vinono

yes and I am really starting to feel positive.

DriGuy

LadyBug66 quit a year ago on Christmas Day. Talk about facing the monster and yanking his tail:

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...ml#post7079371 (Almost a year??!!)

FlawedNFntastic

My first sober day was December 12, 2017. So I spent the twelve days of Xmas sober last year and (miracle) I'm spending them sober this year. It was bizarre learning to live my live not trashed because I'd been drinking since I was a kid. I'm a major creature of habit and the habit of drinking was one that nearly took me down multiple times.

What was so awesome about actually spending the holidays sober and birthed this tender, tiny hope in me was that I remembered everything and the shame of my addiction eased up just a fraction. Don't get me wrong, I brutalized myself in my thoughts about a million times in those early days and for me, that part didn't ease up for about ten months.

But it's possible, and it's hard, and it's wonderful. Sending you mountains of support all wrapped up in pretty holiday bows.

tnek97

Do you know who has the best Christmas? Children...and they're sober.

I think back on all my drunk Christmas celebrations, and then on my past two sober Christmases, and the latter are for sure better. Drinking made me lose focus on the holiday, made me anxious, made me bloated, and tired, and angry, and hungover. Sober Christmas made me present, and mindful, and appreciative, and helpful, and kind, and content.

Yes, it certainly can look scary to be sober. It's also scary to think of all the terrible outcomes that can come with drinking. You can definitely do it! And you'll be much happier, and prouder, to have made that decision.

DriGuy

Fairly early in my heavy drinking, a guy I didn't know all that well, a heavy drinker, a friend of a friend, invited me to go out drinking on Christmas Eve. I thought it was odd. We were not close, but he was living with his parents, and all of his friends were home celebrating with their families, and I guess he felt alone. I didn't have any family in town, so we went out bar hopping. The bars were mostly empty, so we just drank and talked in one bar and then the others. It was actually kind of depressing. It felt like two lonely losers with nothing to do on Christmas Eve hanging out in empty bars with bar tenders waiting for their shifts to be over. Small town.

secretchord

I'm three days sober. We will always look for the next reason and excuse to not quit quite yet. I've made excuse after excuse for the last 2 years and have had about 500 quit dates. If I believe the lie (again) and quit after the new year, then I'll never quit. It's a game I know too well and I don't want to play anymore.

Rd2quit

I most certainly agree with the idea of not having one last drink, I think it's best to quit now. Two reasons for quitting now are:

1) if we say we are going to quit January 2nd will we really quit? Maybe, but actions speak louder than words, saying we are going to quit is words but quitting is action.

2) why celebrate something that is so damaging to us? It will be easier to let it go if you just quit now. I had no idea my last drink was going to be my last, I had no intention of quitting until the next morning, when again, I was so ashamed of my drunken behavior.

Flower2327

I can't tell you how many things in my life I put off waiting for the "right" time, and every single one, I wish I'd have just done it. There's never the right or perfect time, and I can promise you that however hard it might seem not to drink during the holidays, it's not as hard as the mental and physical toll of spending the holidays trashed.

Anna

This is great to hear!

And, when you get through Christmas sober, you will be ready for anything.