Saturday 5:57 AM eastern time. Good morning, pathfinder202. I am over 11 years without a drink or a drug, thanks to AA, (I attend my AA meetings, 3 or 4 times a week, now on Zoom) and I have never seen your question, a remarkable question (and therefore I never tried to sum it up for me) as to "what recovery is like." For me, getting clean and sober starting at age 59 meant learning to deal with feelings, and life in general, without my crutch. I did not need medical attention to stop drinking, although many people do, but I did have cravings for alcohol for several weeks, I battle depression in sobriety by daily exercise. I found that, for me, becoming an adult was a serious and sometimes difficult business. Recovery is a journey, with daily work, these days made more difficult by our world of Covid 19, and I am learning to appreciate the good things in life. One day at a time, I hope to never return to my previous way of life. It is quite unlikely that I will drink today. I am thinking of you.

thank you so much! my concern right now is the body damage from alcohol. if what i feel is normal or just being blown out by me overthinking. where can you find an online AA meeting? any physical symptoms you remember?

pathfinder202, welcome to the group? Alcoholism is a symptom of deeper emotional issues and it helps alot to have a visit with your doctor, especially since you are on medication for depression. Your doctor might do tests to determine the extent of the damage, if any. Your doctor will be the first person to congratulate you and give you much needed support on your road to recovery! She/he will discuss treatment options with you but in the end, the decision is entirely yours on how you wish to get better.

I have had addictions to many things in my life with alcohol being one of them. I ended up going through outpatient treatment which treated me for the underlying conditions that were triggering my disease. From there, I went through 3 months of counseling. I needed all of the above in order to stay sober and AA meetings were all a part of my total plan. I had to be willing to do everything it took to stay sober.

That was 12 years ago. Today, I run a successful business, and I have never been happier!

Keep in touch with us because the path you take might help someone else! Many people read these but do not reply so let us know how it goes. When you find your way, you could be saving two or more lives instead of just one. You just never know.

God Bless

If you Google the words "find an AA..." the fourth word "meeting" will come up and you can start there. You could also search by entering the name of your city or state followed by the words "AA meeting." Believe it or not, on my second day of sobriety, the hairs on my arms were standing up. You might want to contact your physician or even just call your local AA phone number, as going off of alcohol can be quite medically serious. That was not my experience, but I certainly have heard stories from the people in my meetings over the years. Stuck in my head is when Dennis Hopper detoxes in the 1986 movie "Hoosiers."

Hey PF,
I am 23 days sober today............................I can only share what is working for me and maybe you can find some inspiration to give some of it a try, work out what you like and what works for you. Everyday, I do 2-4 Online Zoom Meetings, if you google AAmeetings for your country (I am in Australia) you can pick and choose the ones you want, you don't have to show your face if you don't want and can just listen, and they are totally confidential. I purchased the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book and it is amazing, you read about yourself and realise you are not alone, and alot of guidance,the online meetings are fantastic, people share their stories and it blows my mind how many of us have the same story. Meditations, walking, whatever you can do, it is daily work and it is important to commit if you want to beat this disease. I am also on antidepressants, my doctor has strongly urged me to keep taking them as giving up alcohol does all this weird stuff to your mind and body and you need your wits about you, Giving up the meds may compound the problem. If you join AA, people with offer to sponsor you, if you decide, you go with who feels right, don't rush into it. Your sponsor if available every day to talk, support, guide you and if you feel like a drink, you ring them first and they talk to you and it actually stops you from drinking. Amazing, these beautiful people, are there for you when they don't even know you or expect anything in return, how fantastic is that??? My other suggestion would be to visit this site first thing in the morning and start a journal, (I have and it is really good to get thoughts out of your system) Like you, I am an overthinker, overanalyser, pretty much have overdone everything :), my physical symptoms have been 2 separate days of crying like a little baby, restlessness, sleeping issues, jittery, wriggly, and am sure more are coming my way. I talked to someone about it, all totally normally, I just gotta ride it out. On the plus side, and this is why giving up is so good, no more stomach pains, no more heartburn, no more black cloud weighing me down to the point that I couldn't breathe, I smile now, I have joy now, I have love and support now, it is so worth it, just take it one day at a time otherwise it is overwhelming, and lastly, reach out to people for support that know what it is like, you take care and we are all rooting for you Lisa x (it helps me writing this as much as it hopefully helps you)

bobinmaine in your post has been there and done that, and is a major source of inspiration and support for me, they know their stuff and help me constantly.

Thank u so much shiney! Hearing your words does help a lot. I will look up these online meetings. HUGS!

I just want you to be sober and happy, those meetings will change your life :)