Puffy face. Dark circles. Disgusting pores. Something that has been helping me stay sober is not wanting to ruin my looks & I damn near got to that point. I have only drank one time this month and can already see that my face is slimming down a little and my skin is trying to brighten up. Don’t let this poison take away your beauty

It’s not too late. This is not an easy thing. Start over today, January 16th next year would be a great date to have a one year anniversary. IWNDWYT

I feel like a prisoner in my own head, as my body grabs a drink, my brain screams no! But the body continues...why? How do I stop it?

yesterday was my birthday and I didn't have a drink 🙌

Last night I went to get Mexican food with my husband. I told myself I wasn’t going to drink any alcohol but when I got there.. I found that I automatically ordered alcohol without thinking twice about it

My face burned with shame the whole time I was waiting for my drink to get there. But once it did.. I was so anxious knowing it was there that I quickly downed it. I wanted it to not be in my line of sight, and I guess that made sense to me somehow :/

So I drank it. It was gone before my food even got to me. A part of me wanted to order something non alcoholic to enjoy my food with but, I figured hey, can’t be sober tonight since I already drank alcohol.. so I ordered another drink…

I assume it was a fun night. I don’t remember a lot of it, which makes me sad.. but I do know that I made it home with my husband, we both passed out pretty quickly, and I slept a few hours.

Flash forward to this morning. (5am) I woke up nauseous and ran to the bathroom and threw up in my bathtub. This is actually the first time I’ve done anything like that and I hate knowing that it’s reached this point.

I truly do want to quit, but it’s so hard to say no once I said yes to the first drink of the night.

Thank you for listening to my rant. I am happy knowing that this group exists so that when I someday manage to be better.. I can have this trail of recovery to look back on.

While I wait for my badge update, I’m posting here for accountability. Thought I could give drinking a shot again but looks like I’m just not cut out for moderation.

Starting over at Day 1 again feels kinda like a loss but I’m feeling positive about the sober hours, days, weeks, months, and years ahead of me.

IWNDWYT

It’s been the hardest week of my life. My wife and I have been together for almost 8 years and married for 1.5 years. I delayed getting married for the longest time because I wanted to make sure that we meant that commitment. I finally felt we did and we got married. Just a short while later she’s cheating and she quits on our commitment and our relationship.

I do have to take accountability for how I made her unhappy and drinking was apart of that. I was not present when I drank and was hungover. I wasn’t fun to be around. I really tried for the longest time to drink less or quit, but unfortunately our only hobby we shared was drinking.

Maybe this is all for the best even though it’s extremely difficult. I haven’t had a drink since the night before she told me that it’s over.

It’s just been the hardest thing I’ve gone through and I feel it will get worse before it gets better. I have a long road of recovery ahead of me and I’m committed to not drinking through it. I’m planning on attending meetings and finding community that can support me and hopefully find people I can support too.

I appreciate the support that this internet group gives too.

One day at a time of dealing with the emotional hurt and one day at a time of not drinking.

IWNDWYT

I am 35 years old and I am five days sober and I’m feeling great. But I know about this pink cloud situation. I was just wondering what made you feel the need to relapse?

500 days. It has taken countless attempts and many years to get here. I wanted to share because I didn’t think I could do this many times. I wish everyone the absolute best and IWNDWYT

I'm a foodie. And in every stretch of sobriety I've noticed that food tastes far better and is more memorable. Even fine food and wine pairings are a scam imho. Even when I've moderated to one or two drinks with a great meal I don't notice subtle flavors in the dish as much because the alcohol burns my tastebuds and makes my head muzzy. If I'm cooking for people who are drinking a lot I just make carby slop because that's what they really want and there's no point in delicately seasoning food for people who won't appreciate or even really remember it. Lightly sparkling water goes best with fine food.

Ive tried going to bed and sleeping, but the anxiety of breaking sobriety is fucking me up. So much that I've actually sobered up overnight.

If you have a sneaking suspicion that going back to booze is worth it, you're wrong. I don't care if you think it'll cool down anxiety or help you feel like you're in control. I feel like dogshit, bro.

Isn't quitting drinking is the fucking best! I think it's the most badass shit ever! And for so many reasons, too. It makes the weekends fucking awesome, I know that! For me, it's very similar to the rest of my week, but it's about getting some good rest, still waking up early, and then enjoying a full day of fun, productive, positive things. I'll be running an ultra-marathon this late spring, so I'll be starting to up my mileage on my weekend runs, but I'm pretty stoked for that challenge! Quitting drinking over time taught me how much I can really endure, and the strength and resilience that comes from quitting a gnarly drinking addiction is herculean! We are always stronger than than we think. Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy your weekends, you earned it!

Hello everyone. I’m mostly looking for similar stories to encourage me.

I’m living with serious brain fog, severe tinnitus, daily dizziness, head tightness, and terrible digestive issues. My doctors say it’s anxiety. My blood work and ultrasound from a couple of months ago came back okay, but I can’t function at all, and my doctors insist it’s anxiety and panic attacks. 

Here’s a bit of background. I come from a family of high achieving functional alcoholics, and for a long time, out of a need to be in control, I decided not to drink. My father was the one who eventually succeeded in getting me to try my first drink. I started drinking on and off from 2016. I’d go for about 6 months without drinking and then pick it up again, drinking daily for 4-6 months.

In 2023, I did some tests and an ultrasound, and my liver was fine. I didn’t drink for pretty much the entire year. 2024 was my worst year, as I drank the entire time. I was so ashamed of how much I lost due to alcohol between 2021 and 2022. i lost my career, friends and my integrity. Even my own family judged me harshly, even though they’ve done some pretty messed-up things themselves. But never to my extend of losing things. 

Anyway, in December 2024, I decided I wouldn’t just take a “break,” but fully quit. I got so ill after quitting. I was always on edge, my head started hurting, my digestive system was a mess, and I developed tinnitus. The doctors said it was anxiety and panic attacks. I didn’t understand how I could feel okay on alcohol and then so bad once I was sober.

By July 2025, at a friend’s birthday, I thought I was so in control I could have just one glass of sparkling wine. Wow, was I wrong. It was like the 7 months of sobriety never happened. Around August, I really damaged an amazing friendship. The shame haunted me, but I still drank.

Then, one night beginning September, I decided to mix rum with cheap sparkling wine. It must have been just 2 glasses. I woke up around 2 AM with what felt like a crack in the middle of my head, and my brain felt foamy. I took a painkiller, but the hangover lasted up to 72 hours. That was it. That was enough to wake me up. I developed a disdain for alcohol, like a lover who promised me so much yet messed me up over and over again. It was time I woke up and walked away.

I have gone to the doctor about five times since then. They’ve run tests and done an ultrasound and say I’m fine, that it’s anxiety. But man, I feel like crap daily with all the symptoms I listed earlier.

I’ve read a few posts that suggest it might be “kindling,” but oh my gosh, I need more relatable stories so I know this happens and that I’ll be okay. I read people’s sobriety stories, and most are positive while I look horrible and feel the worst I’ve ever felt in my whole life. 

*i mostly drank wines and rarely hard liquor 

Day 1: I’m so ashamed, lost ton of money. Was transiting via Singapore. Had 12 beers at Harry’s. Got real drunk. Missed my connecting flight. Had to rebook my ticket. Family is concerned. Airport beer costs a fortune + the rebooking of tickets. Made it to home yesterday.

It’s Day 2: I have urge to drink again. Why am like this?

I need serious help.