Noob on Day 1
 

Hello everyone, today is day 1 for me. I’ve been at it for about 20 years (41 now). I drank to intoxication and beyond everyday from about 2011 through March of this year with one attempt at sobriety that lasted five months back in 2018. In March we locked down and I tried to use the disruption in routine to go sober, and have managed some one or two week dry stints here and there up to now, but I didn’t do anything different spiritually or recovery wise and I have just always gone back to sneaking vodka everywhere and getting wasted and then spending days drinking off the anxiety and withdrawal. I am ready to give up and do SOMETHING to really finally stop this forever.

I am thinking about trying an online meeting but I’ve never done one before (done in-person meetings but never actually stuck around for more than one or two meetings or gotten numbers or anything). Not sure if it will help Doing it online but doing Nothing and going it by myself hasn’t worked so I’m willing to try it and also post on here.

Got a busy day today and feel like o have gauze inside my head. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

I don't know about having a busy day on day 1....My advice would be to try and cut out some activities today and attend to you physical needs of rest and hydration. If you can't get out of the responsibilities...hydrate as much as you can throughout the day. Be prepared to have probably a restless sleep tonight but KNOW this will pass after a few days and you will be grateful you stopped. The first time I stopped I was 41 also and maintained 8 years of sobriety. You seem in the same mindset I was in...READY.

And I wish you the best in this effort to live your life not focused on escaping with alcohol.

Thank you Missy, I appreciate the advice and encouragement!

Welcome, and I'm glad to hear you're on Day 1.

It is important to have a plan to get beyond the initial stopping. Make lifestyle changes to support your recovery and it will really help.

Glad you found us.

Welcome! Be gentle with yourself the first few days. Coming here often is great motivation.

Thanks Anna and Puzzle, I appreciate the support.

WELCOME!
You can do this! I have been attending online meetings and so far so sober! One day at a time.
This forum has been a life saver for me time and time again. I'm so happy you found it! Stay close and post often. We are here for you.

Welcome to SR Autonoetic :). Congratulations on making the decision to stop drinking and to get sober. SR is a great place to come to for support and I find it very helpful to both read and to post here.

Welcome. Hang out on the forum and visit some of the other sub-forums. There's lots of info and support. I've been a heavy drinker for 15+ years, been trying to quit the last five. I am a week sober today. I've had longer stints in the past. My advice is to read about recovery plans. My biggest mistakes was thinking I was above such things and I would just wing it. When the rubber hit the road, I caved.

Check out the Alcohol forum, lots of great people there and many folks that would be considered "veterans" to sobriety.

I agree with the others. Go easy on yourself. Get support if you’re feeling like you can’t do it (because you can). Also, after a long time drinking heavy, perhaps you may need medical support (just a thought).

You’ll soon feel better and then you’ll need to focus on a plan to keep you sober. With so many online here you’ll come up with a lot of ideas.

I wish you the best and look forward to hearing about your success!

Hi,

We're all encouraged to be supportive of each other in these forums. I'm blunt. Just --- take what I'm about to write for what it's worth. Based off what I read, you're WAY overthinking this.

Don't drink alcohol. That's it. Utilize your self-control. You have loads of it just waiting for you to do something with it.
That's all you have to remember to get and stay sober. Don't drink.

Welcome! Your drinking habits sound a lot like how mine were. There is a way out but it takes time. The most important thing for me, to start, was to do whatever it took to break the drinking routine, one day at a time. You don't have to do it all in one day, you don't have to figure it all out in one day.

Welcome to the family. :) I hope our support and advice can help you get sober for good. :hug:

It's great to meet you, Autonoetic. I wish I'd stopped in my 40's - my life would be entirely different now.
We're here to encourage you as you begin your journey. It helps to know others understand what you're going through.

Hi auto. Your drinking story is very similar to mine, same age and all. I also got sober in 2018, for two months. I'm now coming up on 7 months sober and everything in my life has changed.

It's a good decision to get sober and to come here. You'll get lots of support and for me it s made all the difference

You are in the right place....there is so much support, help and advice here.

I found that counselling has been really helpful. I had a lot of dark and scary stuff that I drank to cope with. It turned out that talking about it and, realising I could overcome these things, has been the most significant thing I have done in my recovery. I am by no means there yet but I have managed to do things I never dreamed I could do, and that has propelled me to keep trying and moving forward :hug: xx

Hevyn's words are also how I feel. Oh those wasted years. Stop now.

Welcome autonoetic :)

SR made all the difference for me - support and understanding from others who’ve been there really helps.

D

Awesome to have you with us Autonoetic, Welcome!
Yeah, the Honesty, Open Mindedness, and Willingness are indispensable.
Hit me up sometime browski

Welcome.

You got this.

For me, it was about accepting in my soul that alcohol was just not an option. Ever.

I knew it for a long time, but once I accepted it, things changed. Don't kick my dog, don't hit my kids, don't drink.

Simple but not easy.

You got this.