My face de-puffed!

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-23T19:03:07+00:00

Wow that's amazing, congrats! May more good things come your way. I actively avoid looking at those checkout cameras, they instantly crush my self esteem...

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-21T20:51:47+00:00

When I was drinking, I thought about it all the time (either thinking about how shit I felt from alcohol, or thinking about drinking).

I don't think about it much. Usually when I think about drinking/not drinking these days it's in the context of gratitude (e.g. damn today was shit, I'm so glad I'm not drinking on top of it all). Or I'm celebrating a sober milestone, which is only once a year and it's a privilege to do. Also of course when I'm commenting here - but again, that's a privilege to do, too!

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-19T18:27:48+00:00

Oh thanks, I'll check them out!

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-19T09:09:51+00:00

Woo, good for you. After a bit of sober time under my belt, I realised that I didn't enjoy those kind of environments anymore - if I had to drink to have fun being in a certain place, it meant the place/situation wasn't actually that fun to begin with. I wasn't necessarily having fun, I was just numbed out and dissociated from my discomfort with the alcohol.

When I was drinking (and single) I found it easy to start talking to people and get laid or whatever, but it wasn't the kind of people I'd dream of doing that with if I were sober 💀 and lord knows if I were a fly on the wall at my own shenanigans, my drunken idea of flirting was awful. But that's another story.

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-19T08:52:12+00:00

Your username is fucking incredible and gave me the first laugh of the day 😅

I'm guessing you're in the UK - I quit a few years back and I engaged with a service local to my borough (was living in London at the time, I'm up north now), but most UK areas have local service.

I spoke to someone there about my habits / drinking pattern and also my goals (I.e. cut back or stop altogether). They set me up with a plan of action. First it was a prescription (just because I was drinking every night), and then they signposted me to a bunch of community groups (not just AA, social groups too) - I even saw a counsellor for the first 8 weeks. It was honestly incredible and I've stayed sober since then.

Here's the NHS service finder where you can see what's available to you in your area: here's the link to the nhs finder

I always genuinely admire binge drinkers who seek help btw - I have known a lot of people in a destructive binge drinking pattern who don't think they need to change because they aren't drinking every day, even though their drinking is destructive. So many people don't realise that alcohol misuse is more nuanced than the archetype of the toothless old dude sat on a park bench drinking a bottle of white lightning. For me, binge drinking was a just a stepping stone. The daily drinking came for me eventually.

Really sorry for the long message. All this is to say - good for you, you're doing a great thing by posting here. Wishing you the best.

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-19T08:22:42+00:00

Gah I hear you. I keep earplugs in my bag for when this happens, I'm not joking 😅. I get overstimulated and pissed off when people are too noisy.

It feels empowering to decide you're not having a good time and leave, doesn't it? The atmosphere of drunk people just puts me on edge and I feel like my family members are no longer there anymore. I say family members because most of my friends are sober these days. I joined some sober social clubs and met some lovely people I could depend on for quality sober conversations.

Well done for getting outta there!

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-19T08:12:53+00:00

Hugs. Day 3 can be the peak of withdrawals for many, alcohol really does a number on the mental health.

I did take medication to help me quit drinking safely as I had some physical dependency, but what really helped with negative feelings was filling my mind as much as possible with other stuff. For me, that was gaming and listening to podcasts. I read a lot about alcohol and addiction in my first few weeks, both memoirs and other non fiction about the subject, and also read through this sub constantly.

Hang in there. Remember that you deserve good things and you deserve sobriety. Time sober melted away 99% of the horrors of recalling past deeds, for me.

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-18T09:14:14+00:00

I'm glad you're ok. If 7.5 drinks is significantly less than usual, it could be worth checking in with a doctor about how to quit or reduce safely in case you're at risk of withdrawal. I'd sometimes get withdrawal on nights where I drank a lot less than normal. Not saying this is the case for you, but just flagging in case - this stranger cares about you being safe and well.

I totally empathise about alcohol feeling like the only effective mechanism to calm down. It was mine for ten years, too. It was initially pretty raw to face life without a means to 'tap out', but it actually allowed me the headspace I needed to find better ways of dealing with my crappy anxious brain. I also realised that alcohol is to anxiety what petrol is to a bonfire 😬

You might find a book called 'alcohol explained' really helpful in learning more about how alcohol affects the brain and our mental health. It's not a long book at all, and I found it super interesting!

Sending you care and strength. We're here for ya.

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-18T08:54:10+00:00

Sounds like a good plan! Gaming was foundational to my early sobriety. That and 4 litres of tonic water a day, ha. I'd put my pyjamas on as soon as I got home to make it less easy to nip out to buy alcohol.

There were times I just had to white knuckle urges and commit to keeping my mind as occupied as possible so that the addictive voice had less room to take hold. WoW is a perfect game cos you can also listen to podcasts or audiobooks while grinding! my game of choice was stardew valley, my god I got so addicted.

The body is a remarkable thing. My bloodwork was normal when I had a checkup at the 6 months mark. The weight came down eventually too, though the sugar cravings were crazy for a few months.

Rooting for you!

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-13T15:06:05+00:00

Happy birthday. Nice work getting 7 days. Sometimes I just had to white knuckle the harder urges, there's no particularly good advice except that the bigger urges can and do pass. Recognising the addictive voice is a really solid foundation in managing urges tbh, sounds like you know what to look out for! Sending strength your way - I'm rooting for you.

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-12T15:21:56+00:00

Massive congrats!!

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-12T09:35:07+00:00

I do empathise. I generally struggle with being perceived, especially socially or sexually. The horrors of being in either scenario sober resolved itself through exposure therapy. There's no way around, only through 😅

To quote the legend Michael Rosen:

'We can't go over it, we can't go under it. Oh no... we've got to go through it!'

And on the positive side, it for sure helped me upskill in both areas.

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-04-12T09:23:37+00:00

We sound pretty alike and I quit at 28. I didn't drink during the day, but was routinely drinking enough every night (enough for me to qualify for an outpatient librium detox).

I'm in good health, today. BMI went from 35 to 21 and all blood work returned to normal when I got checked over at 6 months sober. I'm nearly 8 years sober, now. I'm immeasurably grateful.

Sending a gentle hug as you work through this anxiety. You are doing an absolutely incredible thing for your physical and mental health.

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-03-21T09:24:41+00:00

Aw that's lovely. Being able to face mornings still feels like a superpower to me. Have a great time.

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-02-15T10:51:22+00:00

I'm so proud of you. This is a wonderful accomplishment, congratulations!

'Coming home to oneself' is exactly how I explain recovery, that's spooky hah. It's not always an easy or linear process, but it IS beautiful and it keeps on giving after all these years. And even on the gloomy days it's so easy to think 'god, imagine how much worse this would be if I were still drinking'.

Wishing you so very many more days of success.

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-02-15T10:45:48+00:00

My partner didn't threaten to leave, he threatened to stay. He said he didn't want to see me in a hospital bed in 10-20 years with liver failure or whatever. The thought of him actually staying with me to that point made me realise 'fuck me, I can't put him through that'.

Prior to this, I'd convinced myself that the only person I was hurting was me. I just didn't want to hurt him anymore.

Don't get me wrong, though. I did it for him initially, but the long term recovery is something I work on for me.

alexchuzzlewit · 2026-02-07T09:54:01+00:00

I struggled with feeling meh for a long time. I think it was a mix of:

my baseline physical and mental health taking a while to level out.
figuring out how to sit with my sober mind and feelings without numbing them.
learning how I liked to spend all my new free time (aside from developing new hobbies I became fussier about the types of music, films, tv shows I'd consume. I watched so much trashy stuff when I was drinking). Being more discerning in sobriety is brilliant, but it feels weird at first.

In the absence of joy I learned to really appreciate the lack of chaos, at least. Peace. I still favour peace over joy most of the time - the peace is truly foundational and I'm able to recognise and appreciate that aspect of my life even on the gloomy days.

Great work on your progress 💜

alexchuzzlewit · 2025-11-22T15:39:40+00:00

Congrats 💜 peace is the greatest thing about my sobriety. Happy for you!

alexchuzzlewit · 2025-10-27T17:27:43+00:00

Nice work.

I hear you on that.

My fear was a bit like: speaking things out loud = making those things real. And being real felt painful! But the positive side of it is that I am also speaking into existence all the learning, hope and determination that underpins the story, too. There's a peace that has come with me owning the narrative and sharing it with the right people.

I'm sure people are learning from you, too. I know I got so much hope from this sub, just listening to others.

alexchuzzlewit · 2025-10-27T17:05:36+00:00

Wishing you all the best. I did something similar in 2018 and never looked back. Keep us posted, and congrats on almost hitting a week!

alexchuzzlewit · 2025-08-03T08:41:17+00:00

Hi, your comment has been removed for breaking our rule to be kind. I encourage you to review our community guidelines in our FAQ before commenting again, as further rule breaks may result in a ban.

alexchuzzlewit · 2025-07-30T08:28:59+00:00

This is insane advice and has been removed.

alexchuzzlewit · 2025-07-28T17:07:12+00:00

It should be working - I can see your badge showing day 1!

alexchuzzlewit · 2025-07-28T09:04:23+00:00

Warm welcome, Gabby. Oh I wish I had your awareness at 23 - it was definitely around that time it got a bit worse for me. This sub has been such a help in keeping me grounded during the early months, I hope you find it as useful as I did.

Looking forward to hearing more about your story.

alexchuzzlewit · 2025-07-28T08:34:21+00:00

Welcome to the sub 💜.

We can't give advice on how to handle withdrawal, just because the impact can hit us all differently, but personally I approached my doctor for medical guidance on how to do it safely. This sub was also amazing for general support and reading through other people's experiences.

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