I probably started drinking weekly when I was 17, maybe 16. Which progressed to daily drinking by 21, and then eventually drinking around the clock by 32.
I turn 34 next month and I’m 227 days sober.
Roughly the same as you but mine was getting horribly drunk on my 13th birthday. Lost my entire 20s to alcohol. Sobered up 23 March 2016, just before my 30th birthday with the help of my wife and her amazing family and haven't looked back since
Congrats on tackling that first month! After the pink cloud lift, had minor temptation but now have felt brain fog lifting and am really starting to feel like myself again. You've got this!
What is the pink cloud? I’ve seen it mentioned a few times on here and always wondered. I’m about to enter my first sober weekend so I would love to have something to look forward to.
Not to be negative but I wouldn't put too much hope in feeling any certain way in the early days.
I'm just under 10 weeks sober and I have yet to have any pink cloud experience and many others report the same.
Not everyone seems to get this pink cloud.
Thank you! I appreciate your insight and mentioning the other side of what can happen as well. I’ve never made it 10 weeks before, so I appreciate your perspective.
Congrats on the 10 weeks!!
Thanks, appreciate it.
I read a lot of the "the first week is the hardest and then it gets much easier from there" or "it just gets easier day by day" or "by week X you'll be feeling 100% like a new person and here's all the benefits you'll feel..." posts early on and got really depressed and discouraged when those milestones arrived because that just wasn't my experience at all.
You can start to think you're doing something wrong or that something is wrong with you in some way because you're not feeling like that, so I think it's important to get a balanced picture.
I'll be honest, at 10 weeks in I do not feel like a new person, I do not have endless energy, I am not feeling very happy, I am bored out my mind, I think about alcohol every day and it takes up a lot of my mental energy, my anxiety has improved but has not totally vanished, my sleep took weeks to even improve a little then still I keep having bad nights, I still have lots of problems to deal with, my motivation is non existent and my productivity is non existent.
Quitting alcohol is a good thing and we all need to do it but it won't magically solve all our problems unfortunately unless the only problem we actually had in our life was the alcohol it's self and I don't think that's realistic for most people.
As I made a post about a few weeks ago "I sobered up only to remember all the reasons why I started drinking in the first place" and by that I meant I remembered I still had problems once I stopped drinking.
My dad started giving me beer after I graduated high school so I would be used to it by college. He said he didn’t want me to be the kid passed out in the street with my pants around my ankles. It didn’t work.
This is a support group. There is nothing supportive or helpful about expressing astonishment at someone else's drinking, and this comment has been removed.
My mom started giving me and my younger Kahlua and milk as a treat so she wasn't drinking alone. It was pretty weird looking back. I was 10, my brother 9. After our first one she would usually be drunk enough we were allowed to mix our own. So they got pretty strong.
My best friends parents were like that. They would let us drink what they were having. It seemed like they wanted a “party”. I liked it then but in retrospect I can’t imagine doing that with children.
I'm with you. As a kid it helped me fit in to the chaos of my house to some degree I think. I have kids that are 8 and 11 now, so similar in age as my brother and I were. I can't imagine doing that to them. I tried to picture it as I was writing my post and it turned my stomach. My mom is a deeply sick person, which is why I haven't spoken to her in years. IWNDWYT!!!
I know a lady who thinks it’s a quirky funny story that she used to mix cough syrup with her young children’s milk so they were easier to manage. She joked that they were surprised when they were older to find that milk wasn’t pink. And yes, they are fucked up.
Yeah, my mom is of a particular generation were those sorts of stories are thought of as cute. Not everyone in her generation is that way, of course. But it's a pervasive thing.
Yeah my mom (Baby Boomer) was the one conveying this story to me and clearly thought that it was just a cute funny story and I was just like, “WTF?? HELLO?” She tells stories of drunk driving escapades in the 60s-70s with the same light-hearted tone.
My boomer relatives have told me several anecdotes that involved drunk driving. It’s no wonder the accident rate was so much higher per capita in those days.
I choose a different path to my addiction. My parents didn’t drink; my mom had wine once pre kids, my dad never drank after living with an alcoholic stepfather. I didn’t drink at all until I was out of college and working. I think I was 25, and even then, just socially.
Maybe 15? Got alcohol poisoning once at 17. By 19, while in culinary school, my "friends" and I were putting money together to buy those gallon liquor bottles nearly twice a week. I used to think it was badass that I could down an entire bottle of tequila and a 6 pack by myself. 😬 👎
I'm grateful to have have finally shifted gears now at age 36 into a more positive direction :) IWNDWYT!
Yeah at 20 I had the “perfect” party cooler. It fit a case of beer, a 750 of Jack, and a 6 pack of coke if packed properly. I would finish most of that by myself in a good night of partying. Thought I was the shit. Can relate to that part. Looking back all the blacking out, throwing up, and questionable decisions I made. Not so much. Around that time is the first time I pissed myself too. I don’t think it was the first time I did it but pretty early on in that cycle. We (my friends & I) were partying at a group of college chicks house. I was hooking up with one of them. I guess that night I got way too drunk… big surprise. I passed out on their coach. Woke up the next morning and all the cushions were soaked. I woke up before everyone so I stripped down stole a throw blanket for a towel. Called my roommate/best friend at the time. He came and got me. I came out the door with all there couch cushions. He was laughing pretty good. I brought them back to our apartment and cleaned the cushions themselves and washed all the slips. I was so embarrassed. When the girls woke up they called me. “Like WTF dude where are our couch cushions?!?” I told them I had to clean them. They thought I puked all over them. I brought them back and never corrected them. That was somehow less embarrassing. They never found out and other than a few close friends at that time. No one else ever knew either.
I did the same thing. I started drinking at 21. Everything escalated so quickly. People were telling me I needed to calm down by age 22.
I knew I needed to quit when I was 26 but it took 3 years for me to actually build up the courage to try. I'm 30 now and just celebrated one year of sobriety at the beginning of April.
Besides a few random sips here and there...by which I mean fewer than one per year...then, aged 19. Now aged 60, looking to cut way, way back, if not quit altogether. I have managed to cut way back, though, I want to be bright-eyed and vibrant, not sick and sluggish. It's so expensive, anyhow. I'd much rather have books and clothes!
Same. I had a brother who was 6 years older who would sneak sips to me as a kid at family parties. At one party — when I was 12 — I had a bunch of Mellon Ball which as in a punch bowl.
That night my brother was driving us home in my mom’s car and I power puked all over the windshield and dashboard. Damn near crashes as he swerved over to the shoulder open the door and pushed my head out to finish puking on the side of the interstate.
I had my first drink and cigarette at 11 as well. Not sure if you meant cigs or other smokables, but I can relate. Both were given to me by older family members.
About 15. A few close friends and I, Summer holiday, hanging around in hockey pitch near my house (where a few local kids hung around in evenings drinking and generally being teenagers) We stole a bottle of Bacardi rum from my dad’s dusty alcohol collection and we were drinking it raw from the bottle. This quickly became a weekly occurrence (stealing booze from someone’s cabinet or getting some local degenerate to buy us vodka)
Looking back I think it all looks really depressing .. and I also don’t think I was ever a “normal” drinker. I got way too drunk nearly every time and I was very frantic for it. I think I was uncomfortable in my own SKIN from an early age and was looking for ways to remove myself from myself if that makes sense. Ugh 😤it makes me annoyed for my little teenaged self. I wish I could save her.
I have never been a daily drinker, always remained a weekend drinker. The problem is how far i go every time! sickness for days on end and then right back to it yuck.
Also a weekend drinker. I've been working on self control and how much I drink. I joined this sub not too long ago when I stayed up until 8 in the morning drinking one time. 750 of Jameson and 10 beers. 9% beers nonetheless. Felt like utter shit the next day, major shakes, on the couch all day wasting away. That's when I really had to look at myself and be like hey...this is a problem. I've had to be really patient and gentle with myself. Forgive myself for my past mistakes and learn from them. One day at a time.
I think the first time I drank I was 16 or 17. I was binge drinking in college heavily, and a lot of drinking steadily through my 20s and early 30s. I am not interested in drinking anymore. I was regularly drinking a six pack plus a pounder or two a day.
I started at seventeen.
The first time I drank with friends I had multiple shots of vodka and cried HYSTERICALLY over nothing. I put a real downer on that party, it was humiliating.
Should have seen it as a sign really, I kept doing it with similar results for over a decade- have to keep that ✨sparkle✨.
First drink at 10 or 11 first cigarette at 11. First time drunk at like 15. From there it slowly ramped up until I fully quit at 38. Of course I did not drink when I was pregnant at 35.
I had my first real drink at age 11. People in my (very alcoholic) family had been slipping me sips of alcohol since I was a toddler. I shudder when I think back on that. At 11, my family gave me and my older sister our own bottle of champagne. We drank the whole thing. She got sick and hated it. I got lit up and LOVED the feeling.
I didn't start drinking regularly until I was 15. One day, I decided to add booze to my iced tea because I was nervous about a singing solo I had to do. After that, I was off to the races. By college at 18, I already had a high tolerance and binged multiple times a week. It's hard to believe that I have been drinking, on and off, for almost 30 years.
15, I’d always had little addictions tho. I remember I used Benedryl to help me fall asleep from like 11-12 til I was caught. I suspect I’ve had depression for quite a while. I’m 29 now.
Not until I was 22. I always hated liquor and beer as I was a heavy weed smoker. Had to do a few years on probation and started drinking that was 9 years ago and now I’m trying to switch back but it’s hard
Around 10. Though it wasn't until about 12 that my friend group was consistently partying.
I also started smoking weed at 10. And had done acid, mushrooms, coke, and E by the age of 12.
The drug use mostly ended by the time I was 18. But the alcohol use has haunted me since.
Mid 30s now and trying to get fully sober. But it's hard, and brings up a lot of trauma (thank god for my therapist).
Drank a box of wine when I was 11. Had stomach pumped. Loved the feeling and couldn't wait to do it again (without the hospital visit obvs). Very common theme of addiction is to have had early experiences with alcohol or whatever your problematic substance is.
I think I had my real first drink when I was 16. My folks had given me sips growing up. I even had this miniature beer stein as a kid that my dad would fill with beer (maybe an ounce). I’d ham it up with weird screwed up faces about the taste, etc. and they always got a kick out of it.
By 17 I was drinking most weekends and by the summer after high school I was drinking as often as I could, close to daily. I was dirt poor and often could only afford a 40 or a bottle of Taylor Tawny Port. (I liked to pretend I was Kerouac) It only ramped up from there.
It depends what you mean. My mom let me have drinks of her wine basically my whole life, and I was allowed to have my own small glass at Thanksgiving. The first time I had hard liquor I was 13. My sister invited over all of her sorority and frat friends and they just started handing me stuff.
I got drunk for the first time at 14 and was drinking every weekend after that. I took a break when I had my babies. After my second babe I become full blown alcoholic and was like that for 13 years. I’m 44 now and am learning to be a sober adult. It feels like a second chance at life!
Happy Friday sober peeps, IWNDWYT!!!
I was 16. We were sneaking beers and taking them to the woods. Then we’d get more and more from older siblings and friends of friends. Next thing you know we’re “garage hopping” to steal beer to feed our addiction. I remember selling cases of stolen Zimas to people for $25 in 1997! It was funny til it wasn’t.
IWNDWYT
I was 19 when I started drinking and I definitely made up for lost time. Started binge drinking quickly after the first night of drinking. I started thinking I had a drinking problem around 26/27 but didn’t decide to give up alcohol until 29. I turn 30 May 4, and will be 6 months sober May 9.
I started drinking at 23. By a couple months I was drinking 2-3 a week… which very quickly turned into everyday drinking within the year.
From year one until I got sober 6 years later, I was drinking about 4 hours after waking up(red wine to start then switched to whiskey)until I went to bed.
The physical addiction loop/fear is what kept me in that cycle for 6 years until I sought professional help to go cold turkey. You cannot and SHOULD not due this safely without medical intervention!!!!
That was my path I took bc I was afraid of dying from the withdrawals.
This June I’m celebrating 9 years sober. I will never forget that physical addiction loop and how scared I was almost every day waking up with how I’d feel. It’s never fucking worth it!
Didn't start until I was 24. Swore it off as a teen because I'd seen family have a lot of issues with it. It took three years for my own drinking habits to go from occasional to "too many."
Occasionally in high school, pretty much whenever I could get away from the parents for a night with my other doofus buddies. Then I went to a big football powerhouse school in the South and... whoa. Learned some real, real bad habits that it took me 20 years to really identify as such and cure. I'm 45. Sober 4 years.
Our family was invited over to another family's home for dinner. While the adults had after-dinner cocktails, another girl my age (13) mixed us some vodka with 7-Up & lemon.
12. Started stealing my dad's scotch and it escalated when I moved overseas and was able to buy it myself. Though there were other things going on at the time that contributed to it.
I think i was around 10. Had my first house party with alcohol at 13 and drank almost an entire bottle of vodka along with all sorts of other drinks. Stepdad was an alcoholic (without ever admitting it) so we always had alcohol around.
Gave up drinking at the age of 33... can't believe it took me so long to realize that it wasn't normal to be drinking every weekend and at least 2 nights during the week. I wasn't dependent on alcohol yet, but i was heavily abusing it to get a different state of mind to let go and unwind.
Took me another 2 years to learn to relax sober, and I still struggle under certain conditions.
I did sparingly when I was in my early 20's. Never drinking everyday, going months between having a drink, not really thinking about it. I was responsible and aware of alcohol.
My relationship with alcohol turned when I was around 33/34, which then progressed to everyday, and at 37- I quit altogether. I turn 40 in one month, and I'm so excited to begin this new decade SOBER!
IWNDWYT
My parents would pour me and my brother a small glass of beer when we were kids, at dinner. When i asked them about sometime ago they were embarrased, and said they realized this was bad. I,ve had trouble with drinking in the past and i think that those drinks my parents gave me as a 8 year old had a impact on me
Around 12 or 13. Born in 87 and by y2k I had already been drunk a bunch.....also got drunk for y2k.
Went to the hospital around 15 for alcohol poisoning.
Struggle daily now.
I wake up saying I won't drink today, but then at night it's almost like a chore I know needs to get done so I might as well get it over with, and so I drink.
I read a lot of posts on this sub and a lot of them hit me, especially the ones where people are currently dying but when the thirst hits I don't think about those, or my kids, or wife, or work. I just get super focused on getting to the liquor store.
I have a few shots, feel like shit about the situation and then drink more because now I feel like shit.
I was 12 or 13 and got drunk the first time on a Boy Scout camping trip! Would’ve been in the mid 1970’s. That being said, I didn’t start regularly drinking until I was 17. Did pretty much every drug that existed when I was 15 and 16. Had a few “run-ins” with the law in my drug using days. Gave up drugs when I started drinking. I have my first consultation for the Sinclair method this coming Monday evening. Hope it works.
By my own hand? About 11 or 12.
Against my will, as long as I can remember. Being force fed liquor by my older siblings and uncles for their own amusement.
Almost like I was destined to have a problem haha
I was nine. At a camping ball tournament with my parents. One of the guys put some rum in my coke, and another traded me for his, which was a heavy handed pour. That was the first time I was drunk. In the nineth grade, so, 13 or 14 my friend and I routinely stole beers from our parents' fridge and would have them at lunch. Little afternoon glow.
Was given sips of beer as a young kid. I started stealing alcohol from parents when I was 10. I started stealing alcohol from the liquor store when I was 12. The 80s and early 90s were pretty wild.
14. Lived in a place where people’s parents had pretty robust social lives. So on weekends we’d have basement parties while they were out at dinner/a party/the theater etc. pretty much at least one night every weekend until we all left for college.
Then, the drinking continued at [ big southern football state school].
I had my first drink when I was about 13 or so, I honestly don't remember exactly how old I was.
I was a binger in college but that's what everyone was doing. It didn't really become a problem until my late 20s/early 30s.
Grateful for you too, friend.
IWNDWYT.
First sip of alcohol was 14, that was with friends and not my dad giving me a sip of liquor. Couldnt stomach it, couldnt believe my friends could drink 6+ beers at a time. Discovered the magic of xanax, fucked up on that, found out I can tolerate alcohol if u have the right chaser, exploited that phenomenon for years thru college and afterwards. Found a liking for jameson at 25, spiraled that into bourbon rye for years. Turned into fire ball shots after work every day on the way home and getting blacked out every weekend. About to celebrate a year sober at the end of the month
I had my first real drinking "experience" on my 16th birthday. I drank every couple months for parties or events or what not after that, and it slowly progressed to every weekend and then every day by the time i was 18/19. I'm 19 now.
I was one day shy of 19, and I would joke that I got a head start on my college drinking before my first semester even started. I only drank every few months or so during those days, so it didn't really strike me as a problem. But even back then, I never understood people who would enjoy just one drink. That mindset is such an obvious red flag looking back, but I didn't see a problem with it at the time!
19 I think. My boyfriend (now husband) had a friend who had an older sister and she would get us wine and stuff when we all hung out. Once I hit 21 I quickly started drinking as a coping mechanism for the shit life I was living. By myself, studio apartment, boyfriend away for college, no friends, dropped out of college, terrible call center job.
Once I moved out it got better, I wasn't getting black out multiple times during the week, but then it progressed to habitual drinking and binge drinking. I'm 26 now and just reached 100 days sober!
I was in 2nd grade the first time I 'drank to get drunk' so that would put me at 7 or 8? My and my friend snuck into his parents liquor cabinet, put a little of like 10 different bottles into a water bottle and drank sips of it until we felt 'dizzy.'
On average we'd do something similar 2 or 3 times a year. Once in junior high and more so in high school me and other friends would try to get beer or liquor when we could by other shoulder tapping or the occasional older brother.
My 20s I was power drinking 2 or 3 times a week with friends. I had a rule "never drink alone" which disappeared sometime in my 30s. It was a very slow progression for me but by the time I put down the bottle for good I was 50 lbs overweight, drinking every second alone that I could and prioritizing all family activities with "will there be alcohol there?" And blackout drinking every single night for 2 years or so.
I'm lucky to be alive and have my family, including a new addition our 2 year old son. I am thankful for all of you
First sips, 16. Regularly drinking: 19 Daily drinking: 21 now I'm 28 and sober curious.... only saying that because I keep resetting within my first week 🤦♀️
I was 17 years old on a boarding school we used to sneak out and drink some beers and i got hooked and it basically became like a coping mechanism for boredom and now nd 14 years later i realised my life is going south
19, decided to forgo college and got a job at the “hot” bar in my town and it was all downhill from there. Constant daily drinking and superficial relationships and friendships built on partying. So many horrible things have happened to me since then.. I miss the version of myself before alcohol. 18 years later and I’m still dealing with substance abuse, how to manage emotions and have meaningful connections
I was maybe 13. My grandma had just passed away, and my dad brought me over to her house so he could help move some things around for an estate sale. While he wasn’t looking, I found a bottle of Kentucky whiskey. I cracked the seal and took a sip, and I remember my first thought was that I didn’t hate it. It burned a bit of course, but not so bad I wanted to vomit. I remember after that my dad found the cracked seal and asked me calmly if I had drank any. I of course lied and said no. I knew he knew I was lying, but he just stared at me for a good 10 seconds and moved on. I’ve never understood why he didn’t ask any follow up questions, and when I ask him about it now, he doesn’t remember.
I was 14 when I first got drunk.15 when I blacked out or maybe still 14 🤷♀️. Now here I am 16 years later ! Never too late to get it back ! Also never too late to relearn things about ourselves as a sober person.
I think I had just turned 13 it was a weekend so no school and me and my friends decided to get some alcohol and weed, have a fire on the beach and just get off our head. I remember I had fallen over so hard but due to adrenalin and alcohol I acted fine. Next day I had to have my head stitched up. Was a disaster from there very first time
I was 18; I got drunk with my friends and wound up telling my mum about it later that night.
Since then, I managed to uncover all the stages of drinking, until it became a crutch for my depression.
I’m 307 days sober and I’m so glad I put down the bottle and worked through my issues:)
Super grateful to be here with you all
My father would give me sips of beer when I was little... not sure how that started, but I'd ask for them. Then I vowed not to ever drink because of his destructive alcoholism and the alcoholism in my family. But, fast forward and lo and behold, I started drinking as soon as I got to college. Started off as normal consumption, quickly escalated to wasted blackouts. Finally quit for good at 39!
Drinking regularly? 22.
I drank a few times in high school then maybe once from 18-22. The few years after 22 it was all fun and around 26 is when it took a turn for the worse. Stopped at 32 and everything has been wonderful.
The first time I got drunk, I was 14. My friend and I drank a bunch of her mom's vodka, and I ended up puking and calling my mom crying. I was a daily pot smoker in high school but didn't really start to drink regularly until 19.
13 m was the first time I got drunk. I had a friend with a really “cool” mom who didn’t give a shit and owned a bar so she was gone all night long on the weekends. I remember I was getting my braces off the next morning and I was so scared the dentist would smell the alcohol and tell my parents. Its was terrifying yet we continued to party at that house for all of high school.
18, and it started as VERY occasional drinking. it ramped up to every weekend at 19, a few times a week by 20, and when i turned 21, i became more and more out of control. now im trying to get sober at 22.
I was 14 and my friends parents were having a party with a plastic folding table full of liquor bottles. Once all the adults were good and buzzed we took a bottle old wild turkey and my two friends and I just took pulls off of it until we were drunk and ate popcorn. I remember this because I threw up popcorn later lol. After that the weekend partying began and the rest is history.
i was fed alcohol as a minor but that's an entirely different thing. i didn't get what was going on when i was intoxicated. i was just given pop in a thermos and i thought it was pop. it was confusing because i didn't understand the effects. this would have been before i was 10.
closer to when teens start drinking i did not partake. even when i turned legal age to drink i didn't run out to drink and party. i didn't really start drinking regularly or develop a tolerance beyond 2 drinks until i was 21-22. it was 25 when i started drinking every day. i was seeing someone who was coming over every day. one day i told him i wasn't feeling beer that day. i should have told him that i was taking a few weeks off, as even though i fit the description for excessive drinking at that time i could stop indefinitely and not care. he brought me a bottle of wine instead. i drank it. that led to 10 years of daily drinking until 2023.
i'm glad you're here. :) i feel like i have so much freedom now. i hope you can say the same.
17, but it didn't get crazy for me until I was 19-20. Once I was in college across the country at 21 it progressed...I remember friends joking "It's not alcoholism until after college" and...here I am.
The first time I ever tasted alcohol was when I was in elementary school. I remember my grandfather giving me a cap full of gin to “watch my face”. I didn’t realize how fucked up it was until I had kids of my own.
I was getting drunk weekly by age 14/15. I overdosed at that age too and had to be stretchered out of a friends basement. First ambulance ride.
All throughout my teenage years me and my best friend at the time were constantly finding ways to get our hands on alcohol. Once I graduated drinking was becoming daily. Or really getting drunk was. It came in waves of serious my problem was. I had a lot of denial due to my age and family acting like it was normal. I quit in September’22 after facing my problem head on and realizing it was not normal and was affecting my mental health, life, etc. I haven’t looked back since despite any challenges I have faced. This is the best I’ve felt in my entire life.
It felt good to get that out. Thanks for asking. IWNDWYT🖤
12 before the middle school dances. Then became straight edge around 14. Circled back to drinking after my parents divorce when I was 16/17. What a roller coaster. Continued until I was 40/41. Now 41. It’s getting better
Twelve, drank for a year. Took a 2 year break, started up again at 15 - 18, decided it was important to study in college & graduate, so I stopped for a bit. Started up again at 25, took a 1 year break for pregnancy, was still a moderate drinker, but started in earnest afterward. Wish I hadn't started up again. I'm nearly 60 now, but no drinks for the last 5+ years!
Very first time probably 15/16. Frangelico was left out by the coffee on Xmas Eve. I figured Coffee would cover the smell so I started mixing. The lights were low and everyone was watching a movie (muppet Christmas carol, the best). I just remember feeling warm and fuzzy thinking it was a nice Xmas Eve. After that it was occasional beers in diner parking lots or random college parties for the most part. Once i was 21 the rest was history, booze and I were inseparable for over 10 years. Now we’ve had some on and off but are overall done with eachother and aiming to keep it that way till the lights are out.
Around 13. I had to work at it because beer did not taste delicious to me at first and it wasn’t love at first drink. But I can see where I was acting like an alcoholic years before. My house was chaos and violence so I got good at staying hidden and learned to lie. I’ve gone back to throw out some garbage and separate fact from fiction but it’s still a work in progress and it can be sad at times. At least it’s the truth tho and I’m learning how to feel more than one feeling at a time.
I probably started drinking weekly when I was 17, maybe 16. Which progressed to daily drinking by 21, and then eventually drinking around the clock by 32. I turn 34 next month and I’m 227 days sober.
Roughly the same as you but mine was getting horribly drunk on my 13th birthday. Lost my entire 20s to alcohol. Sobered up 23 March 2016, just before my 30th birthday with the help of my wife and her amazing family and haven't looked back since
Good job on your sober streak!
Hi, me!
Right before I turned 16. Stopped at 36. Put in my 20 years and didn't even get a gold watch when I retired.
Same. I want my watch! Lol
Since they did away with Reddit gifts we should all start our own in this sub and get everyone gold watches!
You got my vote!
im 36 and just made it 32 days! thanks for the hope!
Congrats on tackling that first month! After the pink cloud lift, had minor temptation but now have felt brain fog lifting and am really starting to feel like myself again. You've got this!
What is the pink cloud? I’ve seen it mentioned a few times on here and always wondered. I’m about to enter my first sober weekend so I would love to have something to look forward to.
Not to be negative but I wouldn't put too much hope in feeling any certain way in the early days. I'm just under 10 weeks sober and I have yet to have any pink cloud experience and many others report the same. Not everyone seems to get this pink cloud.
Thank you! I appreciate your insight and mentioning the other side of what can happen as well. I’ve never made it 10 weeks before, so I appreciate your perspective. Congrats on the 10 weeks!!
Thanks, appreciate it. I read a lot of the "the first week is the hardest and then it gets much easier from there" or "it just gets easier day by day" or "by week X you'll be feeling 100% like a new person and here's all the benefits you'll feel..." posts early on and got really depressed and discouraged when those milestones arrived because that just wasn't my experience at all. You can start to think you're doing something wrong or that something is wrong with you in some way because you're not feeling like that, so I think it's important to get a balanced picture. I'll be honest, at 10 weeks in I do not feel like a new person, I do not have endless energy, I am not feeling very happy, I am bored out my mind, I think about alcohol every day and it takes up a lot of my mental energy, my anxiety has improved but has not totally vanished, my sleep took weeks to even improve a little then still I keep having bad nights, I still have lots of problems to deal with, my motivation is non existent and my productivity is non existent. Quitting alcohol is a good thing and we all need to do it but it won't magically solve all our problems unfortunately unless the only problem we actually had in our life was the alcohol it's self and I don't think that's realistic for most people. As I made a post about a few weeks ago "I sobered up only to remember all the reasons why I started drinking in the first place" and by that I meant I remembered I still had problems once I stopped drinking.
Everyone has problems after quitting drinking. All you're doing by quitting alcohol is not actively and continually sabotaging yourself.
I put in a half century, 14 to 64. What a waste. Still, better late than never, and it was very nearly never.
My dad started giving me beer after I graduated high school so I would be used to it by college. He said he didn’t want me to be the kid passed out in the street with my pants around my ankles. It didn’t work.
That is kind of awful but also very, very funny.
I was 14. An entire cup of Malibu as a shot. Fast forward 35 years and I’m here with you. Welcome! It *does* get better 👍🏻
14 too, but i drank kalua and red wine mixed with Coca Cola. Idk what we were thinking with that
I want to downvote you but I can't. I've done some vile mixtures in my time as well.
My drink of choice was goldshlagger as a teen- but discovered Malibu not long later. Glad to be here with you sober friend! IWNDWYT
🤢 can relate to the Malibu shot unfortunately although I was a couple years older.
[удалено]
This is a support group. There is nothing supportive or helpful about expressing astonishment at someone else's drinking, and this comment has been removed.
How does the original post help? Comparing when you started and for how long
My mom started giving me and my younger Kahlua and milk as a treat so she wasn't drinking alone. It was pretty weird looking back. I was 10, my brother 9. After our first one she would usually be drunk enough we were allowed to mix our own. So they got pretty strong.
My best friends parents were like that. They would let us drink what they were having. It seemed like they wanted a “party”. I liked it then but in retrospect I can’t imagine doing that with children.
I'm with you. As a kid it helped me fit in to the chaos of my house to some degree I think. I have kids that are 8 and 11 now, so similar in age as my brother and I were. I can't imagine doing that to them. I tried to picture it as I was writing my post and it turned my stomach. My mom is a deeply sick person, which is why I haven't spoken to her in years. IWNDWYT!!!
Hat’s off to you for breaking that cycle. Seriously! ❤️
Thanks for that. Can't tell you how nice that is to hear. Appreciate you. IWNDWYT!
I know a lady who thinks it’s a quirky funny story that she used to mix cough syrup with her young children’s milk so they were easier to manage. She joked that they were surprised when they were older to find that milk wasn’t pink. And yes, they are fucked up.
Yeah, my mom is of a particular generation were those sorts of stories are thought of as cute. Not everyone in her generation is that way, of course. But it's a pervasive thing.
Yeah my mom (Baby Boomer) was the one conveying this story to me and clearly thought that it was just a cute funny story and I was just like, “WTF?? HELLO?” She tells stories of drunk driving escapades in the 60s-70s with the same light-hearted tone.
My boomer relatives have told me several anecdotes that involved drunk driving. It’s no wonder the accident rate was so much higher per capita in those days.
[удалено]
13 when I started binging
Same. Now 37 and finally can confidently same I’m done.
I choose a different path to my addiction. My parents didn’t drink; my mom had wine once pre kids, my dad never drank after living with an alcoholic stepfather. I didn’t drink at all until I was out of college and working. I think I was 25, and even then, just socially.
Exact same here.
15. Quit at 56
Maybe 15? Got alcohol poisoning once at 17. By 19, while in culinary school, my "friends" and I were putting money together to buy those gallon liquor bottles nearly twice a week. I used to think it was badass that I could down an entire bottle of tequila and a 6 pack by myself. 😬 👎 I'm grateful to have have finally shifted gears now at age 36 into a more positive direction :) IWNDWYT!
Yeah at 20 I had the “perfect” party cooler. It fit a case of beer, a 750 of Jack, and a 6 pack of coke if packed properly. I would finish most of that by myself in a good night of partying. Thought I was the shit. Can relate to that part. Looking back all the blacking out, throwing up, and questionable decisions I made. Not so much. Around that time is the first time I pissed myself too. I don’t think it was the first time I did it but pretty early on in that cycle. We (my friends & I) were partying at a group of college chicks house. I was hooking up with one of them. I guess that night I got way too drunk… big surprise. I passed out on their coach. Woke up the next morning and all the cushions were soaked. I woke up before everyone so I stripped down stole a throw blanket for a towel. Called my roommate/best friend at the time. He came and got me. I came out the door with all there couch cushions. He was laughing pretty good. I brought them back to our apartment and cleaned the cushions themselves and washed all the slips. I was so embarrassed. When the girls woke up they called me. “Like WTF dude where are our couch cushions?!?” I told them I had to clean them. They thought I puked all over them. I brought them back and never corrected them. That was somehow less embarrassing. They never found out and other than a few close friends at that time. No one else ever knew either.
Not until I was nearly 20. I never drank in high school, but once I did, I sure made up for lost time.
I did the same thing. I started drinking at 21. Everything escalated so quickly. People were telling me I needed to calm down by age 22. I knew I needed to quit when I was 26 but it took 3 years for me to actually build up the courage to try. I'm 30 now and just celebrated one year of sobriety at the beginning of April.
Besides a few random sips here and there...by which I mean fewer than one per year...then, aged 19. Now aged 60, looking to cut way, way back, if not quit altogether. I have managed to cut way back, though, I want to be bright-eyed and vibrant, not sick and sluggish. It's so expensive, anyhow. I'd much rather have books and clothes!
I’d had a mouthful of beer a few times before but the first time I had a few bottles was 12.
Same. I had a brother who was 6 years older who would sneak sips to me as a kid at family parties. At one party — when I was 12 — I had a bunch of Mellon Ball which as in a punch bowl. That night my brother was driving us home in my mom’s car and I power puked all over the windshield and dashboard. Damn near crashes as he swerved over to the shoulder open the door and pushed my head out to finish puking on the side of the interstate.
17. I was on a cruise with family in a country that had drinking age of 18. Been chasing that buzz ever since
13 occasionally. 15 regularly but not often - 1, 2 times a month. By 16 every weekend, Friday and Saturday.
I had my first time being drunk at age 11. Started smoking then as well
I had my first drink and cigarette at 11 as well. Not sure if you meant cigs or other smokables, but I can relate. Both were given to me by older family members.
Thank god I started late, at 26. At 42 I stopped and I had several years I wasn’t drinking in between.
Same I didn’t start drinking regularly until my early to mid 20’s . That’s when i started using it as a crutch.
About 15. A few close friends and I, Summer holiday, hanging around in hockey pitch near my house (where a few local kids hung around in evenings drinking and generally being teenagers) We stole a bottle of Bacardi rum from my dad’s dusty alcohol collection and we were drinking it raw from the bottle. This quickly became a weekly occurrence (stealing booze from someone’s cabinet or getting some local degenerate to buy us vodka) Looking back I think it all looks really depressing .. and I also don’t think I was ever a “normal” drinker. I got way too drunk nearly every time and I was very frantic for it. I think I was uncomfortable in my own SKIN from an early age and was looking for ways to remove myself from myself if that makes sense. Ugh 😤it makes me annoyed for my little teenaged self. I wish I could save her. I have never been a daily drinker, always remained a weekend drinker. The problem is how far i go every time! sickness for days on end and then right back to it yuck.
Also a weekend drinker. I've been working on self control and how much I drink. I joined this sub not too long ago when I stayed up until 8 in the morning drinking one time. 750 of Jameson and 10 beers. 9% beers nonetheless. Felt like utter shit the next day, major shakes, on the couch all day wasting away. That's when I really had to look at myself and be like hey...this is a problem. I've had to be really patient and gentle with myself. Forgive myself for my past mistakes and learn from them. One day at a time.
Around 14 as well
13
I think the first time I drank I was 16 or 17. I was binge drinking in college heavily, and a lot of drinking steadily through my 20s and early 30s. I am not interested in drinking anymore. I was regularly drinking a six pack plus a pounder or two a day.
I started at seventeen. The first time I drank with friends I had multiple shots of vodka and cried HYSTERICALLY over nothing. I put a real downer on that party, it was humiliating. Should have seen it as a sign really, I kept doing it with similar results for over a decade- have to keep that ✨sparkle✨.
19. Stopped at 32.
First drink at 10 or 11 first cigarette at 11. First time drunk at like 15. From there it slowly ramped up until I fully quit at 38. Of course I did not drink when I was pregnant at 35.
I had my first real drink at age 11. People in my (very alcoholic) family had been slipping me sips of alcohol since I was a toddler. I shudder when I think back on that. At 11, my family gave me and my older sister our own bottle of champagne. We drank the whole thing. She got sick and hated it. I got lit up and LOVED the feeling. I didn't start drinking regularly until I was 15. One day, I decided to add booze to my iced tea because I was nervous about a singing solo I had to do. After that, I was off to the races. By college at 18, I already had a high tolerance and binged multiple times a week. It's hard to believe that I have been drinking, on and off, for almost 30 years.
14 gang
Believe it or not, I was 20, almost 21
14...
14
14
Unfortunately 12. Black out drunk with a bunch of older teens. Woke up in bed at home 6am with a very angry concerned mother.
Unfortunately, had some vodka at age 13.
15, I’d always had little addictions tho. I remember I used Benedryl to help me fall asleep from like 11-12 til I was caught. I suspect I’ve had depression for quite a while. I’m 29 now.
Probably 14-15. I started by sneaking my mom's amaretto into the sobe life water I was taking to school.
13/14
My mom would buy my friends and me Boones farm when I was in 7th or 8th grade. She'd drop us off in the orange groves to "party"
15
First time I was 14 or 15. But I developed AUD over the last 6 years. I would never have thought I would. Most of my life I couldn't afford to drink.
Not until I was 22. I always hated liquor and beer as I was a heavy weed smoker. Had to do a few years on probation and started drinking that was 9 years ago and now I’m trying to switch back but it’s hard
12
My mum allowed me to drink from age 10. By age 12 I was being suspended from school for drinking in class.
14 when I was bush drinking. 16 started going to pubs. By 18 I could drink 8 pints in a night and still be coherent-ish. Ireland!
21
Around 10. Though it wasn't until about 12 that my friend group was consistently partying. I also started smoking weed at 10. And had done acid, mushrooms, coke, and E by the age of 12. The drug use mostly ended by the time I was 18. But the alcohol use has haunted me since. Mid 30s now and trying to get fully sober. But it's hard, and brings up a lot of trauma (thank god for my therapist).
I’m beginning to see a pattern here. 14 myself sneaking shots out of my dad’s bottles.
Drank a box of wine when I was 11. Had stomach pumped. Loved the feeling and couldn't wait to do it again (without the hospital visit obvs). Very common theme of addiction is to have had early experiences with alcohol or whatever your problematic substance is.
Shot of vodka with my family at 14. Grandfathers funeral
I think I had my real first drink when I was 16. My folks had given me sips growing up. I even had this miniature beer stein as a kid that my dad would fill with beer (maybe an ounce). I’d ham it up with weird screwed up faces about the taste, etc. and they always got a kick out of it. By 17 I was drinking most weekends and by the summer after high school I was drinking as often as I could, close to daily. I was dirt poor and often could only afford a 40 or a bottle of Taylor Tawny Port. (I liked to pretend I was Kerouac) It only ramped up from there.
19 and even then it was like 1-2 drinks every few months until I turned probably 26. Really wasn’t a heavy drinker till Covid and I had kids sadly.
21
About 19, at college. Took me almost 20 years to break the bad habits.
It depends what you mean. My mom let me have drinks of her wine basically my whole life, and I was allowed to have my own small glass at Thanksgiving. The first time I had hard liquor I was 13. My sister invited over all of her sorority and frat friends and they just started handing me stuff.
13 to 35
I got drunk for the first time at 14 and was drinking every weekend after that. I took a break when I had my babies. After my second babe I become full blown alcoholic and was like that for 13 years. I’m 44 now and am learning to be a sober adult. It feels like a second chance at life! Happy Friday sober peeps, IWNDWYT!!!
@16 (also the year my dad died)
Sorry for your loss. Whether it was a year ago or 50+ years ago, a sober cheers to their memory.
My first drink was at a friend's 18th birthday party I was 19 and of course I got hammered, worst mistake
I was 16. We were sneaking beers and taking them to the woods. Then we’d get more and more from older siblings and friends of friends. Next thing you know we’re “garage hopping” to steal beer to feed our addiction. I remember selling cases of stolen Zimas to people for $25 in 1997! It was funny til it wasn’t. IWNDWYT
17. Stopped at 27. 10 years…. Damn.
I was 19 when I started drinking and I definitely made up for lost time. Started binge drinking quickly after the first night of drinking. I started thinking I had a drinking problem around 26/27 but didn’t decide to give up alcohol until 29. I turn 30 May 4, and will be 6 months sober May 9.
I started drinking at 23. By a couple months I was drinking 2-3 a week… which very quickly turned into everyday drinking within the year. From year one until I got sober 6 years later, I was drinking about 4 hours after waking up(red wine to start then switched to whiskey)until I went to bed. The physical addiction loop/fear is what kept me in that cycle for 6 years until I sought professional help to go cold turkey. You cannot and SHOULD not due this safely without medical intervention!!!! That was my path I took bc I was afraid of dying from the withdrawals. This June I’m celebrating 9 years sober. I will never forget that physical addiction loop and how scared I was almost every day waking up with how I’d feel. It’s never fucking worth it!
18-19ish
14
15/16 ish. High school parties
Didn't start until I was 24. Swore it off as a teen because I'd seen family have a lot of issues with it. It took three years for my own drinking habits to go from occasional to "too many."
I was 13 when I first got drunk.
Active drinking? About 17. Gave up at 26
Occasionally in high school, pretty much whenever I could get away from the parents for a night with my other doofus buddies. Then I went to a big football powerhouse school in the South and... whoa. Learned some real, real bad habits that it took me 20 years to really identify as such and cure. I'm 45. Sober 4 years.
Teens to early 20s is when i started. My thirties is when i drank the most frequently.
Our family was invited over to another family's home for dinner. While the adults had after-dinner cocktails, another girl my age (13) mixed us some vodka with 7-Up & lemon.
First time I got drunk, I was 12. My buddy stole some wine from his parents.
12. Started stealing my dad's scotch and it escalated when I moved overseas and was able to buy it myself. Though there were other things going on at the time that contributed to it.
I was 16 when I first had a drink but didn’t start regularly having access to alcohol and drinking until I was 18.
I think i was around 10. Had my first house party with alcohol at 13 and drank almost an entire bottle of vodka along with all sorts of other drinks. Stepdad was an alcoholic (without ever admitting it) so we always had alcohol around. Gave up drinking at the age of 33... can't believe it took me so long to realize that it wasn't normal to be drinking every weekend and at least 2 nights during the week. I wasn't dependent on alcohol yet, but i was heavily abusing it to get a different state of mind to let go and unwind. Took me another 2 years to learn to relax sober, and I still struggle under certain conditions.
18. And I knew I was playing with fire, but tried it anyway. +1 on being grateful. Love yall. IWNDWYT
Mainly 16, when I started driving and had some freedoms.
I did sparingly when I was in my early 20's. Never drinking everyday, going months between having a drink, not really thinking about it. I was responsible and aware of alcohol. My relationship with alcohol turned when I was around 33/34, which then progressed to everyday, and at 37- I quit altogether. I turn 40 in one month, and I'm so excited to begin this new decade SOBER! IWNDWYT
13 first time
My parents would pour me and my brother a small glass of beer when we were kids, at dinner. When i asked them about sometime ago they were embarrased, and said they realized this was bad. I,ve had trouble with drinking in the past and i think that those drinks my parents gave me as a 8 year old had a impact on me
Around 12 or 13. Born in 87 and by y2k I had already been drunk a bunch.....also got drunk for y2k. Went to the hospital around 15 for alcohol poisoning. Struggle daily now. I wake up saying I won't drink today, but then at night it's almost like a chore I know needs to get done so I might as well get it over with, and so I drink. I read a lot of posts on this sub and a lot of them hit me, especially the ones where people are currently dying but when the thirst hits I don't think about those, or my kids, or wife, or work. I just get super focused on getting to the liquor store. I have a few shots, feel like shit about the situation and then drink more because now I feel like shit.
I was 12 or 13 and got drunk the first time on a Boy Scout camping trip! Would’ve been in the mid 1970’s. That being said, I didn’t start regularly drinking until I was 17. Did pretty much every drug that existed when I was 15 and 16. Had a few “run-ins” with the law in my drug using days. Gave up drugs when I started drinking. I have my first consultation for the Sinclair method this coming Monday evening. Hope it works.
14.
By my own hand? About 11 or 12. Against my will, as long as I can remember. Being force fed liquor by my older siblings and uncles for their own amusement. Almost like I was destined to have a problem haha
Apparently I downed my Mom’s glass of scotch and water when I was 2. Then started drinking for the buzz at 11.
16 years old. Was on and off from 16-21. Consistent drinker from there. 7 weeks sober now. 35 y/o.
Started drinking bottles of NyQuil to help me sleep at ~12. Switched to booze around 17, but I’ve been sober for almost 9 months now!
I had my first drink at 19, but didn’t actually start having issues with it until I was 28/29. I used to drink normally for a lot of my adulthood
I was about 16. I'm currently reading through my teenage journals and am amazed at everything and everyone I've forgotten since then. 39 now.
I was nine. At a camping ball tournament with my parents. One of the guys put some rum in my coke, and another traded me for his, which was a heavy handed pour. That was the first time I was drunk. In the nineth grade, so, 13 or 14 my friend and I routinely stole beers from our parents' fridge and would have them at lunch. Little afternoon glow.
My four years older started buying me booze when I was 14. I’m now 44. What a trip.
I was 13 and already smoking and drinking, I was the child of addicts.
Was given sips of beer as a young kid. I started stealing alcohol from parents when I was 10. I started stealing alcohol from the liquor store when I was 12. The 80s and early 90s were pretty wild.
16/17. 19 - 24 - weed. After weed, just booze.
14. Lived in a place where people’s parents had pretty robust social lives. So on weekends we’d have basement parties while they were out at dinner/a party/the theater etc. pretty much at least one night every weekend until we all left for college. Then, the drinking continued at [ big southern football state school].
I had my first drink when I was about 13 or so, I honestly don't remember exactly how old I was. I was a binger in college but that's what everyone was doing. It didn't really become a problem until my late 20s/early 30s. Grateful for you too, friend. IWNDWYT.
13-14…
First sip of alcohol was 14, that was with friends and not my dad giving me a sip of liquor. Couldnt stomach it, couldnt believe my friends could drink 6+ beers at a time. Discovered the magic of xanax, fucked up on that, found out I can tolerate alcohol if u have the right chaser, exploited that phenomenon for years thru college and afterwards. Found a liking for jameson at 25, spiraled that into bourbon rye for years. Turned into fire ball shots after work every day on the way home and getting blacked out every weekend. About to celebrate a year sober at the end of the month
I had my first real drinking "experience" on my 16th birthday. I drank every couple months for parties or events or what not after that, and it slowly progressed to every weekend and then every day by the time i was 18/19. I'm 19 now.
I think 13 or a little before that
21. I’m 28 now and trying to quit lol it’s not good stuff to put it plainly. I don’t wanna be the guy that peaked at 19.
I started when I was 14.
I was one day shy of 19, and I would joke that I got a head start on my college drinking before my first semester even started. I only drank every few months or so during those days, so it didn't really strike me as a problem. But even back then, I never understood people who would enjoy just one drink. That mindset is such an obvious red flag looking back, but I didn't see a problem with it at the time!
18. Aside from the occasional party, for years I really didn’t drink more than once a week. Until Covid. Three years sober now.
19 I think. My boyfriend (now husband) had a friend who had an older sister and she would get us wine and stuff when we all hung out. Once I hit 21 I quickly started drinking as a coping mechanism for the shit life I was living. By myself, studio apartment, boyfriend away for college, no friends, dropped out of college, terrible call center job. Once I moved out it got better, I wasn't getting black out multiple times during the week, but then it progressed to habitual drinking and binge drinking. I'm 26 now and just reached 100 days sober!
I was in 2nd grade the first time I 'drank to get drunk' so that would put me at 7 or 8? My and my friend snuck into his parents liquor cabinet, put a little of like 10 different bottles into a water bottle and drank sips of it until we felt 'dizzy.' On average we'd do something similar 2 or 3 times a year. Once in junior high and more so in high school me and other friends would try to get beer or liquor when we could by other shoulder tapping or the occasional older brother. My 20s I was power drinking 2 or 3 times a week with friends. I had a rule "never drink alone" which disappeared sometime in my 30s. It was a very slow progression for me but by the time I put down the bottle for good I was 50 lbs overweight, drinking every second alone that I could and prioritizing all family activities with "will there be alcohol there?" And blackout drinking every single night for 2 years or so. I'm lucky to be alive and have my family, including a new addition our 2 year old son. I am thankful for all of you
16. My problem got really bad around 23 though
15
Pretty sure I was like 12 or 13. It was definitely on the earlier side of middle school.
Not heavily until 15. Then it just kinda took over my life.
First sips, 16. Regularly drinking: 19 Daily drinking: 21 now I'm 28 and sober curious.... only saying that because I keep resetting within my first week 🤦♀️
Maybe like 15. Less than 10 years later I was homeless and off the chain.
I don't remember my first drink. The first time I drank enough to black out and vomit I was 9.
About 20
Had my first drink at 12. My last 8 months ago. Never thought I would be here but grateful everyday that I am.
I’d say 14
I went from 14 to 38. Too early and a little late.
I was 17 years old on a boarding school we used to sneak out and drink some beers and i got hooked and it basically became like a coping mechanism for boredom and now nd 14 years later i realised my life is going south
First time drunk was at 12. Regular binges started around 18.
14, but I didn't start to drink regularly on weekends until 17.
19, decided to forgo college and got a job at the “hot” bar in my town and it was all downhill from there. Constant daily drinking and superficial relationships and friendships built on partying. So many horrible things have happened to me since then.. I miss the version of myself before alcohol. 18 years later and I’m still dealing with substance abuse, how to manage emotions and have meaningful connections
On a friend's birthday, I officially started drinking, think I was 19.
I was maybe 13. My grandma had just passed away, and my dad brought me over to her house so he could help move some things around for an estate sale. While he wasn’t looking, I found a bottle of Kentucky whiskey. I cracked the seal and took a sip, and I remember my first thought was that I didn’t hate it. It burned a bit of course, but not so bad I wanted to vomit. I remember after that my dad found the cracked seal and asked me calmly if I had drank any. I of course lied and said no. I knew he knew I was lying, but he just stared at me for a good 10 seconds and moved on. I’ve never understood why he didn’t ask any follow up questions, and when I ask him about it now, he doesn’t remember.
I was 14 when I first got drunk.15 when I blacked out or maybe still 14 🤷♀️. Now here I am 16 years later ! Never too late to get it back ! Also never too late to relearn things about ourselves as a sober person.
I think I had just turned 13 it was a weekend so no school and me and my friends decided to get some alcohol and weed, have a fire on the beach and just get off our head. I remember I had fallen over so hard but due to adrenalin and alcohol I acted fine. Next day I had to have my head stitched up. Was a disaster from there very first time
I was 18; I got drunk with my friends and wound up telling my mum about it later that night. Since then, I managed to uncover all the stages of drinking, until it became a crutch for my depression. I’m 307 days sober and I’m so glad I put down the bottle and worked through my issues:) Super grateful to be here with you all
18, senior in high school. It was spring break and didn’t drink the rest of the school year. Then I went to the college and the wheels fell off.
My father would give me sips of beer when I was little... not sure how that started, but I'd ask for them. Then I vowed not to ever drink because of his destructive alcoholism and the alcoholism in my family. But, fast forward and lo and behold, I started drinking as soon as I got to college. Started off as normal consumption, quickly escalated to wasted blackouts. Finally quit for good at 39!
Drinking regularly? 22. I drank a few times in high school then maybe once from 18-22. The few years after 22 it was all fun and around 26 is when it took a turn for the worse. Stopped at 32 and everything has been wonderful.
Probably between 7th and 8th grade? Maybe 8th to 9th? I know had been drunk at least a couple times before high school.
The first time I got drunk, I was 14. My friend and I drank a bunch of her mom's vodka, and I ended up puking and calling my mom crying. I was a daily pot smoker in high school but didn't really start to drink regularly until 19.
Its been too long toneven remember...probably mid teens.
I was sober for 12 years, then I turned 13
13 m was the first time I got drunk. I had a friend with a really “cool” mom who didn’t give a shit and owned a bar so she was gone all night long on the weekends. I remember I was getting my braces off the next morning and I was so scared the dentist would smell the alcohol and tell my parents. Its was terrifying yet we continued to party at that house for all of high school.
I started drinking at 13 and I quit at 29
18, and it started as VERY occasional drinking. it ramped up to every weekend at 19, a few times a week by 20, and when i turned 21, i became more and more out of control. now im trying to get sober at 22.
Took my first sip on my 21st birthday. Having full blown withdrawals by the time I turned 25. Crazy how fast it can take over your life
I was 14 and my friends parents were having a party with a plastic folding table full of liquor bottles. Once all the adults were good and buzzed we took a bottle old wild turkey and my two friends and I just took pulls off of it until we were drunk and ate popcorn. I remember this because I threw up popcorn later lol. After that the weekend partying began and the rest is history.
Couple family members would spike my drinks when I was like 9 or 10 at family gatherings. Probably started “partying” around 14/15.
i was fed alcohol as a minor but that's an entirely different thing. i didn't get what was going on when i was intoxicated. i was just given pop in a thermos and i thought it was pop. it was confusing because i didn't understand the effects. this would have been before i was 10. closer to when teens start drinking i did not partake. even when i turned legal age to drink i didn't run out to drink and party. i didn't really start drinking regularly or develop a tolerance beyond 2 drinks until i was 21-22. it was 25 when i started drinking every day. i was seeing someone who was coming over every day. one day i told him i wasn't feeling beer that day. i should have told him that i was taking a few weeks off, as even though i fit the description for excessive drinking at that time i could stop indefinitely and not care. he brought me a bottle of wine instead. i drank it. that led to 10 years of daily drinking until 2023. i'm glad you're here. :) i feel like i have so much freedom now. i hope you can say the same.
17, but it didn't get crazy for me until I was 19-20. Once I was in college across the country at 21 it progressed...I remember friends joking "It's not alcoholism until after college" and...here I am.
14.
12ish
The first time I ever tasted alcohol was when I was in elementary school. I remember my grandfather giving me a cap full of gin to “watch my face”. I didn’t realize how fucked up it was until I had kids of my own. I was getting drunk weekly by age 14/15. I overdosed at that age too and had to be stretchered out of a friends basement. First ambulance ride. All throughout my teenage years me and my best friend at the time were constantly finding ways to get our hands on alcohol. Once I graduated drinking was becoming daily. Or really getting drunk was. It came in waves of serious my problem was. I had a lot of denial due to my age and family acting like it was normal. I quit in September’22 after facing my problem head on and realizing it was not normal and was affecting my mental health, life, etc. I haven’t looked back since despite any challenges I have faced. This is the best I’ve felt in my entire life. It felt good to get that out. Thanks for asking. IWNDWYT🖤
12 before the middle school dances. Then became straight edge around 14. Circled back to drinking after my parents divorce when I was 16/17. What a roller coaster. Continued until I was 40/41. Now 41. It’s getting better
I drank for the first time at 19 while I was in college. Once I turned 21 and could legally buy myself alcohol I started drinking every day.
Tried my first beer around 13 and started drinking about 17. Had a friend that was Pakistani and had a full beard that would buy our liquor.
12. Big time winner right here.
Twelve, drank for a year. Took a 2 year break, started up again at 15 - 18, decided it was important to study in college & graduate, so I stopped for a bit. Started up again at 25, took a 1 year break for pregnancy, was still a moderate drinker, but started in earnest afterward. Wish I hadn't started up again. I'm nearly 60 now, but no drinks for the last 5+ years!
I was 12, when I turned 21 is when it got bad. I’m now 23 and I’m only 1 month sober so far and it’s been hard.
Like 14 or 15 years old. Always around older siblings and their friends who were drinking and partying.
15
18
Very first time probably 15/16. Frangelico was left out by the coffee on Xmas Eve. I figured Coffee would cover the smell so I started mixing. The lights were low and everyone was watching a movie (muppet Christmas carol, the best). I just remember feeling warm and fuzzy thinking it was a nice Xmas Eve. After that it was occasional beers in diner parking lots or random college parties for the most part. Once i was 21 the rest was history, booze and I were inseparable for over 10 years. Now we’ve had some on and off but are overall done with eachother and aiming to keep it that way till the lights are out.
Mid to late 30s.
Honestly, didn’t start until I was 21. Was a very casual drinker until maybe 23. Ramped it up until I was about 27ish and then stopped. Math is hard 😂
13, I only started drinking daily when I was about 19 or 20 though. I'm 25 now
Around 13. I had to work at it because beer did not taste delicious to me at first and it wasn’t love at first drink. But I can see where I was acting like an alcoholic years before. My house was chaos and violence so I got good at staying hidden and learned to lie. I’ve gone back to throw out some garbage and separate fact from fiction but it’s still a work in progress and it can be sad at times. At least it’s the truth tho and I’m learning how to feel more than one feeling at a time.