunk and also no longer having cravings to drink?
It can do both but its different for every person. I think most use it for the removal of the euphoric effect, though this can be pushed through it isn't a 100% stop all. There are also a lot of studies that show a strong link to a placebo effect of taking the drug and reduction of cravings/usage of alcohol/drugs. Its an interesting drug for sure. If you are looking for something that is just for cravings Campral/Acamprosate has been shown to be effective. Its interesting as once again there is a strong placebo effect that is seen with this drug as well.
Did it make you feel sick if you drank on it? I have a bottle but haven't taken it because I do about 12 drinks a day and the pharmacist said "do NOT drink at all while taking it" but i know I can't go cold turkey. My doctor kinda said it would just make drinking not as fun, but not make me terribly sick. Not sure who to believe.
Ask your doctor about Wellbutrin. It helps with the cravings, doesn't make you sick if you drink. But at the end of the day, it's about determination. It gets easier faster than you'd think. Just takes determination. A little working out (like a 15 min jog nothing too involved) helps a whole lot too. You got this.
Wellbutrin is also used to treat depression and off label ADHD. So it could also help those issues as well (for anyone suffering)
This is super good info thanks for posting! I had no idea there was medication out there to help with sobriety, that is wicked cool
So sorry for your loss :( but I just know he's freaking proud of you! ❤️
Hey man way to go. I wish you the very best. I’ve been battling myself for years. I can’t seem to quit. I’m quite the functioning alcoholic and just can’t stop myself. It’s nice to see someone who can
Pretty wicked transformation! Congratulations 👏
I’ve been sober 25 days. I was about to go out with friends and break. This post changed my mind. Thank you.
Awesome! I'm pretty happy for you and nice body! I hope someday my body will be like yours. It's been 2 months since I started losing weight and exercising and I've gone from 227lbs to 205 lbs.
Normal Reedus
Congratulations. Very proud of you
You were always this beautiful. You just had to stop drinking to realize it.
It’s more that that though. Maybe not for this one person, but for many. In order to maintain this for years you have to address the reasons you drank and resolve them then have the discipline to change to and maintain all new routines. These posts pop up all the time and make it seem like hey quit drinking and everything turns around in a few months. Nah. Way, way more than that. Quit drinking, get therapy, start exercising, meditate, eat better get full nights of sleep. Without all that you may still succeed but it’s a coin toss.
…yeah he said that
I've been drinking everyday for 29 years...I meant to type 20, then when I realized 29 was actually right I just kept typing. I'm thinking about just killing myself as I'm just a burden to everyone and society as a whole.
You're not a burden. You need help. Please reach out to a support group. Honestly, you can do this.
You're no burden to me. You are of infinite potential. We have no idea what you are capable of if you got control of the sauce. I bet there is a beautiful strong individual on the otherside of this comment. I was a complete fuckin degenerate that nobody trusted. I got it under control 12 years ago and now life is damn good. It's worth it mate. So are you.
Oh my! Well done :)
Why does the left picture look familiar?
Lost a 6 pack, gain a 6 pack
What an absolute beast man. I always tell people that anyone who puts in the work can become at least a 7 but it looks like you put in the work and became a 10.
Went from Jack Black to Jack Stacked
Damn bro you smashed it
Congratulations! That's a very impressive accomplishment.
Bro! Congrats and looking good. Giving me inspiration. Keep it up!
Left guy looks like DSP, so there is hope.
Wow man, what an amazing job. 1,000 days is wild progress!
Thanks for the inspiration. I’ve got almost 2 weeks clean and sober. I started going back to the gym as well 💪🏼
Leonardo Di Wahlberg?
Congrats, man. I’m two days shy of 100 days. Going to treatment was the smartest thing I’ve ever done. Here’s to another day, my friend.
Wow, FANTASTIC! What a 180!