Being Sober

[Mindfulness.]

How many days have you been sober?

0 days from alcohol for me. I don't do drugs or smoke.

[Proud90sKid]

0 days. But Im going to be put on probation eventually for DUI, so that will probably have to change. Honestly, I would be more open to taking time off alcohol voluntarily if I wasnt going to be forced into sobriety. I have an “enjoy it while I can” /FOMO attitude now, which isnt the best, BUT.

I had a pretty good sobriety streak (from alcohol) from 2020 to 2022, though I had some slips during that time. I got back into drinking because I started semi-conciously thinking of “having an intentional slip/cheat day” as an option to deal with stress or occassional cravings. I started feeling the slips were nothing to even worry about. I was disappointed every time by the alcohol buzz….until I suddenly started enjoying it again and I went back to regular drinking.

I dont really want to stop drinking, but I want to stop some negative impacts it has on me. I am considering alternative recovery when probation is over- this would entail taking the anti-craving drug naltrexone an hour before drinking every time I drink. It is not the same pill that makes you sick when mixed with alcohol. Rather, it blocks some of that giddy feeling you get when you drink so you want to drink less over time. The brain eventually forgets how alcohol used to feel. If you are trying to get sober and having trouble with the traditional way, you can look this method up. It is called the Sinclair method. Some people need to start with a lower dose though than this method recommends due to side effects. It is not a medication you need to forever take daily, just on the days you drink- which may be everyday at first but will likely decrease.

[Mindfulness.]

Originally Posted by Proud90sKid

0 days. But Im going to be put on probation eventually for DUI, so that will probably have to change. Honestly, I would be more open to taking time off alcohol voluntarily if I wasnt going to be forced into sobriety. I have an “enjoy it while I can” /FOMO attitude now, which isnt the best, BUT.

I had a pretty good sobriety streak (from alcohol) from 2020 to 2022, though I had some slips during that time. I got back into drinking because I started semi-conciously thinking of “having an intentional slip/cheat day” as an option to deal with stress or occassional cravings. I started feeling the slips were nothing to even worry about. I was disappointed every time by the alcohol buzz….until I suddenly started enjoying it again and I went back to regular drinking.

I dont really want to stop drinking, but I want to stop some negative impacts it has on me. I am considering alternative recovery when probation is over- this would entail taking the anti-craving drug naltrexone an hour before drinking every time I drink. It is not the same pill that makes you sick when mixed with alcohol. Rather, it blocks some of that giddy feeling you get when you drink so you want to drink less over time. The brain eventually forgets how alcohol used to feel. If you are trying to get sober and having trouble with the traditional way, you can look this method up. It is called the Sinclair method. Some people need to start with a lower dose though than this method recommends due to side effects. It is not a medication you need to forever take daily, just on the days you drink- which may be everyday at first but will likely decrease.

I do wish to eventually stop alcohol together. I hate the feeling of having a hangover the next day and when I have had periods of time when I haven't had anything to drink, obviously, I feel so much better physically, mentally and emotionally. It's been 6 days so far without a drink and I feel good.

[Mindfulness.]

This is my 7th day free of alcohol.

[Proud90sKid]

Originally Posted by Mindfulness.

This is my 7th day free of alcohol.

Good job. How do you feel? Normally 7 days is around the time that the mental haze starts lifting but other times I still feel the jitters at that time and am not thinking straight. I have actually considered getting a script for antabuse during probation (the stuff that actually makes you super sick when you drink by inhibiting a particular liver enzyme that processes the acetaldehyde toxin from alcohol, so you feel deathly hungover quickly) just to discourage any temptation as I dont want to go to jail. Do you have a plan for the future yet, or are you just taking every day at a time? At 7 days, it is fine to not yet have a plan- but you do need to eventually have one. One that is either:1) self sobriety without any program,2) sobriety with a program or long term medication (for me, antabuse would be short term and then naltrexone long term if I can tolerate the side effects), or 3) just taking a break. You need to figure out which of the three options will be the most effective for your situation or you may relapse. I didnt have a plan during my first sobriety attempt. I initially chose option 1 but then it evolved into option 3 as I didnt rigidly stick to it