Early sobriety varies by the individual. The voices in your head will try everything to coaxing you into having another drink, but this will lessen with time. The fog that your mind lives in will slowly start to lift. Your body will start to heal and the aches and pains will slowly start to recede. After a couple of weeks, you may start to get high on your achievement, a very dangerous thing. You may compensate with your loss in alcohol calories with sweet sugary things. You will probably put on some weight. The key is to get help. Go to an Aa meeting and seek out in person help, they will welcome you.

On the other hand you can ask the question, "what will life look like if you don't stop drinking". You will lose everything.... family, house, car, job, health and ultimately your life.

We all have been there, scared, uncertain but there is really no choice, other than when to start

Thank you TexasEric!!!!! Your kind words and support mean the world to me.

I think my stopping drinking meant that things changed...I did not do what I used to do which was to go out drinking with friends...and that got replaced by going to loads and loads of AA meetings....try it it worked for me...17yrs ago....still sober too!

Beth - all I can say is that my life got better in every single way, when I got sober. I was able to accomplish things I never dreamed I could do.

I was able to get better because of the incredible support I received in AA.

If you drink - and if your husband is at the end of his rope - odds are your life will go down hill. All you really need to do is to give up at this point. Just give up and walk into a meeting. Maybe your husband would go with you for your first meeting? It is easier to walk into a first meeting with someone. But it is possible to walk into a first meeting all by yourself too.

You will meet a bunch of the nicest people you will ever meet and a bunch of truly caring people.

Good luck and please take care of yourself.

Beth,

For me, I had to make up my mind, then do what ever it took.

I decided that I wanted to stop drinking on a Sunday, and I found a way to get get into an Alcohol treatment facility with in a few days.

This was the only way for me to stop.

I had to commit to WHAT EVER it took.

Now, 6 months later I know what real freedom is.

My husband felt the same way. He was just fed up with my drinking.
My suggestion would be to go to an AA meeting and continue to go.
You really don't have to do this alone.

Early sobriety differs from each individual but it does get easier as time passes.

Hugs,
Koyu

Beth do not worry about what early recovery looks like until you begin the journey into abstance. your journey must begin with it. Good for your husband. He reached the end of his rope. We drive individuals nuts who love us with our insane behaviors while intoxicated, but the ugly monster of alcohol.

Fear is what your disease functions on. The more you fear sobriety, the more you will drink. Grab a little faith, for not drinking is a very scary place, but it can be done.

Good luck, and here's to extended Grace and Mercy.

Beth, there is lots of help and lots of programs out there. Start right now and try every single one until you find the best match for you. No matter how hard early recovery may (or may not) be, we can all promise you it's a walk in the park compared to how hard continued alcoholism will be. You are fighting for your life here. You can do this!

I am still in early sobriety. 40 days. It has been hard but it is worth it. I have felt peace in the last 30 days which i never felt before. I have felt grateful for the first time in my life for things. I have constant obsessions and cravings to drink but I manage to get through them each time. I go to meetings. I got a sponser, she asked for me to get into service work. I started the first step which is admitting I am powerless and my life has become unmanagable. I go in and out of denial many times throughout the day which is hard. I have bought two bottles in the past two weeks but resisted popping the top off and used my phone list I got in AA meetings instead. Make a list of how alcohol has caused problems in your life, make a list of things you are grateful for. The two best things I have found in recovery are more better days and an awesome group of people. Keep going back because it works if you work it!

Early recovery was scary, exciting (waking up sober was GRREAT). I started going to AA while in treatment. I loved the meetings. They gave me hope for maybe the first time in my life that I could have a wonderful life SOBER if I worked half as hard on my sobriety as I did on staying drunk. I got a sponsor who lead me through the steps and a whole fellowship to call during rough times.

Now I'm coming up on 20 yrs. My life in this last 20 yrs has been the kind I thought only other people got to live. No fighting or screaming. I haven't kicked anybody's door in, etc. I've learned how to treat people, how to care, how to be a wife, mother, sister & friend. But this has been my experience. It can be yours too if you're willing to do the work.

Some great advice coming at you Beth
Just that phrase your Husband used "never thought I would be married to an alcoholic"
It could be that he doesn't realise that your alciholism is a disease If he doubts that fact he could check with bodys like the american medical ascociation. World health authority DSM 1V
Some partners struggle to come to terms with that fact even when there husband /wife is in recovery ie not drinking They wonder were the fun loving drinking partner went What i'm saying is its dificult for them to live with the drunk but also a massive change forTHEM to live with a recovering alcoholic
have you been totally open and honest with him Is he up for talking about his feelings regarding your alcoholism

Hello bethmach,

Much depends on whether you have had enough of drinking and are ready to stop for yourself or if you are doing it against your will in order to please your husband and other people. Early sobriety can be a fantastic and uplifting experience or it can be a nightmare, depending to a large extent on your own input.

I seem to recall that you were here some time ago with a similar story and presumably things have gotten worse since then. However, the advice that you received at that time still stands and there is not much more that can be added to it. The rest is up to you and whether you are prepared to do what it takes in order to get sober.

The formula is simple: Accept that you cannot use alcohol safely now or in the future and that the only option for you is total abstinence. You have proven to yourself that you cannot stay sober on your own so go back to the AA meetings, but this time with a different attitude. Listen to what has worked for other people who are sober in AA and ask one of the women if she would become your sponsor. Do the Twelve Steps.

Early sobriety can be regarded as an exciting adventure into unknown territory. If you approach it with an open mind and a willingness to learn and do what is suggested you will see daily progress. I do not wish to offend anyone here but I would urge you to disregard suggestions that you can get sober my keeping yourself busy, using Smart Recovery, listening to music, climbing mountains etc. Your problem is that you have an obsession for alcohol and until you find some means of removing that obsession you will struggle. The Twelve Step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous is an instruction manual that is designed to help you to remove that obsession. You need a tutor (sponsor) and you need willingness if you are going to be successful.

The alternative approach is to quit drinking and to fight against the urge to drink every day. It is possible that this would keep you sober if you are one of the lucky few but I doubt if it would lead to a happy existence for you. You went to AA meetings before but were you serious about sobriety at that time? Are you serious about sobriety now? Are you willing to do what it takes?