Just saw this community on c/all.

I never had a problem with drinking, tbh. I only drank at all for about 2 years. 2013-2015. Immediately after finally leaving my parents’ house. But for me once I tried weed I never really wanted to drink after that.

I could have all the fun of an altered mental state, but without losing the ability to remember what happened, or a need to vomit, or a need to consume something that’s just not good tasting while pretending to enjoy it so others don’t think I’m the weird one (I’m completely convinced no one likes the taste, everyone only drinks because it was legal when weed wasn’t, and it was barred from a lot of jobs via testing that would pop positive days and weeks (even months with hair) after the high wore off).

That last bit I have a huge rant about, but I won’t bother with it here, for everyone’s sake.

But because of the time of year, after giving it up I still remember exactly when my last drink was. I don’t know that it’s that common to remember the exact date of your last drink outside of a recovering addict.

I very distinctly remember my last drink. It was on New Year’s of 2016. I remember that I had stopped drinking a few weeks before, but the friend who’s house we went to to party didn’t realize it yet, and she had just made my “favorite” drink (frozen strawberry marg) for me. Given that, she was surprised to hear I gave it up, but I did drink it one last time as a goodbye. It was the closest thing I ever had to a new year resolution, so I figured it made sense at the time.

I gave the best man speech as a toast at one of my brothers’ wedding, just a couple years ago, so I took a partial mouthful of the champagne he had to make the toast while everyone was looking right at me. I don’t count that though, as it was pretty tiny and I obviously didn’t get drunk in the slightest.

But as 2024 starts, I do know I’ve been 8 years alcohol free.

I can’t even imagine how it might have gone, as I only drank once a week, but I would get plastered. Blacked out several times (but was with good friends, so no crazy stories). I’m just glad it ended there.

Now the first thing that happens is I forget what I was saying in the middle of a sentence when I get really high, but I think that’s a good trade off, personally.