Sober Story: Richard

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Richard: I’ve been sober since July 23rd, 2003. So almost 18 years.

Richard: My last weeks of drinking were pretty brutal. I was drinking to try and stop the withdrawals. I went on a 2-week bender whereby I didn’t eat and didn’t go to work.

Richard: I got sober when the alcohol stopped working and left me even more scared than ever. It wasn’t stopping the withdrawals.

Richard: The most difficult thing in early sobriety was learning to live with anxiety and paranoia without the crutch of alcohol.

Richard: Some good support from family but basically I was on my own.

Richard: No I have never had a relapse.

Richard: It took me 2 years to feel at ease with myself. I find socialising sober surprisingly easy especially with a couple of alcohol-free friends.

Richard: I was surprised to grieve at my parents divorce which was over 20 years before I got sober.

Richard: I lived in a bedsit all alone when I drank. Today I live with my wife and two children and a nice house. I am dependable at work and so much happier.

Richard: I would have got sober earlier.

Richard: Make sobriety your number 1 priority. Do not drink whatever excuses crop up. Get outside help (I went to AA for 8 yrs). Be true to yourself and don’t give in to peer pressure in this booze soaked culture.