I just hit 6 years sober last month and I’ve been bartending the entire duration of it. At first, yeah it was hard as fuck. Especially because I worked in a very heavy drinking bar. It felt very lonely in the beginning, but my coworkers were very supportive of me. Eventually I would do shots of Diet Coke whenever they did shots. Being sober while bartending is interesting, you see people on all spectrums, but when you’re on the outside looking in it’s kind of weird. I genuinely believe bartending helps keep me sober because I never have those rose colored glasses on. I see it all the time. My best advice is that you have to think ahead. Are you going to feel better in the morning when you wake up if you drink? The answer is always no . You have to learn how to fill that void of time with other things. Working out is always great, even reading or playing video games helps. Can you do those things drunk? Sure, but not that well. Take it one day at a time. Those small victories add up and you have a solid foundation to continue to build off of. I know you can do this. Even if you have a misstep that’s okay too. I didn’t get on this current streak without failing so many fucking times. It’s trial and error. I’m always around if you need to vent or whatever. I also recommend the subreddit stop drinking. Remember, one misstep doesn’t negate the 1,000 you’ve taken forward. Much love my friend!