Here to check in. I'm enjoying my early nights and early morning coffee. Plenty of belly fat has fallen off.
Sober through Easter and 2 family beach weekends. Also got a bit of flu and battled through that sober.
Keep on keeping on

In a few days it will be 6 months since I've had a drink. I just turned 57, male. I drank a handle of bourbon every 4-5 days, only drinking at night for about 2 decades. I feel so much better, my day shaking is gone and my dizziness is gone, my guts and brain feel great. I have so much less anxiety and I'm having fun reconnecting with old hobbies. The only problem I have is that I feel so sore and stiff all the time and my back hurts! I can barely cross my legs or get out of a low car or chair, rolling over in bed is very painful. Once I am up and moving I feel pretty good but when I sit for any length of time I get so stiff that I have to walk a bit before I feel ok or no pain. This started right when I quit drinking and persists. Timelines I look at don't mention this much, but do usually say can take 1-5 years to fully recover. In the past 2 weeks I have started walking, and doing short plank and bird dog exercises and free weight curls and rubber band shoulder exercises but it hasn't helped yet. I quit for a few months when I was about 50 and I didn't have this experience at all, after a few days of pretty mild withdrawal symptoms I felt fantastic. Now I still feel like I was hit by a Mack truck 6 months later. I take tons of supplements D, C , fish oil, potassium, B complex, K, Magnesium citrate and glycoline and many more anti oxidants, as well. 600-800MG of ibuprofen works pretty good but I can't take that forever. My research says that I'm probably still adjusting my bodily chemicals and that exercise and walking and exercise will help. It also says that I was killing this pain for a long time and have aged pushing 60 and I may just have to get used to it now that I'm not numbing myself constantly. Did anyone else experience this? Sometimes it gets to me and I question if I can find a level of alcohol that can help with pain. I really know I can't do that though. It would be comforting to know if anyone struggled with this and slowly improved. Thank you!

Hey everyone, im an alcoholic.

It took me 29 years to realise I needed to stop the drink. For the last 10 years I tried but wasn't 100% on board. Now I am.

1 is too much and 24 is not enough. That's me too a tee. The first 20 years I had a lot of fun with alcohol. But then it started bad. Drank till I passed out at the table. Wake up to puke and broken things from falling down, all of which I dont remember. I got tired of waking up with guilt. Waking up hating myself for going overboard again. 9 years I tried to be a social drinker.

9 years I lied to myself thinking I could chamge it. Im a smart guy, i cam do this. But after thst 2nd or 3rd one im all in and calling the delivery guy fof another 24.

Our brains are so convincing and so good at changing our plans to benefit its addiction. Idk how many times I'd head home from work and internally tell myself over and over im not going to go get some booze. O ly to drive past my road as the turn comes up and go to the store.

I got tired of all the lies not only to myself but too my loved ones. Switching to less "stinking" drinks so my breath didn't smell like it. Or finding ways to mask the smells. Hiding that bottle of vodka cause I could sneak a drink or two in whem my wife went for a shower and her not know. I wasn't in control. Alcohol was.

Alcohol pulled the strings or rather my brains addiction to alcohol. See hrowing up it was normal. My parents had people over every weekend and they all drank. They werent degenerates by any means. They held jobs. I remember being brought to the bar when i was 10 and asking for quarters to play the pinball machine ( it wasnt looked bad upon to bring your kids to bars back then) so growing up thsts what me and my friends did. We partied every weekend, we went to bars.

For the longest time I didn't think I had a problem but all my lived ones did. Theu tried to tell me all the time but I resented them for thst. "How dare you tell me I got a problem whem you used to bring me to the bar when I was a kid" or I felt like they were jelious cause i had a lot of fun drinking. I never seen myself as having a problem because I held a job. My bills were always paid. I had food in my fridge. I wasn't on the streets holding a brown paper bag like you see on TV.

But the truth was thst I was on thst track. I never stopped to think how those people got there. I starting to think that maybe they were like me once? Maybe they were where I am now, claiming I dont have a problem and ignoring the track they were on.

Now at 43 I decide to stop for good and its the hardest thing I've ever tried to stop. Alcohol was a gateway drug for me and I got into all sorts of hard drugs. Heck with hard drugs I could drink more. I quit all of em seeing I was in a bad path and it was fast. But now trying to kick the sause its hard.

I play the tape all the way through. Knowing if I have one or two it will end up way more to the point im passed out st the table again. With my wife sitting on the bed the next morning crying. See the crushing emotion on her face when i broke my promise again.

I hope any young people reading this understand thst youll think you dont have a problem with alcohol untill you do and then it may be too late. The words were said or the text was sent or the stuff is broken or worse....you die. Its not worth it and IMO its put on the shelves by our government's to sabotage us all. Dont start drinking. Its not worth it.

April 10th 2024 I asked God to give me strength to quit drinking. He answered my prayer and I haven't had a drop since I had severe depression along with the usual assortment of withdrawal symptoms. God carried me through it and I can't even remember the last time I was tempted. I also attended AA meetings and they were a huge help. I drank from my teenage years to age 57. If I can do it anyone can!

Weekenders: ]]>��








I read this story a while back. I hope you like this as much as I did.



~~~~~~~

There was once a person who lived in a quiet house on the edge of a forest. After years of storms and shadows, they had worked hard to make the house a place of light]]>�


One afternoon, just as the sky was turning amber, there came a knock at the door.



Standing there was a man in a long coat and a charming smile. He held out his hand like an old friend.

]]>������


The person blinked. Something about him felt familiar. His voice stirred memories]]>�


]]>������


He had stories. Flattery. Promises. ]]>�����


The person hesitated. For a moment, the air in the house shifted]]>�


Then something clicked.



They looked at the man]]>���


The person straightened.

]]>��
The man paused, the smile slipping.

]]>�����


They opened the door wide]]>�


]]>���


The man in the long coat hesitated for a moment, then turned without a word. He would try again, perhaps another day, in another disguise.



But the house was safe for now. And stronger for it.



At the end of the day: The addictive voice always wears a disguise. It may sound friendly, logical, or even necessary]]>���




If this is your first weekend sober, or many, come join us for support and chat...as we know the weekends can be a struggle sometimes. (We]]>�




Link to last thread: Weekenders; Pulling out all the stops. 17-20 April 2026

My kids dad, their dad's dad, and their dad's dad's dad were all alcoholics. I find myself as my son is starting his teenage years fearing what could be to come, worrying and trying to make sure I do everything I can to help him not succumb to the same fate. I have him in therapy regularly, and I just spoke with him tonight about how he seems angry all the time. And I asked him if he felt happy inside and he said no. He is high IQ/gifted and is also blessed with athleticism, but he struggles some socially to make friends I think because cognitively he is so far ahead, but socially and emotionally he is behind. That coupled with the divorce and everything that comes with it, he just isn't happy. And I don't mean just sad about this or that, just his general demeanor for the last few years has been and grade/unhappy. It seems like nothing really makes him happy. So now I am going down the rabbit hole of getting a psychiatric evaluation and seeing if he needs to be medicated for anything. And that scares the crap out of me, I don't like medicating for anything, but I feel like I need to go down that road to hopefully him save himself from the same fate as his dad. Who I think had a very similar issue all throughout his earlier years and it just was never recognized and he ended up just hating himself his young adulthood and self medicating. Will also being the smartest man in the room. Ending up an alcoholic and a narcissist. I don't know, I'm just rambling.

It was a crazy, ridiculously long day at work that seemed like it would never end!

So many kids eloping, physical aggression, dropping, tears (so many tears).

My kiddos are quick as lightning, very difficult to convince to get up once they]]>�
I could sit in this and be annoyed; however, I]]>�
There is always a positive if you look for it. My positive is that my colleagues are incredibly kind, funny, caring women wherein we can go back to our office and have the ]]>��
Im gonna put my Jammie]]>�

(Some context... I am someone who has been here for years, fighting my own problems with alcohol. My daughter, who this post is about, almost destroyed her life with drinking at a young age. She got sober at 25 and had 5 years before relapsing with drugs.)

I]]>�
My daughter has admitted to me that she]]>�������
We]]>���
Things escalated when her husband called me asking for help because she was actively deleting program files off his laptop, believing it was compromised. At that point, I called a mental health crisis intervention team. They also tried to talk with her and encourage detox, but she refused again.

With her husband scheduled to leave town for work and two young children in the home, we became increasingly concerned about their safety. Her grandparents and I went to her house to ask if she would let the kids stay with me temporarily. She reacted aggressively, told us to ]]>��
I called the police because I believed she was using and possibly impaired while driving. They did stop her, but she passed a field sobriety test and was allowed to go.

At that point, feeling like there were no safe options left, I made the decision to call OCS. That has caused a major rupture in our relationship. She says I]]>�
OCS contacted her, but the children were not removed. Later that same day, she brought the kids to our house and asked us to keep them overnight so she could drive several hours away to ]]>��
I also learned that she took $300 from her AA group yesterday, where she serves as treasurer. That really shook me and reinforced how serious things have become.

I feel like I]]>������
I love my daughter deeply, but I don]]>�
If anyone has been in a similar situation]]>����
Thank you for listening.

My partner is a severe alcoholic.

Since we've been together, he's been through several detox programs in clinics. He relapsed immediately each time.

He was finally sober for months recently, and I thought it was finally working. He was so loving, completely different from when he was drunk, and I felt so safe with him. He became so reliable.

Unfortunately, he recently relapsed and is sinking deeper and deeper.

He verbally abuses me every single day when he's drunk. He constantly takes out his frustration and self-hatred on me.

The next morning, when he's somewhat sober again, he apologizes.

In the evening, he sends me more messages meant to hurt me when he's drunk.

This has been going on for several days now. I can't take it anymore; he hurts me so much and always uses his illness as an excuse.

He's sought help; he wants to stop, but somehow I'm starting to realize that he just can't stop?

He's been through a lot of talk therapy, but nothing works.

He keeps relapsing.

I'm at my wit's end. I can't stand him when he's drunk. He's completely different.

So many people have distanced themselves from him as his alcoholism has progressed; many have cut off contact with him because he's a complete idiot when he's drunk.

He gets himself into so much trouble with alcohol. Despite this, he can't stop in the long run. Even though he knows perfectly well from his past what terrible consequences his drinking can have.

What's wrong with him?!

Why can't he wake up?

So yesterday I took twelve pseudoephedrine tablets with predictable results. It made me kind of content for a couple of hours then I was worried I was gonna die. Heart thumping, palpitations. Chest pain was minimal at least. It used to be fun but lately I think years of abuse are catching up with my heart. So can't be doing that. Nor drinking, can't do that again. Most recent drink was Friday, just having Thursday's leftovers.

Today I'm going to limit myself to the substances I can have in the psych ward. So plenty of nicotine, six mild coffees and meds at morning and night. No valium at noon for a nap.

So I'm in first year of college (again lol) and I've got exams coming up and I'm screwed. My psychosis has been bad this semester and I haven't been attending much. I'm not going today because I went to sleep at 2am and I took a lot of my morning meds last night so I could get to sleep after the pseudoephedrine. I'd be asking for psychosis if I went today. But I am going to study a lot. I looked at the past exam papers and I think I can handle the exams with a lot of effort over the next month, not the days right before the exams. And obviously show up sober and not repeat my 15% in an Analysis exam in semester one.

I desperately need to get on top of my waistline. I dunno how much I weigh but I'd guess my BMI at 27. I just snack way too much. It takes one minute to eat 4 penguin bars and one hour to burn them off. My weight woes and water-drinking compulsion are intertwined. Drinking gallons a day helped me lose weight years ago, but now it just leaves my stomach expanded and ravenous when it empties the water. I think I legit damaged my stomach from constant extreme water intoxication.

So that's just what's on my mind on day 1. Sorry for the long post. I just had my first coffee of the day and I'm waiting a few minutes before I brush my teeth.

Hi sober gang :wave:
7 months sober now
It goes okay/good and hard/suffering
Sometimes I'm overloaded or overwhelmed by stuff I used alc. to escape from.
Now I'm forced to work on it better ways.. sometimes it's very hard
Right now I'm stressed and down, after 2 days with brother, even though a lot of the time was good.
It simply stresses me so much to not be fully myself with others and to be forced to be social so long (no escape, no outlet, no timeout), and I collapse into over-stressed meltdown isolation when I get home
So right now I really crave release/relief. I try to manage it, but it's hard
I don't sleep well either.. and I can sleep several times a day, trying to catch up
And the lack of proper sleep affects my mood and energy A LOT
I started taking melatonine for sleep a month ago. I think it helps a tiny bit, but close to nothing

.

Well, I]]>���
I didn]]>�� ]]> Newcomers to Recovery Takeaction https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/newcomers-recovery/470498-sigh-fell-off-wagon.html https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/friends-family-alcoholics/470495-boundaries-avoiding-being-fixed.html Sun, 19 Apr 2026 18:34:55 GMT Hi! working through a theme linked to codependency and wondered if any on this board had some insight. As I continue my own recovery, I notice I have a very different concept of what healthy...

Hi!

working through a theme linked to codependency and wondered if any on this board had some insight.

As I continue my own recovery, I notice I have a very different concept of what healthy friendships and relationships look like.

I grew up in a very controlling alcoholic household. I]]>�����
Sometimes I]]>�
This is all a work in progress.

Lately I have noticed that friends or ]]>��
It usually comes with frequent, ready or even incessant offers of support.
- Are you ok, I noticed you seemed off
- If you ever need anything call me night or day
- I noticed you said things were difficult would you like to talk to me about it
- Here]]>� - I]]>� - Cheer up, if you feel down you can always call me

Now this may seem (and I]]>���
Im noticing more and more that if I put down a gentle boundary (thanks for noticing but I]]>���
Im not completely shut off - I have quite a few hugely supportive relationships in my life that don]]>�
Im consciously choosing to be far more neutral and grounded about what I share and who I share it with. Im becoming quite allergic to unsolicited advice and unsolicited and persistent offers of help.

But noticing this pattern and becoming more boundaried is certainly causing some tension and difficulty in my life and I suspect I could be more skillful in the way I approach thee conflicts when they come up.

Given the nature of the post I will say - very open to feedback, reflections or personal experience. Just curious if I am on my own and how others have navigated this shift in their own recovery work, if they]]>� ]]> Friends and Family of Alcoholics paulokes https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/friends-family-alcoholics/470495-boundaries-avoiding-being-fixed.html https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/newcomers-recovery/470491-end-here.html Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:02:27 GMT

My 13 year relationship is ending. He left today with some of his things his family drove his vehicle He's too intoxicated. It's been coming for a long time but still very difficult. His family won't allow him there drinking so he left a bottle of whiskey here. A lot of his things are still here so I will have to continue to deal with until it's over and find a new place to live It's a lot to face but thanks to my faith and the folks here I face it with courage I know you all will know how to support me navigate this new life and not lean on a drink. 661 days without a drink I will not give that away so easily just because I'm hurting right now.

]]> Newcomers to Recovery kensie12 https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/newcomers-recovery/470491-end-here.html