redheadinus

Hi all, 14 days ago I had my last drink. I read a ton of peoples experiences on here and you are all doing great and continue to provide inspiration. I am an alcoholic and it has been interesting figuring out how my life will be different forever now that I have committed to staying sober. 14 days feels great, but for me, drinking was not an every night thing. It was a once or twice a week thing. Mostly, I would drink a bottle of Jack out of a shot glass. As soon as I got blotto, I would make bad decisions like going to the store to get smokes or food or something stupid like snorting a gram of blow to keep the party rolling. I feel so lucky to not be dead or in jail. My luck would run out at some point. Fortunately, my wife and I both acknowledged that we had problems and have both stopped. Makes it a little easier because we try and continue to positively reinforce each others sobriety. I will say that it feels good to be someone that doesn't drink. I want to be that person. God knows I was the other guy for the last 20 years. Thanks for listening and appreciate the support and wish you success with your endeavors.

One last few things as I read a lot of people going through some tough times in the early days of sobriety. Sleep. I honestly used to be able to wake up without an alarm at 5am and go to the gym if I hadn't drank. When I would drink, usually around three quarters of a bottle of jack, I would get up no problem at 7:00am and take a long shower to wake up. Now that I am sober, I go to bed around 9pm and have trouble getting up at 6:30am. Never slept this long before. Perhaps our bodies are healing. Not sure. Also, I used to black out before going to bed which would lead to memory loss on other things. I'm in sales and I would forget things or have trouble remembering words which was embarrassing and probably cost me money at some point. That isnt happening that much anymore. Lastly, the overall feeling of not recovering for 50% of the week has significantly improved my general well being. I used to sweat a lot when I was recovering. Was always self conscious that I would smell or hadn't slept the night before and that I was 'faking or lying' about my mood/life on recovery days to family, friends and coworkers. This might sound strange, but I don't think I have ever really known what it feels like to not be so wounded. It feels great. Hope you all feel the same.