wee bit of a difference between drinking,swimming,and reading books.
i havent heard or read of someones health getting progressively worse by reading or swimming.
ive heard and read of a LOT of peoples health get progressively worse with drinking.
both physical and mental health deterioration.

I got sober over 9 yrs ago and don't regret a minute of it. :) And I have never woken up sober and wished I had drank the night before. :)

Made it to day 12.

Was cooking dinner last night and was really tempted to have a glass of wine or 2, but I managed to abstain.

Also, I live in Toronto and it seemed like the whole city was drinking last night when the Raptors won the NBA (basketball) championship. That was not the easiest night to abstain.

I don’t follow sports, but for some reason some Kardasian’s Raptors party popped up in my news feed this morning. Now I’m glad because at least I know what you’re referring to.

I thought more about your initial post. I’m a few years older than you, and I found that extended sobriety have solved some health issues that I thought were just things to be accepted because I was aging. An inability to lose that middle-aged spread, hormonal mid-life junk, and just overall stamina and fading looks to name a few. All have improved. I became sober because I accepted I have a problem, but the unforeseen benefits have made staying sober the right path without question.

More and more evidence show the harm of even moderate alcohol consumption. I”m happy to report that bora jr., now 17, doesn’t see alcohol as the free ticket to popularity I saw it as at his age. I am glad to see a cultural shift.

My mom is obese, and getting worse by the day. Dad fears she’ll be in a wheelchair soon. It’s sad to watch, because better health is within reach if she would change her eating habits. At least now I can discuss it with her knowing that I put on my big girl pants and addressed my own bad habits that would have resulted in a greater burden later to my own child. Problem drinking aside, the benefits of abstinence are many.

Just thinking out loud today.
-bora
ETA: Congrats on resisting drinking while cooking. That was a favorite past time of mine back in the day.

I don't think I've ever seen a person who didn't feel alcohol was negatively impacting their lives seek out a recovery / sobriety / addiction forum.

In my experience, those of us who have come to this forum and others generally have done so because there is a voice inside us, or a power greater than us, or perhaps both - whispering a truth that we want to hear..... ready or not.

Some of us become willing to listen sooner, some later, some...... some never do and they die.

So just the fact that you're here is an indication that you've found the right place.

I remember a stage of life where I felt similar to what you're expressing...

I'm deeply grateful for the sober place I am in today........

You are abstaining but to what end? Have you quit?

Just a matter of time till you pick up again if you are white knuckling. I do not mean this in a discouraging way at all. I just mean it honestly, based on what you've shared. Hope you decide to put it down for good. I'm 42 and quit a little more than a year ago. Having gained sobriety, I'd give so much to have gotten sober earlier in life.

Day 13....

Last night I went to a French restaurant with my wife. Usually would have had 2 or 3 glasses of wine, but I wasn't really in the mood to have a drink anyway (which probably wouldn't have stopped me before).

Bill was about $30 less then it would usually have been, so that was nice.

Am I quitting drinking? Only time will tell. If I were to say that I've quit, then the urges to drink would be ten times as bad.

Thanks for listening.

So how are you feeling after 13 dry days, Sven? Are you going to commit to 30 days or what's the end game here?

Hi Sven

13 days is great. I stuck to one day at a time for a while too - with the proviso I back up that commitment every morning. After a got a fairly long string of days behind me I found forever didn't scare me as much and that life sober was actually pretty great in reality.

D

Day 14...

Last night was the first real serious craving for a drink. I was watching TV, and really wanted some red wine, just a glass or 2, not more then 3.

Couldn't shake the feeling, so after 20 minutes I went for a long bike ride. I thought about all the reasons to justify having a drink but in the end I didn't.

I'm also doing a major detox, so I decided to give in on the front instead- had some nachos and salsa, some pistacchios, some dark chocolate, beef jerkey, cocounut water, fruit and yogurt- figured I'd keep consuming things until the urge passed. which it did after about 2 hours.

Anyway- yes I will commit to not drinking till after Day 30.

I've been exercising a lot, and today was the first day that I found I had a lot of extra energy, which was a nice surprise. I went up and down 1000 stairs- and then went for a 12km hike... could have been longer but I had to stop due to family commitments.

Congratulations on 14 days - and for distracting yourself with the bike ride. I think we grow stronger each time this happens.

Congrats on 2 weeks Sven :)
I hope you decide to continue after 30 days - no amount of time reset me to a 'normal drinker'.
D

Day 15

Yesterday was suprisingly easy. Went to a fathers day dinner at my inlaws, passed on champagne, wine and beer that were all offered to me, but I didn't want anything to drink.

I've been thinking, and I've definitely toned down my drinking over the years. there was a time when I was hung over almost every weekend- it would actually be a noteworthy event to wake up feeling great. Now I rarely drink to that point.

Day 15 continued...

My office closed for several hours so that everybody could go the Raptors NBA Basketball championship parade. There's probably a million people partying in the streets (No really). There were a lot of beers floating around, and I wanted one. It's kind of like a Mardi Gras atmosphere.

Held strong, but it was tough.

thats one long craving. 2 hrs? Glad you made it.

Day 16....

Last night I was pretty tired from the parade. I have a step tracker on my phone, walked 13KM and I was too tired to want a drink when I got home.

Is it? Usually if I want a drink, I just have one and don't really think about it.

Thats what I used to do when I drank. Now that I am trying to stop I get cravings but they usually only last like 10 seconds or so.

Day 17
 

Last night/ yesterday was pretty easy.

But I guess that doesn't make for an interesting forum post. I have an app on my phone that tells me that so far, I have passed on 47 drinks and saved $238, so that's kind of cool.

I've had (and still have) a lot of friends that are big drinkers. I remember a wedding I went to when I was around 25- full of big drinkers and an open bar. There were 80 people there, at a venue that housed multiple weddings. The bar staff told us that we were going through way more booze than a 400 person wedding down the hall.

Most of my friends now still like to drink, but I just don't seem them very often anyway. There's nobody I feel like I would need to cut out of my life.

I had one drinking buddy that I did cut loose, he would always order more drinks and if I didn't want to keep drinking he'd keep on me until I relented.

Day 18

Last night was a little difficult again. Funny that it seems to go back and forth.

I was at a bar with my wife for dinner, and then we went to an event at an art gallery- which was also serving drinks.

Held strong though. She ended up with a bit of a hangover. I don't miss those! Don't get them very frequently anymore (prior to 18 days ago I mean) but I've had some bad ones over the years. The 2 day hangovers are the worst- very demoralizing to wake up that 2nd day and still feel lousy.