re: 35 days sober(alcohol). Longest I've been sober in 35 years. The benefits are obvious...

quote:

---

Any other benefits I can look forward to?

---

I’ve been sober for 14 years.
Literally every relationship in your life is about to get awesome. You will create new relationships so beautiful you can’t even imagine, and you’ll find yourself smiling all day

Oh and you’ll be fantastic at work, or will find a new job and be awesome at that, either way you’re about to have a bunch of money once you “clear away the wreckage of your past.” The money we spent on booze and the lifestyle that goes with drinking, is insane

quote:

---

Quit when you're ready of course. Just keep in mind that alcoholics frequently die young or end up in prison, so earlier is better.
I tried to quit several times on my own and never really got past a month. When I'd had enough, I mean when I just couldn't stand another day looking like yesterday, I made a commitment to attend AA and do absolutely everything that was suggested to me. That was in 1990, and I haven't had a drink since. I've never met anyone who did the same and failed to stay sober. Today I feel like I'd been lifted from one world and dropped into a much brighter world. So it's yours for the taking too, when you're ready.

---

I really appreciate this comment. Funny, I was born in 1990. I can tell you understand better than others, a journey to recovery is often misunderstood by others when success over addiction starts with a strong understanding of oneself, habits, and weaknesses. Ive quit other lesser addictions and know the blueprint, but I stubbornly tried to cold turkey 3 or 4 times in the past few years. This time, im taking a step to restructure what im used to living like before taking the next step. A lot of us men build up this emotional state of pride that were done and dont need to take steps or have help, and then that chest thumping wears off and you find yourself bargaining with yourself.

Steps, not leaps, achieve goals.

Take life hour by hour & one day at a time.

Congratulations brother!

Prayers sent for you and your continued sobriety.

quote:

---

I've been a once or twice a week drinker for probably 35 years... binge drink a few times a month maybe.

---

quote:

---

But I will never understand why people seek affirmation and attention for something that is supposedly so beneficial.

---

When you’re a late stage alcoholic, the only way out a lot of people see is death. There’s a LOT of suicide ideation with active alcoholics. I speak from experience. That is also combined with the incomprehensible demoralization of not being able to pull yourself out of the tailspin.

Alcoholism is a fatal disease if left untreated, so when someone proudly announces they’re not slowly killing themselves any longer it’s not bragging or attention seeking. It’s connection, which is always missing from an alcoholic’s life.

Hugs and high fives again to OP for being open about their accomplishment.

When people say sober, what does that mean?

No alcohol ever?

quote:

---

bragging being from a shithole

---

Who brags? And which place?

Would 2 or 3 margaritas or mixed drinks a month be a problem? That's where I am at.

March 6, 2019

I likely never would have made it through my cancer fight if I had never quit drinking - i was that badly hooked on booze in my 30s. Truly took some divine intervention for me to have been able to wake up that Ash Wednesday in 2019 and look for help.

Congrats but you weren't really drinking that much anyway. 2 out of 7 days is reasonable and won't make you feel that much better stopping completely.

I used to drink about 4-5 out of 7 days. Now I'm down to about once a week during the summer and don't notice that much of a difference. Once football season starts I'll go back to drinking almost every day that a game is on. I couldn't imagine stopping completely. Something about the feeling of drinking at the end of a long work week or a big game that makes me happy and keeps me going in this up and down life of stresses.