Hiyah! My name is Andrew and I’m a recovering alcoholic. My 2 year sobriety anniversary is coming up next month.

I started drinking when I was around 14 years old and was really just a social thing. When I was in my mid 20’s I realized I had a problem. When I turned 30 I started to really try on my own but I’d loose track and not pay attention enough to see how much I was drinking. At that time I was drinking 750ml a day basically. It took me years but I quit for good when I was 32.

It took me about a year to finally get some traction with my sobriety. At first I would make it a day, then maybe a week, back to a day, to a week, etc. what helped me the most at first to find the courage to tell a few people. My wife had known but I hadn’t shared that side of me with any of my friends or family. I finally decided to tell some friends and, not to my surprise, they had known I struggled but they were so supportive and generous to help and felt honored that I felt comfortable sharing with them.

I’ve never gone to AA (not that I have anything against it) or support groups. I did meet with a therapist for 9 months or so and stopped following up. I’d love to go back to him but healthcare sucks where I am.

It’s still a journey and I my no means have the impression that I’ve mastered this but things are so much better than they were. I still have bad days that make me want to drink just one - today is one of them actually - but tomorrow I’ll wake up sober and hopefully in a better mood.

Moral of the story for anyone lurking and thinking about quitting is to find some support. Good support. If you don’t have any responsible friends that you can really trust to go on this journey with you, reach out to people in this community, find a therapist you feel comfortable with or go to AA or support group near you.

It really is worth it, I promise. You’ll be amazed at what things change in your life because of it. It’s so worth it.

#IWDWYT