Lisbon

Hello Everyone,

I havent posted in quite a long time but i wanted to check back in and offer some advice. Today marks 150 days without a sip of alcohol. Here are a few things ive learned along the way, take it or leave it, it is up to you:

1. It was a struggle in the beggining. The first few days, especially weekends, were really tough but not for the reasons i initially thought. The difficulty for me was to find things to fill the time that i usually spent drinking, which turned out to be hours and hours each week. If you also factor in the time wasted nursing hangovers, you can double that number.

2. It got easier and easier each week. The farther away i got from my last drink, the farther the idea of drinking was pushed to the back of my mind. Now i can go out and enjoy life with my friends, at tailgates, weddings, bars, clubs and not feel pressured to drink. (You start to notice the stupid stuff people do when they are drunk and you realize you were right there with them)

3. Alcohol turned out NOT to be the root of all my problems, i found out instead that it was a catalyst. I didnt magically snap out of depression or get rid of my anxiety, i didnt all of a sudden have tons of money or loose a bunch of weight, my anger issues werent resolved over night. However, the clear consistent head you have when you are sober helped me focus on these issues and not mask them and accelerate them like alcohol did.

4. 150 days later. I am anxiety free, depression free, i have dropped my bodyfat% from 30 to 12, i have learned to set a budget, i am happier with myself and my life, my relationships with loved ones have never been better.

5. Weekends feel twice to three times longer now, to the point where when i curl up in bed on Sunday night, i have a hard time remembering leaving work on Friday because there are so many memories in between. I wake up early on Saturday and Sunday, i found new hobbies to fill my new free time.

6. Without soapboxing or preaching what so ever, my actions have inspired 3 of my friends (that i know of) to cut back on their drinking considerably. I feel proud to be a positive impact on other peoples lives.

My words of advice to everyone here trying to get sober are these:

Find youself, really search your soul. You will find that you are pretty damn awesome and are capable of growing towards the sun. Spend time hanging out with youself, get to know yourself again. Brick by brick, you can rebuild a relationship with yourself, the longest one youll ever have.

Good luck everyone, i probably wont be back.

Thank you to all of the posters that helped me in my time of need, i pay it forward.