Originally Posted by
August252015 
^^^ This.
Also, everyone is different. I was VERY sick when I quit and it took me a long time to heal "completely" - and my body is now 41 yrs old (I am 26 mo sober) so that means a lot to me as I feel like I now just deal with regular human stuff, and probably LESS than I would now if I had been sober all of my thirties.
Here's a great article we often share, on PAWS - look under the tab PAWS. I am one of those who took a year ish to truly see my body bounce back and from my experience, after going through all (and more) of the extended withdrawal described here, it was more than worth it. Another great resource is the book Living Sober- it gives a good overview of what the first year of sobriety is often like, for lots of us. Again, I was a very sick person whose liver dr told me I had a year, 18 mo to live if I didn't quit; that is what finally got me DONE with drinking forever.
The MOST important thing is not to drink- ever. And, I would respectfully add, work a program hard to build a life of recovery not just sobriety. Best to you.
Congrats on 26 months of sobriety! I will most def read that article along with with the book you have suggested. I’m looking for anything that can help me deal with the emotional aspect of my struggle to forgive myself and never to drink again. I’ve helped others to get through some tough times and overcome adversity, and now is the time I help myself to live a fuller and a happier life (I have all the reasons to). I’m blessed with amazing, loving and supporting family and they deserve “the best version of me”! Thank you, August, for taking the time to reply to my question and for leading others by example! Best of everything to all of you reading this thread. You are all strong, wonderful, caring and compassionate people deserving of admiration and happiness 😁👏🏻👍🏻