Maximilian85

Hi everyone, after 5 years of drinking heavily, 2 years on a daily basis, this is my first attempt at getting sober, I've been sober for 5 weeks total (9 weeks if I exclude a relapse but at the time I didn't realise I had a problem until the hell of withdrawal anxiety kicked in again) and although I still have some withdrawal symptoms as I still have a little anxiety and moderate depression I decided that I couldn't live in a shell for the rest of my life so I decided to go out tonight for a friend's birthday. I was worried that I may succumb to temptation but I was determined and all my friends knew what I was going through and have been supportive - I guess it wasn't the best place to have birthday gathering but I shouldn't expect people to revolve their lives around my problem. It was strange at first drinking soft drinks in a bar when I'm used to feeling that alcohol buzz but I persisted and for the first time ever I realised I didn't need a drink to have a good time with friends. It feels like I've crossed a barrier, a barrier that makes me feel that I can lead a normal life without alcohol

I just hope I can still persist and I want to thank everyone on this forum for being an inspiration and supportive when I was in the early days of withdrawal - you guys provided the light at the end of the tunnel when I thought about hitting the bottle again to end the withdrawal symptoms.

My drugs of choice have been alcohol, diazepam and ecstasy and I don't ever want to touch them again - feeling normal and healthy has its own high.

simplenoteasy

Good job Max! Glad you are feeling better and had the gift to go to a bar and not drink alcohol

AlcoholFree66

As I've already mentioned - I had 6 years of sobriety before I drank again (that was 4.5 years ago) - in this relapse time I've stuck to predominantly drinking secretly at home. So when I go out I don't drink. I'm funnier, engage in conversation better and generally enjoy myself more. The best thing is I don't have to worry about what I said last night and I don't need to pretend to be less drunk than I was. I don't go to bars very often at all but I do go to friends houses or functions where there is alcohol. Being sober now I know I need an exit plan in case I get fed up with the people around me drinking.