I've been tracking my drinks for 2 years, first time I reach such a sober streak - and I feel really better!
this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2026
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You probably already know this but as a general PSA, don’t hesitate to seek out medical help if you’re having other symptoms or severe anxiety; alcohol withdrawal can be fatal without intervention
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25052-delirium-tremens#symptoms-and-causes
Soup, or ramen. Easy foods man. Stuff like miso soup since you can basically just drink it.
Also you get all the ice cream you want
Dude after I went from 10+ drinks every day to almost every day having zero, I was ASTOUNDED at how much I could eat while still losing weight. Turns out 1,000-2,000+ calories of drinks in a day translates to a LOT OF TREATS! I’ve plateaued now and never was a really huge person, but I just gorged and had treats all of the time every day after the initial hell week and lost 20% of my weight. I’m back to tiny and I still eat almost a half pint of ice cream daily heyo yeeee
Werd up
You can do it!
The hardest part is what you gave already just done, good luck!
Find some hobbies, books, etc., whatever you're genuinely interested in. Don't push yourself in these first few days; if all you want to do is sleep, then sleep. But in the coming weeks/months it will help tremendously to have something you can pour your whole being into, just completely immersed in. A book, a video game, hell even binging a tv series if it's all you can motivate yourself to do. Arts, crafts, woodworking, soldering, language learning, whatever it is that gets your gears spinning.
If you ever feel yourself wanting to reach for a drink, ask yourself if you're just bored. If the answer is yes, find something to do just to occupy your mind. It doesn't matter if it's something "lazy" or "unproductive." If it gets you to bedtime without taking a drink, it was worthwhile.
If it's not boredom, ask yourself if what it is. If you're tired, sleep. Frustrated, depressed, stressed, lonely? If you can identify the cause of the craving, it gets easier to find something else to do instead of reaching for a drink.
When I was first quitting I got really into listening to baseball on the radio and talking to other baseball fans about the games. Here lately I've been playing some solo journaling roleplaying games since just about anything on the internet wakes up the dread
I had trouble stopping for a good while, then one day I realized it was Saturday morning and I was out for a walk on a chilly, sunny day and I felt good. It was like a switch flipped. In a flood I realized that I had trapped myself in a habit I didn't even like any more. My health had already suffered a bit from it, and the upside of having a ton of friends and family at gatherings cracking open a few had faded, friends moved on as they do, family expanded and the growing complexity of it all made alcohol an anchor rather than a buoy, and it went from a catalyst for fun to a stress factor that only had downsides.
I realized those old days were gone. My cousin wasn't going to hurl over the railing at my other cousin's wedding reception while our uncles roasted and toasted him from an open trunk. I wasn't loosening up in the hopes of talking to a cute girl at a party. I was sitting alone in my basement on a Saturday with a jug of questionable vintage, drinking because there was in that habit a faint recollection of good times past, and a compulsion that was just strong enough to keep me there, but weak enough to fly under the radar.
I love a fizzy club soda. I love a cup of mint tea. I love feeling the day as it happens, the drag of a bad time felt fully ricochets into the actual good feeling of an accomplishment, however small.
It's not a tough choice any more, because I've seen it in the light of day... But it's still there.
Also, to echo another poster, you CAN do it.
"an anchor not a buoy" what a great way of putting it! I will remember that phrase.
The first day is the hardest part. I have full faith in you and for your next 24 hours, I'll pledge with you, IWNDWYT (I will not drink with you today). Don't worry about next week or even two days from now. Lets do another 24 hours not drinking together.
Also, not to swamp you with books but the book Allen Carr's Quit Drinking Without Willpower changed my entire mindset around alcohol and that made it much easier to get thru the cravings that happen in the first couple weeks.
The sweats get better pretty quickly, and you’ll soon be amazed how much of your dreams you remember!
https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/b-7_livingsober_1-17_updated_10-2024.pdf
Not the AA Big Book, but a guide to tricks for not drinking.
It's easier to stay stopped when you hear other people's stories and realize how much you have in common with them. Good luck!
Get the Everything AA app and the Meeting Guide app.
Everything AA is a yellow background with a blue triangle and circle. Meeting guide is a white chair on a blue background. Both are free to get in any app store.
Everything AA has all the literature and connects you to 24 hour Zoom meetings. I like big city meetings because you get a diverse crowd.
Meeting Guide will help you locate meetings near you.
And I've seen people walk into meetings with less than one day sober.
Search 'AA Intergroup [the name of the city]' The website will list all the local meetings, live and online.
I go to a 6 am Zoom meeting that gets people from all over.
Also, the bigger places usually have a variety of meetings. Men only; women only; young people; LGBTQ+; etc.
Finally, don't worry about the jargon. A lot of people like to talk about the Steps, The Program, The Big Book. It can be overwhelming, but it all comes down to one person sharing their own truth. Good luck
'Closed' means that only people with a drinking problem can come in.
"Open" means that you can bring a friend, or that anyone with an interest in the program can come in. Anniversary meetings are usually open so people's families can come.
"Meditation" means that they dim the lights and silently meditate.
"Speaker" means someone shares their personal journey for 15 minutes or so.
"Literature" means they read from The Big Book, the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions, or other AA books.
Another jargon you'll hear is 'sponsor.' A sponsor is an AA who you feel comfortable with. Some people pick a temporary sponsor at their first meeting. Other people wait until they feel comfortable. It took me two years before I got one.
Most meetings take a minute at the start to ask if there is anyone new to the meeting. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. If you're online you can usually send a private message to the host and ask for phone numbers or information.
My suggestion for you would be to find a seven day a week meeting you can get to every day. It can be early morning before work/school; or at noon on your meal break; or before you go to bed. I started out going to the same meeting every day after work and a couple of weekend meetings near me. Other people like to drop in whenever they feel the need. Some newcomers spend all day in meetings. Personally, I could only handle one a day at the start.
You can go to an online meeting. Name yourself 'Just Listening'. Most will let you leave the camera off. As long as you don't interrupt you can stay. You can also message the host if you want to know more. Each meeting is differnet, and Zoom bombers have been a problem, but generally newcomers are given plenty of leeway.
Good luck
I heard this story from an oldtimer.
Back in the day, he was in a cheap hotel in Philadelphia. There was a bar in the lobby.
He spent all night holding onto the bed, because he knew if he let himself get up he'd drink.
My first few months I went to speaker meetings so I'd hear stories like that.
I know people who got sober while working in bars and restaurants.
I'll never say it isn't tough, because I needed a 28 day 'vacation' and constant job testing to dry out and get my feet on the path.
But with the right team, anything is possible.
The booziest towns have the best sobriety.
New York, New Orleans, Las Vegas, LA, San Francisco all have tons of meetings.
It's one day at a time. Sometimes, it's one minute at a time.
Search out the right meetings and get a bunch of phone numbers.
I once called a guy and told him that I was practicing making calls. He got it.
Start with the online meetings.
Plenty of 'Zoom babies' got sober during Covid without ever meeting in real life.
https://www.nyintergroup.org/meetings/?type=active
That's just the New York ones.
There's one local group called 'Never Had A Legal Drink.' People who decided to get sober before they turned 21.
Also, the International Conference of Young People In AA.
https://www.icypaa.org/
Be seeing you.
You can do it! Bite its fucking head off!