What I have learned over 145 days of sobriety:

I (44m) have not had a sip of alcohol in 146 days. Prior to that I was binge drinking every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Every night was either a bottle of wine or more, 5-6 stiff liquor drinks, or 7-8 tall malt drinks (twisted teas, Seagram’s, Mikes Hard). It started transitioning into weeknights when I would cook or grill. Worst part was it became my normal life. I did it at home with my wife and 4 kids present. My blood pressure was out of control (160/110), my anxiety was through the roof and the hangovers were the worst. One day I had a panic attack and my blood pressure reached emergency levels. That’s when I said enough. I stopped that day and haven’t looked back. Here is what I learned since being sober:

1) Alcohol has WAY MORE impact on your health than just damaging your liver. It causes anxiety, inflammation, cardiovascular issues, etc. Since I stopped my blood pressure is 120’s / 70’s, my anxiety is far better and I hardly get sick anymore.

2) Despite how drunk or buzzed you feel or don’t feel, people know when you’ve been drinking, especially your loved ones. And they treat you different and withdraw.

3) Despite the way it makes you feel when you’re drunk, the feeling afterwards is 100x worse than it was before you started drinking. Drunkenness is a lie and a mirage. It does not help your anxiety, it makes it far worse.

4) Being present and mindful is so much better than being a false version of yourself.

I know this sub is not about quitting alcohol, but…for those struggling, stay strong and look at the big picture. Celebrate even the smallest improvements sobriety brings to your life. And never forget, NO NUMBER OF DRINKS WILL EVER FEEL AS GOOD AS SOBER FEELS. Even if you’re not feeling that way now……you will soon. I promise.