CLAS

Do you remember the precise moment you decided to get sober? Was it one big event or a build up of several bad outcomes/occurrences?

Dee74

For me, it was a moment born of disgust and fear, and knowing that I could not keep this up and live much longer, much less becoming who I wanted to be.

D

STDragon

It was many years of telling myself, mostly while in the shower getting ready for work, that I can't keep this up. Gotta slow down, gotta control this thing. One day I was home from work sick. I felt so horrible inside that I couldn't drink. Over the next few days as I started to feel better, I made the conscious decision not to drink that day. I made the same decision each following day, just to see how far I could ride this new state of being. On the 7th day, I joined SR....

PhoenixJ

Yes- death

ScottFromWI

Yes, I do remember it and it was somewhat anti-climatic, but I knew i needed to stop that very day.

FreedomCA

It's been a build up over the years for me with slips and relapses. I only pray that this time sticks so that the pain from drinking can stop.

BrickbyBrick83

Mine was pretty anti-climatic as well! It didn't come after any of the wild nights I had when I was younger, or the humiliating things I've done on drinks nights out with previous workmates, or waking up feeling like death after chugging two bottles of wine at home. Nope. It happened this NYE, hanging out at a bar with some friends. One of them bought me the most putrid tasting glass of wine I've ever had in my life, which I drank. Slowly, as it was so gross. While I was drinking, I was thinking, "Why? Why are you drinking this disgusting stuff. There are about a million other non-alcoholic drinks I like better than this trash. Hot chocolate, cold lemonade, pineapple juice, smoothies...If you're not drinking for the taste, then why the hell are you doing it. What's the bloody point?"

Then I looked around at the other men and women in the bar - watched people my dad's age downing shots, getting drunk, and looking appalling in every way.

I switched to lemonade when the next round came in. Now I'm eight days sober.

I'm sorely tempted every single evening, when my usual "wine time," arrives. But I just keep reminding myself of how awful that glass of wine tasted, and how ridiculous the drunks at that bar looked! It's doing the trick so far.

leviathan

I stopped by the liquor store for some tall-boys and a pint of the crappiest plastic vodka I could spot. After just getting canned for being a pill-stealing nurse, I figured I would need some liquid courage before pulling the trigger.

Once home, neither beer or vodka helped much. I remembered a stupid drunken promise me and one of my friends made years before: before committing actual suicide we would do something crazy (rob a bank, snowboard off a cliff, try to overdose on acid, whatever...). So, I did. I set the pistol down and picked up the phone-book to call rehab.

Haven't had a hangover since.

shortstop81

I didn't have one particular moment (not one I remember anyway). I'd already been through a decade of attempts at sobriety, with many 'moments' at certain intervals before a stint of sobriety.

This time 'round I was faced with some real, tangible consequences of my behaviour. I had a feeling of being at the end of the road - that I'd used up all my 'get-out-of-jail-free' passes. It was my bottom, and I felt I had no other choice but to dedicate myself 100% to recovery.

Centered3

For me it was not one big event, what my sponsor used to refer as "stone cold sober".

It was more of a build up of stopping and starting, getting worse, relapsing, and all that insanity where I finally said I've had enough; I can't do this anymore. Something's gotta give.

ScooterBoo

For me, it was my pride. I always thought I hid my drinking well (don't we all?) Then a woman in my book club called me out on it; she said it was obvious I had been drinking before I came. That was in July, 2014, I stopped my daily drinking that day. I had two beers the following week at book club, just so she would not realize she had gotten to me, then on August 15 I had a margarita at an outdoor restaurant on the beach with a group of friends - I have not had a drop since. It was definitely overdue. If anyone asked, I said I was dieting. I found SR when I googled how long it takes to get rid of a puffy face from drinking! I have lost more than 30 pounds, I exercise daily, and I rarely think about drinking.

Best of luck to all.

aasharon90

My moment was after family called the authorities
to pick me up and take me to a rehab hospital for
an evaluation for my state of mind after taking a
hand full of pills and wanting to sleep forever.

Once I was evaluated and told I had a drinking
problem, addiction to alcohol and told there
was a solution for it to help me stay sober, I
took it and remained in rehab 28 days being
taught about my addiction and its affects on
my mind, body and soul then given an effective
program of recovery to incorporate in my
daily life some 26 yrs ago.

I left with willingness, openmindedness and
honesty to begin building a strong, solid
foundation to live my life upon for each
day I remained sober. Today, I am still doing
maintenance on my foundation, suring up
any loose cracks, driving anchors deeper
in the ground, adding new ideas to brighten,
enjoy and be ever so grateful for what ive
worked so hard to achieve each single day
I'm sober.

Today, I'm passionate about my sobriety,
remaining teachable to learn new exciting
ways to enjoy life happy, joyous and free
of my alcohol addiction that could and would
have killed me years ago if it wasn't quick
action of family doing for me what I wasn't
capable of doing for myself.

Today I live life that was given and not
death that was trying to take me away,
then turning around to pass on my own
ESH - experiences, strengths and hopes
of what my life was and is like before,
during and after alcohol to others still
struggling or sick with addiction.

Addiction is an epidemic that continues
to cripple folks still today unless folks
are educated about it like I and many
others living a sober and clean life have
done already.

Doug39

I drank everyday for 27 years. 76 days ago I had my last drink.

I had wanted to quit hundreds of times for many years; but I never could cross over to that mentality.

Over the last few years my anxiety, depression and panic attacks got progressively worse and this past October it got unmanageable.

I had my last drink on October 24th, went to my doctor for help on October 27th and have been sober and recovering nicely.

It hasn't been easy but it was worth it.

Ken33xx

It was a slow buildup. My life had become increasingly more difficult after reaching 30 and by the time I hit 35 I had enough.

But only I could make that decision. Never mind the fact most people might think having a few drinks before work wasn't a good idea.

I didn't see it that way. Nor did I ever put together the fact maybe the reason I felt burned out all the time was because of my drinking.

soberandhonest

After many, many, many denials, finally admitting to my spouse that I had a serious drinking problem was my "moment." Once I made that admission, there was no going back. I had to quit, for good, or I would lose my family. The scariest part was that I knew it had to be forever if I was going to admit to the depths of my problem and I could not even begin to comprehend a life without booze at that time - heck, a day without alcohol was not even something I could get my arms around. But that moment, that admission, forced me to choose either my family or my addiction. And so, 13 months ago today, I quit. Forever. Best decision I ever made.

August252015

Yes. Leaving my new liver dr's office after the sh*t talking to of my life. I was done.

least

I had no one 'moment' of clarity. It was more a culmination of feeling horrible for weeks and months and wanting to be done with it.

Doug39

My wife and I have been together over 22 years and we both drank everyday up until 76 days ago when I quit. She still drinks a lot everyday.

My wife still believes that I don't/didn't have/had an alcohol abuse problem and thinks it was just my anxiety and depression.

I know in the back of her mind she thinks I will one day join her and start the booze again. I realize this is her alcoholic brain thinking - she doesn't believe in AA, therapy, etc. and feels a person should be able to handle their problems on their own.

soberandhonest

Kudos to you for your strength. It's hard enough with the encouragement of people close to you; much harder if those people are not supportive. Great job!

thomas11

Yes, I was in the hospital and was informed I needed to make a decision on having reconstructive surgery on both my knees or one and then the other at a later date. I'll never forget that moment.