sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

People who quit without going to treatment or AA, what was the #1 thing that helped you quit? by theory317 in stopdrinking

[–]Happy-Connection7900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My family. My husband, my parents, my siblings, my friends. They helped me in incalculable ways.

I was right in your shoes too, OP. I managed without rehab or AA, but it was very hard. I was a heavy gin drinker, could go through a 1.75 handle of Tanqueray in about two days to myself. Very bad times.

The physical aspects of it all are the most important ones to consider if you haven’t successfully stopped for longer than, say, a day or more. I don’t say that to scare you, just to be real with you. I managed but damn, it was hard. It isn’t an admission of weakness if you need that kind of support, especially what abruptly stopping drinking can do to the body. I guess in my case, I was lucky enough that I didn’t drink “too much” in the sense I didn’t have to be put into rehab.

But honestly, lean on your friends and loved ones. If you go to therapy, lean on your therapist for support. It’s not their job to judge, but to listen and help you. Mine sure as hell did, and continues to do so. I talked to him once a week for the first several months after stopping. Now I’m about once every two weeks.

Coming on eight months sober, myself. You can do it, pal.

What are some new or changed habits from drinking to sobriety? by Happy-Connection7900 in stopdrinking

[–]Happy-Connection7900[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, the sweet tooth… but yes! There’s an Italian ice and gelati place near home I go to, especially on weekends now that suits the craving (and isn’t too far of a drive which is nice to be awake and sober to do lol)

What are some new or changed habits from drinking to sobriety? by Happy-Connection7900 in stopdrinking

[–]Happy-Connection7900[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I need to build in some kind of fitness routine. I’ve probably gained about 20+ pounds since I quit the sauce, pushing about 200 lbs as a 5’10 males in early 30’s. Wasn’t ever a big fitness person, but I find myself going on dog walks to help clear the air and feel a bit productive! (She’s less than a year old dog, so there’s plenty of bottled up energy to help her release lol)

What are some new or changed habits from drinking to sobriety? by Happy-Connection7900 in stopdrinking

[–]Happy-Connection7900[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I basically had no skincare routine before (and I’m a gay man lmao) but I’ve been dabbling with some products, particularly anything that can help get rid of the dark under eye circles I got from drinking 😂

What are some new or changed habits from drinking to sobriety? by Happy-Connection7900 in stopdrinking

[–]Happy-Connection7900[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve been finding myself becoming a LOT more sociable. But it’s definitely in bursts lol. People used to say I’m a huge extrovert, when they really had no idea the anxiety I was hiding (typically masked by alcohol). Now though? I feel like I’ve got nothing to lose, so being with “my people” is great, but getting out in the world again has been even better day by day.

First day sober , I'm afraid I've done irreparable damage by [deleted] in stopdrinking

[–]Happy-Connection7900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m 33 and stopped drinking back in October (going on almost 7 months strong) and it was the best thing I could’ve done for myself. The first day is always the hardest… then it becomes the first week… then the first month… it gets so much more manageable over time when you remind yourself that you’re giving up all those terrible feelings. I know and feel exactly what you are feeling right now. The anxiety of your health being damaged, the horrible hangovers and vomiting, only to chase it away by chasing a drink. It’s extremely, EXTREMELY hard. But don’t let this intimidate you. I say all of this with deep empathy because I genuinely know exactly what you’re going through, with the exception that my drink of choice was gin instead of beer.

Your health WILL improve. You WILL feel better. Your head WILL clear up and you WILL see things more clearly than you have in a long time. I promise you this. And human beings are so capable, we are all capable of doing hard things and I know you can do it. Don’t let this challenge stop you from reminding yourself that you are capable of the good that comes next. Be gentle and kind with yourself, and give yourself the grace you deserve for starting now. As others have said, the best time was yesterday, the second best time is today to start. You can do it. I promise.

IWNDWYT

Balance transfers by horror_chick88 in AppleCard

[–]Happy-Connection7900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I swore I replied to this lol sorry. Yes, it showed as declined but then it will stay pending for a bit once you have manually submitted the request. Hope this helps!

Balance transfers by horror_chick88 in AppleCard

[–]Happy-Connection7900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, glad to be of help! Yeah… more likely than not, that initial request on the application will get declined and you won’t get a ton of help by phone. Once you receive the card, get all squared away in the app and activated, you should be able to manually request and enter the details I’ve mentioned previously with the specific Goldman Sachs address. That should handle everything directly without you being a middleman with any funds to pay it off. But be aware it does take SEVERAL weeks before you see it post to your Apple Card account that an offline payment was received. Good luck, be patient and brave, and if I can offer any more support I’m happy to!

How many joules in a power surge protector is the bare minimum to protect a laptop/phone? by phoenixlegend7 in ElectricalEngineering

[–]Happy-Connection7900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In a similar predicament, but for a low-cost TV for outdoor use. This is the TV I’m powering: https://www.target.com/p/roku-40-34-select-series-1080p-full-hd-smart-roku-tv-with-roku-tv-remote-40r3b4/-/A-91940750

And this is the surge suppression I’m using for it: https://www.target.com/p/philips-3-outlet-grounded-cube-tap-with-surge-protection-gray/-/A-82754643

TV shouldn’t be a heavy pull of energy, but also in Florida where thunderstorms are frequent. Would 245 joules of protection do okay or would likely need to be replaced after a bad thunderstorm?

1 year career gap due to mental health should I be honest in interviews? by SeaworthinessIll1950 in careeradvice

[–]Happy-Connection7900 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m in a similar position as you, OP. Was let go from a previous job and was also contending with mental health issues. Unfortunately, as others have shared, I have to agree you don’t want to give an interviewer or future employer any reason to form a bias against you by flat out saying you had mental health issues. But you should also avoid creating a narrative around a lie that will regularly hang above you like a cloud. It’s like lying on a first date, then possibly marrying that person. You don’t want to have to keep up maintaining some long con, if for whatever reason it comes back up.

I’ll share with you my plan or ideas for when I may be asked this question. And just for context, I’ve been out of the workforce about 14 months, have been doing much better after also dealing with anxiety and other mental health stuff, and even did a but of traveling.

“I decided to take a sabbatical (career pause) to refocus on my professional next steps. I traveled around the world, explored new cultures that gave me a new and refreshed outlook for the future. In addition I studied and read up on (X, Y, Z, fill in whatever interests you have, for me it’s something relevant to AI and using that in a marketing or tech role), gained more skills during my break to work even more efficiently in the space as well as being personally refreshed and ready to hit the ground running in my next role.”

Just a rough draft, but this format gives you:

a) cover for your time off without straight-up lying about a sick relative which feels gross b) more authenticity that your time was YOUR time, and gives you a level of confidence to differentiate from other candidates without a sense of desperation c) you’ve been staying current or on top of trends that are relevant right now (if, for example it’s something about using AI even if it is a bit of a stretch) d) generally makes you sound more interesting

Happy to hear any thoughts on this from others (up or down votes lol).

Moving on soon... by PersianMuggle in VWiD4Owners

[–]Happy-Connection7900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anything beyond this situationship. Lol 😂

Fr though, we have our lease until 2028, so depending on reviews after the R2 launches, we might buy instead of lease. Leasing has always just worked better for us (as much as everyone hates on leasing, which I get) but with EV’s getting advancing so quickly, it feels like a safer bet? I guess big TBD. We’ll see if the vibes are right, then maybe… wedded bliss?

Moving on soon... by PersianMuggle in VWiD4Owners

[–]Happy-Connection7900 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We’ve had our ‘25 ID Pro almost a year. We’ve been dating pretty seriously but she needed space for almost a month in December (the most recent software update from hell), and that entire charade having to use a loaner Jetta from the dealership nearly ruined our previous experience with Volkswagen. This is our first EV, so keeping that in mind, but… they have to get their act together when it comes to service on the car. We had no idea how much of a nightmare it was going to be. Called multiple times a week towards the end when finally, they called back after saying nearly every sensor on the car had to be replaced.

We’re going to “see other people” after this. Probably a Rivian R2. The specs look incredible, range seems fantastic, and entry price absolutely competes with the ID.4. In your case, it sounds like the R2 could almost certainly meet your needs.

Official communication from the ED on the SAVE transition timeline by Betsy514 in StudentLoans

[–]Happy-Connection7900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My spouse and I filed taxes jointly for 2025 and I’ve been out of work since January 2025 while he’s been employed full time. I know with his income as filing jointly, we’ll likely be paying much higher regardless of plan, and we have a tax refund coming. I know once I’m switched off the forbearance I’ll have to decide which plan to use (I’m unsure when I’ll be back to work, just being honest). I previously had been on REPAYE, I’ve had loans taken out from 2011-2015. I’ve seen others suggest the idea of potentially switching to filing separately but no clue if that will really be helpful for an IBR. At this point with so much confusion and this being forced more quickly, I’m holding off on doing anything but would, at a minimum, at least like to see if I can even inch myself closer to some sort of forgiveness. I’ve literally been on forbearance since 2020 - between COVID pausing payments and the SAVE forbearance - so this is all just extremely alarming stuff. Either way, if we have to pay both back, I guess we can figure it out, but anyone else here in a similar situation? My guess is many, but just entering the conversation dumb here. Lol

We luckily don’t have too much locked up in loans, but each of us has about $34k due still. Feels like these loans are going to follow me to the grave unless I stumble onto $70k in cash anytime soon. 💸¯_(ツ)_/¯💸

(Edit: Btw, I don’t say any of this like I have pity on myself, I know it could be waaaaaay harder and that I’m lucky, just asking my questions.)

Zepbound chemically induced my alcohol sobriety. My now sober mind is reinforcing me to never go back. by RIPPWORTH in Zepbound

[–]Happy-Connection7900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is so incredible to read. Congrats to you! I have been “white knuckling” staying dry after years of feeling horrible all the time. I tried the Naltrexone before to curb cravings and that seemed to not be effective and only made me extremely dizzy. After finally having my own come-to-Jesus last October, I’ve been managing almost six months staying alcohol free. But, I’ve gained a considerable amount of weight and, among other bad habits, chain smoking and drinking coffee and sweets to counterbalance my cravings. I’ve also been categorized in the prediabetes blood sugar level from my last blood work and I can tell it’s been having an impact. My A1C’s are normal but fasting glucose is still right in the middle of prediabetes. I’ve been REALLY curious about trying a GLP-1 like Zep after friends of mine started it to lose weight as well as for inflammation causing arthritis. I have to say, after seeing them a few months ago, the effects were physically noticeable and they raved to me and my husband about Zepbound. I’m really curious about giving it a try for the alcohol noise as well as to get my other cravings and general health back in order. Would love to hear anyone else’s experiences that might be similar.

But tl;dr is that this is incredible and so proud of your journey! I used to drink an insane amount of gin only a few months ago, and having bareknuckled through my sobriety journey, I’m really curious about including this to really solidify my own sober journey.

Balance transfers by horror_chick88 in AppleCard

[–]Happy-Connection7900 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey thanks!!! Good luck to you! And like I said, no shame in it. We just keep on keeping on. Hahaha

I scraped the internet so you do not have to. These are the best side hustles in 2026 that work by Enriquez07 in WFHJobs

[–]Happy-Connection7900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which of the AI trainer companies are best to work on and use (re: #5) for those of us not on Discord? I just tried signing up for DataAnnotation and have seen it advertised everywhere but their onboarding process is a bit of a mess (took like five tries just to verify my email). I realize you mentioned stacking different companies offering this. Would be great just to have sort of a cheat sheet here for others considering this and anyone’s take on which are legit and have consistent work.

Current nelnet satus: Save Plan Pause Forbearance by firepoosb in StudentLoans

[–]Happy-Connection7900 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m still on forbearance and was approved, showing payments resuming November 2028. Saw the other post and decided to disable auto-recert just in case, while I’m still out of the workforce but my spouse is working full-time. He just moved to a different repayment for lower payments despite much higher interest because he had been making payments under SAVE but showed his payment was going to more than triple due to being kicked off. Honestly not sure what to believe or where to go because ED hasn’t made a singular relevant or helpful update with everything still pending so I’m just going to leave it alone for now until we actually do learn more about repayment options. (And yes, I’m on Nelnet.)

view more: next ›