How did you feel after a month of sobriety?
 

I’m on day 12 and I’m so nervous for the end of the month because we have a few things we are going to, a lot of things with alcohol and then next month we have a wedding in the tropics at an all inclusive. Super dangerous and I’m hoping after a month I will be strong.

Hard to say because everyone's recovery is different.

I felt a little worse coming into week 3, but now at 36 days I feel much better, and am sure I could go around situations were booze was at the event, but my guard would have to be very high and if it got too bad I would just have to leave.

I’m 3 weeks and personally right now not feeling good.
I’m bored as ****, depressed and just overall in a bad mood.
A night out dancing would be fantastic, but of course I’d want a few beverages.
I do not have any friends, everyone in AA here that actually goes on a regular basis is like twice my age and people I know only want to go to bars or restaurants, which I’m of course not okay with.
No car. No money. No fun things in my house. Right now it’s -32c so I can’t even go outdoor skating.
Really I’m just in a bad mood from being sober lol.
As long as you take it one day at a time, you’ll be okay. :).

At a month I was proud of my sober time...but naïve in regards to how far I had come in my recovery.

Not far.

A month is early. I almost skipped a wedding at nine months sober because I was worried I'd drink.

I was very- VERY- sick when I quit drinking so at a month I recall a beginning of feeling better. 100 days was a noticeable and memorable (from here, at two years next month) point of forward movement for me.

Just my experience - I kept a very tight circle and had begun a diligent AA program that continues today and will for my lifetime in recovery. I have built a calm, happy, secure, full world gradually. I learned tools to deal with life, and keep working on using them. Things like weddings and parties - I didn't feel scared but I simply did not go to this stuff for a long time - as in, my first party at 14 mo, wedding at 17, and such. All these experiences and choices have been- will be- based on my program.

You can indeed go to and through anything sober, if you choose to - I chose not to put myself in any situation that threatened my emotional sobriety early on, and still. My program is the key to this way of living.

Taking risks with my sobriety - and what constitutes a risk has certainly changed- was off the table from the start.

Best to you.

I had to make hard choices in the beginning. I chose not to go anywhere where there would be alcohol. I kept that up for several months.

I did other things - coffee dates, picnics, movies - but no alcohol related events.

Sounds extreme maybe, but I look back now at that time as a great investment in my recovery.

Amazing, proud, healthy, recovering.

A totally different man after just 30 days.

Empowered.

My addiction was physically and mentally pretty strong. Although one month in I felt I had taken control and power back of my life.

I faced the same issues going forward as you've raised, what do I do though when "x" comes up? They're challenges, simple as. Don't lose sight of why you're here and how far you've come so far. It's all about perspective.

At one month I felt I was slowly coming out of a fog. I was still tired and had to force myself to exercise and do activities that distracted me from drinking such a I lived in the SR chat room. :)

I think at this point I still wanted to lock myself in my house and hide from the world, as its the only way I felt safe from alcohol getting me. Cant really put it into words, I was just too afraid to go out incase my AV spoke to me, so I stayed home as I felt I had more control in my cocoon and protected, weird feeling to put into words. The fear and anxiety faded and I became more confident I could control the AV, I think that was around month 2.

I joined here at a month, or 4 weeks I think.

I felt like a kid with their training wheels off. Yay I can ride the bike but I was cautious. I am not riding with no hands yet.

One month was pride in quitting, there was a newness and a bit of being overwhelmed. I was excited and happy, it was a bit more hysterical than now where all those feelings are there, just quieter.

Two months was anticipation of the holidays, three months that is just over a week away. That is when the newness of quitting is off and real life gets really lived. :)

It is s great ride and it just gets better. Welcome aboard.

I don't think the question is how I felt, but how are you going to cope with situations that you aren't ready for?

I try to focus on myself. Its hard not to make comparisons to others. The concept of the 'should'....I should be feeling....I should be able to handle....I should be doing this or that. Should is just one of those words. Why does it even exist? To make me feel less than? haha. I wonder some times. Of course, I chose to feel less than and shouldn't. Oops. You see what I mean?

So there just is. Where you are, what you're feeling. So only you can decide what you need to do to stay sober. I stay away from events where there is alcohol....which is easy for me as I am rarely involved in many 'event's' these days. But I make a plan for sure when I can't avoid it. And if I feel like its a set up for failure, I don't go. I have a whole pile of nieces and nephews that are all going to be reaching that marriage age over the next few years. Let the weddings begin. So a plan and a strong commitment to recovery are step one.

I felt physically much better, but it took much longer to believe in my sobriety. Having made many previous attempts to stop - and had done so for a couple of years once - I watched my thinking very, very carefully for about three years. I still do so every day, but now in year 7 I am much more confident in my ability to handle different situations. Drinking alcohol is barely on my mental radar these days - just not something I would do. The fact that one drink would send my entire life spinning into chaos appears to finally have been burned into my brain. The legacy of my drinking is what seems to be permanent insomnia (maybe it will stop tomorrow, who knows) but I am happy to accept that over an alcoholic death!

Thank you sobermax! Nearing the two year mark, I really like hearing from folks years ahead of me, whether five or twenty, and how they keep working their recovery. My life would spin into chaos and, I believe, a rapid death, if I ever drank again and while I do not live in any fear, I live in careful thoughtfulness of the life I have and want to keep. Thanks again.

I felt hopeful and a bit scared tbh. I wouldn't have attended any functions that had alcohol on tap especially an all inclusive for any reason or anybody so be careful.

I avoided all situations with alcohol honestly at 30 days. I was still struggling with urges and withdrawal and didn't want to chance it. The first function I had to attend (approx 60 days) I told the server my drink ( cranberry and soda) and said keep them coming, nothing else please.