Hello pal. A little about me... I'm 42, drank a handle of scotch every single night for 21 years.

Stopped drinking Dec 11th, 2019. Gave up caffeine at the same time as I was afraid I would just substitute one vice for another, as I love coffee/caffeine.

But I did it. Cold turkey, as I operate in an All or Nothing type way.

Here are the things that got me sober, and have kept me sober.

1. Sleep.

The more you can do this, preferably while hydrated as a motherfucker, the better off you'll be. Think of getting sober as an annoying hangover that lasts a few weeks. And when you're hungover, all you want to do is sleep. Listen to your body. Rest. A lot.

1. Eat a fuck ton of apples throughout the day.

One thing that is a real pain in regards to alcohol is the stomach issues it causes. Drinking it causes stomach issues, cutting it out causes stomach issues. Apples, good old fashioned apples, did wonders for me. Have a craving? Eat an apple. Going on a walk? Take an apple with you.

1. Walk.

A lot. Find podcasts to listen to, or music, or whatever you like, and just walk. Be hydrated and eat apples while you walk.

(All of this is sounding ridiculous, I know. But I can only speak from my experience.)

1. Healthy Substitute Drink.

Create, for yourself, a healthy cocktail alternative you can make at the end of the day. Something that isn't only not bad for you, but is actually good for you.

My go-to: Lemon-lime soda water with fresh ginger juice, calm magnesium, on the rocks.

I have one or two a night. I am used to just drinking my scotch neat. So one of the benefits of my sub drink is the ginger. It burns just enough in the good way. The calm magnesium is great to relieve stress and calm the mind for bed time. Allow these things to take the place of the alcohol that used to help put you to bed. (BTW. You may not realize it, but alcohol was doing a piss poor job of helping you rest.)

I have been sober now for a year and 4 months, for the first time in my adult life, without so much as a sip in regards to a slip up.

Slipping up isn't worth it. Feeling good, however, is worth it.

Find your discipline. You will succeed at this if you really want to. I would bet money on you to win here.

Good luck, looking forward to an update down the road.