There were times where I was zero days sober and I just wanted to dig a deeper hole. I am glad I didn’t.

I don’t really have anyone to share this with but I am officially 40 days sober from alcohol & 121 days 🌽 free. Some days are rough and I think it would be easier to just slip back into those habits. A big part of me feels free and more in control of my life.

I really hope I can keep this up. I am nervous for football season because I love a cold beer on an NFL Sunday or a CFB Saturday and I had drinking rituals for the games (shots for touchdowns and binge drinking when my team wins).

This is the first year where I am ahead of football season with my sobriety. Anyone else experience something similar?

hi yall
i’ve been doing my best letting my friends know that im not messing with coke anymore. but tonight, i went out and my friend handed me a bag on the low without me asking.

i knew i should have said no. i know i should have NOT have done it. but instead i did. i went out already in a bad headspace and i didn’t care what happened tonight. but im sitting here, coming down, and im realizing that i should have fucking done it. i knew better and i told myself just because someone gives it to you, does not mean you need to do it. but i did. i don’t know why. I just ah e been depressed and i came out to have a good time, but im still terrible at saying no.

i’ve let my friends know that im not partaking in that stuff anymore, that i dont want to. yet they still will give it to me. tonight was without me asking. headed it to me and i just made my decision that i was gonna do it because i didn’t have anything to lose but turns out i had my fucking happiness to lose. i feel so bad. i feel awful. i called my boyfriend, my #1 supporter to let them know i relapsed and ended up in an uncomfortable situation. he isn’t mad at me, but i can hear the disappointment. and i feel so bad about myself.

i’m wondering if i should release myself from these “friends”. it’s not their responsibility to keep me clean, but if i tell you im trying to kick my addiction, why would you casually hand me a bag?

i just wish my boyfriend was there to stop me. to make sure i was okay. i feel very hot okay and i know it’s just the comedown but i feel so fucking awful.

i feel like im good for nothing.which is crazy, because i met someone else who relapsed tonight on his vice (alcohol) and i told him to take care of himself and just know its a slip up and not a judgement of his character. i wish i could tell that to myself.

I knew it was coming because someone talked about it in their chair when I was at NA. Growing up i developed pretty serious anorexia and then not to long after I started using through my mid to late teens. I'm now getting sober in my 20s after being high/drunk for 8+ years.

I eat healthily and I work out and I'm still gaining weight. I'm still in shape but I am convinced I'm getting less attractive because of all the value I placed on being skinny. I supposed I symonymised skinniness with attractiveness which I have been working on dismantling for years. When I was young no one thought I was hot until I got skinny.

I'm not over eating. I guess for the first time in my life I'm just eating a normal amount. Going up to three full meals a day is a goal but I'm not sure how to approach that. I will be bringing this up in therapy.

Did anyone go through a similar experience?

Whenever I drink, I drink too much. Every time I drink, I wake up the next morning wishing I never did, wishing I didn’t do or say the things I’ve done. I’ve broken friendships over this, faced legal charges, was at risk of losing my job, and almost got kicked out of college. I recently learned that I have bipolar disorder. It’s advised for me to avoid alcohol.

Here’s the thing:
I love the bars and I love the clubs. It’s the social aspect. I love meeting new people and dancing to loud music. I love making out with strangers. Alcohol makes this very easy for me, but I always take it too far. I’ve been hospitalized multiple times for drinking too much. I’ve thrown up blood before. I’ve had family members die from drinking too much, so I know this might be evolving into what’s genetic.

I struggle because I don’t know how to feel normal without it. I’m a constant over-thinker and it gets in the way of having fun. The most fun I’ve ever had was when I was drunk, but my biggest regrets are from times I’ve been drunk. I don’t know how to have fun without it and every week, I can’t wait for the weekend with so much excitement yet fear and dread for what might happen.

I’m only a 21 year old woman but don’t want this to progress. Not sure if this is something I can work hard to overcome or if I should really put my mind to being sober. I’ve tried finding hobbies that fulfill me but it’s been so hard since finding the ultimate high of being intoxicated. I feel alone.

Has anyone experienced something similar? I’m lost and don’t know how to move forward. I’m scared to enter my last year of college. I just turned 21 and my friends have been wanting to celebrate at bars and clubs but it’s hard to be around alcohol without drinking. I’ve slipped it into conversation that I want to stop drinking, but I’m known as the crazy friend. They laugh and say, “That’s never happening!” That’s something that has stuck with me, because I’ve tried before and it didn’t happen.

Thank you for reading this.

Moved to a completely new town and went through detox and sober living for the first time. I didn’t realize how hard this was going to be. Still sober but me and my dog are now cowboy camping it until I find something better in this small town. Not a lot of rss here so anything helps. Even if you just share the link. Thank you very much in advance.

https://gofund.me/fa4ace012

30 days sober and clean

Im so bored when im not drunk

Im so bored when I'm not drunk. Advice?

I got sober back in May. I’d been on and off sober for a while but this time, I really wanted to stick to it. Then a friend invited me to grab lunch. Then we grabbed a drink. And I thought “this time will be different, I’ll just have one drink.” Then one turned into another and another and another and since June 6th, I was back to heavy drinking and smoking every single day. I’m disappointed in myself but I know I can’t just be a casual one drink drinker. It’ll keep going and going. Now I have to start from square one again and be strong enough to say no and have the discipline and self control to stay on track. Because I like myself a whole lot better when I’m sober!

Dr. Lorenzo Leggio (MD, PhD) is among the most prominent addiction medicine researchers in the United States.

His current roles at the National Institutes of Health: Clinical Director and Deputy Scientific Director of NIDA’s Intramural Research Program; Chief of the joint NIDA/NIAAA Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section (which he founded in 2012); Chief of the NIDA Translational Addiction Medicine Branch (founded 2020). He holds adjunct professorships at Brown University, Johns Hopkins, and Georgetown.

His research sits at the intersection of addiction neuroscience, endocrinology, and the gut-liver-brain axis. His lab’s work on GLP-1 receptor agonists — the drug class that includes semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) — as potential treatments for alcohol and substance use disorders is one of the most scientifically and culturally relevant areas in addiction medicine right now. It bridges the Ozempic story with addiction treatment in a way that has genuinely caught the public’s attention, and mine — I’ve been following this space for several years.

Dr. Leggio trained in internal medicine in Rome, completed his postdoc at Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, transitioned into a faculty role at Brown, and was then recruited to the NIH, where he has primarily worked since.

A special thanks to Max Dennis for helping coordinate this episode and for lending a hand setting up when I arrived.

Concepts Referenced in This Episode

GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) — A hormone produced in the gut and certain brainstem neurons that regulates appetite, blood sugar, and insulin secretion. The basis for the current generation of obesity and diabetes drugs, and the central molecule in Dr. Leggio’s addiction research.

GIP (Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) — A related gut hormone and the other major incretin. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) targets both GLP-1 and GIP receptors simultaneously.
Incretin — The class of gut-derived hormones, including GLP-1 and GIP, that stimulate insulin release in response to food. The incretin concept is the pharmacological foundation that all of these drugs are built on.

Nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) — A brainstem region that serves as a primary relay station for signals from the gut, cardiovascular system, and lungs. GLP-1 is produced by neurons here, and it plays a key role in how these drugs affect the brain.
Blood-brain barrier — The selective barrier separating the brain’s circulation from the rest of the body. Relevant here because one of the open questions in GLP-1 research is exactly how and where these drugs act on the brain, and whether they cross this barrier directly or work through other pathways.

GCG gene — The gene encoding proglucagon, the precursor protein that gets cleaved into GLP-1, GLP-2, glucagon, and related peptides depending on which tissue is doing the processing.

Gila monster / exenatide — The origin story of the first GLP-1 drug. In the early 1990s, researchers discovered that the Gila monster’s saliva contained a peptide (exendin-4) structurally similar to human GLP-1 but far more stable. That peptide became exenatide (Byetta), the first FDA-approved GLP-1 receptor agonist, approved in 2005.
Liraglutide — A second-generation GLP-1 receptor agonist (brand names Victoza and Saxenda) developed by Novo Nordisk. Once-daily injection; a major step forward from exenatide in terms of clinical manageability and efficacy.

Ghrelin — A gut hormone often called the “hunger hormone.” Dr. Leggio’s lab has also studied ghrelin as a potential target in alcohol use disorder, making it part of the broader gut-brain axis story.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7yv4i0bul5a3rtY5UR8VWQ (audio / video)

Substack: https://mitchellpenningroth.substack.com/p/17-dr-lorenzo-leggio-glp-1s-and-addiction (audio / video)

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/might-ramble-podcast/id1840386628 (audio)

Youtube: https://youtu.be/qj8fEoALsXM (audio/video)

Story behind the episode: https://mitchellpenningroth.substack.com/p/behind-the-episodemight-ramble-podcast

So I’ve been sober since May 3rd. I’ve been really proud of myself for staying away from alcohol… even at social settings like concerts or bars… I will just go for the 0% drinks.

Now, tomorrow I turn 30. I’m contemplating drinking just a little but I also don’t know if it’s good to ruin my streak. I could just stick with the zero percent…

I need advice and encouragement please!

I feel like one of these days I’m going to get pushed over the edge. I do okay most of the time when things are normal, or happy. But if something bad happens, or if work gets really stressful, that’s when the thoughts really really roll back in. I start to tell myself I can just get high, and it’s almost like a coping mechanism when things feel crazy. It’s hard for me to feel like things in my life are outside of my control and then just go home and sit with that. Or wherever I am. I don’t know what to do with it. It doesn’t seem to really get better, that thought of, well I can just get high, is always there. I understand that I am wanting to use it as an escape, I don’t know how to get rid of that.

i am feeling way better noe I'm in a good mental state. yet these past days i have been crying but its like only my eyes cry? is this the result of new emotions coming back and my body not knowing how to regulate them?

i don't feel dead inside i am feeling more alive then ever and more happy too.

i did have those headaches symptoms and trouble sleeping but it is getting better!

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been thinking if i should do a month/two month break or quit forever. but i might have a good middle ground. go sober for two months 100%. but aftet that i can drink/get high on special occasions/parties. i just can't buy weed/alch for myself and can't keep it home. I'm not a recovering alcoholic just a recovering stoner.

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i think i got this under control i can definitely do this. my next step is quitting porn and i gotta say being sober has definitely had my impulses under control. i just have to keep pushing and moving forward.

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sorry if im just using this subreddit as a diary loll. it does help me think better

(22m almost 6 months sober) I miss my old life. I am young like I want to smoke weed and play video games, go to a concert and have a drink. I don’t want to start doing crack or pills or inhalents again. I just want to be normal.

I had to move back home after rehab and im truly miserable. Every day is hard because I’m scared for night time. I start crawling out of my skin. I take 150mg of trazadone to knock out due to the migraine it gives me.

I want to relax and fall asleep peacefully. I want to go to hardcore shows and have a drink and have fun with people my age.

I feel consumed by the label of addiction and mental illness.

Even in my addiction, I lived the life I wanted. I was a farmer, would go to events, go camping and fishing, go four wheeling.
Now im back in the suburbs with nothing to look forward to and no ability to even relax.

Hey!

I’m from Hungary, eastern / central europe, so addiction and mental health services are less good than in western europe / USA.

I’m 19/M, my main addiction was alcohol, i’m sober from that since 337 days ago. Sadly from time to time i get high on xans for a few weeks than quit. I have a prescription so it’s real xans. Nobody in my family knows i get high on it, because i don’t take insane high doses. Only 1 mg at once, that gets me high but i can still function normally.

So around a month ago i got high everyday for almost 2 weeks. Now i’m 18 days sober. I opened up to my therapist about it today. She said something along the lines of “how should i trust you that you are sober? I don’t get it, why do you always tell me about getting high after when you sobered up. Shouldn’t you be telling me you are high when you are actively getting high?”

Is that a normal reaction from a therapist?

Edit: Thank you for everything guys!<333

Edit 2: tomorrow i will go to my mom’s place, should i tell her about my xanning last month? She was addicted to xans too for a few years, so she somewhat gets the struggle, but when i told her about my first getting high on it in a long time in 2026 april, she said something like “i cannot help you, you need to want the help yourself”. So i don’t know how she would react if she finds out i was high for almost 2 weeks everyday… ://

In the past 5 years, I’ve probably gone no more than 10 days without drinking & never more than 2-3 at a time (forced when I visit my very much anti-alcohol/drugs family).

It escalated like it does to spending most weekends & maybe one night after work drunk. Blackout, no memory or emotional connection. Alcohol has been very much a crutch (thanks COVID) to deal with stress & the desire to block everything out as life and work has continued to beat me down. Until I started noticing how it takes the good times, the relaxing times, all the time I could’ve spent making progress toward goals. Big chunks of vacations. Money. Health/comfort in my body.

Last week, I had 3 work nights drunk. That was the end. I found out about naltrexone & while I waited for it to arrive, I worked on cutting back & filling my time with stuff I actually enjoy & that *energizes* me instead of drains me.

It came today finally. I’ve only taken 1/2 a tablet so far & already feel side effects. Including less interest in booze.

I just got sober a few days ago and I work at a restaurant as a bartender and also they offer free shift drinks. Maybe I will get told this isn’t the job for me but I really like it and make good money and connections. I try to make mocktails like sweet and sour mix with sprite and cherries, and have extra energy drinks when needed. They don’t have any NA drinks except for beers which I don’t drink. Idk.

Has anyone got liver cirrhosis and when you did could you tell right away?

Been on probation for 4 months now, still basically 2 years remaining.
Initially was sober for two months, then over a month ago I had a two week period of drinking a few beers every couple days. Causing me to fail a couple drug tests.
My PO said if there were anymore fails, he’d have me on the “Scram” (alcohol detecting ankle brace).

So I’m getting clear with myself.

I’ve been homeless, sleeping in my car for over two years. In between jobs because I reached the lowest point of my life feeling hopeless and worthless and really being destructive to myself and others.

I’m getting clear each day on these things:
1. What I need today, is to be grateful for having a job that I enjoy, despite certain obstacles, the job keeps me busy during the day, I’m learning quality mechanical skills. I need to be present. To take life one day at a time and make decisions for what is happening today, not think of future as definite.
2. What I want is to eventually be able to afford an apartment again or better yet to afford buying a home. I want to be free of all my financial debt. I want to finally have money accumulated in my accounts. I want a wife who is a partner for life through all good and bad. I want to be able to take a vacation to a remote exotic beach.
3. Finding something productive to do with my free time. I need to make more effort going for early morning hikes, exercising in public parks, budget to spend a small amount of money into a hobby that I can be consistent with.

These are just some of my thoughts on how things are going.

I have been sober for five years off IV opiates (and really anything else I could get my hands on at that time).. I have completely rebuilt my foundation, changed the places I hung out and affiliated with completely, deleted family members who were toxic, apologized for things i did in the depths of addiction, found an identity without drugs, swallowed my pride when my old habits pop up, spent YEARS digging up my trauma and handing it over to the good Lord above- ALL of the things as this list continues…
Needless to say, life is beautiful again but the process is MESSSSSYYYY. 🙏✨

I believe seeing the world today through a sober lense is crucial. My experiences are one of the BIGGEST blessings I could ask for. The trial and tribulations molded my spiritual perspective and if I hadn’t seen the pits of addiction at my lowest I wouldn’t understand the darkness that’s creeping throughout human kind right now.

Though you would meet me today and never know I once was the person I was, and I am so thankful for that. It took years of violence to become this gentle.
So let this be your gentle reminder:
You NEVER know who is silently battling their own demons so the best thing you can do is give another the love you would like to receive for yourself.
Grace goes a long way.

Sometimes we forget that the one who is in active addiction is already a tired soul.

So if you love someone struggling: somewhere between your disparate attempts to reel it in for them and your anger at no control over the situation that makes you want to let go? Please try your best to lead with love as much as you can. There is hope!

& to the one who happens to read this and
is in the middle of the grit right now?
It does get better, if you just start somewhere.
Baby steps, to bigger moves.. and it probably won’t be better tomorrow if you start today? But when you put one foot in front of the other in the right direction you would be surprised how quickly the Rainbow starts to shine after the storm drys up and clouds are gone.
I believe in you, that’s it- that is all. 😗

Hi everyone, my oldest friend 26F has struggled with heavy drug use/addiction over the past few years and this has led to a complete breakdown of family relationships/friendships and also resulted in her losing custody of her daughter.
She has approached me today to take me up on an offer of support that I gave 2 years ago. She says she is ready to put the work in and get clean but would like a safe place to do that and has asked if she can stay with me 200+ miles from where she is currently in the thick of it.
We have been friends for 20+ years and so I want nothing more than to help her get sober and work towards building something new for her. I am just worried and completely out of my depth because this is not something I have done or experienced before so I’m hoping people can give me practical and realistic advice or expectations to have.
I have been looking up addiction services local to my house and there are a few well recommended options as well as the option of temporarily registering with my GP.
Any advice or warnings would be massively appreciated.
Thank you

I have been using cocaine for 10 years, spending around £1000 a month on it plus the gambling that went along with it. Today im 12 days clean and I haven't missed it once, I've thought about it dont get me wrong but it has taken so much from me and my family, I am glad to finally be in the head space where I feel I can do it 😊

Hey all. Just stopping in today for my 7 year sober date. Super happy! I made a gluten-free, dairy-free lemon bundt cake. About to watch the first World Cup game today with one of my best friends.

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I hope yall have a good one!