Good for you! Know that it will be hard, but you can do it. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that just a little will be ok, play the movie forward when you do - see that it's not what you want - and know that you can do hard things. Feel a deep need to do hard things, the ability to do so will strengthen over time.
Praying for you. Find sober people. Try the mental tape interrupting phrase: "I wonder what my next thought will be." It confounds whatever tape your mind is invading with. Try it. You can't even immediately create another thought. It's very powerful in its ability to stop your mind which is what will betray you.
Just hit 5 years alcohol free! It was the single best decision I have ever made. It's so much easier than moderation to know that the answer is always no.
Congratulations! I passed 5 years too (January 1st). It's been the best decision too. Without substances to jump to when things come up, I'm left to deal with the problem itself. Over the 5 years, a lot of bit challenges / triggers have popped up, and through facing them, they soften while I grow. I wouldn't have had this opportunity to face the real shit without letting alcohol go.
I am on day 139. I was never a huge drinker to be honest (a couple of times a month), but when I did, I always woke up feeling like crap, embarrassed at my behaviour to varying degrees, and the hangovers lasted days if not weeks. It also held me back from achieving the goals that I'd set for myself by making me lazy and unmotivated. One day, after a particularly embarrassing episode where I'd had a proper drunken meltdown, I woke up the next morning and just decided I was done. Now, I've never felt better and more excited for the future!! 🙏
From the day of your comment you are one day longer than I have ever been without alcohol since age 15 (I’m 39 now). Drank heavily for over 20 years and developed a major anxiety disorder from it. Stopped on 08th August 2023 and like a total moron started again on 24th December 2023 (138 days). Starting a fresh now and as of 30th April 2024 I’m hoping that was my last ever drink!
@@eowden Epic bro, and to Simon, too. Day 294 now. It gets easier and better the longer that you do it. This last couple of months especially I've felt so on point. Keep it up!!
I really needed this today. I’m a former high functioning alcoholic. I gave up the booze for 12 months, then got back on it thinking I’ve changed. How was I wrong! I fell right back into my old habits. I gave it up again after seeing what I was turning back in to. I’m now closing in on another year sober. Best thing I did. To say alcohol was holding me back is an understatement. Life is so much better now, the things I’ve achieved in the 2 years supersedes everything I did 25 years prior
Yes its tricky with booze because we can get sober but if we're not working on everything that got us into trouble and being sober but still thinking alot about alcohol a relapse can really be deadly. Our bodies acclimated to being sober but our minds did not. One drink and oh boy. Tricky buisness the whole thing. Even sobriety has its dangers.
Encouraging to hear. I drink 1-2 beers a day during the week and like to party on the weekend. I have never had a problem holding down a good job or making money, but I’d probably be able to really accomplish something if I gave it up completely
@@qwertyui859 I was the same. I could party heaps and still run a successful business. Things only improved once I quit. Don’t realise how far it holds you back until you stop
Thats not true.... thats not true for loads of people. For example, me... and Dylan Moran, after some years he started drinking again. In many ways it's very brave to stay sober for 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 years... however, if i did that, i would be very sad if in that time, i cant even trust myself to have a red wine with dinner at a nice restaurant or nice whiskey occasionally in the evening. Or a cider.... I would see it as an evasion from the pleasure and beauty that life can bring. I mean, people have serious problems, im not denying that... and if you cant handle your alchohol that having a beer will set you off on a binge then by all means please stay safe and please stay sober. But if you can drink reasonably and appreciate mixology and don't really need alcohol to fill a hole in your life, or dont need alchohol as a crutch that drags you down into anxiety and depression and can just enjoy it... then why deny yourself forever. No point. People literally drink everyday... sometimes a bottle, 2 bottles of wine, sheesh... at that rate... yeah settle petal take a break. But, for usual cases.... i mean, you have to look at your life, alchohol isnt clearly 100% toxic, there's so many people that use it reasonably. I dont want to abuse alchohol or go prohibition era on it... I just want to have a quiet reverence for it. To appreciate it. That's an option too, all im saying.
@010 Oh i understand it, the way you mean it... i just happen to disagree with it, thats all. But i did write my words a little hasty and have edited my previous post now to be more reflective of my actual feelings and not so knee jerky as before. Yeah sorry about that :)
90 days alcohol free for me. I started "quitting" about 5 years ago. It's been a long process for me, going 6 months several different times, but then there would be that moment where i tell myself I'll just have a few... that turns into going back to the same old ways. For anyone starting this journey, be aware that after 90 days or so, you'll really start to feel a lot better. My mood is so positive now. When i laugh with friends and family, it is a great experience. It honestly feels like it did after a few beers when you're on cloud nine. Now it's natural. But it takes time to get there, so keep on the path and have faith. One day at a time. That's all we can do. One day at a time. Good luck!
You have nothing to gain from alcohol. The story in your mind that you can’t have a good time with your friends without it is a myth the alcohol industry has brainwashed you to belive in. I’m 4 years alcohol, nicotine, weed free. Trust me when i say that you will be better than you where with it!. You will never have that « tequila moment» where you are totaly euphoric. That « fuck the world, let’s party!» moment. But then again you will not have the hangovers, anxiety, regret, eating junk to recover, and have the energy to hit the gym the next day instead!!!. Getting a healthy high/good feeling from the post workout. The secret is to commit to quiting. And never take that « just one drink» fantasy again. You can do it!
I have the exact same experience like you and i am also in my 90 days.. I can confirm anything you say. I have been in AA group before but i don't like the God part.. The only difference this time is that i get a lot of help from videos like this in you tube and some groups at social media. I hope this time will be the end of this suffering . I am tired trying and go back again for so many years in my Life. I love the way i started to feel again and i don't wanna change this with anything
Day 33 for me! Hit a bit of a wall because my sleep patterns are all messed up, but I seriously can't wait to reach the 3 month mark. This time around feels so much different than the previous attempts... like it's gonna stick this time. Hitting 90 days of sobriety would be huge for me. Let's do thisssss
185 days sober and the change is outstanding, I talk to people that I would have never talked to before. Everyone is important to me now and I make sure everyone knows.
Coming up on 2 1/2 years alcohol free. I endorse all the positive messaging around the benefits of quitting. More energy, more mental clarity, calmer demeanor, better relationships, more usable time. 👍
Recently hit 7 years living alcohol free and it has by far been the best decision I have ever made in my life. More energy, clarity, and connection to purpose
@@victoravila5802 There should be weed shops with big comfy chairs that you can just melt into and chill, shit wouldn`t kick off like it does in bars, for about the last 6 years up until about 6 mnths ago I smoked weed in my bed at night ( 5 or 6 puffs was enough ) never touched it during the day , I`m off that at the min until I see the Doc about my constant wheezing that comes back now and then , I`m certain that was from when I drank for around 20 years and would have a hand rolled cigarette constantly burning in my hand with each can or pint of lager , gave up smoking cigarettes around 4 years ago but the tobacco in joints was giving me that crave for nicotine , so I started rolling blunts ( just pure weed, no tobacco ) 4 draws and it was Zzzzzzzz lol Great sleep , no hangover. I drive a taxi and a lot of younger folk these days seem to prefer weed instead of alcohol ,simply because of all the shit that comes with it , I believe this is the end game for pubs , they`ve already dwindled in numbers where I live. Cafe`s like in Amsterdam would do fantastic business lol Weed for a sleep at night is great but some people smoke it like cigarettes and that`ll be costly , kids may miss out on things, just like when a parent drinks all the money.
February 26th is my 25th year sober. It is the most transformative and pivotal moment in my life! It was hard to quit but I think I would have died if I hadn’t stopped!
I remember few years back after my wife died, I was left alone with 3 kids. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Got addicted to alcohol. Not until a friend recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment changed my life for better. I can proudly say i'm totally clean for 6 years and still counting. Always look to nature for solution to tough problems, Shrooms are phenomenal.
Can you help me with the reliable source 🙏. I'm 56 and have suffered for years with addiction, anxiety and severe ptsd, I got my panic attacks under control myself years ago and they have come back with a vengeance, I'm constantly trying to take full breaths but can't get the full satisfying breath out, it's absolutely crippling me, i live in Germany. I don't know much about these mushrooms. Really need a reliable source!! Can't wait to get them
Thanks for sharing your story. That's rough I sympathize. Save your health save your mind. Life is better without heroin, cocaine, alcohol and cigarettes. And you have more money in your pocket. God bless everyone who has rejected the devils intentions to be addicted to alcohol and cigarettes etc which can cause so much damage to health. I will pray for you all.
I first tried suicide at age sixteen; last time in my twenties. I started drinking in high school, really hard drinking in the Air Force, moderate drinking last 10 years. Twice during the past year I said things to people that I would not say if not drinking. I have been sober for 26 days and hope to remain sober after 50 years of drinking.
Keep it up. Do a cleanse and reset your entire body. When you feel up to it, I’d do 3 day water fast. Just cleanse your entire body. The universe is supporting you🙏🏻
8 years sober this year. You will be amazed how much clarity and time you get. Half my weeks were spent in bed recovering. Now I have 2 amazing kids, house, business 10x and relationship with my wife healed from nearly ending prior to stopping. Thanks for inspiring others and sharing your story!
It's still blows my mind in how alcohol is such a destroyer of purpose, potential, and productivity. It's more than likely far more addictive than we know and because it's tied to so many social events, it can be daunting to stop. It has caused me so much grief, loss of money, health, friends, and loved ones. Even homelessness....I just couldn't believe it was the booze but for me it's exactly that. I'm now 48 and believe me when I say I feel like I wasted so much time in bars. When I drink I care about nothing and want nothing.... sober, I want more from myself and out of life. It's night and day. I sincerely hope that I NEVER go back to alcohol.
👍🏾👍🏾👏🏾👏🏾Bravo, OP. it's tough. Alcohol makes our brain check out. That's a part of why many people drink. Many people don't want to (or feel like they can't, it's too late etc) do the work of being checked in and fixing their sh!t. Fix their bodies, relationships, and heads. YOU CAN do it (I do it, and I'm one of the weakest people I know). Meditation is just closing your eyes and learning how to be comfortable in YOUR HEAD. it may be hard at first. Do it anyway. Practice what's hard until it's easier, then perfect it. And keep practicing to keep the skill (this applies to breaking addictions, sports, musical instruments...anything worth doing) . You can change your life one baby step at a time. You will fall. It's okay. Get back up and climb, it's worth it. People who love you will thank you. Your kids and colleagues will respect you.
You both inspire the shit out of me, Thanks for the words of wisdom. Every time I've stopped I always went back but drastic change is real and I'll read this short convo through and through as the days go on.
Yes, the real addiction is how it can linger and integrate into our priorities... eroding priorities... energy... the health... the gut... making life absolutely harder than ever over time. Ironically making someone less capable of being social in exchange for those mere short bursts of lowered inhibitions that aren't really more social just more detached and not caring...ultimately to a destructive point if one keeps indulging. The shame and bad decisions aren't just a risk, they are inevitable for anyone when intoxicated. If it's needing an energy boost and lowered inhibitions for our priorities - "morning" exercise. I personally think 20+ min of yoga is a powerful start to become reacquainted with the sober self - stress tolerance in the day will be higher for sure, surprisingly, but because of the complex network of mental health connection to the body such as toxic emotions often sent to the muscle proteins like toxic waste storage - the research is available especially since the 70s and stretching is incredibly powerful for trauma release over weeks, months, and years.
I am 65 years old and alcohol has been a huge part of my whole life. My parents were both heavy drinkers, my mother an alcoholic. I eventually married an alcoholic and unfortunately the disease killed him, along with my lovely stepson. Despite all of this, and being an attendee of AlAnon (which I highly recommend for families and friends of alcoholics) I am also a drinker. (What!?). This just goes to show the influence of social manipulation and long time habits. My biological son, 32 has gone alcohol free after his own struggles with the poison and I am hugely grateful! Now it is my turn. Last year I did dry January and am doing it again this year but want to take it further. This podcast and the comments are so encouraging so I thank you Rich Roll, it came at just the right time for me. I’m going to research OYNB and continue to seek support in my efforts. I know it’s not going to be easy because of my long time social connections which are important to me, being a widow. THANK YOU!
Alcohol is poison. It was NEVER a good escape like walking diet gym church AA or like meetings and so on. What do I feel? Why? What would make me feel emotionally different? Yeah but I can’t ? Oh yeah why not ? Well I’d love to be sober on a beach. Ok so…. Or whatever. What’s My Wellness look like ?
Well done Lynn, I wish you well ❤ I came from an alcoholic family too, lucky my sister and I don’t, or hardly drink at all. I did marry an alcoholic, as did my son, I once asked a Dr, why would I do that ? He said it’s familiar to you, I get that now, I believe I’ve broken the circle.
Have you watched the Andrew Huberman podcast on alcohol? Theres a reason it was #1 on apple podcasts. Id been.7 years sober and it still had an effect on my perspective of alcohol. Go check it out it's on youtube!
I've been completely sober sincd 2018. Baby steps to get off weed, then alchohol and finally vegan in 2019. It's all a journey and my life has improved significantly.
You even went through the holiday without booze. You already managed not only staying sober for 100 days, but even managed your first Christmas and New Year without. You must feel great!
I’m so effing tired of drinking alcohol. So many bad events because of it. I’m done….. 18 years of drinking heavily I’m finally making peace with myself. not only saying it but truly feeling it in my core. The simple fact I’m looking up these videos gives me hope I’m on the right track. Reading everyone’s comments relieves the negative thoughts in my head thinking what a POS human I must be for not being able to quit. Tried countless times but no more. I’ve accepted I have no power over it. What a fool to think I can control it. The answer from now on is NO, I see it as poison. Poison to my life my body and soul.
@@kathrynwilson2467right with you there too only my sobriety is in minutes... used some wine for cooking and then falsely believed it would be nice to finish off the bottle today. I need my brain more than I realize sometimes. We all need our brains working well. We just underestimate this.
I'm 1 mouth sober I relate to everything I was a fool thinking I could control it I can't but I can't control not putting a alcoholic drink to my mouth and il do that God bless us 1 day at a time sweet Jesus 🙏💪❤️💪
After years of trying to quit booze I got the flu in Jan 2008 really bad 2 weeks in and out of it and knocking on deaths door on my living room couch by myself and I woke up booze free. I have no relationship to booze and don’t think about it. I cannot explain nor has anyone explained it. I cringe when people say great job quitting drinking because I can take no credit for quitting but all the rewards and I am very grateful.
Similar experience. I got bad flu this NYE so was forced off drinking and haven't touched it since. 2 months so far with zero alcohol is not something I would ever have thought I could achieve.
Going into my 2nd year. What i came to realize, and subsequently alwys tell people is - You are not missing out on anything..... Also im 40 years old so when you get older your friends and family is much more supportive to these kind of things so maybe its easier for me personally. Really glad i came this far. And again i promise you you dont miss out on ANYTHING!!
Great video. After about 15+ years of it and everything that comes with it; the endless drama, problems, chaos, health issues... I went cold turkey almost 7 years ago one day. Let me tell you. One the BEST things I've ever done for myself in my life. Everything improved. My health, my career, my relationships, my finances, my friends... Once you stop, take a step back and realize how much time, energy and money it was sucking out of you, you never wanna go back ever again. It is hard, at least at the beginning. Because, all the difficult emotions that you were pushing away with alcohol slowly start to come back, AND you lose all your dead-end, so-called "friends" aka glorified drinking buddies who never really cared about you. So it's emotional and lonely at first, but that's the price we pay for our health. And this means that you get a brand new chance to re-create your life and your own conscious community. You can do it!
Its certainty showing me who are the good souls in our world and there are some wonderful lights coming into orbit and giving so much more than those booze buddies ever did, family members incl. New family ...the chosen family!❤❤
Well said . I'm only 7 and a bit months in but I felt every word you said and imagined myself writing a comment in a video in 7 years and for someone else to see it and resonate with them .
3 year alcohol free. Never felt better and so proud of myself. Even when I was under tremendous pressure, I still stuck to my goal. I try to encourage everyone I know and speak to to embrace this as it's been life changing for Me.
When Ruari talks about how REM sleep is when nueroplasticity functions mostly take place... WOW. Like, I learned this in A & P but to hear it so simply put. When we are regularly drinking [heavily], our learning essentially takes a hiatus. No wonder we feel so stagnant and frustrated!! Day 8 no booze, 5 meetings in those 8 days, getting through shifts behind a bar but abstaining from the sauce. Overall I'm exhausted but trusting the process and very grateful for a clear head. Love this podcast.
4 1/2 years ago, Andy Ramage was on your podcast with OYNB and it got me going down the path of seeing my relationship with alcohol for what it really was and ultimately deciding to quit. Rich, I can't thank you enough your continued advocacy on sobriety!
In the Netherlands i heard many say "drinking with people is a social activity.. you can't have fun without alcohol cause people won't get relaxed".... I was in shock 😲. And because i don't drink at all, i was always in charge of bringing those "relaxed people" home safely (hammered and passed out). Ps: the conversations i heard during the ride home were the most idiotic thing i have ever listened to. And people who drink are 100% confident that they are effective and functioning. Absurd
I had to realize when I was hanging out w people who drank (I used to drink problematically). If they drank consistently how could I expect moral standards. My relationships are much better now.
I can’t stand to be around people when they’re drinking for this exact reason. It literally sucks the energy right out of me. My brother is an alcoholic. He lives 3 houses down from me and I don’t even invite him over anymore it’s so emotionally exhausting dealing with him when he’s sauced which is every day!
Currently on day 6 booze free. I quit for three years several years back, and fell off the wagon again, attempting to limit it with limited success. Couldn't ignore how good my life was for those three years. Excited to get back to that state again.
@@Leahmoonbeamflower personally it's just kinda a will thing every time I drive by the liquor it's hard going to the gym helps but I really like not waking up feeling sick I was drinking a fifth and a pint of sailor jerry or some type of whiskey a day
@@masterjackson536I dont get those cravings but ive been to AA and it sounds like you probably need to go. White knuckling sobriety sounds miserable. Im 5 months alcohol free and 2 months kratom free, I go out still and go to concerts and I never get a craving. I personally will most likely die if I go on another 3 weeks long blackout bender.
Yes! I'm 29 years sober. My kids have never seen me loaded, stayed married for 26 years and I've been able to accomplish so much. Besides, as a bonus, my skin looks pretty good for my age!
I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease back in 2005 my husband at the time was quite a heavy drinker a few years after that decided to help him get off alcohol so I also quit alcohol well lo and behold all the graves disease symptoms went away as soon as I got off from alcohol so in the long run found out Graves’ disease to me was an allergic reaction so if I wouldn’t of gotten off from alcohol I would’ve been taking a pill for the rest of my life but since I quit when my husband was trying to quit I found that it was a reaction I was having if people knew just how much their health was messed up on alcohol they probably would never touch it again Alcohol is so bad for you and people just don’t realize it
back when i was drinking heavily, booze was over HALF of my food budget. now it's zero cuz i quit 2 years ago, i moved out on my own & i can do pretty much whatever i want. don't fall for the rumors & ads folks!
thanks bro. pictures of me from back then are horrible too. i'm like 10x healthier now. the whole story of that period in my life is a freaking nightmare. @@WendyHannan-pt7ez
I saw this dude on the internet a few years ago and tried to go one year without booze. I did it and sailed through all the tough I thought would be tough....Christmas, anniversaries etc. After 53 weeks I had a beer and thought..."Meh". I have an occasional drink...maybe one every 2-3 months or longer. Stopping for a year broke a fairly well ingrained habit. Nothing positive comes from alcohol. You deserve to give it up. You're worth it!
Good one!! I knew I would never drink the same whilst I had given up for a year too. It's just too good without the stuff. Shame you have to give up before you can realise that. Some people never will 🙁
I’m on 75 days alcohol free. I spent five days in ICU in November for acute pancreatitis. Second time in 2023. I’ve lost 20 pounds and I sleep 6 hours straight now. I used to sleep maybe 3 hours a night and not continuously. I was drinking 8-12 drinks a day from morning to night. Would wake up at 3 am and be out of alcohol, get up, drive to the all night package store for beer or liquor. Was spending $200-300 a month on alcohol, minimum.
I have cut waaaaaay back on alcohol (last year I hardly drank) and I loved it. I am not an alcoholic but you dont need to be an alcoholic to want to stop.
7 years no alcohol. Not a sip. My only struggle is having to deal with society about it. People cannot be social without it. It’s everywhere. People need to escape their reality by getting drunk and it’s destructive.
Move to a liberal city where so many are used to practice alcohol free lives..Ny, Chicago, LA, Miami, Houston, or any of the suburbs. Find an AA meeting near u. Good luck 💜
Move to a liberal city because no one drinks in those places.. or uses any other drugs including legal weed, for escaping reality. Good strategy. What works is doing healthy activities and then finding the people that participate that live a lifestyle you want to live. Then just hang out with those people. Moving isn’t going to help unless you live in a really small dead end type of place.
In some places I saw alcohol reduce social inhibition(lubricate socializing) and in other places I saw it aid in escapism/delusion. Problem is that marinating the brain in a compound like alcohol is harmful to the brain and especially toxic to the whole body. We can do better than inebriate and stupefy our sober, natural brains.
Haha 😂❤ I absolutely did not grow out of alcoholism. Alcohol is trash and when I gave it up my career absolutely skyrocketed. Give the Universe a chance and stop thinking we are so powerful-when I was 90 days sober I was sat next to a billionaire investor at my firm during a dinner party. I noticed he wasn’t drinking and I said “no French wine for you?” and….he told me he was sober 15 years. Needless to say we became very close that evening and made a connection that would never have been possible without my choosing sobriety. I now manage $7B in real estate assets in his portfolio and have done so successfully and sober for 4 years.
The elephant in the room that no one ever talks about: which is that the buzz you get from alcohol is a lot of fun! Not everyone out there has all these social anxieties that are always mentioned. Many of us simply enjoy the buzz. Many of us love getting together with our close friends, either to just socialize at home together or out at a pub, or maybe all together at a street festival, or to see live music. The thought for us is that all of those activities are a wonderful, wonderful thing on their own, so with alcohol, we're enhancing that fun up several notches with the shared buzz from alcohol. When you're with your close friends and drink together, it's communal; it's bonding. It's like we're all entering a cozy, enclosed, womb-like space ship, and we're blasting out to space together, sharing this adventure. The very key is balancing drinking with sacred sober time. People can do both.
I understand what you mean. I think I’ve had much better interactions soberly though. At the end of the day, it doesn’t do the body good. I always would feel high and lovely in the moment and even with a little alcohol I could feel it affect my sleep and the next day. 😅
@@krystiesolfyre5340 That's great to hear that you have found that being completely sober works for you; that's cool. 👍 😃 I am not encouraging people to drink. I'm merely pointing out that for those of us who do -- and who are successful at finding the balance of our times of alcohol consumption with times of sober periods -- that we enjoy the buzz quite a bit from drinking. During the course of a week, a month, I am sober way much more than I am when I get a buzz on. When I'm not meeting up with friends for a cocktail (or two, or three), I survive on a diet that is whole-foods, entirely plant-based, no oils, low fat, high complex carbohydrates. I do an upper-body workout followed by a run six days per week. I hold down a full-time job. I cook. I read. I hike in the woods. And so on. I only mention those things not to brag but to say that a person can easily enjoy the wonderful buzz from periodic alcohol consumption and still lead a healthy and fulfilled life. I hear ya about the next day, though -- that can be rough at times. 😆
At the beginning, don't say that you will never drink again. Just set small goals. Try it for a week. Get sleeping pills if you need them. Just starting is the hardest part. It gets easier as you start to feel better. It might not be true, but I have heard that after three months sober, a lot of the damage is repaired. It's a cliche, but it really is best to just say one day at a time.
If I can quit ANYONE can quit. No excuses, end of story. Either you want to change your life for the better or you don't. Yes it's hard, but that hard is temporary, sobriety is worth the good fight, trust me.
I know what you mean , I’m going on a sober journey again ( the last time) started yesterday, you may have seen it else where but one drink is to much and 10 ain’t enough. Good luck when you start your journey
I gave up alcohol completely 22 years ago and I have never wanted another drink since. I am with Rich 100% on this, if someone needs the ‘occasional’ drink, they are dependent on it. When you know you are going to stop, you get scared about giving up the old way of living with booze, but when you decide you are going to do it, you do it. I lost drinking friends immediately after I stopped, their loss not mine. When you know about the dangers of even a little bit of alcohol, you cannot go back. I read the Allen Carr ‘How to control alcohol’ by the last chapter you know you are never going to drink again. I would recommend that book to anyone.
Hope everyone here in the comments spreading love and support are well. I stopped drinking on the 28th of December. Ive had enough of feeling like crap because of alcohol
Used to drink daily, 2 drinks, 3 drinks, some whiskey. The last 5 years I now only drink on weekends, and it's usually just one beer. But now, starting this summer, I have switched to nonalcoholic beer. I have already noticed the difference not drinking at all. Better mood, waking up much fresher and just feeling better overall.
I'm a cutter-downer, not a quitter. I was able to cut down my alcohol consumption to levels that I am happy with ONLY after I got serious about managing my stress - getting aware of just how stressed I actually was , and proactively finding ways to address it , and then somehow I quit drinking so much. Feels like a miracle still ❤
194 days alcohol free. When you are in your 20's you think that you live forever and nothing can stop you. I was close to 30 when I first time started to question my drinking. Now I am 38 and I don't want to go back to my old habits. I want to show my kids, that there is a better way to live. I hope they will never touch that poison, like I did.
TIME! That’s brilliant! Within the past few years I have listened and read multiple books and podcasts about this subject and began to believe i was not capable of controlling myself but hearing what I’ve already known deep inside…With TIME I’ve grown stronger and stronger around the idea of drinking and what it means to me…it no longer has a grip on my mind and I feel it getting stronger and stronger with TIME….There is some sense of reassurance in knowing I’m doing the right thing…that there is nothing “wrong” with me….
Thanks for watching! Only request-if this video or my channel generally has delivered you value, please subscribe. Oddly like 80% of all our views is from non-subscribers -- clicking that button will help us grow of course, but in turn that improves our ability to attract and book the best domain experts in the world - so I can provide you with the best conversations and actionable advice. Thank you! Meanwhile if you want to read more about Ruari & ONYB or peruse the show notes, you can find all of that and more on our website here👉🏾bit.ly/richroll805
I shared this on my Facebook! I’m alcohol free since April 2023. I wasn’t much of a drinker before, but had too many black out moments on the rare occasion I did drink. Not a good look or feeling. I’m soooo much happier without alcohol
I couldn't sober up until my antidepressants were increased. You can call alcohol a DEPRESSANT all you want, but it was the only thing that made my life worth living.I felt HAPPY every time I drank. Heavy drinker for 40 years....finally sober for 2 weeks now the cymbalta kicked in.
I am very grateful for all of the voices and efforts of those advocating for alcohol free living. I am mystified, however, that people with the knowledge and convictions about alcohol like Ruari and Andrew Huberman still drink alcohol on occasion. As someone who is aiming to never drink, based on the knowledge they have so expertly shared, the fact that they enjoy alcohol at times is yet another challenge to overcome on the journey to live AF.
My boyfriend doesn’t drink and I stopped completely too and it’s been the very best thing I did for my life. The occasional drink for me wasn’t worth it.
13 months sober. Moderation did not work, brought me back to 2nd round of treatment within a year. Thank God I understand my relationship with alcohol, and it is absolute abstinence. The 12 steps & AA save me daily
My biggest regret is being born into a generation that didnt know better until our 30's. Alcohol free lifestyle is so much more meaningful. Choosing to be present in life has endless benefits. I want to become a water influencer. Its the only drink we need!!
Watching your videos Rich is what helped me start dabbling into sobriety back in 2020. Been an on and off battle but it feels like these videos are a nice little safe space for me, especially the ones with Ruari. Love his message and enthusiasm! Thank you for making these videos, they are truly amazing. 39 days sober today :)
Really enjoyed this one. My abuse of alcohol, drugs and sex was a direct result of childhood trauma. I wish AA would deal with trauma in a modern fashion. None of us are diseased. Healing and recovery can take place outside “the rooms” ❤️
I know, right! I’ve been through AA a couple of times in my life and they’re insistence that “God” was keeping me sober one day at a time was just downright silly! That insinuated that I had nothing to do with my own sobriety! AA shoves religion down your throat at every turn. I never went back.
@PETER394100 clearly you didn't stick around long enough to know what you're talking about. AA changed my life and taught me to be a better person and never shoved God or anything down my throat. A higher power is anything bigger than yourself. Like say.. the great outdoors, your love for your children. Sounds like you're just kind of a judgmental prick though.
It's so refreshing to see how alternatives to 12-step are showing up for people for whom 12-step just doesn't fit for whatever reason. Community is so key, too. Having a program that addresses the things that have people reach for alcohol(because we are programmed from very young ages that it is the way to cope)in the first place is really powerful. It's dealing with the actual problems/causes rather than the symptom. Love it❣ Thank you, Ruari, for what you are doing and Rich for giving him a platform on which to share the passion.💖
75 days sober from alcohol. I’ve successfully completed a 60 day alcohol program 2 times and relapsed shortly after. So this 75 days is very important. It means I can get to 90
Thank you Rich for all you do for all us Alcoholics out there! 🙏. I liked how you didn’t completely buy into Ruari Fairbairns “One Year No Beer” system. After two relapses, I finally had to admit I’m Power Less over alcohol and accept and surrender. Been clean and sober for two years now and my life is amazing. I watch all your Podcasts! I’m forever grateful for you and admire the work you’re doing! TY! 😁🙏❤️👊💪🧘♂️
I got sober for 17days on 23rd Jan this year. Which I haven't even been able to do for 3 days consecutively when I was heavily drinking for 10 years prior to this. I then relapsed on 8th feb and went on a bender until 25th march where I stopped again because I was turning yellow. But this time I managed to go sober for 66 days. It does get better. Its true that most people grow out of it in time 23:57 . The problem is we hardly have that patience as an alcoholic. Do it a day at a time. Every min every hour after that last cup counts. I'm still having trouble to got to that day 1 again. Haven't stopped drinking since 30th may. I don't know where I'm going to with this convo. But I know once I start day 1 again, I'll go more than 66 days now.
We can all be a positive influence on those who still choose to drink. I would love to see a comment from someone who says going alcohol free negativity affected their life. I've never read that. It may be uncomfortable from time to time however the benefits far outweigh anything that came from drinking. Thank you Rich for bringing this message to your audience. I will never go back to drinking, my life is so much better being sober!
Makes me laugh how Europeans have red wine a "part of the meal" it's still alcohol! And those drinking it with dinner most likely wanted the red wine more than the meal.
I quit drinking alcohol the day after listening to that huberman lab podcast about alcohol… was drinking 12 beers/ day minimum… haven’t had a drink in a year and a half. It’s been awesome
I started drinking slightly more lately every weekend and I've felt so much worse. I'll have to just stop. This will be hard but optimal for mental physically and spiritual health 🙏
Getting some basic sleep analysis tools was the final nail in the coffin for me in quitting drinking. It's absurd how a single serving of booze ruins your sleep hygiene for like the next 2-3 days. And if you can't see the data you don't even notice it until it's "too late". I'm not ruining my sleep for anything anymore, fuck that.
Annoys me when I refuse offered booze at gatherings, I get looked at like there's something wrong with me. Even one drink is pointless to me. Makes no sense! Yet I'm the one who's the odd one out! Insanity.
Time as an intervention is fascinating and I can relate due to my age. As I fast approach 50, my life is monumentally different than it was even 10 years ago when going out with friends and drinking was a regular activity. As I get older and my life revolves less and less around friends and more around family as well as my health, I see little to no value. Since the new year, I’ve had a beer here and there out of habit but I also started training for my first 10K run. Without even trying, I find myself simply not even thinking about having a drink in the evening because I’m not craving it due to the work I put in during the day. Seems counterproductive and especially for someone like me working to get back into running shape. I feel it won’t be long before I simply just stop altogether as my priorities continue to change. I wish the “time” intervention had hit me sooner but can’t dwell on the past and can only control what happens now and going forward. Great podcast!
Great info. Alcohol was never a big problem for me but decided to quit over a year ago. No regrets. I was a little surprised to hear Ruari say he occasionally drinks. Seems like Rich was too!
It is surprising. And made me ponder that he still sees some benefit in consuming. If you know it’s shit why even have one when there’s so many NA versions of anything nowadays.
I was very surprised also! I think after the research, surveys he has done he has to say he occasionally drinks. It scares people if you say never never again will I drink. I think he says it for his business side of things still to get people to enrol on the course.
I did 3 months off leading up to my 50th birthday. My first break that I could remember. So I followed up the next year with another 3 months. It was equally great and also easier. The third year I did 3 months followed by 5 months in the same year. This year after a couple of weeks of very moderate drinking over Christmas I’m back on another 5 months off again. This is working great for me. I don’t binge when I return and in fact each time I do the experience of having that drink diminishes further. This year I plan on doing 2 x 5 month breaks. 2025 I may go an entire year and who knows from there! 🤷🏻♂️
How I did it too. 10 days, couple of weeks. A month, 6 months, one year no beer. I knew I wasn't going to drink the same again during that year off. It was correct. It's progress that matters, not perfection 👌 💯 ✨️
@@annahunter2192 congratulations and totally agree - progress not perfection. That perhaps doesn’t work for some who have a more addictive relationship with alcohol - I think mine is more habitual. It’s become gradually more and more an exception rather than the norm. And the fact that I may allow myself a drink or two on a special occasion here and there means I’m not faced with a an ultimatum style “all or nothing” approach. Anyway, well done for getting to this point. Sounds like you’re at a (good) point of not return. 👏
@Kikioz271 Great to hear!! It's so good on the 'other side.' I don't wanna go back there now. Sometimes I feel repulsed when I drive past the booze shop so it's really working now. Thank goodness. I did 30 years of drinking before I thought about giving up!
Wow!!! This podcast was so fundamental absolute phenomenal, I've been drinking for nearly 40years bcus of childhood issues, i am slowly now winding down. This podcast has made me open the curtains to seek the light through the window now knowing its never to late 🙌 God bless you both and to all of you who are on the same page ❤❤
Amazing message! I am doing sober 2024 and youtube algorithm somehow knew it and suggested this video. Really touching story and thank you for inspiration to keep going with my sober year❤
I am in the alcohol industry. You can live sober in a drunk world. Just know that you will be different. Do what is right. Be kind no matter what people say. I don't drink. I don't talk about it. I eat vegan. I don't talk about it. When people ask I am kind in my response and help if they want it. Coffee is another killer. Caffeine free is amazing.
Agreed. Coffee is the rare, maybe once per month event for me. I replaced coffee drinking with tea instead. I prefer tea now because it's less caffeine so less jittery feelings and also it's less acidic than coffee. Daily coffee drinking was messing up my stomach.
I will never not love drinking. It is in a word "fun" but at some point I did a cost benefit analysis and realized that I did not want to enjoy a few hours of pleasure in exchange for the next 24 hours of abject misery, extreme fatigue depressed mood intense sugar cravings horrible Brian fog and apathy. I came up with this idea that drinking is like taking a mortgage out on any joy I might experience tomorrow so I can use it today. I still drink but very infrequently. I choose the occasions where it's sort of worth it to me. As for the social pressure the struggle is most certainly real!!! You will be called out left out made to feel like you're ruining others good time or somehow judging them simply by your presence. It's hard. It's like a tax or faking O. You have to work your ass off to prove you're still having just as much fun as everyone else or like the golf thing next time you won't be included. That said significantly cutting back on drinking has been one of the best things I've done for physical and mental health. Every Saturday and Sunday I wake up and can do whatever I want because I'm not hung over
You don’t have to work your ass off to show people you’re still fun. That’s absolutely ridiculous. Find some new friends. If you have to force yourself to seem happy when you’re hanging out with them, they must be terrible people.
Gotta drop those "friends". I go on a 3 day ice fishing trip every year with some friends and they are all heavy drinkers. I currently drink 2-5 drinks a year if that and last year I didn't have a single sip on our trip. Yeah, they swore up and down they were going to get me to have a drink but at the end of the day we all had a great time and I got to laugh at their hung over asses. Never once did they make me feel bad about my decision not to drink. They actually applauded me. Change your circle. You don't need that.
Ten years ago, I began a self created program to drink less. It worked, but it was tough. I spent two years not drinking at all, then had a few times a year. I have grown out of needing it. It's totally possible to change your relationship with anything. It's not easy though... but possible.
It's been 4years alcohol free, fake friends gone, real relationship has came. New routine such as reading book, exercising, longer time with family,always in good condition, calmed personality etc...there are so many good effects, but the best thing I got from free alcohol is that I could have enough time to looking me my inside.😊
I have been wanting to stop during for a few years… although not a heavy get drunk or have hangovers drinker, I didn’t like the control it had over me. I liked it too much and the feeling it gave me. I always prayed God please take the desire to drink away. (He did with marijuana 23 yrs ago🙌🏽) but He wasn’t doing it that way with alcohol. Lo an behold I decide to do a 3 day water fast. I wanted to reset my gut from all the trash food I had been eating since October. I am blown away that it literally took the desire for alcohol AWAY!!🙌🏽🙌🏽 I feel so free! A part of my brain has been freed up from thinking about alcohol except for thanking God every day that He did it AGAIN! This time I just had to suffer a little😂 I think that He definitely led me to do the 3 day water fast. I only made it 65 hrs but that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made🙌🏽🙌🏽🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤ Nothin but joy since Jan 3🥰
I wish there was an equivalent to a pub where you could go out and enjoy an alcohol free evening. I used to enjoy going to Borders books because they had live music some nights and a non-alcohol drink bar. I’m not aware of anything like that now where you can socialize if you don’t want to be confronted with alcohol
I went from 3 bottles of wine a day to 3 bottles a week. Moderation isnt working for me anymore so im quiting completley. Im glad i slowed down but its time to stop. Strong journey everyone.
2 days sober , again! I’ve tried to control it and only drink on the weekends, every Monday and Tuesday I white knuckle myself sober, on Sunday I drank 30 beer. I don’t want to moderate my drinking! It is such a waste of my life. It’s dangerous, happy to have stumbled across this podcast tonight. Thanks Rich your solid !!!
Over my life I’ve had my mistakes and binged too many times, but for the past 10 years this never happens anymore. These days, I’m enjoying a glass or two of wine 3 nights per week. I agree that it’s not good even at this level and know that I should just completely stop…. The little voice inside me is working on it. Thanks for having this conversation.
My favorite talk! Thank you Listened three times! So true You are doing great things for society We need this and more! Alcohol ruins lives and it’s promoted everywhere we go, even celebrities are pushing it on us. Meanwhile people are dying from it.
Cheers guys for doing what you are doing. Stop drinking and smoking was the best decision of my life for sure. The only regret is that I haven't done it earlier. Cheers again! Keep it up!
9 days clean from heroin today, I haven't done this long for 6 years now... One day at a time.. 💙🙏
Good for you! Know that it will be hard, but you can do it. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that just a little will be ok, play the movie forward when you do - see that it's not what you want - and know that you can do hard things. Feel a deep need to do hard things, the ability to do so will strengthen over time.
I have found myself looking into religion alot more... But it seems to be working. 💙@@kimberlyf4888
Praying for you. Find sober people. Try the mental tape interrupting phrase: "I wonder what my next thought will be." It confounds whatever tape your mind is invading with. Try it. You can't even immediately create another thought. It's very powerful in its ability to stop your mind which is what will betray you.
Keep it going 🫂
One day, one moment at a time. You can do this
Just hit 5 years alcohol free! It was the single best decision I have ever made. It's so much easier than moderation to know that the answer is always no.
Congratulations! I just hit year 2, and agree completely.
👍🏽completely agree and I feel like this is what our courteous host is holding back from saying here.
@@skoolie_life32612 years for me too! It's a great feeling.
how did you do it? I can't seem to drop it
Congratulations! I passed 5 years too (January 1st). It's been the best decision too. Without substances to jump to when things come up, I'm left to deal with the problem itself. Over the 5 years, a lot of bit challenges / triggers have popped up, and through facing them, they soften while I grow. I wouldn't have had this opportunity to face the real shit without letting alcohol go.
I am on day 139. I was never a huge drinker to be honest (a couple of times a month), but when I did, I always woke up feeling like crap, embarrassed at my behaviour to varying degrees, and the hangovers lasted days if not weeks. It also held me back from achieving the goals that I'd set for myself by making me lazy and unmotivated. One day, after a particularly embarrassing episode where I'd had a proper drunken meltdown, I woke up the next morning and just decided I was done. Now, I've never felt better and more excited for the future!! 🙏
i think it can truly affect us for days as it affects so many organs. Drinking is slow suicide. Be well!
From the day of your comment you are one day longer than I have ever been without alcohol since age 15 (I’m 39 now). Drank heavily for over 20 years and developed a major anxiety disorder from it. Stopped on 08th August 2023 and like a total moron started again on 24th December 2023 (138 days).
Starting a fresh now and as of 30th April 2024 I’m hoping that was my last ever drink!
Day 137 AF. Worth it!!
@@eowden Epic bro, and to Simon, too. Day 294 now. It gets easier and better the longer that you do it. This last couple of months especially I've felt so on point. Keep it up!!
Great job 🎉
This was a calling from god I’m 4 months clean and my energy and mental clarity is out of this world
Well played.🤙🏻
Give yourself credit. God had nothing to do with it.
Yea been a diabetic for 34 years and fasting has given me so much energy - same relationship!
Congrats, how old are you?
Don't listen to Bryan. It's good to be grateful, God is great onwards and upwards.
4 months today for me too.
311 days sober from Alcohol. Lost 45 pounds of fat without even trying.
Wow! That is fantastic :)
I really needed this today.
I’m a former high functioning alcoholic.
I gave up the booze for 12 months, then got back on it thinking I’ve changed. How was I wrong! I fell right back into my old habits. I gave it up again after seeing what I was turning back in to. I’m now closing in on another year sober.
Best thing I did.
To say alcohol was holding me back is an understatement. Life is so much better now, the things I’ve achieved in the 2 years supersedes everything I did 25 years prior
Yes its tricky with booze because we can get sober but if we're not working on everything that got us into trouble and being sober but still thinking alot about alcohol a relapse can really be deadly. Our bodies acclimated to being sober but our minds did not. One drink and oh boy. Tricky buisness the whole thing. Even sobriety has its dangers.
Encouraging to hear. I drink 1-2 beers a day during the week and like to party on the weekend. I have never had a problem holding down a good job or making money, but I’d probably be able to really accomplish something if I gave it up completely
@@qwertyui859 I was the same. I could party heaps and still run a successful business. Things only improved once I quit. Don’t realise how far it holds you back until you stop
Very inspiring to hear! I hope to achieve the same. Thanks for sharing.
Nobody who gets sober ever regrets it, they only regret not doing it sooner. You’ll never regret NOT drinking! 💪🏻💙🙏🏻
Yes! I quit using the reveri self hypnosis app. I just wish I'd quit decades ago
Thats not true.... thats not true for loads of people. For example, me... and Dylan Moran, after some years he started drinking again. In many ways it's very brave to stay sober for 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 years... however, if i did that, i would be very sad if in that time, i cant even trust myself to have a red wine with dinner at a nice restaurant or nice whiskey occasionally in the evening. Or a cider.... I would see it as an evasion from the pleasure and beauty that life can bring. I mean, people have serious problems, im not denying that... and if you cant handle your alchohol that having a beer will set you off on a binge then by all means please stay safe and please stay sober. But if you can drink reasonably and appreciate mixology and don't really need alcohol to fill a hole in your life, or dont need alchohol as a crutch that drags you down into anxiety and depression and can just enjoy it... then why deny yourself forever. No point. People literally drink everyday... sometimes a bottle, 2 bottles of wine, sheesh... at that rate... yeah settle petal take a break. But, for usual cases.... i mean, you have to look at your life, alchohol isnt clearly 100% toxic, there's so many people that use it reasonably. I dont want to abuse alchohol or go prohibition era on it... I just want to have a quiet reverence for it. To appreciate it. That's an option too, all im saying.
@@saintgerty
If you don’t understand the quote, then you’re not “one of us.” You do you. We’re on a different path. Good luck.
@010 Oh i understand it, the way you mean it... i just happen to disagree with it, thats all. But i did write my words a little hasty and have edited my previous post now to be more reflective of my actual feelings and not so knee jerky as before. Yeah sorry about that :)
No there are no regrets about quitting alcohol. It’s just a ball and chain. I’m glad I quit too!!!
Today marks 890 days of sobriety for me. Thankful for each and every day. 🙏
160 here
That's amazing! I hope to make it there - only on day 33 and loving every second so far
Still counting, that must be so painful not to be able drink alcohol :)
90 days alcohol free for me. I started "quitting" about 5 years ago. It's been a long process for me, going 6 months several different times, but then there would be that moment where i tell myself I'll just have a few... that turns into going back to the same old ways.
For anyone starting this journey, be aware that after 90 days or so, you'll really start to feel a lot better. My mood is so positive now. When i laugh with friends and family, it is a great experience. It honestly feels like it did after a few beers when you're on cloud nine. Now it's natural. But it takes time to get there, so keep on the path and have faith. One day at a time. That's all we can do. One day at a time. Good luck!
Needed this comment, I’ve done short breaks but have read that real changes take 90 days.
@ceylongodfrey9324 Good luck!! Best decision I've made :)
You have nothing to gain from alcohol. The story in your mind that you can’t have a good time with your friends without it is a myth the alcohol industry has brainwashed you to belive in.
I’m 4 years alcohol, nicotine, weed free. Trust me when i say that you will be better than you where with it!.
You will never have that « tequila moment» where you are totaly euphoric. That « fuck the world, let’s party!» moment. But then again you will not have the hangovers, anxiety, regret, eating junk to recover, and have the energy to hit the gym the next day instead!!!. Getting a healthy high/good feeling from the post workout.
The secret is to commit to quiting. And never take that « just one drink» fantasy again.
You can do it!
I have the exact same experience like you and i am also in my 90 days.. I can confirm anything you say. I have been in AA group before but i don't like the God part.. The only difference this time is that i get a lot of help from videos like this in you tube and some groups at social media. I hope this time will be the end of this suffering . I am tired trying and go back again for so many years in my Life. I love the way i started to feel again and i don't wanna change this with anything
Day 33 for me! Hit a bit of a wall because my sleep patterns are all messed up, but I seriously can't wait to reach the 3 month mark. This time around feels so much different than the previous attempts... like it's gonna stick this time. Hitting 90 days of sobriety would be huge for me. Let's do thisssss
185 days sober and the change is outstanding, I talk to people that I would have never talked to before. Everyone is important to me now and I make sure everyone knows.
Coming up on 2 1/2 years alcohol free. I endorse all the positive messaging around the benefits of quitting. More energy, more mental clarity, calmer demeanor, better relationships, more usable time. 👍
I stopped drinking a few years ago to support my husband when he joined AA and became sober. EVERYTHING is better now.
Good for both of you!💞
Well done . Tx for sharing ✌️🦘
Sober IS better
Recently hit 7 years living alcohol free and it has by far been the best decision I have ever made in my life. More energy, clarity, and connection to purpose
Good for you! 👏👏👏
Great, keep on. And create good habits.
What about weed
@@victoravila5802 no!
@@victoravila5802 There should be weed shops with big comfy chairs that you can just melt into and chill, shit wouldn`t kick off like it does in bars, for about the last 6 years up until about 6 mnths ago I smoked weed in my bed at night ( 5 or 6 puffs was enough ) never touched it during the day , I`m off that at the min until I see the Doc about my constant wheezing that comes back now and then , I`m certain that was from when I drank for around 20 years and would have a hand rolled cigarette constantly burning in my hand with each can or pint of lager , gave up smoking cigarettes around 4 years ago but the tobacco in joints was giving me that crave for nicotine , so I started rolling blunts ( just pure weed, no tobacco ) 4 draws and it was Zzzzzzzz lol Great sleep , no hangover. I drive a taxi and a lot of younger folk these days seem to prefer weed instead of alcohol ,simply because of all the shit that comes with it , I believe this is the end game for pubs , they`ve already dwindled in numbers where I live. Cafe`s like in Amsterdam would do fantastic business lol Weed for a sleep at night is great but some people smoke it like cigarettes and that`ll be costly , kids may miss out on things, just like when a parent drinks all the money.
February 26th is my 25th year sober. It is the most transformative and pivotal moment in my life! It was hard to quit but I think I would have died if I hadn’t stopped!
Amazing! I hope I can leave such a post here in 25 years.
Delighted for you 🎉 hope I can one day say same. Please keep on encouraging folks to abstain from the toxicity X ❤
Amazing.... yup i reckon i might have died too..... well done !!
Impressive. Well done you
Congrats, and how is your social live with this? How do you explain that you don't drink without been "judged". Thanks
I remember few years back after my wife died, I was left alone with 3 kids. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Got addicted to alcohol. Not until a friend recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment changed my life for better. I can proudly say i'm totally clean for 6 years and still counting. Always look to nature for solution to tough problems, Shrooms are phenomenal.
Can you help me with the reliable source 🙏. I'm 56 and have suffered for years with addiction, anxiety and severe ptsd, I got my panic attacks under control myself years ago and they have come back with a vengeance, I'm constantly trying to take full breaths but can't get the full satisfying breath out, it's absolutely crippling me, i live in Germany. I don't know much about these mushrooms. Really need a reliable source!! Can't wait to get them
Yes Predroshrooms
Yes he's Predroshrooms. I know few friends who no longer suffer ptsd and anxiety with the help of shrooms. Never had to take shrooms after then.
Thanks for sharing your story. That's rough I sympathize. Save your health save your mind. Life is better without heroin, cocaine, alcohol and cigarettes. And you have more money in your pocket. God bless everyone who has rejected the devils intentions to be addicted to alcohol and cigarettes etc which can cause so much damage to health. I will pray for you all.
Where can I find him? Can I Google this dude
I stopped drinking on 8/1/2023. It has changed my life in so many ways. Rich, thank you for the excellent show and congrats on 1M subscribers!
Good luck with your journey. I just passed 2 years sober and it’s the best gift I’ve ever given myself!! ❤
Can you give some examples of how it has changed your life?
I first tried suicide at age sixteen; last time in my twenties. I started drinking in high school, really hard drinking in the Air Force, moderate drinking last 10 years. Twice during the past year I said things to people that I would not say if not drinking. I have been sober for 26 days and hope to remain sober after 50 years of drinking.
Keep it up. Do a cleanse and reset your entire body. When you feel up to it, I’d do 3 day water fast. Just cleanse your entire body. The universe is supporting you🙏🏻
How did you join if you had a suicide attempt on your record..
@@justinstone4476 not on my record. In the sixties if you didn’t tell they didn’t know.
@@novice024 ahh different times. Thanks for serving
8 years sober this year. You will be amazed how much clarity and time you get. Half my weeks were spent in bed recovering. Now I have 2 amazing kids, house, business 10x and relationship with my wife healed from nearly ending prior to stopping. Thanks for inspiring others and sharing your story!
It's still blows my mind in how alcohol is such a destroyer of purpose, potential, and productivity. It's more than likely far more addictive than we know and because it's tied to so many social events, it can be daunting to stop.
It has caused me so much grief, loss of money, health, friends, and loved ones. Even homelessness....I just couldn't believe it was the booze but for me it's exactly that. I'm now 48 and believe me when I say I feel like I wasted so much time in bars.
When I drink I care about nothing and want nothing.... sober, I want more from myself and out of life. It's night and day.
I sincerely hope that I NEVER go back to alcohol.
👍🏾👍🏾👏🏾👏🏾Bravo, OP. it's tough. Alcohol makes our brain check out. That's a part of why many people drink. Many people don't want to (or feel like they can't, it's too late etc) do the work of being checked in and fixing their sh!t. Fix their bodies, relationships, and heads. YOU CAN do it (I do it, and I'm one of the weakest people I know). Meditation is just closing your eyes and learning how to be comfortable in YOUR HEAD. it may be hard at first. Do it anyway. Practice what's hard until it's easier, then perfect it. And keep practicing to keep the skill (this applies to breaking addictions, sports, musical instruments...anything worth doing) . You can change your life one baby step at a time. You will fall. It's okay. Get back up and climb, it's worth it. People who love you will thank you. Your kids and colleagues will respect you.
You both inspire the shit out of me, Thanks for the words of wisdom. Every time I've stopped I always went back but drastic change is real and I'll read this short convo through and through as the days go on.
You don’t ever have to go back. I have lived your second paragraph. Don’t ever look back. Thank yourself for getting past all that. Good for you!
Yes, the real addiction is how it can linger and integrate into our priorities... eroding priorities... energy... the health... the gut... making life absolutely harder than ever over time. Ironically making someone less capable of being social in exchange for those mere short bursts of lowered inhibitions that aren't really more social just more detached and not caring...ultimately to a destructive point if one keeps indulging. The shame and bad decisions aren't just a risk, they are inevitable for anyone when intoxicated.
If it's needing an energy boost and lowered inhibitions for our priorities - "morning" exercise. I personally think 20+ min of yoga is a powerful start to become reacquainted with the sober self - stress tolerance in the day will be higher for sure, surprisingly, but because of the complex network of mental health connection to the body such as toxic emotions often sent to the muscle proteins like toxic waste storage - the research is available especially since the 70s and stretching is incredibly powerful for trauma release over weeks, months, and years.
It's hard not to see some level of conspiracy in its continued legality versus other substances.
I am 65 years old and alcohol has been a huge part of my whole life. My parents were both heavy drinkers, my mother an alcoholic. I eventually married an alcoholic and unfortunately the disease killed him, along with my lovely stepson. Despite all of this, and being an attendee of AlAnon (which I highly recommend for families and friends of alcoholics) I am also a drinker. (What!?). This just goes to show the influence of social manipulation and long time habits. My biological son, 32 has gone alcohol free after his own struggles with the poison and I am hugely grateful! Now it is my turn. Last year I did dry January and am doing it again this year but want to take it further. This podcast and the comments are so encouraging so I thank you Rich Roll, it came at just the right time for me. I’m going to research OYNB and continue to seek support in my efforts. I know it’s not going to be easy because of my long time social connections which are important to me, being a widow. THANK YOU!
Alcohol is poison. It was NEVER a good escape like walking diet gym church AA or like meetings and so on. What do I feel? Why? What would make me feel emotionally different? Yeah but I can’t ? Oh yeah why not ?
Well I’d love to be sober on a beach.
Ok so…. Or whatever. What’s My Wellness look like ?
Well done Lynn, I wish you well ❤ I came from an alcoholic family too, lucky my sister and I don’t, or hardly drink at all. I did marry an alcoholic, as did my son, I once asked a Dr, why would I do that ?
He said it’s familiar to you, I get that now, I believe I’ve broken the circle.
It's easy to stop once you enter February. You just keep it up, and that's that.
keep it up lynn
Have you watched the Andrew Huberman podcast on alcohol? Theres a reason it was #1 on apple podcasts. Id been.7 years sober and it still had an effect on my perspective of alcohol. Go check it out it's on youtube!
I've been completely sober sincd 2018. Baby steps to get off weed, then alchohol and finally vegan in 2019. It's all a journey and my life has improved significantly.
Veganism is malnutrition.
2:22
Can you give examples of how your life has improved from not drinking?
@@miamiman196 sure, been promoted 3 times, bought a house and got my MBA.
plus you improved animals' lives 🎉
Almost 5 years free!! Best decision of my life. I can trace almost all of my bad decisions and failures back to alcohol.
Alcohol really messes up everything. Righteousness is a good habit! I don't mean you have to believe in anything. Healthy inside?
Shit.....same. I never thought of it like that
I’m 60 days off alcohol and months off everything else. This is the healthiest conversation I’ve heard yet. Thank you
100 days sober today 👌
Feeling outstanding
Best decision of 2023
You even went through the holiday without booze. You already managed not only staying sober for 100 days, but even managed your first Christmas and New Year without. You must feel great!
Yes totally, @@angelikasusanne2830. Perfect start to the new year!
100 days for me today, as of 23rd Jan, stopped in October 😎😎
Does it feel like you took the limitless pill a bit?
You have a problem. Sucks for you I guess
1 year alcohol free. Best decision ever. Every aspect of my life is better!
I’m so effing tired of drinking alcohol. So many bad events because of it. I’m done….. 18 years of drinking heavily I’m finally making peace with myself. not only saying it but truly feeling it in my core.
The simple fact I’m looking up these videos gives me hope I’m on the right track. Reading everyone’s comments relieves the negative thoughts in my head thinking what a POS human I must be for not being able to quit. Tried countless times but no more. I’ve accepted I have no power over it.
What a fool to think I can control it. The answer from now on is NO, I see it as poison. Poison to my life my body and soul.
I’m right there with you. Drank a bottle of wine last night at home alone. Woke up feeling like a loser. Today is a fresh start. Day #1 sober.
Bravo👏
@@kathrynwilson2467right with you there too only my sobriety is in minutes... used some wine for cooking and then falsely believed it would be nice to finish off the bottle today. I need my brain more than I realize sometimes. We all need our brains working well. We just underestimate this.
I'm 1 mouth sober I relate to everything I was a fool thinking I could control it I can't but I can't control not putting a alcoholic drink to my mouth and il do that God bless us 1 day at a time sweet Jesus 🙏💪❤️💪
After years of trying to quit booze I got the flu in Jan 2008 really bad 2 weeks in and out of it and knocking on deaths door on my living room couch by myself and I woke up booze free. I have no relationship to booze and don’t think about it. I cannot explain nor has anyone explained it. I cringe when people say great job quitting drinking because I can take no credit for quitting but all the rewards and I am very grateful.
Similar experience. I got bad flu this NYE so was forced off drinking and haven't touched it since. 2 months so far with zero alcohol is not something I would ever have thought I could achieve.
Quit it in 1980 when I was 21 and have never looked back. Keep advocating for this move way from this personal, family and community health disaster!
Going into my 2nd year. What i came to realize, and subsequently alwys tell people is - You are not missing out on anything..... Also im 40 years old so when you get older your friends and family is much more supportive to these kind of things so maybe its easier for me personally. Really glad i came this far. And again i promise you you dont miss out on ANYTHING!!
Great video. After about 15+ years of it and everything that comes with it; the endless drama, problems, chaos, health issues... I went cold turkey almost 7 years ago one day. Let me tell you. One the BEST things I've ever done for myself in my life. Everything improved. My health, my career, my relationships, my finances, my friends... Once you stop, take a step back and realize how much time, energy and money it was sucking out of you, you never wanna go back ever again. It is hard, at least at the beginning. Because, all the difficult emotions that you were pushing away with alcohol slowly start to come back, AND you lose all your dead-end, so-called "friends" aka glorified drinking buddies who never really cared about you. So it's emotional and lonely at first, but that's the price we pay for our health. And this means that you get a brand new chance to re-create your life and your own conscious community. You can do it!
Its certainty showing me who are the good souls in our world and there are some wonderful lights coming into orbit and giving so much more than those booze buddies ever did, family members incl. New family ...the chosen family!❤❤
Well said .
I'm only 7 and a bit months in but I felt every word you said and imagined myself writing a comment in a video in 7 years and for someone else to see it and resonate with them .
Couldn't be more spot on man! Well said
Needed this. Thank you.
3 year alcohol free. Never felt better and so proud of myself. Even when I was under tremendous pressure, I still stuck to my goal. I try to encourage everyone I know and speak to to embrace this as it's been life changing for Me.
When Ruari talks about how REM sleep is when nueroplasticity functions mostly take place... WOW. Like, I learned this in A & P but to hear it so simply put. When we are regularly drinking [heavily], our learning essentially takes a hiatus. No wonder we feel so stagnant and frustrated!! Day 8 no booze, 5 meetings in those 8 days, getting through shifts behind a bar but abstaining from the sauce. Overall I'm exhausted but trusting the process and very grateful for a clear head. Love this podcast.
4 1/2 years ago, Andy Ramage was on your podcast with OYNB and it got me going down the path of seeing my relationship with alcohol for what it really was and ultimately deciding to quit. Rich, I can't thank you enough your continued advocacy on sobriety!
In the Netherlands i heard many say "drinking with people is a social activity.. you can't have fun without alcohol cause people won't get relaxed".... I was in shock 😲. And because i don't drink at all, i was always in charge of bringing those "relaxed people" home safely (hammered and passed out). Ps: the conversations i heard during the ride home were the most idiotic thing i have ever listened to. And people who drink are 100% confident that they are effective and functioning. Absurd
Well put.
I had to realize when I was hanging out w people who drank (I used to drink problematically). If they drank consistently how could I expect moral standards. My relationships are much better now.
I can’t stand to be around people when they’re drinking for this exact reason. It literally sucks the energy right out of me. My brother is an alcoholic. He lives 3 houses down from me and I don’t even invite him over anymore it’s so emotionally exhausting dealing with him when he’s sauced which is every day!
@@renee7113Drinking is an aid to delusional thinking ...as if we needed more reasons and ways to be delusional right?
@@jamesmedina2062true
Currently on day 6 booze free. I quit for three years several years back, and fell off the wagon again, attempting to limit it with limited success. Couldn't ignore how good my life was for those three years. Excited to get back to that state again.
What made you pick up the bottle again?
@@Leahmoonbeamflower I'm not him but I've gone sober for six months before and me personally you never really lose those cravings
@@masterjackson536 word. How do you curve your cravings?
@@Leahmoonbeamflower personally it's just kinda a will thing every time I drive by the liquor it's hard going to the gym helps but I really like not waking up feeling sick I was drinking a fifth and a pint of sailor jerry or some type of whiskey a day
@@masterjackson536I dont get those cravings but ive been to AA and it sounds like you probably need to go. White knuckling sobriety sounds miserable. Im 5 months alcohol free and 2 months kratom free, I go out still and go to concerts and I never get a craving. I personally will most likely die if I go on another 3 weeks long blackout bender.
Yes! I'm 29 years sober. My kids have never seen me loaded, stayed married for 26 years and I've been able to accomplish so much. Besides, as a bonus, my skin looks pretty good for my age!
This is my 7th year being alcohol free and feeling amazing! Thank you both for the service you provide.❤
I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease back in 2005 my husband at the time was quite a heavy drinker a few years after that decided to help him get off alcohol so I also quit alcohol well lo and behold all the graves disease symptoms went away as soon as I got off from alcohol so in the long run found out Graves’ disease to me was an allergic reaction so if I wouldn’t of gotten off from alcohol I would’ve been taking a pill for the rest of my life but since I quit when my husband was trying to quit I found that it was a reaction I was having if people knew just how much their health was messed up on alcohol they probably would never touch it again Alcohol is so bad for you and people just don’t realize it
This is so true. It causes an all over inflammation because it’s a poison. Bottles of alcoholic products need to have warning labels like cigarettes!
I haven’t had a beer in 15 days. I’ve saved about $200.
I haven't had one in 10 days and my weekly savings just skyrocketed. No hangovers, no cravings, less spending.
back when i was drinking heavily, booze was over HALF of my food budget. now it's zero cuz i quit 2 years ago, i moved out on my own & i can do pretty much whatever i want. don't fall for the rumors & ads folks!
There you go, people don’t realise the money alcohol costs. Glad you made that choice, keep going😊
thanks bro. pictures of me from back then are horrible too. i'm like 10x healthier now. the whole story of that period in my life is a freaking nightmare. @@WendyHannan-pt7ez
The money spent on booze is insane! I recently totaled up what I was spending and could not believe all the wasted money. Good for you!
I saw this dude on the internet a few years ago and tried to go one year without booze. I did it and sailed through all the tough I thought would be tough....Christmas, anniversaries etc. After 53 weeks I had a beer and thought..."Meh". I have an occasional drink...maybe one every 2-3 months or longer. Stopping for a year broke a fairly well ingrained habit. Nothing positive comes from alcohol. You deserve to give it up. You're worth it!
Good one!! I knew I would never drink the same whilst I had given up for a year too. It's just too good without the stuff. Shame you have to give up before you can realise that. Some people never will 🙁
Awesome Anna! @@annahunter2192
I’m on 75 days alcohol free. I spent five days in ICU in November for acute pancreatitis. Second time in 2023. I’ve lost 20 pounds and I sleep 6 hours straight now. I used to sleep maybe 3 hours a night and not continuously. I was drinking 8-12 drinks a day from morning to night. Would wake up at 3 am and be out of alcohol, get up, drive to the all night package store for beer or liquor. Was spending $200-300 a month on alcohol, minimum.
Good for you!! 🎉
Good job
Cronic pancreatic, allso splenic thrombosis, cronic sliding hernia, pad. Blocked artery left leg in groin 90%, 44 years old still can't stop
@@kurupt4147I believe in you
I have cut waaaaaay back on alcohol (last year I hardly drank) and I loved it. I am not an alcoholic but you dont need to be an alcoholic to want to stop.
7 years no alcohol. Not a sip. My only struggle is having to deal with society about it. People cannot be social without it. It’s everywhere. People need to escape their reality by getting drunk and it’s destructive.
Move to a liberal city where so many are used to practice alcohol free lives..Ny, Chicago, LA, Miami, Houston, or any of the suburbs.
Find an AA meeting near u.
Good luck 💜
Move to a liberal city because no one drinks in those places.. or uses any other drugs including legal weed, for escaping reality. Good strategy. What works is doing healthy activities and then finding the people that participate that live a lifestyle you want to live. Then just hang out with those people. Moving isn’t going to help unless you live in a really small dead end type of place.
In some places I saw alcohol reduce social inhibition(lubricate socializing) and in other places I saw it aid in escapism/delusion. Problem is that marinating the brain in a compound like alcohol is harmful to the brain and especially toxic to the whole body. We can do better than inebriate and stupefy our sober, natural brains.
Haha 😂❤ I absolutely did not grow out of alcoholism. Alcohol is trash and when I gave it up my career absolutely skyrocketed. Give the Universe a chance and stop thinking we are so powerful-when I was 90 days sober I was sat next to a billionaire investor at my firm during a dinner party. I noticed he wasn’t drinking and I said “no French wine for you?” and….he told me he was sober 15 years. Needless to say we became very close that evening and made a connection that would never have been possible without my choosing sobriety. I now manage $7B in real estate assets in his portfolio and have done so successfully and sober for 4 years.
Best negative thing I deleted in my life. Single best decision made. Ask god to give you cleanse and clarity.
The elephant in the room that no one ever talks about: which is that the buzz you get from alcohol is a lot of fun! Not everyone out there has all these social anxieties that are always mentioned. Many of us simply enjoy the buzz. Many of us love getting together with our close friends, either to just socialize at home together or out at a pub, or maybe all together at a street festival, or to see live music. The thought for us is that all of those activities are a wonderful, wonderful thing on their own, so with alcohol, we're enhancing that fun up several notches with the shared buzz from alcohol. When you're with your close friends and drink together, it's communal; it's bonding. It's like we're all entering a cozy, enclosed, womb-like space ship, and we're blasting out to space together, sharing this adventure. The very key is balancing drinking with sacred sober time. People can do both.
I usually follow the George Thorogood philosophy of drinking , but I occasionally don't mind being around others as long as they behave .
Thank you for stating what is the obvious for so many of us. You put it very nicely.
@@nikkihobson5632 Hey, thank you for the kind words. 😃 I was truly trying to be respectful -- but honest -- with my thoughts here on this topic.
I understand what you mean. I think I’ve had much better interactions soberly though. At the end of the day, it doesn’t do the body good. I always would feel high and lovely in the moment and even with a little alcohol I could feel it affect my sleep and the next day. 😅
@@krystiesolfyre5340 That's great to hear that you have found that being completely sober works for you; that's cool. 👍 😃 I am not encouraging people to drink. I'm merely pointing out that for those of us who do -- and who are successful at finding the balance of our times of alcohol consumption with times of sober periods -- that we enjoy the buzz quite a bit from drinking. During the course of a week, a month, I am sober way much more than I am when I get a buzz on. When I'm not meeting up with friends for a cocktail (or two, or three), I survive on a diet that is whole-foods, entirely plant-based, no oils, low fat, high complex carbohydrates. I do an upper-body workout followed by a run six days per week. I hold down a full-time job. I cook. I read. I hike in the woods. And so on. I only mention those things not to brag but to say that a person can easily enjoy the wonderful buzz from periodic alcohol consumption and still lead a healthy and fulfilled life. I hear ya about the next day, though -- that can be rough at times. 😆
sitting here, watching this drinking… again. I gotta stop but I can’t. I’m crying typing this. I will get better.
At the beginning, don't say that you will never drink again. Just set small goals. Try it for a week. Get sleeping pills if you need them. Just starting is the hardest part. It gets easier as you start to feel better. It might not be true, but I have heard that after three months sober, a lot of the damage is repaired. It's a cliche, but it really is best to just say one day at a time.
Have you looked into The Sinclair Method? It works! Lots of support from the TSM community online.
If I can quit ANYONE can quit. No excuses, end of story. Either you want to change your life for the better or you don't. Yes it's hard, but that hard is temporary, sobriety is worth the good fight, trust me.
don't give up. You can do it
I know what you mean , I’m going on a sober journey again ( the last time) started yesterday, you may have seen it else where but one drink is to much and 10 ain’t enough. Good luck when you start your journey
I gave up alcohol completely 22 years ago and I have never wanted another drink since. I am with Rich 100% on this, if someone needs the ‘occasional’ drink, they are dependent on it. When you know you are going to stop, you get scared about giving up the old way of living with booze, but when you decide you are going to do it, you do it. I lost drinking friends immediately after I stopped, their loss not mine. When you know about the dangers of even a little bit of alcohol, you cannot go back.
I read the Allen Carr ‘How to control alcohol’ by the last chapter you know you are never going to drink again. I would recommend that book to anyone.
His books are amazing. I gave up smoking in 2006 reading one and lost 14 kgs in 2020 reading another. Highly recommend too.
Already did 90 days with no alcohol and it was amazing. Got back to drinking, now 1 week no alcohol Im thinking about never drinking again.
Hope everyone here in the comments spreading love and support are well. I stopped drinking on the 28th of December. Ive had enough of feeling like crap because of alcohol
Keep going. The further you go, the better it gets. ❤
🎉 Me too. 3 weeks tomorrow.
Me to 1 mouth thank God God bless 🙌 🙏 ❤
Used to drink daily, 2 drinks, 3 drinks, some whiskey. The last 5 years I now only drink on weekends, and it's usually just one beer. But now, starting this summer, I have switched to nonalcoholic beer. I have already noticed the difference not drinking at all. Better mood, waking up much fresher and just feeling better overall.
I'm a cutter-downer, not a quitter. I was able to cut down my alcohol consumption to levels that I am happy with ONLY after I got serious about managing my stress - getting aware of just how stressed I actually was , and proactively finding ways to address it , and then somehow I quit drinking so much. Feels like a miracle still ❤
194 days alcohol free. When you are in your 20's you think that you live forever and nothing can stop you. I was close to 30 when I first time started to question my drinking. Now I am 38 and I don't want to go back to my old habits. I want to show my kids, that there is a better way to live. I hope they will never touch that poison, like I did.
TIME! That’s brilliant! Within the past few years I have listened and read multiple books and podcasts about this subject and began to believe i was not capable of controlling myself but hearing what I’ve already known deep inside…With TIME I’ve grown stronger and stronger around the idea of drinking and what it means to me…it no longer has a grip on my mind and I feel it getting stronger and stronger with TIME….There is some sense of reassurance in knowing I’m doing the right thing…that there is nothing “wrong” with me….
Thanks for watching! Only request-if this video or my channel generally has delivered you value, please subscribe. Oddly like 80% of all our views is from non-subscribers -- clicking that button will help us grow of course, but in turn that improves our ability to attract and book the best domain experts in the world - so I can provide you with the best conversations and actionable advice. Thank you! Meanwhile if you want to read more about Ruari & ONYB or peruse the show notes, you can find all of that and more on our website here👉🏾bit.ly/richroll805
I shared this on my Facebook! I’m alcohol free since April 2023. I wasn’t much of a drinker before, but had too many black out moments on the rare occasion I did drink. Not a good look or feeling. I’m soooo much happier without alcohol
What about the French Paradox? Certainly not a myth. Just asking
I consume your media mainly in the audio form on Apple Podcasts. Just subscribed here as well to support.
I couldn't sober up until my antidepressants were increased. You can call alcohol a DEPRESSANT all you want, but it was the only thing that made my life worth living.I felt HAPPY every time I drank. Heavy drinker for 40 years....finally sober for 2 weeks now the cymbalta kicked in.
never had I drunk one drop of alcohol in my whole life. My dad told me alcohol is bad when I was young, and I take it seriously.
I am very grateful for all of the voices and efforts of those advocating for alcohol free living. I am mystified, however, that people with the knowledge and convictions about alcohol like Ruari and Andrew Huberman still drink alcohol on occasion. As someone who is aiming to never drink, based on the knowledge they have so expertly shared, the fact that they enjoy alcohol at times is yet another challenge to overcome on the journey to live AF.
Are you sure about Huberman? I have heard him say that he does not drink.
I know for a fact that Andrew has never been a drinker and never drinks. He's said it many times.@@skoolie_life3261
agree
My boyfriend doesn’t drink and I stopped completely too and it’s been the very best thing I did for my life. The occasional drink for me wasn’t worth it.
@@skoolie_life3261 I remember hearing him say he did
13 months sober. Moderation did not work, brought me back to 2nd round of treatment within a year. Thank God I understand my relationship with alcohol, and it is absolute abstinence. The 12 steps & AA save me daily
My biggest regret is being born into a generation that didnt know better until our 30's. Alcohol free lifestyle is so much more meaningful. Choosing to be present in life has endless benefits. I want to become a water influencer. Its the only drink we need!!
So much better! You get to enjoy moments for what the truly are, no idiotic decisions made, no embarrassing things said, and no dreaded hangovers.
Be an aquaholic
Watching your videos Rich is what helped me start dabbling into sobriety back in 2020. Been an on and off battle but it feels like these videos are a nice little safe space for me, especially the ones with Ruari. Love his message and enthusiasm! Thank you for making these videos, they are truly amazing. 39 days sober today :)
Really enjoyed this one. My abuse of alcohol, drugs and sex was a direct result of childhood trauma. I wish AA would deal with trauma in a modern fashion. None of us are diseased. Healing and recovery can take place outside “the rooms” ❤️
I know, right! I’ve been through AA a couple of times in my life and they’re insistence that “God” was keeping me sober one day at a time was just downright silly! That insinuated that I had nothing to do with my own sobriety! AA shoves religion down your throat at every turn. I never went back.
@PETER394100 clearly you didn't stick around long enough to know what you're talking about. AA changed my life and taught me to be a better person and never shoved God or anything down my throat. A higher power is anything bigger than yourself. Like say.. the great outdoors, your love for your children. Sounds like you're just kind of a judgmental prick though.
It's so refreshing to see how alternatives to 12-step are showing up for people for whom 12-step just doesn't fit for whatever reason. Community is so key, too. Having a program that addresses the things that have people reach for alcohol(because we are programmed from very young ages that it is the way to cope)in the first place is really powerful. It's dealing with the actual problems/causes rather than the symptom. Love it❣ Thank you, Ruari, for what you are doing and Rich for giving him a platform on which to share the passion.💖
10/10 conversation. Sheds a welcomed light on what drives people to substances.
75 days sober from alcohol. I’ve successfully completed a 60 day alcohol program 2 times and relapsed shortly after. So this 75 days is very important. It means I can get to 90
Thank you Rich for all you do for all us Alcoholics out there! 🙏. I liked how you didn’t completely buy into Ruari Fairbairns “One Year No Beer” system. After two relapses, I finally had to admit I’m Power Less over alcohol and accept and surrender. Been clean and sober for two years now and my life is amazing. I watch all your Podcasts! I’m forever grateful for you and admire the work you’re doing! TY! 😁🙏❤️👊💪🧘♂️
I got sober for 17days on 23rd Jan this year. Which I haven't even been able to do for 3 days consecutively when I was heavily drinking for 10 years prior to this. I then relapsed on 8th feb and went on a bender until 25th march where I stopped again because I was turning yellow. But this time I managed to go sober for 66 days. It does get better. Its true that most people grow out of it in time 23:57 . The problem is we hardly have that patience as an alcoholic. Do it a day at a time. Every min every hour after that last cup counts. I'm still having trouble to got to that day 1 again. Haven't stopped drinking since 30th may. I don't know where I'm going to with this convo. But I know once I start day 1 again, I'll go more than 66 days now.
130 days sober today. Giving up drinking is not giving up 1 thing... It's gaining EVERYTHING!!!
I've stopped drinking since the new year and feel better already 🎉
We can all be a positive influence on those who still choose to drink. I would love to see a comment from someone who says going alcohol free negativity affected their life. I've never read that. It may be uncomfortable from time to time however the benefits far outweigh anything that came from drinking. Thank you Rich for bringing this message to your audience. I will never go back to drinking, my life is so much better being sober!
Gave it up 12 yrs ago...best decision ever.
As a southern European since a kid in our family we never missed having a bottle of red wine and extra virgin olive oil. Life is good
Things have changed.
Makes me laugh how Europeans have red wine a "part of the meal" it's still alcohol! And those drinking it with dinner most likely wanted the red wine more than the meal.
I quit drinking alcohol the day after listening to that huberman lab podcast about alcohol… was drinking 12 beers/ day minimum… haven’t had a drink in a year and a half. It’s been awesome
I started drinking slightly more lately every weekend and I've felt so much worse. I'll have to just stop. This will be hard but optimal for mental physically and spiritual health 🙏
Get rid of it. It will be harder tomorrow. Be Well.
Giving it up is so worth it. You won’t regret it.
How are you going, 9 months later? Power to you!!!!
2+ years sober now after 40 +years of alcohol, and for Me also the best decision I ever made ,abstinence is awesome.
Getting some basic sleep analysis tools was the final nail in the coffin for me in quitting drinking. It's absurd how a single serving of booze ruins your sleep hygiene for like the next 2-3 days. And if you can't see the data you don't even notice it until it's "too late". I'm not ruining my sleep for anything anymore, fuck that.
100%@@hyperadapted
What tools did you use for sleep analysis?
@@MattAngiono Screwdriver and hammer.
Annoys me when I refuse offered booze at gatherings, I get looked at like there's something wrong with me. Even one drink is pointless to me. Makes no sense! Yet I'm the one who's the odd one out! Insanity.
So great to see you and Ruari. I first saw Andy on here and that got me thinking about reducing my drinking. Thanks both!
6 months no alcohol for me and felt the positive effects after just 1. Never want to go back now, life is miles better.
Time as an intervention is fascinating and I can relate due to my age. As I fast approach 50, my life is monumentally different than it was even 10 years ago when going out with friends and drinking was a regular activity. As I get older and my life revolves less and less around friends and more around family as well as my health, I see little to no value. Since the new year, I’ve had a beer here and there out of habit but I also started training for my first 10K run. Without even trying, I find myself simply not even thinking about having a drink in the evening because I’m not craving it due to the work I put in during the day. Seems counterproductive and especially for someone like me working to get back into running shape. I feel it won’t be long before I simply just stop altogether as my priorities continue to change. I wish the “time” intervention had hit me sooner but can’t dwell on the past and can only control what happens now and going forward. Great podcast!
thank the algo god this video popped up again. it’s what helped me stop back in june and i fell off the bandwagon but couldn’t find the video!
Great info. Alcohol was never a big problem for me but decided to quit over a year ago. No regrets. I was a little surprised to hear Ruari say he occasionally drinks. Seems like Rich was too!
It is surprising. And made me ponder that he still sees some benefit in consuming. If you know it’s shit why even have one when there’s so many NA versions of anything nowadays.
I was very surprised also! I think after the research, surveys he has done he has to say he occasionally drinks. It scares people if you say never never again will I drink. I think he says it for his business side of things still to get people to enrol on the course.
I was Sober 7 years and Now I’m starting back over ,trust me being sober is the right thing to do
I did 3 months off leading up to my 50th birthday. My first break that I could remember.
So I followed up the next year with another 3 months. It was equally great and also easier.
The third year I did 3 months followed by 5 months in the same year.
This year after a couple of weeks of very moderate drinking over Christmas I’m back on another 5 months off again. This is working great for me. I don’t binge when I return and in fact each time I do the experience of having that drink diminishes further. This year I plan on doing 2 x 5 month breaks. 2025 I may go an entire year and who knows from there! 🤷🏻♂️
Rock on man!
How I did it too. 10 days, couple of weeks. A month, 6 months, one year no beer. I knew I wasn't going to drink the same again during that year off. It was correct.
It's progress that matters, not perfection 👌 💯 ✨️
@@annahunter2192 congratulations and totally agree - progress not perfection. That perhaps doesn’t work for some who have a more addictive relationship with alcohol - I think mine is more habitual. It’s become gradually more and more an exception rather than the norm. And the fact that I may allow myself a drink or two on a special occasion here and there means I’m not faced with a an ultimatum style “all or nothing” approach.
Anyway, well done for getting to this point. Sounds like you’re at a (good) point of not return. 👏
@Kikioz271 Great to hear!! It's so good on the 'other side.' I don't wanna go back there now. Sometimes I feel repulsed when I drive past the booze shop so it's really working now. Thank goodness. I did 30 years of drinking before I thought about giving up!
Wow!!! This podcast was so fundamental absolute phenomenal, I've been drinking for nearly 40years bcus of childhood issues, i am slowly now winding down. This podcast has made me open the curtains to seek the light through the window now knowing its never to late 🙌 God bless you both and to all of you who are on the same page ❤❤
Amazing message! I am doing sober 2024 and youtube algorithm somehow knew it and suggested this video. Really touching story and thank you for inspiration to keep going with my sober year❤
Ive cut back probably 90% I think I’m finally ready to quit 100%. Alcohol sucks.
You go!
I am in the alcohol industry. You can live sober in a drunk world. Just know that you will be different. Do what is right. Be kind no matter what people say. I don't drink. I don't talk about it. I eat vegan. I don't talk about it. When people ask I am kind in my response and help if they want it.
Coffee is another killer. Caffeine free is amazing.
Agreed. Coffee is the rare, maybe once per month event for me. I replaced coffee drinking with tea instead. I prefer tea now because it's less caffeine so less jittery feelings and also it's less acidic than coffee. Daily coffee drinking was messing up my stomach.
@@thomasorchard Good for you. You have more energy and no sense of urgency in the morning to get the drug caffeine.
Coffee without additives is proven to be helpful to life. So it’s not true what you stated.
Coffee makes me jittery ...much prefer a few tokes in the morning.
Agree.
I will never not love drinking. It is in a word "fun" but at some point I did a cost benefit analysis and realized that I did not want to enjoy a few hours of pleasure in exchange for the next 24 hours of abject misery, extreme fatigue depressed mood intense sugar cravings horrible Brian fog and apathy. I came up with this idea that drinking is like taking a mortgage out on any joy I might experience tomorrow so I can use it today. I still drink but very infrequently. I choose the occasions where it's sort of worth it to me. As for the social pressure the struggle is most certainly real!!! You will be called out left out made to feel like you're ruining others good time or somehow judging them simply by your presence. It's hard. It's like a tax or faking O. You have to work your ass off to prove you're still having just as much fun as everyone else or like the golf thing next time you won't be included. That said significantly cutting back on drinking has been one of the best things I've done for physical and mental health. Every Saturday and Sunday I wake up and can do whatever I want because I'm not hung over
You don’t have to work your ass off to show people you’re still fun. That’s absolutely ridiculous. Find some new friends. If you have to force yourself to seem happy when you’re hanging out with them, they must be terrible people.
Gotta drop those "friends". I go on a 3 day ice fishing trip every year with some friends and they are all heavy drinkers. I currently drink 2-5 drinks a year if that and last year I didn't have a single sip on our trip. Yeah, they swore up and down they were going to get me to have a drink but at the end of the day we all had a great time and I got to laugh at their hung over asses. Never once did they make me feel bad about my decision not to drink. They actually applauded me. Change your circle. You don't need that.
Ten years ago, I began a self created program to drink less. It worked, but it was tough. I spent two years not drinking at all, then had a few times a year. I have grown out of needing it. It's totally possible to change your relationship with anything. It's not easy though... but possible.
It's been 4years alcohol free, fake friends gone, real relationship has came. New routine such as reading book, exercising, longer time with family,always in good condition, calmed personality etc...there are so many good effects, but the best thing I got from free alcohol is that I could have enough time to looking me my inside.😊
I have been wanting to stop during for a few years… although not a heavy get drunk or have hangovers drinker, I didn’t like the control it had over me. I liked it too much and the feeling it gave me. I always prayed God please take the desire to drink away. (He did with marijuana 23 yrs ago🙌🏽) but He wasn’t doing it that way with alcohol. Lo an behold I decide to do a 3 day water fast. I wanted to reset my gut from all the trash food I had been eating since October. I am blown away that it literally took the desire for alcohol AWAY!!🙌🏽🙌🏽 I feel so free! A part of my brain has been freed up from thinking about alcohol except for thanking God every day that He did it AGAIN! This time I just had to suffer a little😂 I think that He definitely led me to do the 3 day water fast. I only made it 65 hrs but that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made🙌🏽🙌🏽🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤
Nothin but joy since Jan 3🥰
I wish there was an equivalent to a pub where you could go out and enjoy an alcohol free evening. I used to enjoy going to Borders books because they had live music some nights and a non-alcohol drink bar. I’m not aware of anything like that now where you can socialize if you don’t want to be confronted with alcohol
I think there’s more and more places like this I know at minimum most places offer an alcohol free mocktail or beer.
I used to love going to Borders to browse and sit in the cafe as well. Good times.
I went from 3 bottles of wine a day to 3 bottles a week. Moderation isnt working for me anymore so im quiting completley. Im glad i slowed down but its time to stop. Strong journey everyone.
Moderation is a cope used by most alcoholics
2 days sober , again! I’ve tried to control it and only drink on the weekends, every Monday and Tuesday I white knuckle myself sober, on Sunday I drank 30 beer. I don’t want to moderate my drinking! It is such a waste of my life. It’s dangerous, happy to have stumbled across this podcast tonight. Thanks Rich your solid !!!
Over my life I’ve had my mistakes and binged too many times, but for the past 10 years this never happens anymore. These days, I’m enjoying a glass or two of wine 3 nights per week. I agree that it’s not good even at this level and know that I should just completely stop…. The little voice inside me is working on it. Thanks for having this conversation.
My favorite talk! Thank you
Listened three times! So true
You are doing great things for society
We need this and more! Alcohol ruins lives and it’s promoted everywhere we go, even celebrities are pushing it on us. Meanwhile people are dying from it.
Cheers guys for doing what you are doing. Stop drinking and smoking was the best decision of my life for sure.
The only regret is that I haven't done it earlier.
Cheers again! Keep it up!
100 days today myself.
stumbled on this video and is helping remind me why I’m doing this and to stay strong
Been completely sober since 1997. Just turned 26 and it feels great.