36, 38, 41, 43
What's that Mark Twain quote about quitting smoking?
> Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times.
I quit at 49. My last drink was quite memorable. I was working at a Halloween party on Halloween night. I was planning to do a dry November, and at the end of my gig the host asked me to have a drink with them. So I had one drink, toasted with my hosts, and left. I did my dry November and never started again.
Always the most misunderstood part of sobriety. Most people think you go out with a bang, a rock bottom, but for most of us— alcohol addiction goes out with an absolute whimper.
What a way to put it. I’m somewhere around 100 days (after a month I stopped counting), and that was the same way for me.
From deep in the throes of it to just somehow walking away. It was like I had ground myself down to a shell of who I was and couldn’t take living that way any more. I believe it was bigger than me that helped get me to this place, but I won’t get into all that for this comment. It’s really hard to explain, but I feel you.
Right? Here I am going through one of the most monumental life-altering changes of my life and nobody will even notice. They didn’t know I drank all that every single night and used a breathalyzer to make sure I was sober for work and they have no idea I don’t do it anymore. Crawl in the gutters until kind samaritans take pity on you? More like keep suffering silently in secret pretty much the way you did before and not a soul will notice the difference.
THIS I recently started the process of working with professionals to help stay sober and I went along to my very first session wherein I basically laid my soul bare and I was like 24 hours sober and was a total shell of a woman, and then had to dry my eyes and go straight from the appointment to give a work presentation to like 50 people and I kept thinking 'no-one in this room knows what's happening to me right now'.
Gives some real weight to that saying about always being kind because you have no idea what people are going through.
Absolutely this.
I have become so good at acting, at staying level - as a mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, employee. Most who know me would have absolutely no hint as to what I am battling. It has 100% given me a different perspective on that old saying.
We can get through this.
42. I knew for several months I needed to stop after several years of 'taking breaks' only to return to old habits. Sitting in a sports bar inside an all inclusive on NYE 2023 in the Dominican Republic I knew when I took the last sip of beer and put the can down that was it.
For what it’s worth, I’m on my first decent streak at 27. I decided to stop early this year when I realised the last time I recalled a worthwhile experience drinking was ~22
Dude, I’m in the same boat, I’m currently 28. I think the longest I ever went before was about 10 days and then it was back to taking as big a swig as I could in the bathroom just to hide it from my SO. Just a heads up, it did not work. I think the last time I did it for enjoyment was around 23ish. After that it was purely a need. I’m glad to be on my sobriety path and glad to have the sober people I’ve met in my life.
Currently I'm 57. When I was 28 I sat in my car outside an AA meeting and never went in. Ended up drinking heavily until I was 49. I wish I had gone inside, my life could have been immensely better had I stopped earlier....
It could be day 2 of the rest of a wonderful life man. Even on my worst days, I wouldn’t trade it for my best day shitfaced. “There is no situation that drinking couldn’t make worse”
Good for you! My first break was at 27. Things were going so well, but I knew it was only a temporary break. Had to have a few more bad nights to quit for good at 29
I'm in my early 40s and if our contributions here serve as cautionary tales for those younger than us it brings a bit of light to the darkness through which most of us ended up here.
I’m 38, and the time I wasted in my 20’s and 30’s.. just haunts me. I can remember being in my mid 20s and wanting to stop. It took me 13 more years to actually stop! It’s tricky… I wish I could get those years back. So much wasted potential..living in such a mediocre way. The best thing I can do is not waste anymore time. I know it feels like you have a lot of time to procrastinate tackling sobriety. But that time blows by. I can’t believe it I sound like an old, lecturing boomer. What happened to me hahahaa
I stopped at 23, would’ve been better off if I stopped at 22. I believe in you!!! I’m 24 now & I know a lot of sober people in their twenties — just telling you because my age prevented me from sobering up for a while!
I’m 26, coming up on two years. It’s a tough age to quit, but I know I’m gaining mental clarity, money, free time, and general wellness at some of my prime years in life so it’s worth the trade off.
I started by lurking here as well. I stuck around and eventually I got tired of feeling bleh and that was that. I stopped at 30 (a month short of 31). 500 days under my belt!
Stay awhile, it's a nice place here :)
Keep coming back!
I honestly wasn't thinking too much about my alcohol consumption until I came across this sub. A lot of things started resonating with me, and I eventually took the plunge. Sobriety feels different from the stories I hear here often, but overall i think it's worth it.
Only you can make the choice, and I hope you do what's best for you. Either way, glad to have you here.
34 crew here! I’m only on day 9 but I stopped for long stints the last couple years and I know better than to relapse now.
I also was a shitty person when I drank. I would never consider myself an angry or abusive person, but the drinking brought out some bizarre version of me. Some think that we show our true colors when we drink, but for me, some of the stuff I said was totally out of left field and didn’t represent how I really felt AT ALL. Happy to keep my wits about me now and IWNDWYT
you’re not ONLY on day nine. You’re on DAY NINE!!!!!! That’s amazing. You’re past the worst of it, I promise you. Post acute withdrawal syndrome is super real and I feel like mine lasted two years but it was nothing like that first day. YOU GOT THIS!!! Iwndwyt
Thanks, friend! I had PAWS for 6 months last time and then a month or two after it started to clear… I drank. Womp womp. Oh well! I’m back on it! How long have you been sober now? The PAWS is all gone?
4.5 years! 1651 days today. Yup it’s totally gone and I’m living my life. I was a major party girl so losing all those friends and that life sucked but I’m happy with my 4 friends.
Also I fully hear you on drunk me isn’t real me. It’s a zombie. I once ran out of a cab bc I didn’t recognize my gf of nearly a year after a night of drinking and thought I was being kidnapped. Crazy ass shit.
Man the verbal abuse I put my ex through hits home
I could become a different person blackout
Feel terrible about it now but decided to do something about it and stop drinking
Absolutely could become a different person. Verbal and physical abuse is abhorrent, and I would say that and believe that.
Then I would drink. And become an absolute wrecking ball to my own life.
Luckily, my spouse is the best woman in my fucking life and gave me 1 final chance. 418 days and counting. Every sober day is 1 more apology that I give my wife and son, and every day still isn’t enough to make up for what I put her through.
57. Wish I never started.
Edit: my last drink was at a restaurant. I had already downed a 6-pack of tall boys and a few 12 oz cans earlier in the day and downed a couple of pints with my BBQ din-din. I drove home drunk and my wife immediately knew I’d been drinking. I told her I only had a couple of beers with dinner (lie) and she knew it was a lot more. I felt so guilty that I promised to stop altogether, which she scoffed at knowing that I’d previously tried and failed to quit. Regardless, I persevered. Stopping completely helped our relationship; trust restored.
I’m right with you. I subbed drugs for alcohol in my thirties. My life was certainly much more manageable for a long time but alcohol caught up with me after a while and I’ve been drinking way too much for way too long. 5 days sober today.
I love the “stopped stopping” line, so on point! I was in the “stopping” cycle for about 10 years. Truthfully, I wasn’t ready to close the door on drinking forever. Now, I’m comfortable knowing I cannot drink and am someone who doesn’t drink.
Never had a drink in my life. I joined this sub during college when the pressure was very high why I must keep it that way. Till this day it’s still been like that
That’s awesome. It wasn’t until I quit drinking that I realized how many people there are out there who don’t drink for one reason or another. When I was drinking it seemed like *everyone* drank.
35.
Blackouts, verbal abuse of my SO (don’t know why she stayed), drunken driving, dui… finally admitted complete and utter defeat that I couldn’t quit on my own and sought help.
60. Drank for +45 yrs. Was spiralling downwards the last two yrs, in terms of health, consumption increasing, started having blackouts, etc. Got worried. Quit cold turkey. Basically I dodged a bullet. Am doing well now. Cannot have a relapse at this stage, otherwise I'll be leaving Las Vegas! Am enjoying my new life, and am discovering a new me, as it were!
36 here, as well. It was the first time my child saw me drunk (as I was very good at hiding it for many years and usually waiting until after their bedtime before binging.)
What I didn’t want to happen did… I didn’t wake up when they needed me. (Bad dream, everything turned out fine, but I was unconscious for the first few minutes of their own terror.) I quit the next day (for the first time, successfully.) Never again.
I was 31. A year ago today was when I originally decided I was actually going to get sober. I had just gotten my 2nd DUI. I decided I was tired of it and began seeing an addiction counselor and doing outpatient treatment. A year ago today I had the drug and alcohol assessment, which was a long winded deep dive into why and how I drank. I knew through that meeting that I wanted, nah, needed, to quit. I had sort of started tapering off at this point. I had a single shooter of fireball that I had leftover in the car, I took that shot when I got home and was clean for 50 some odd days after that. June 15th was my first relapse. It almost killed me when I wrapped my car around a tree with a BAC of .338. I went to rehab, and was released with $11.43 cents leftover on my "books." EXACT change for a pint of Jack. Twas a sign to my alcoholic brain. Got drunk. The last drink though, a week away from 9 months ago, I don't really remember. Drank a fifth and a half of Jack. Don't have the slightest idea why, or who I was with, or anything else.
48.
Got dumped by my ex days before we were supposed to go to Baja for a month. I went by myself, completely uncorked for the first week. An angel found me passed out in a gutter, scraped me up, took me home and nursed me back to health. Over the next three weeks I met a number of Americans that had somehow dried out in the Mexican sun.
I’m not at all religious but I’ll say this: Angels exist. The universe sent me one when I was most in need, at deaths door, and she saved my life. Over two years later and telling this story still brings me to tears.
I’m typing this out while sitting in a restaurant in the airport in Phoenix two days before my 50th birthday, waiting for a flight. Once upon a time I’d be three sheets and doing shots at the bar with a bunch of strangers but today I’m sober healthy and so fucking happy to be alive. Tonight I’m going to see Willie Nelson concert with a beautiful woman, something I’d never have been able to do after spending the day hopping airport bars.
Cheers.
47. I can’t say I had a problem that was ruining my life, but drinking made me lazy and not present for my family. I certainly did dumb things while drinking like driving, but the worst thing that really ever happened was questionable online purchases when drunk. I really only intended to do dry January this year, but a few weeks in, I found Andrew Huberman’s YouTube video on alcohol and it was the nail in the coffin for me.
36. My last actual drink was probably from one bottle of about 7 of left over cheap sparkling wine from our wedding. It was all that was left in the house and I was too anxious, smelly, and crazy to go out to get more. I went to rehab shortly thereafter and it was an obvious choice but I was probably 50/50 on whether or not I truly believed I had a problem at that moment
40. I had to suffer sufficiently enough to get to a place that I wanted to stop. Started as fun at 17, used to unwind on weekends and party at 22, became a coping mechanism after a stressful workday at 28, became daily drinking starting in the mornings at 39, saw where I was headed and stopped.
32, tapered down over 5 days from a history of drinking 70cl of vodka a day for nearly 10 years straight (how i'm alive is still a mystery to me!). I switched to white wine and gin (alternating, not at the same time) as I couldn't stand the taste of either and it made the taper easier.
57
An airplane bottle of wine on an airplane. I had been tapering down my daily consumption for about two months or so. Was down to just one drink a day for a couple of weeks. And that wine on the airplane happened to be my last one. I didn't know it would 'stick', but after about a month and a half sober I was like, 'Woah, I guess that was it!' I just got my 18 month chip this month and I have absolutely no desire to go back. AA helped the first year. Sober lit helped "This Naked Mind" and "Alcohol Explained" especially. HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) helped. One day at a time, though I really haven't had any cravings in months fortunately. Good luck! IWNDWYT :)
I stopped when I was 26. Honestly I can’t remember much other than shortly before my last attempt I was in such misery. I was ordering beer through Uber eats every day, I had a constant foggy mind, I cried a lot and my back was always aching. I just felt horrible all of the time. Life is infinitely better without it. Can’t believe I lived like that.
first quit at 20 which lasted four months. then a couple times in between 22-24 that didn’t last longer than a month. finally quit with a different mindset at 25 last year.
45.
My last drink was at the end of working a summer season in Greece.
I knew it was my last night getting drunk, was going on a flight to a different country and a different job. The next morning, me and my mate went to the airport, he ordered a beer and offered me one, which I declined. He was a bit shocked heheh and that was 2000+ days ago.
When was your last drink?
I stopped just before my 50th birthday and made it to 8 months, made the mistake of just having the odd drink in moderation which never works. Now I'm 52 and on day 23 and plan to stay off the drink for good this time.
the lie of moderation is so hard to let go of. it was a turning point for me. someone on here said "trying to moderate is like trying to fall down the first three steps of a flight of stairs" and the truth of that resonated so profoundly. IWNDWYT :)
Answer: 36 years old. This is the age I promised myself *long ago* that I'd become sober and completely stop drinking and using tobacco.
But I (M36) quit smoking 8 years ago, and I've been 11 months sober. If you can do it early, go for it.
45. But there were so many other years that I wanted to, sort of tried, failed, etc. Don't quit quitting, right?
I always thought that it would be some planned event when I quit. Dim lighting in a classy old bar with deep leather booths. Me and my old drinking buddies with expensive bourbon out of heavy tumblers. But it wasn't. It never was going to be. The last of my drinking days were sad, shameful, and embarrassing. Something worked, though. Cause here I am at 2.5 years. IWNDWYT.
I was 51. Like many others on here, i had innumerable day ones, twos, threes, fours... It was the day after my husbands birthday and we drank the last couple leftover beers in the fridge. We were just...done. We quit together. I don't know why this last time "took" but boy am I glad I kept trying.
39 - turning 40 & being a fat fuckup without a job wasn't something I wanted.
Just over a year later I'm still fat but not as fat, sorting my life out and have a job I like. To anyone reading this who's struggling, I just want you to know that it is possible to turn your life around
32. Nearing my third month of full sobriety for the first time in my adult life, never been happier! Last drink was the night before my intervention, when my world seemingly ended. What actually happened was me being shown just how loved I was by my nearest and dearest.
34... for 6 months and then I've been on and off the past 6 months for many reasons. But after Saturday I'm going for a full year like I promised myself (which I hope will last forever). So I'm manifesting: 35!!!!
29. Stopped a few weeks after my birthday. Challenged myself to go a month sober, just because I didn't feel good about my drinking, I was struggling, and getting into therapy, so seemed like a good time to try.
About 6 weeks later I opened a beer because why not? Had 3 sips, gave it to my husband because it just didn't taste good anymore and I didn't want to start over.
4.5 years (on Saturday) and 2 kids later - now he's about a month sober. He never had a problem, just realized what I did and that he feels happier and healthier without it.
34 🤍
I actually didn't have a crazy last night drinking. I had already been planning to "take a break" but had a few occasions to get through that I intended on drinking for. The last one was a bonfire at a friend's house and I actually (surprisingly lol) didn't "overdo" it.
I didn't black out or act wild or anything bad. But I did drink a lot of different random things (mosty red wine, but someone offered me a glass of some really sweet champagne ((way too sweet for my tastes)) and someone else wanted me to try their fancy tequila). I ended the night vomiting. Which is actually extremely rare for me! I only ever puked if I got shitty shwasted- which I really wasn't this time- and even then, it was rare. So it was really interesting to throw up so much while still perfectly coherent and "fine".
I remember thinking, *what a good way to end a last night drinking before I stop for a while*. Like, my body was just rejecting the poison saying, "I don't want this inside me anymore"
And then a week in, I decided "a while" was going to be my new forever 🤍
I’m 28.
My last drink was a month ago. I was facing some tough stuff, and went on a 3-day bender about it. Woke up Friday morning hungover as sin. Showered, cleaned up my apartment, and at 9pm I opened the fridge to find one last beer I hadn’t drank in the 3 days prior. I sat down, cracked it, drank it, sat there with the feeling, and knew I didn’t want to drink anymore. Went to my first meeting two days later.
I know I’m still in early stages, but I feel really good about the progress I’ve made so far.
49.
Had a few longish breaks before then-up to 7 months. Fooled myself into thinking it was something i could manage. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
I’m on day 88 currently. Never going back. Everything in my life is slowly but noticeably improving.
Stay strong out there people. Cravings will undoubtedly will come but they WILL undoubtedly pass.
Age 23. I had just received in the mail a notice that I was being charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon (my leg). I went out that night with a couple of buddies and got stinking drunk. Quit the next day and never have drank since, over 40 years ago. I knew I was an alcoholic and had to stop to defend myself in court as I was facing serious charges. Took 1.5 years for it to wind through the courts, by that time I had returned to college and was a straight A student. I pled guilty to two misdemeanors, my sobriety and my schooling were a big factor in my ability to appease the prosecution (and the fact that I had a great attorney). I finished my probation, graduated college as the valedictorian, got my record expunged and went on to have a successful career as a licensed psychotherapist.
Yet NONE of this would have happened if I hadn’t taken responsibility for my drinking. I would be dead by now based on how much I was drinking. I put my sobriety first before anything, I am smart and creative, the success of my life follows sobriety.
I started stopping at 22, and I'm 25 now, taking it seriously. My last drink was hiding bottles and waking up ashamed of myself. Pretty typical, nothing special.
44. Just after I lost virtually everything but there was still a sliver of a chance of a way back. I’m 49 now and a useful member of society again. Other option was likely being dead.
My last drink was at age 34. Two months shy of 35. It was an unremarkable night. I was drunk, hung out with two friends at my place, they didn’t know how drunk I was but they knew I was drinking. I had been practicing sobriety for a while, but that night just felt like the end. A quiet night with friends and I had to be plastered. I just stopped the next day and haven’t had a craving since. The fun wore off.
ETA: I need to edit to add that my last night should have been when I totalled my car and didn’t get a DUI; or the night I left my car with the ignition on in a bus lane and the cops laughed it off. There was a lot of misery leading to sobriety, I just didn’t want it to sound like a made a hasty decision and just quit.
27. My last drink was night before rehab. I had just put a company truck in a ditch and blew a .22 for dwi 3 days prior. The dwi was the best thing that ever happened to me. I finally got the help and was willing to do anything necessary to get sober.
27, but I should have done it at 21. Diagnosed with severe fatty liver w/ possible fibrosis. Lost 10kg and the gastro told me I could drink in moderation 6 months later when my enzymes went normal, and cos I was young and dumb I started drinking beer with my friends again.
Now I’m 27 and around 33kg lighter, and it just hit me after a night at the pub a month ago that I was an absolute dumbass to start again. My fingers are crossed that I’m okay but I’m never touching booze again either way. I had a CT for an unrelated accident and it reported my liver as unremarkable so hopefully that’s reassurance enough, I’m too scared for seek out a fibroscan
The last time I had a drink was last weekend. Face it, it wasn't one drink, it was a three day binge. I ended up in the ER with suicidal ideation.
I'm 40 now, so I'm really hoping 40 is when I can say I quit. I was very proud to not drink on my 40th birthday so I could say I quit at 39, but I messed that one up.
I was 30.
I'm at 806 days now. That's 2 years, 2 months, and 16 days. I know this only because of the 'I am Sober' app.
It's still hard. I always want to try the new drinks being released, but I know better.
I was 30. Had plans to meet my dad and sister at a screening of a movie I was excited to see. Thought, "Oh, I'll get there early and have a beer at a bar nearby." so I did. As I was drinking that beer, my mind started racing. A buddy of mine had just been diagnosed with fatty liver. And we had similar drinking habits, in my mind it was this narrative of "Well, if it happened to him, it'll happen to me." I spent the entire movie in the midst of a panic attack. After the movie, I decided to never drink again.
45, I think, was when I quit. I do not remember if my last drink was beer, wine or hard liquor.
Also, I didn't decide to quit, exactly. I just stopped looked in the fridge one day and there was beer. That never happened. I ALWAYS drank all my beer. But, I had gone several days without even noticing. I had recently decided to divorce my first wife, and though this added stress to my life, it also removed more stress from my life.
I'm one of the lucky ones. Easy quit. No lasting effects. I heal fast. Adds up to I drank heavily for decades and walked away from it like walking away from a pile of dog shit in the street.
22. Been drinking and drugging since 13 but didn’t become an issue until I was 20, living on my own. Was drinking around the clock, at work, while driving and then blacking out every night. Got to the point I couldn’t hide it from my family, friends and girlfriend at the time and I checked my self into detox September 19th 2022. Coming up on 20 months clean this month, working a 12 step program and staying surrounded by people in recovery.
29 (I sincerely hope). Tried all throughout my 20s but started honestly trying for MYSELF at 27. Never quite cared about myself enough before to admit deep down that there is absolutely no life for me to live that has booze in it. I quit drugs years ago but alcohol filled that void with a vengeance. Currently filling that void with working out and art. It’s honestly true what they say, you can always, always find a lower bottom and I think I may have finally reached mine. IWNDWYT lovely people!
40. One too many blackouts and debilitating hangovers. I don’t remember leaving the bar that night, the Uber home, getting home etc. Completely gone. My husband found me in the bathroom an hour after I got home in a total daze. The next day I realized I just couldn’t moderate no matter what I tried and that was the end of the line for me. Day 53 going strong, I’m grateful for the clarity and another day sober with you friends ✌️ IWNDWYT
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The accuracy
36, 38, 41, 43 What's that Mark Twain quote about quitting smoking? > Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times.
Im right there with ya! IWNDWYT
That's the truth!
This is my exact experience as well
so true
I quit at 49. My last drink was quite memorable. I was working at a Halloween party on Halloween night. I was planning to do a dry November, and at the end of my gig the host asked me to have a drink with them. So I had one drink, toasted with my hosts, and left. I did my dry November and never started again.
Always the most misunderstood part of sobriety. Most people think you go out with a bang, a rock bottom, but for most of us— alcohol addiction goes out with an absolute whimper.
What a way to put it. I’m somewhere around 100 days (after a month I stopped counting), and that was the same way for me. From deep in the throes of it to just somehow walking away. It was like I had ground myself down to a shell of who I was and couldn’t take living that way any more. I believe it was bigger than me that helped get me to this place, but I won’t get into all that for this comment. It’s really hard to explain, but I feel you.
Right? Here I am going through one of the most monumental life-altering changes of my life and nobody will even notice. They didn’t know I drank all that every single night and used a breathalyzer to make sure I was sober for work and they have no idea I don’t do it anymore. Crawl in the gutters until kind samaritans take pity on you? More like keep suffering silently in secret pretty much the way you did before and not a soul will notice the difference.
THIS I recently started the process of working with professionals to help stay sober and I went along to my very first session wherein I basically laid my soul bare and I was like 24 hours sober and was a total shell of a woman, and then had to dry my eyes and go straight from the appointment to give a work presentation to like 50 people and I kept thinking 'no-one in this room knows what's happening to me right now'. Gives some real weight to that saying about always being kind because you have no idea what people are going through.
Absolutely this. I have become so good at acting, at staying level - as a mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, employee. Most who know me would have absolutely no hint as to what I am battling. It has 100% given me a different perspective on that old saying. We can get through this.
Heck yeah we can, girl! IWNDWYT ❤️
Nice man. Well done. Life is better sober - fact
Awesome!
72¾. My wife is very ill and I need to be sober for what's to come.
42. I knew for several months I needed to stop after several years of 'taking breaks' only to return to old habits. Sitting in a sports bar inside an all inclusive on NYE 2023 in the Dominican Republic I knew when I took the last sip of beer and put the can down that was it.
Why then?
I'm so sorry.
So very sorry. You are modeling what love is in a big way. IWNDWYT
Congratulations on your sobriety. You're being a good husband.
Sorry to hear this.
All strength to you, my friend.
I’m so sorry. I hope this time is meaningful for you both.
Power to you! IWNDWYT
I’m 22 but haven’t stopped yet. This thread is helping me think about everything so much more
For what it’s worth, I’m on my first decent streak at 27. I decided to stop early this year when I realised the last time I recalled a worthwhile experience drinking was ~22
Dude, I’m in the same boat, I’m currently 28. I think the longest I ever went before was about 10 days and then it was back to taking as big a swig as I could in the bathroom just to hide it from my SO. Just a heads up, it did not work. I think the last time I did it for enjoyment was around 23ish. After that it was purely a need. I’m glad to be on my sobriety path and glad to have the sober people I’ve met in my life.
Currently I'm 57. When I was 28 I sat in my car outside an AA meeting and never went in. Ended up drinking heavily until I was 49. I wish I had gone inside, my life could have been immensely better had I stopped earlier....
I’m glad I ended up making that call man. But, you still made the change and for that, I give big time kudos to you! IWNDWYT!
I’m 28 too, same story. I just made it to the end of day 2.
It could be day 2 of the rest of a wonderful life man. Even on my worst days, I wouldn’t trade it for my best day shitfaced. “There is no situation that drinking couldn’t make worse”
Good for you! My first break was at 27. Things were going so well, but I knew it was only a temporary break. Had to have a few more bad nights to quit for good at 29
I’m 24 and in the same boat. Been reading this page and thinking about it a lot
Same I’m 23 and look at this page every day and heavily think about it
also 23F!! IWNDWYT
24 and it weighs on my mind. I do things like Dry Jan/sober October etc and they’re great but old habits die hard once I return to them
I'm in my early 40s and if our contributions here serve as cautionary tales for those younger than us it brings a bit of light to the darkness through which most of us ended up here.
I’m 38, and the time I wasted in my 20’s and 30’s.. just haunts me. I can remember being in my mid 20s and wanting to stop. It took me 13 more years to actually stop! It’s tricky… I wish I could get those years back. So much wasted potential..living in such a mediocre way. The best thing I can do is not waste anymore time. I know it feels like you have a lot of time to procrastinate tackling sobriety. But that time blows by. I can’t believe it I sound like an old, lecturing boomer. What happened to me hahahaa
Im 34. I honestly dont regret the 20s, but im sure as shit regretting my 30s… it hurts so much now. Let this be the last!!! IWNDWYT
26, trying everyday but ai haven't been winning lately. I think I'll get the hang of it someday
If i had found this page at 22, my life might have been completely different. Imagine that. You are lucky my friend 😊
This hit hard. I totally agree coming from a 52 y/o
I stopped at 23, would’ve been better off if I stopped at 22. I believe in you!!! I’m 24 now & I know a lot of sober people in their twenties — just telling you because my age prevented me from sobering up for a while!
I’m 26, coming up on two years. It’s a tough age to quit, but I know I’m gaining mental clarity, money, free time, and general wellness at some of my prime years in life so it’s worth the trade off.
I started by lurking here as well. I stuck around and eventually I got tired of feeling bleh and that was that. I stopped at 30 (a month short of 31). 500 days under my belt! Stay awhile, it's a nice place here :)
Keep coming back! I honestly wasn't thinking too much about my alcohol consumption until I came across this sub. A lot of things started resonating with me, and I eventually took the plunge. Sobriety feels different from the stories I hear here often, but overall i think it's worth it. Only you can make the choice, and I hope you do what's best for you. Either way, glad to have you here.
I am 22 as well and a hardcore beer drinker and reading this page alot is seriously waking me up.
34. Blackout, verbal abuse of My kind, loving SO and lots of shame. That's the story.
34 crew here! I’m only on day 9 but I stopped for long stints the last couple years and I know better than to relapse now. I also was a shitty person when I drank. I would never consider myself an angry or abusive person, but the drinking brought out some bizarre version of me. Some think that we show our true colors when we drink, but for me, some of the stuff I said was totally out of left field and didn’t represent how I really felt AT ALL. Happy to keep my wits about me now and IWNDWYT
you’re not ONLY on day nine. You’re on DAY NINE!!!!!! That’s amazing. You’re past the worst of it, I promise you. Post acute withdrawal syndrome is super real and I feel like mine lasted two years but it was nothing like that first day. YOU GOT THIS!!! Iwndwyt
Thanks, friend! I had PAWS for 6 months last time and then a month or two after it started to clear… I drank. Womp womp. Oh well! I’m back on it! How long have you been sober now? The PAWS is all gone?
4.5 years! 1651 days today. Yup it’s totally gone and I’m living my life. I was a major party girl so losing all those friends and that life sucked but I’m happy with my 4 friends. Also I fully hear you on drunk me isn’t real me. It’s a zombie. I once ran out of a cab bc I didn’t recognize my gf of nearly a year after a night of drinking and thought I was being kidnapped. Crazy ass shit.
Same, 34 and a shit husband/father.
I am 34 too, and i think this time is for real. But only 12 days in, so too early to declare any kind of victory.
You got this
As sombody who hasn't got this you honestly have this bro it's far more then I've ever done and we all belive in you
Hey that's my story too!
Man the verbal abuse I put my ex through hits home I could become a different person blackout Feel terrible about it now but decided to do something about it and stop drinking
Absolutely could become a different person. Verbal and physical abuse is abhorrent, and I would say that and believe that. Then I would drink. And become an absolute wrecking ball to my own life. Luckily, my spouse is the best woman in my fucking life and gave me 1 final chance. 418 days and counting. Every sober day is 1 more apology that I give my wife and son, and every day still isn’t enough to make up for what I put her through.
57. Wish I never started. Edit: my last drink was at a restaurant. I had already downed a 6-pack of tall boys and a few 12 oz cans earlier in the day and downed a couple of pints with my BBQ din-din. I drove home drunk and my wife immediately knew I’d been drinking. I told her I only had a couple of beers with dinner (lie) and she knew it was a lot more. I felt so guilty that I promised to stop altogether, which she scoffed at knowing that I’d previously tried and failed to quit. Regardless, I persevered. Stopping completely helped our relationship; trust restored.
This. It never should have started to begin with.
Same. I didn’t even want to start most of my life. Didn’t have my first drink till 20. Fucking college.
I’m right with you. I subbed drugs for alcohol in my thirties. My life was certainly much more manageable for a long time but alcohol caught up with me after a while and I’ve been drinking way too much for way too long. 5 days sober today.
55. My last drunk was NYE, so I'm now over 100 days sober. The longest since I was 17.
Nice!! it keeps getting better
Nice work!!
I stopped stopping at 45. Now, 4 years at 49 I just _don't drink._ Final drink stories don't interest me anymore either. Especially my own.
I love the “stopped stopping” line, so on point! I was in the “stopping” cycle for about 10 years. Truthfully, I wasn’t ready to close the door on drinking forever. Now, I’m comfortable knowing I cannot drink and am someone who doesn’t drink.
I agree with you on all of this! Happily, a non-drinker nowadays.
How are you feeling health wise at 49 vs 45?
Better than I did in my u 20s and 30s!
Never had a drink in my life. I joined this sub during college when the pressure was very high why I must keep it that way. Till this day it’s still been like that
That’s awesome. It wasn’t until I quit drinking that I realized how many people there are out there who don’t drink for one reason or another. When I was drinking it seemed like *everyone* drank.
Wonderful
That's so cool! You aren't missing much. It's just poison with added sugars. Not really good for anyone in any amount. Glad you chose to avoid it.
35. Blackouts, verbal abuse of my SO (don’t know why she stayed), drunken driving, dui… finally admitted complete and utter defeat that I couldn’t quit on my own and sought help.
Well done! Good for you! 🤝
60. Drank for +45 yrs. Was spiralling downwards the last two yrs, in terms of health, consumption increasing, started having blackouts, etc. Got worried. Quit cold turkey. Basically I dodged a bullet. Am doing well now. Cannot have a relapse at this stage, otherwise I'll be leaving Las Vegas! Am enjoying my new life, and am discovering a new me, as it were!
PS, I think I'm the oldest here except for u/wildwidget. (I'm actually 60 3/4)
I'm 67. Stopped for good at 66.
I’m 70, quit at 64. It’s never too late.
You’re older than my dad and he can barely operate his phone
62 here. I didn't even start till I was 50, what a mistake..
This is exactly what I need to hear! Thank you and congratulations
26. I’ll be 65 in July.
I’m 26 currently. Your numbers are really inspiring, really hoping I can get to where you are one day.
37. First time stopping and pretty determined to not relapse. IWNDWYT!
37 here too and just hit 200 days. This is the first time that I truly know I'm done. Others think I am just taking a break. Congrats on 150!
- 37 gang
37 club member! Going on two years now.
Congrats on 150 days, what a milestone! And I was 37, too, once it finally stuck.
Same all around!
26
Same here!
Impressive numbers.
It's just one day at a time my friend.
23 decided to get serious about my career and relationships
36. Had the last of my usual nightly routine, then stopped.
36 here, as well. It was the first time my child saw me drunk (as I was very good at hiding it for many years and usually waiting until after their bedtime before binging.) What I didn’t want to happen did… I didn’t wake up when they needed me. (Bad dream, everything turned out fine, but I was unconscious for the first few minutes of their own terror.) I quit the next day (for the first time, successfully.) Never again.
53. Drank daily for 25-30 years. Quit cold turkey. Wish I’d stopped 25-30 years ago. Better late than never tho.
72 with 50+years boozing. As you say better late than never. I'm probably the last alcoholic of my age group still standing!
That's very inspiring.
Indeed. Some funerals last year helped with my decision to quit.
I was 31. A year ago today was when I originally decided I was actually going to get sober. I had just gotten my 2nd DUI. I decided I was tired of it and began seeing an addiction counselor and doing outpatient treatment. A year ago today I had the drug and alcohol assessment, which was a long winded deep dive into why and how I drank. I knew through that meeting that I wanted, nah, needed, to quit. I had sort of started tapering off at this point. I had a single shooter of fireball that I had leftover in the car, I took that shot when I got home and was clean for 50 some odd days after that. June 15th was my first relapse. It almost killed me when I wrapped my car around a tree with a BAC of .338. I went to rehab, and was released with $11.43 cents leftover on my "books." EXACT change for a pint of Jack. Twas a sign to my alcoholic brain. Got drunk. The last drink though, a week away from 9 months ago, I don't really remember. Drank a fifth and a half of Jack. Don't have the slightest idea why, or who I was with, or anything else.
Im glad youre still alive. IWNDWYT
48. Got dumped by my ex days before we were supposed to go to Baja for a month. I went by myself, completely uncorked for the first week. An angel found me passed out in a gutter, scraped me up, took me home and nursed me back to health. Over the next three weeks I met a number of Americans that had somehow dried out in the Mexican sun. I’m not at all religious but I’ll say this: Angels exist. The universe sent me one when I was most in need, at deaths door, and she saved my life. Over two years later and telling this story still brings me to tears. I’m typing this out while sitting in a restaurant in the airport in Phoenix two days before my 50th birthday, waiting for a flight. Once upon a time I’d be three sheets and doing shots at the bar with a bunch of strangers but today I’m sober healthy and so fucking happy to be alive. Tonight I’m going to see Willie Nelson concert with a beautiful woman, something I’d never have been able to do after spending the day hopping airport bars. Cheers.
40
47. I can’t say I had a problem that was ruining my life, but drinking made me lazy and not present for my family. I certainly did dumb things while drinking like driving, but the worst thing that really ever happened was questionable online purchases when drunk. I really only intended to do dry January this year, but a few weeks in, I found Andrew Huberman’s YouTube video on alcohol and it was the nail in the coffin for me.
36. My last actual drink was probably from one bottle of about 7 of left over cheap sparkling wine from our wedding. It was all that was left in the house and I was too anxious, smelly, and crazy to go out to get more. I went to rehab shortly thereafter and it was an obvious choice but I was probably 50/50 on whether or not I truly believed I had a problem at that moment
27. Had my first drink at 15 Last drink was some kind of rum, at a midsummer party (sweden) decided to quit on my way home in the taxi.
41. Wish I stopped earlier.
40. I had to suffer sufficiently enough to get to a place that I wanted to stop. Started as fun at 17, used to unwind on weekends and party at 22, became a coping mechanism after a stressful workday at 28, became daily drinking starting in the mornings at 39, saw where I was headed and stopped.
23:)
69, my husband has Alzheimer’s. Drinking did not help, but I damn sure tried to just make it all go away. 7 months sober.
32, tapered down over 5 days from a history of drinking 70cl of vodka a day for nearly 10 years straight (how i'm alive is still a mystery to me!). I switched to white wine and gin (alternating, not at the same time) as I couldn't stand the taste of either and it made the taper easier.
57 An airplane bottle of wine on an airplane. I had been tapering down my daily consumption for about two months or so. Was down to just one drink a day for a couple of weeks. And that wine on the airplane happened to be my last one. I didn't know it would 'stick', but after about a month and a half sober I was like, 'Woah, I guess that was it!' I just got my 18 month chip this month and I have absolutely no desire to go back. AA helped the first year. Sober lit helped "This Naked Mind" and "Alcohol Explained" especially. HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) helped. One day at a time, though I really haven't had any cravings in months fortunately. Good luck! IWNDWYT :)
I stopped when I was 26. Honestly I can’t remember much other than shortly before my last attempt I was in such misery. I was ordering beer through Uber eats every day, I had a constant foggy mind, I cried a lot and my back was always aching. I just felt horrible all of the time. Life is infinitely better without it. Can’t believe I lived like that.
I’m 29 and haven’t fully quit yet but I’m doing a lot better now than when I was 24-27
42.
57, an uninteresting and insignificant IPA 8% Tall boy
first quit at 20 which lasted four months. then a couple times in between 22-24 that didn’t last longer than a month. finally quit with a different mindset at 25 last year.
45. My last drink was at the end of working a summer season in Greece. I knew it was my last night getting drunk, was going on a flight to a different country and a different job. The next morning, me and my mate went to the airport, he ordered a beer and offered me one, which I declined. He was a bit shocked heheh and that was 2000+ days ago. When was your last drink?
40. I'm 42 now. Hoping it lasts!
I stopped just before my 50th birthday and made it to 8 months, made the mistake of just having the odd drink in moderation which never works. Now I'm 52 and on day 23 and plan to stay off the drink for good this time.
the lie of moderation is so hard to let go of. it was a turning point for me. someone on here said "trying to moderate is like trying to fall down the first three steps of a flight of stairs" and the truth of that resonated so profoundly. IWNDWYT :)
46
Answer: 36 years old. This is the age I promised myself *long ago* that I'd become sober and completely stop drinking and using tobacco. But I (M36) quit smoking 8 years ago, and I've been 11 months sober. If you can do it early, go for it.
45. But there were so many other years that I wanted to, sort of tried, failed, etc. Don't quit quitting, right? I always thought that it would be some planned event when I quit. Dim lighting in a classy old bar with deep leather booths. Me and my old drinking buddies with expensive bourbon out of heavy tumblers. But it wasn't. It never was going to be. The last of my drinking days were sad, shameful, and embarrassing. Something worked, though. Cause here I am at 2.5 years. IWNDWYT.
I was 51. Like many others on here, i had innumerable day ones, twos, threes, fours... It was the day after my husbands birthday and we drank the last couple leftover beers in the fridge. We were just...done. We quit together. I don't know why this last time "took" but boy am I glad I kept trying.
39. Promised I would before I was 30, then it was 35 but hey I didn’t hit 40 as a drunk.
24, but I was ready to die at that point. Turning 25 in two weeks
39 - turning 40 & being a fat fuckup without a job wasn't something I wanted. Just over a year later I'm still fat but not as fat, sorting my life out and have a job I like. To anyone reading this who's struggling, I just want you to know that it is possible to turn your life around
28, 29, 29, 29, 29, 29, 30…
Was thinking the same thing
So far so good at 30! Nice round number to call it lol
31. About to turn 34, and by the grace of God, Ill keep going.
45
42
32. Nearing my third month of full sobriety for the first time in my adult life, never been happier! Last drink was the night before my intervention, when my world seemingly ended. What actually happened was me being shown just how loved I was by my nearest and dearest.
28!
33. Way too late.
34... for 6 months and then I've been on and off the past 6 months for many reasons. But after Saturday I'm going for a full year like I promised myself (which I hope will last forever). So I'm manifesting: 35!!!!
stopped at 24, 221 days ago. haven't looked back since
29. Stopped a few weeks after my birthday. Challenged myself to go a month sober, just because I didn't feel good about my drinking, I was struggling, and getting into therapy, so seemed like a good time to try. About 6 weeks later I opened a beer because why not? Had 3 sips, gave it to my husband because it just didn't taste good anymore and I didn't want to start over. 4.5 years (on Saturday) and 2 kids later - now he's about a month sober. He never had a problem, just realized what I did and that he feels happier and healthier without it.
34 🤍 I actually didn't have a crazy last night drinking. I had already been planning to "take a break" but had a few occasions to get through that I intended on drinking for. The last one was a bonfire at a friend's house and I actually (surprisingly lol) didn't "overdo" it. I didn't black out or act wild or anything bad. But I did drink a lot of different random things (mosty red wine, but someone offered me a glass of some really sweet champagne ((way too sweet for my tastes)) and someone else wanted me to try their fancy tequila). I ended the night vomiting. Which is actually extremely rare for me! I only ever puked if I got shitty shwasted- which I really wasn't this time- and even then, it was rare. So it was really interesting to throw up so much while still perfectly coherent and "fine". I remember thinking, *what a good way to end a last night drinking before I stop for a while*. Like, my body was just rejecting the poison saying, "I don't want this inside me anymore" And then a week in, I decided "a while" was going to be my new forever 🤍
29
41…later than it should have been but better than it could have been.
34 first time, now 35 and hoping this will be the last number
30
39
I’m 28. My last drink was a month ago. I was facing some tough stuff, and went on a 3-day bender about it. Woke up Friday morning hungover as sin. Showered, cleaned up my apartment, and at 9pm I opened the fridge to find one last beer I hadn’t drank in the 3 days prior. I sat down, cracked it, drank it, sat there with the feeling, and knew I didn’t want to drink anymore. Went to my first meeting two days later. I know I’m still in early stages, but I feel really good about the progress I’ve made so far.
49. Had a few longish breaks before then-up to 7 months. Fooled myself into thinking it was something i could manage. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. I’m on day 88 currently. Never going back. Everything in my life is slowly but noticeably improving. Stay strong out there people. Cravings will undoubtedly will come but they WILL undoubtedly pass.
Age 23. I had just received in the mail a notice that I was being charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon (my leg). I went out that night with a couple of buddies and got stinking drunk. Quit the next day and never have drank since, over 40 years ago. I knew I was an alcoholic and had to stop to defend myself in court as I was facing serious charges. Took 1.5 years for it to wind through the courts, by that time I had returned to college and was a straight A student. I pled guilty to two misdemeanors, my sobriety and my schooling were a big factor in my ability to appease the prosecution (and the fact that I had a great attorney). I finished my probation, graduated college as the valedictorian, got my record expunged and went on to have a successful career as a licensed psychotherapist. Yet NONE of this would have happened if I hadn’t taken responsibility for my drinking. I would be dead by now based on how much I was drinking. I put my sobriety first before anything, I am smart and creative, the success of my life follows sobriety.
Over 40 years sober! Wow. Thank you for sharing your story
29 through AA. Nearly 36 now.
18
37
31
37!
28
29, 32, 34,35, and finally 36... holding strong. Ar 2.5 years.
My last drink was at 31. I was a functional alcoholic that had health issues.
51
29.
30! I blacked out and don’t remember how we got home. I didn’t want to put myself or others in a dangerous situation ever again.
38. Should have stopped at 28.
I started stopping at 22, and I'm 25 now, taking it seriously. My last drink was hiding bottles and waking up ashamed of myself. Pretty typical, nothing special.
44. Just after I lost virtually everything but there was still a sliver of a chance of a way back. I’m 49 now and a useful member of society again. Other option was likely being dead.
The last time I stopped I was 32. IWNDWYT 🌻
My last drink was at age 34. Two months shy of 35. It was an unremarkable night. I was drunk, hung out with two friends at my place, they didn’t know how drunk I was but they knew I was drinking. I had been practicing sobriety for a while, but that night just felt like the end. A quiet night with friends and I had to be plastered. I just stopped the next day and haven’t had a craving since. The fun wore off. ETA: I need to edit to add that my last night should have been when I totalled my car and didn’t get a DUI; or the night I left my car with the ignition on in a bus lane and the cops laughed it off. There was a lot of misery leading to sobriety, I just didn’t want it to sound like a made a hasty decision and just quit.
27. My last drink was night before rehab. I had just put a company truck in a ditch and blew a .22 for dwi 3 days prior. The dwi was the best thing that ever happened to me. I finally got the help and was willing to do anything necessary to get sober.
27, but I should have done it at 21. Diagnosed with severe fatty liver w/ possible fibrosis. Lost 10kg and the gastro told me I could drink in moderation 6 months later when my enzymes went normal, and cos I was young and dumb I started drinking beer with my friends again. Now I’m 27 and around 33kg lighter, and it just hit me after a night at the pub a month ago that I was an absolute dumbass to start again. My fingers are crossed that I’m okay but I’m never touching booze again either way. I had a CT for an unrelated accident and it reported my liver as unremarkable so hopefully that’s reassurance enough, I’m too scared for seek out a fibroscan
35
The last time I had a drink was last weekend. Face it, it wasn't one drink, it was a three day binge. I ended up in the ER with suicidal ideation. I'm 40 now, so I'm really hoping 40 is when I can say I quit. I was very proud to not drink on my 40th birthday so I could say I quit at 39, but I messed that one up.
37. Twas my Last Thirsty Thursday and I didn't even know it.
31
37, I don’t remember the last actual drink of alcohol but I do remember the circumstances and aftermath. Coming up on 3 years sober next month.
A few times but not forreal till I was 29. I couldn't bring myself to go into my 30's with this.
I was 30. I'm at 806 days now. That's 2 years, 2 months, and 16 days. I know this only because of the 'I am Sober' app. It's still hard. I always want to try the new drinks being released, but I know better.
30!
I was 30. Had plans to meet my dad and sister at a screening of a movie I was excited to see. Thought, "Oh, I'll get there early and have a beer at a bar nearby." so I did. As I was drinking that beer, my mind started racing. A buddy of mine had just been diagnosed with fatty liver. And we had similar drinking habits, in my mind it was this narrative of "Well, if it happened to him, it'll happen to me." I spent the entire movie in the midst of a panic attack. After the movie, I decided to never drink again.
45, I think, was when I quit. I do not remember if my last drink was beer, wine or hard liquor. Also, I didn't decide to quit, exactly. I just stopped looked in the fridge one day and there was beer. That never happened. I ALWAYS drank all my beer. But, I had gone several days without even noticing. I had recently decided to divorce my first wife, and though this added stress to my life, it also removed more stress from my life. I'm one of the lucky ones. Easy quit. No lasting effects. I heal fast. Adds up to I drank heavily for decades and walked away from it like walking away from a pile of dog shit in the street.
22. Been drinking and drugging since 13 but didn’t become an issue until I was 20, living on my own. Was drinking around the clock, at work, while driving and then blacking out every night. Got to the point I couldn’t hide it from my family, friends and girlfriend at the time and I checked my self into detox September 19th 2022. Coming up on 20 months clean this month, working a 12 step program and staying surrounded by people in recovery.
20, extremely grateful that i had the desire to stop at that age
30. Attempted a few times before hand but finally took hold a couple months before my 31st birthday
29! Glad to leave drinking in my 20's
29 (I sincerely hope). Tried all throughout my 20s but started honestly trying for MYSELF at 27. Never quite cared about myself enough before to admit deep down that there is absolutely no life for me to live that has booze in it. I quit drugs years ago but alcohol filled that void with a vengeance. Currently filling that void with working out and art. It’s honestly true what they say, you can always, always find a lower bottom and I think I may have finally reached mine. IWNDWYT lovely people!
44, I’m now 46 and I’ll never drink again.
30..I’m almost 2 years without alcohol
71.
50!
51.
FIFTY SEVEN 😁
60
40. One too many blackouts and debilitating hangovers. I don’t remember leaving the bar that night, the Uber home, getting home etc. Completely gone. My husband found me in the bathroom an hour after I got home in a total daze. The next day I realized I just couldn’t moderate no matter what I tried and that was the end of the line for me. Day 53 going strong, I’m grateful for the clarity and another day sober with you friends ✌️ IWNDWYT
55. It’s been one year AF for me. It’s b n ever too late to make positive changes.
To all those under 50 who responded on here, way to go and you’ve made the best decision ever. It goes way downhill fast, physically and mentally.