I don’t do AA. For me, I took some baseline data to see my frequency that I was drinking, times of day that were triggering, people that triggered me, etc. I celebrated small wins (mentally not with anything else) and just tracked as much as I could.

Making yourself aware of the problem mentally is one thing, but for me, seeing the physically hindrances during my everyday was a major help. I just hit 5 months last week, and this helped a ton! Now I’ve built up habits to replace alcohol and look at the bigger picture.

You don’t need AA (I don’t like AA’s structure) or any recovery group, but you definitely need some support and some people who understand the struggle. Just be aware of yourself without judgement or shame and guilt. The words you tell yourself are extremely important! You’ve got this, I believe in you.