Cardio

Sleeping. Deeply.

How about you?

least

I too love my good sleep, and waking up feeling good is also a wonderful reward for staying sober.

Cardio

That's the best part...waking up feeling good. And waking up and being nice to my children

feralheart

This has been true for me. Alcohol never made me sleepy, it made me wired and the sleep I got was poor. I would sleep maybe 5 hours a night and not well. I sleep much better now and feel much more alive during the day.

frances2011

Laughing hysterically at something that's funny just because it feels good to laugh.

Running in the cool twilight air feeling my legs turn over and over. Never woulda happened if I were still drinking.

copperfield

Totally with you Cardio on the sleeping! For me, Im on day 6, and looking back at the week, the best part of not drinking is that I remember everything I did this week!!!!!!!!

eJoshua

No overwhelming sense of guilt constantly hanging over my shoulder.

Eliasson

Starting to like myself. Actually, starting to get to know who I really am. And gaining tools in recovery for how to live life. Not having to worry about what I said or did last night. Thanks for starting this thread!

alaskasunshine

I am such a NICE mom when I don't drink! I go out of my way to do little things for my son and talk sweetly to him, not out of guilt over being drunk the night before, but because I love him! And when he tells me I am the best mom in the world I say I know, right?!! LOL.

Pigtails

I love not having to worry about getting a DUI or doing something stupid due to being under the influence. It feels good to be in charge of my own decisions. I honestly feel like alcohol was a monster that took over my brain and body. I'm not saying I'm a helpless victim - I know I chose to drink, but, as soon as I did drink, I lost all control and will-power. It feels good to get them both back!

I love the extra time and money, the feeling of productivity. I love thinking about waht I really want to do with my evening, rather than just monotonously heading out to drink with "friends."

I too love the physical benefits -- I feel much happier and energetic and my running has gotten a lot faster and easier. I imagine I will lose weight and feel very excited about this. :-) I love having real conversations with friends and my boyfriend, that I actually remember the next day. And yes, waking up feeling refreshed instead of hungover.

I basically love not being a zombie anymore.

Thanks Cardio for the inspirational thread.

least

I love my sober energy. I'm getting things done that I used to just ignore. My house is much cleaner and neater and that makes me feel just great!

Tuesday24

Everything!!

SoberRightNow

Being asked, on a Friday, to work on a Saturday and instead of being resentful about having my drinking encroached upon, being grateful that when an important deadline is looming, someone's first thought is "Can we get Paul in?"

Whether I still feel grateful this time tomorrow remains to be seen.

flyawayfromhere

Sleeping through a WHOLE night is nice, rather than my usual 5 am "wake break" which included a bathroom break, freaking out about "What did I say to who 5 hours ago?", Ibuprofen and Pepto dose and then falling back to sleep for a shaky 2 more hours with psychotic dreams. Yep, sober = peaceful sleep.

Geralt

Being able to answer a call from my family and friends anytime, without worrying that I sound drunk, or being so drunk that I did not even answer the phone, sometimes days in a row.

feralheart

My skin looks amazing now. Even when I wasn't broken out before my skin didn't look healthy. Now I look airbrushed and rosy cheeked and my face isn't all bloated.

I also think I smell better. I used to have a kind of metallic smell even after I showered and I don't smell it anymore, I just smell like clean skin.

TheOjibway84

Whats nice about not drinking for me is of course sleeping without fear of dying in my sleep. Restfulness. And being able to function normally and not always think about my next drink when hungover the next morning! God Im so happy not to deal with that anymore and I intend to keep it this way. its not worth getting drunk anymore.

YVRguy

Sleep , being able to eat actual proper food and it tastes good , no hangover , no hiding , no constant gum/mints , not smelling like a vodka bottle....but ya sleep , I get the insomnia big time when I am on the binge and I go days with no sleep right before the usual wind down as I am totally drained.

Zencat

Not having to go through a hideous detox for days.

Zebra1275

Liking the person staring back at me in the mirror.