Five Years Sober

Today, I celebrate five years of sobriety. I don’t recall much of the night that led to my decision to quit drinking, but I’m glad I did. It wasn’t an easy journey, but it was certainly worth it.

I had my first bottle of alcohol in sixth grade. My friends and I experimented with it, just having fun. In high school, I drank almost every weekend. In college, it was almost every other day. I would sometimes drink with friends, and sometimes buy a bottle of wine and my lonely self would open that bottle of wine every now and then in my 20-square-meter dorm room.

People sometimes ask me how I stay connected with my friends and family, and if I ever feel “FOMO” when I’m not drinking with them. The answer is yes, and no. I did feel a bit of FOMO at first because of the “fun” they had while being drunk, surrendering your body to alcohol feels like you’re in a different dimension. And no, because people often have this misconception about being sober: that sober people don’t know how to have fun and that we must have a boring life. No, no you’re all wrong. We are masters of self-control. Self-control as a sober person is sacred.

Being sober has many levels that I didn’t understand at first. I did a deep dive and explored so much that it became a rabbit hole of communities and forums. Reading other people’s progress (mostly on Reddit) was an inspiration.

Quitting was VERY slow. I love friends who respect and support my decisions. My partner, who, I think is also in the same boat of being sober. Bars and restaurants that offer mocktails on their menu are the best. And there are still not enough bars and restaurants that offer non-alcoholic beers or mocktails.

Life is so much better sober.