Hollyanne

I started with Harvey's ******* Cream out of lovely little glasses with stems as a child.
I drank alcoholically from the start. For my 21st, I got a cocktail shaker, a cocktail recipe book, a bottle each of Cointreau, Brandy and Vodka. No hint there!
I drank "socially" with my Irish buddies in the US and ended alone in my apartment with wine. Quit for 2 years and returned full throttle until 1 1/2 yrs ago.
I stopped with the help of AA and SR and have no intention of doing any more research.

It is great to see the stories of recovery.
Well done to all.
And to those trying,
Never give up!

ABIDEBYLAW

Been drinking for 30 years.
Stopped a few times (weeks), here and there.
Interested in quitting for my health.
Allegedly going to quit this Thursday, again........

gaffo

I started in highschool. Always to get f*cked up. I never puked and usually ended up driving everyone. No DUIs, no fights, just miracles. Drinking age was eighteen so getting it was easy. By my early twenties the only limitation was money. I spent gigantic amounts of $$$ on cigs and drinking. To be honest, I lived in squalor so I could feel like sh*t. I my 30s I quit for a month a couple of times. It was really hard. Little did I know that the magic really starts after 60 days or so--that's why they always tell you to give it 90 days (duh!). Now I'm 46 and I'm getting close to six months sober. I'm in this way to far to ever go back. I have had enough.

RobbyRobot

I seriously started in 1969 at 12 and by 15 I was totally alcoholic and doing drugs as well. At 18 I was wanting to quit but couldn't get pass 30 days on my own. I refused all help to quit. Mental hospital at 21. Drinking even harder after that. At 24 either stop drinking or suicide next on the menu. Finally accepted help that summer of 1981 and did a supervised detox and rehab for 90 days. Did AA and completed the program in the same 90 days. Did lots of Gestalt therapy. Did years of service work helping others like me get off the streets and get some sober chances at a new way of living.

So I drank for 12 yrs and been sans alcohol 30 yrs now. Awesome.

foodie1

I drank from age 14 to 34, 20 years
Anywhere between 1-3 bottles of wine/night
Tried quitting 1 time, this time, but tried moderation too many times to count, epic fail each time
Longest sober period is right now 7 1/2 months

Keep it up Bayliss, you CAN do this!!

akberry

I started when I was 17. I liked it and thought "geesh, I don't know what the big deal is, I can control this". That was 33 years ago. I quit drinking when I was pregnant, I could do it for my children's health. But I went back to drinking again about 6-9 months after both of my children were born.

mirage

I started binge drinking at 14 and continued till 43, minus two 10 month pregnancies. I didn't have difficulties quitting for that. Looking back, I've been hittin it hard for a really long time, but kinda didn't think about it seriously until 2009. I thought I was just more of party girl than most. Then when I couldn't go more than a couple days without drinking, I figured out that this was a real problem. Drank about 8 beers a night or 1 1/2 bottles of wine, about 5 nights a week. Been sober almost 9 mos. I just use SR for support.

bayliss

Let's keep this going. It's very inspiring to know that there are so many sober ones out there...that went through hell and back and now are finally happy!