I had a really rough few years with alcohol and cocaine. I’m disgustingly embarrassed of how I acted while using. Not to mention the money I’ve spent. One day by the grace of God, I just woke up and stopped liking alcohol & narcotics. Fast forward nearly a year later and it’s still valid, although sometimes I have a drink on special occasions. I’m going out with friends I haven’t seen since I stopped drinking. When we hung out more frequently, we would girl talk over martinis. I feel weird not drinking tomorrow. It feels like i basically have “alcoholic” on my forehead. But I really don’t want to. Do I stand on business and not even address the elephant in the room or do I just use this as a “special occasion” pass? Thanks for any advice given.

i’m stoned and this thought just hit me hard. i’m 17. my substance addiction started with heavy daily alcohol usage at age 11, following my father suddenly passing away. by 13 i had quit alcohol but was smoking weed everyday on and off, when i was 14 i got sober from weed too and was completely off everything. after 11 months sober, i relapsed with weed at 15 due to an undiagnosed manic episode. within a few months, i was drinking all day everyday again and tried xanax for the first time.

by 16, after my first psych ward visit and being diagnosed with bipolar type 1, i had tried meth, started doing heavy amounts of Cocaine and Xanax regularly, with occasional opioid pain killers. while still smoking weed all day everyday and drinking regularly. i was the most addicted i had ever been. my entire life revolved around drugs.

in january 2026, following a 28 hour solo cocaine bender where i had finished an 8ball and 15mg of xanax by myself, the comedown was so bad that i decided to check myself into the psych ward. i detoxed in there, and i was completely sober from everything for 109 days. i attended narcotics anonymous meetings very regularly and had a sponsor.

you’d think that during those 11 months and 109 days that my true self would’ve come back, right? nope. not even close.

for those 11 months when i was 14-15, i was suffering from undiagnosed bipolar disorder. i was euthymic for like 6 months and i spent every waking day of that playing 8-10 hours a day of a video game called dead by daylight. i was always hiding behind something.

and those most recent 109 days? i was in a manic/mixed episode for 80% of the time. when i was finally euthymic, i was chronically bored and empty. so on april 25th 2026 i decided to drink a bottle of mouthwash over the course of a couple days, fast forward a couple months later and i started doing ketamine for the first time, smoking weed all day everyday again, got hooked on potent opioid painkillers everyday for a month straight, etc.

i think my true self died when i was 10. i have been hiding behind anything possible since then. and even when i try to stop, it doesn’t work. i don’t think there’s much of anyone left behind it all anymore.

when i’m in active addiction and suffering, the idea of sobriety sounds nice. but then i realize every single time that the suffering doesn’t go away, it just manifests differently. this most recent time i thought it was because i wasn’t putting enough effort into it. so that’s why i joined NA, went all the time, got a sponsor, would message him when i had cravings, i even admitted my addiction to my family. but still, i suffered everyday.

anyways, just wanted to share that thought and my story. i’m maybe getting some cocaine and or meth this month so i’m thrilled for that. and i have some phenibut on the way right now.

and yes, i am on medication for my bipolar disorder and take it everyday as prescribed. i’ve been on medication for a year now. and have tried multiple kinds. it helps, but only to the degree that it can.

I am in my first 24hrs I did a month sober earlier this year.

Now I am starting over.

Tell me about you on fall and getting back up and staying better for yourself

Hey all, wanted to see if anyone was interested in attending sober parties/ events in NYC, want to keep the community strong and growing!

We have some upcoming ones so lmk if interested. Also looking for inspo on what kinda of events to have in the future so pitch in if you have any good ideas!

I recently moved to a new city after graduating college. I got a really good job and an apartment I'm moving into soon. I'm currently living with extended family after moving out from my parents. It's going to be my first time living alone. But after I moved I fell back pretty hard into my drug of choice. I had been using every now and then but now it's every chance I get. I have no friends here, I'm struggling socializing at my new job, I can barley get a text back from my family (and haven't told them I'm struggling anyway because I know they're getting sick of it), I can't get in with my therapist because I haven't gotten my new insurance cards. I tried going to NA last night but couldn't stop crying to be able to talk to anyone. I don't know what to do. I feel like I need to talk to someone but I don't even know what to say. I don't know what to do or how to change. I've been battling this for years and feel like I can't trust myself to commit to change. I don't know how and I everytime after a few months of sobriety I slip again. I feel like Im going to be this way forever and don't know what to do.

Preface this with I have ADHD. I gave up cannabis on the 11th of April this year after many years of non-stop smoking - almost daily.

It was very easy to start with. It was almost a hyper-fixation to give up for my ADHD brain. Now, almost 100 days later, the thought of having a smoke is tempting.

I work from home mostly and work a job which I like. But it’s very under-stimulating at the moment. Not a lot going on, and the project is a mess. Outside of work, I work out and look after myself. I lost loads of weight since the start of the year (40kg) and feel proud of that. It just feels like nothing is meeting that ‘ahh… and calm’ I got from weed. I try and attend my meditation class, and that helps. But again, nothing like the hit from weed.

I’ve recently become addicted to masturbation and repeatedly download Snap, create an account, then go on an app where I can find people to add and masturbate to/with. I then delete in a bid to be better but the cycles repeats. My mind is very addictive. Please do not laugh; I’m genuinely seeking help.

I’ve tried this whole ‘get a routine’ and it fixates me for a bit before I just get bored. I don’t want to go on meds and have always told myself there are ways out of this without it. I’m not depressed, and a lot of my mental health issues have cleared up this year. But I just feel such a strong urge to take a hit. I go to therapy, and she helps me loads. Any thoughts?

welp i was 30 days clean no weed. I smoked yesterday and i got anxiety from it LIKE ALWAYS. i feel bad that i let the devil win this one. This is the longest ive gone without it. Back to day 0😕

Does anybody know of any sober living (like sober houses not PHP programs) in Camden, New Jersey? It is hard to find a list based on cities online and I can only find a few.

Hi all,

Going to meet my old friend from college I used to drink with in his home country, do you tell them in the text message in advance that you will likely order an NA beer or wait until you get there? Also, I don't want to disrespect his local culture either.

Thanks!

Finally im sober, thanks god🙏🏽❤️... hope yall stay sober too im praying for all of yall. Btw im 25 years old.

For the veteran fighting a battle no one else can see, This Sober Vet Podcast is proof that recovery is possible. Hearing real stories from fellow veterans who’ve faced trauma, addiction, isolation, and the struggle to reclaim their lives reminds listeners that they are not alone—and that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Through honest conversations, practical insight, and a mission rooted in brotherhood and hope, this podcast can be the spark that helps a struggling veteran put down the bottle, step away from substances, and begin the fight for the life they deserve.

I was obviously drunk but not belligerent. Anyways, wasn’t allowed to check into my flight last night and got rescheduled to this morning. I have struggled with AUD my entire adult life (36F). Main DOC is was weed which I’ve been sober from for almost 4 years.

Anyways, I think I’m finally ready to try naltrexone / TSM. Anyone else recently started that? How’s your experience been?

I'm currently 9 days sober and super proud of myself. I have been sober loads of times throughout my life, through pregnancy etc but this time feels a lot different, I feel stronger every day and my motivation is at an all time high. I feel so much clearer and am full of pride in myself for making good choices. I know i've got that "pink cloud" feeling and I'm worried about when it dissipates. Does anyone have any tips?

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Hi, I honestly don't know how to talk to anyone in my life about this but i'm struggling.

For some context I have been an addict for 5 years, Last year I od'd, was sent off to rehab and got myself sober. The only reason i got sober was because of family pressure, I did not want to and struggled tremendously to stay sober for the time that managed (11 months), i went back to rehab 5 times due to lapses or fear of use, I went to rehab in March then discharged myself 2 weeks later and got into pills on that same day, I then relapsed 3 months ago, now i'm homeless (was on the streets originally now i'm sleeping in a mates garage) i've lost contact with most of my friends and trying to rebuild with my family.

heres my problem, My one friend, the only person who stuck around and is the only thing in the world that matters to me right now is moving down to Tasmania for university and has offered for me to go with him, live in a van, start again from scratch. I of course said yes because thats the dream, I was high, and i cant handle losing him too. Now in theory that sounds great, move away from this horrible city, get sober, re-build my life. But I do not want to get sober no matter how hard I try I don't have anything in me that wants that, even with the obvious incentive right in front of me i have absolutely no motivation. I've been trying to cut down but it's not going great and this is making me spiral.

I need this, i need to go but i'm drowning, here are my reasons as to why im spiralling so hard about this

• my mental health, its a shitshow and when i'm sober there's nothing to make it quiet, nothing to turn to, and i don't have any other coping mechanisms that work. I am going to be in very close living quarters to this guy for ages and I don't want him to see any of that or make him feel responsible for me. He's my safe person he's seen a bit and he helps so much but god I can't put that on him.
• my physical health, I have chronic fatigue and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures that are linked alot to my withdrawls, comedowns, and anxiety. i'm worried about how impaired i will be once i am sober (i know what its like and its debilitating i cant do that again.)
• reality!!!!I DO NOT WANT TO THINK ABOUT ANYTHING. NO. my brain is nice and quiet this is taking me forever to type out. I want to keep my brain nice and quiet.
• everyone is telling me i got sober once i cant do it again and im way way to far gone and i kinda do think theyre right. not with what im on.

ANYWAYS!!! i am so so scared but i dont want to say no to this just because i dont want to get sober i know im going to regret that forever, i cannot lose him, hes all i have. im scared of everything im scared ill never be able to do this but fucking hell i wish i could stay in this bubble of security where hes here, and i dont have to change and i can just wait till it kills me but i dont really want that either????

i have the motivation , its right there. Tasmania, my best friend, rebuilding my life because this is awful, the folk punk music scene there is so good omg. but i just cant make it click. nothing is getting through and its stressing me out. HOW DO I MAKE IT CLICK. i want to just want to get sober. theres no option of me using down there if i was by myself maybe but i dont think its really respectful of me to do that living with him , hes got a major fear of needles n its just not a substance you wanna be around ever i guess?? i understand. and i respect him enough to abide by that.

I just don't really know where to go from here.. binge till i hate it??? fuck help me out here.

He doesn't use Reddit. But I wanted to mark it somewhere with people who actually understand what these numbers mean.

Day 4 he was shaking. Day 40 he thought he had it beat and nearly didn't. He always said year 3 was harder than year 1.

If you're on day 1 right now — those bars will fill up. Slowly, then all at once.

ODAAT. 🧡

I went to my first kegger without any alcohol and I am so proud of myself! Only thing is, my partner got extremely drunk which was very eye opening. It was his birthday so I am trying not to judge, but it’s made me wonder how couples navigate one partner continuing to drink while one cuts out alcohol.

Hello everybody!
Lately I (27f) has been adjusting my relationship with alcohol. It’s something I have a lot more boundaries with than I used to. I know that having my daughter made me look at myself and my habits and realize it was time for a change. Since I became of age, there was almost no night that I wouldn’t have wine at the end of the day. This was normal in my family . My mom is a heavy drinker and would easily finish a bottle to two per day . After the birth of my daughter I started to feel a pull to change my habits, I also work at the hospital and seeing so many people sick due to alcohol has also added to that because I want to live a long and healthy life for her. I stopped keeping alcohol at my house, limit it to social interactions and weekends only and I’m finding that I’m enjoying my life a lot more. I feel more clear headed, sleep better, and when I do drink I find that I’m having significantly less than I used to with my friends and rarely feel any negative effects in the next day.

But now I’m finding that even when I’m with my friends and it’s a weekend and all the criteria is me and I can have some alcohol that I don’t even really enjoy it? Like after one drink, I feel a little bit foggy. Not totally myself. It’s difficult because I genuinely do enjoy a glass of wine with supper… but I feel like alcohol just leaks into every social interaction and aspect of life. There are definitely things that I don’t like about it, more than things that I like about it. While I’m interested and sober curious- I don’t know if I should take the leap. There are aspects that I enjoy… and it feels so permanent. I guess I’m nervous that if I go sober and say I’m sober and change my mind? I don’t know. I guess there are things that I don’t wanna fully give up- like the glass of wine at supper. I don’t fully know why as like I said 40% of the time that wine makes me have a little bit of a headache and brain foggy. I guess it can be a nice way to unwind with family and it is a big part of social gatherings.

But I am really over most of it. I don’t really love being around excessive drinking. I know I can have fun without it. Even today I was around friends and there was a ton of drinking and I had three beers throughout 10 hours, and I never felt tipsy or anything- but I found myself wondering what the point of that was. I would’ve felt better and more hydrated if I just had a water instead.
We’re also about to go on a beach trip with my family next week and I generally don’t know how to do it sober as so much of their life revolves around alcohol. I don’t wanna come off judgmental either.. I think I like myself more when I am sober. Or I just like the way my body feels better.
Anyways - I’ve rambled on for a long enough.

I wonder if other people feel this way- sober curious, but also genuinely afraid to let go?

Today marks 49 days of substance sobriety.

One thing I've realized is that I kept waiting for sobriety to come with some huge breakthrough or euphoric feeling. Instead, it happened quietly. Like a slow, but rewarding drip.

I've rebuilt relationships, improved my health, picked up new hobbies, changed my environment, and found a peace I didn't know I was missing. Then it hit me: this is the big thing. Recovery isn't leading to my life. Recovery is my life.

Just wanted to share in case anyone else is waiting for that one magical moment. Sometimes the transformation is so small and gradual, that you don't realize it's already happening.

I have been seeing a girl for 5 years and she thinks I have a drinking problem. I have tried to quit drinking at her request twice. Both times I decided I did not want to be sober. More recently, she told me she can't trust me when I drink. We set up a guideline. When I go out I can only have 3 drinks max. I have broken that each time I've gone out.

I'm debating going full teetotaler or try and work this out. Any suggestions?

Been sober for about 3 weeks now and I find myself constantly depressed, maybe it’s just me adapting to living normally but I’m finding it really difficult as usually getting high will just numb my brain and make me forget most things, any one been through something similar and have any tips on how to manage it?

After all these years of ruining my life with weed and alcohol addiction and not being able to get my life together because of the strong effects of these substances, and all of the research I've done to try find advice and a way out, I've accidentally discovered that alcohol free beer is the missing link and the cure to getting sober..

Think of it this way.. you get the taste of beer without the alcohol, and hops is closely related to cannabis, so close that you can graft cannabis onto hops plants.. and it has a strong sedative effect that makes you feel buzzed, but not so strong that it zaps your energy and willpower to get things done like cannabis did to me over a long period of time

This amazing discovery came a few days ago after I finally quit alcohol and had finally quit cannabis 2 weeks beforehand after a year of weening down to just 1 puff a day, I usually get to my third day without alcohol and the anxiety and depression hits so hard that I just have to drink, but instead this time I decided to try alcohol free beer because I was ready to quit and go through the struggle

To my surprise after drinking just 1 alcohol free beer, I noticed that I felt a little buzzed and a bit dizzy even, at first I didn't feel too good about it and was worried I was messing up my progress so i googled it thinking maybe there was still some alcohol in it, the answers I got were "placebo effect, and sedative properties of hops"

I can tell you all now, on my third day of drinking alcohol free beer all day, that it definitely isn't just some placebo effect, I'm definitely buzzed, and I haven't enen thought about or felt the need for alcohol at all, and I've finally started being able to excersize again because unlike cannabis and alcohol, it isn't so strong that I feel either too high or too drunk to be bothered working out

Guys.. I've been struggling to get sober for 3 years.. after a lifetime of substance abuse.. every time I tried I got so stressed out that I even nearly lost my whole beard to alopecia from the stress and had to go back to weed just to stop it from spreading to my head hair cause it was getting close, and in fact as soon as I went back to weed it stopped spreading and starting recovering, nearly all grown back now..

I never post on Reddit.. but because I never came by this "hack" in all my years of searching through forums and other people's journeys or from doctors etc, I felt absolutely obliged to let this information be known.. it's Asif hops was the only substance we needed all along but it was tainted by alcohol and overshadowed by its far stronger couzin..

So there yas go guys.. if your struggling with the aftermath of quitting weed and or alcohol or maybe even other drugs, it can't hurt to give alcohol free beer a try, I bought a few different types because I'm a fussy beer drinker who only likes VB here in Australia and was worried they were going to taste horrible, but surprisingly each type was actually ok, and now 3 days later I like them all, I did avoid the heinikens tho lol

If I can help even 1 person get sober with this Information.. that's possibly my greatest achievement ever.. other than going vegan, but I honestly feel strongly about this approach and I hope this finds some people who need it, good luck.. never give up.. 1 thing at a time.. try to control your thinking, save that for when your better, peace guys✌️

I'm in San Diego. If anyone goes to meetings, I'd like to go again. This time with someone. I go to meetings alone mostly and I notice I tend to not engage as much as I would if met up with someone beforehand.

Sometimes, I sllide out the meeting before I get to meet people. I'm sure someone understands that behavior. If anyone is in the San Diego area and has time, would you like to take me or meet me at a meeting?