When and how did you finally have it in you to stop drinking?
 

When and how did you finally decide to kick the booze for good and never touch it again?

When it became a necessity rather than a choice. Not the type of life I ever want to live again.

When I was drinking 24/7 & every waking minute was filled with misery. It wasn't really a choice at that point - it was stop or die.

I'm not sure I'm looking at it quite that way.
All I know is 24 days ago I was so tired and sick and bored and defeated and depressed and unmotivated and lonely and....
SO, I went through the 3 days of hell - withdrawals (again) and the thought of ending up back in that miserable state has kept me away.

It feels great, for a change.

D.D.

in a few more days it will be 7 years One day at a time. it was either quit drinking or die for me. i only do it a day at a time though.

When it's time, it's time
 

I had been feeling pretty useless and also suffering from a major Gout attack for 3 months. Couldn't walk or even put a shoe on that foot and was in total denial that the 8-10 beers a day was the problem.

I was sitting in my recliner with my foot up and an ice pack on it complaining about the pain and just as I finished a beer, my friend and neighbor said.... 'why don't you just stop drinking?....'

That was the last time alcohol passed my lips and now that nearly 18 months have gone by... I am determined to NEVER drink again after drinking every day for 37 years!

I had a black out and when I woke I was bruised and not even sure what happened. I was supposed to be wearing a back brace and my husband said I got up and went to the bathroom without the brace and fell. He had to carry me to bed. I was embarrassed and knew I could be crippled for life if I went without the brace. I stopped drinking that day. It has been six months, and I need no brace now, but I want no more alcohol. It was not as hard to quit as I thought it would be, and I know I have to keep on top of it, but I feel like I am free as long as I stick with one day at a time.

I agree with Phasetwo. The choice to drink was gone. It became necessary. Now I am getting my choice back and know that if I drink again, my choice will be gone. I don't want to live like that again.

For the last few years prior to me becoming sober my drinking habits were getting worse. It wasn't until drugs started getting involved that I knew I needed to slam the breaks. Woke up one morning and said thats it.

I had been released from medical detox and was drinking heavily after getting out for a week.(was also diagnosed with pancreatitis earlier that year - didn't stop me).

My sister/brother in law(bailed me out of the hospital a few times for severe withdrawl/DT's - few weeks prior - told them everything) both started to cry on their wedding day because I was drinking at their reception. Free alcohol right? Pfft...

They told me to come clean to my parents that night about my drinking. So I did - they also started to cry.

So there I was.. my Parents,sister,brother in law, oh ya...and best friend all crying in front of me on my sisters wedding day.

That was it.

Been sober 5+ months.

To those around me I just quietly slipped into sobriety without any major reasons. In truth, I finally realized my quality of life would steadily decline and end too soon unless I immediately stopped drinking. Then the work began.

I think it takes a while before you really know you'll never drink again, if you ever get to that point. I take it one day at a time. I don't want to drink and know where drinking will lead, but I can't say with confidence I'll never drink again. I can say with confidence I wont drink today.

Only you know if you still wanna drink or not.

Keep it up brotha. I'm pulling for you.

I had a hangover with a small amount of drinking .

I had reduced my quanity a lot ,but it was creeping up ,again .

Just tired of feeling bad ,It snapped what the cause was ,that was it . the defining moment .

I knew I could not moderate ,despite many attempts .I always failed .
This time it never got to a level of being psysically dependant .I had been there before .

I knew that moment ,it was going to have to be zero ,no moderation .

I knew I was done - tired of embarrassing myself, having hangovers and pushing down my emotions.

Thanks Boston. You too man.

It truly is...one day at a time.

Sure is

Waking up in a red wine saturated bed, holding an empty wine glass, *trying* to remember what happened the night before, feeling so physically terrible. Staggering to the closet for some clean clothes, opening the doors and having so many empty bottles tumble out I suddenly remember that's not where I put my clothes anymore. Falling back on the wine saturated bed, praying I can come up with some good excuses to get out of whatever it is I committed to do that day. Recover. Deny it's a problem. Repeat.

That was at least 6/7 days of my week. Recently, I started to notice something strange... I became infuriated with the alcohol. I was so beyond fed up with the miserable, hideous, life wasting hangovers, the broken relationships/friendships, being tired of being the pathetic drunk.

Something snapped, and I just couldn't lie to myself anymore, not even alcohol could help me shut the truth out. Basically, the alcohol stopped working and I finally had to face the music.

2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013.

when it nearly killed me.
I decided then I wanted a few more years than 40 to play with.

D