Four Months Sober After 40 Years of Drinking:
Four months sober. That’s the headline—but the real story runs deeper.
If you’ve ever wondered what life looks like when you finally walk away from the poison, this is it. Four months ago, I quit alcohol after 40+ years of drinking like it was my full-time job. Not casually. Not socially. I drank like it was stitched into my identity. Pints, bottles, spirits, blackouts, shame—rinse and repeat.
Now, four months sober, I’m standing in a different life. Still me. Still flawed. Still learning. Still here. But for the first time in decades, I’m clear. I’ve got a brain that works, a gut I trust, and mornings that don’t start with regret and a raging thirst.
This post isn’t a highlight reel. It’s not your fairy tale redemption story. It’s raw, real, and rooted in truth. It’s what I wish someone had shoved in my face when I was still neck-deep in the lie that alcohol was helping me cope.
If you’re staring down your own mess, wondering if it’s too late, I’m here to tell you—it’s not.
You Don’t Lose Everything When You Quit Drinking — You Get Everything Back
Mornings used to be punishment. I’d wake up confused, ashamed, checking my phone with dread, praying I hadn’t destroyed something else. The pit in the stomach, the pounding head, the self-hatred like a heavy cloak.
Now? 5 a.m. is holy. I’m up before the birds. This morning, I chased the sunrise, camera in hand, instead of crawling to the toilet for another hungover piss. You don’t know how beautiful mornings are until you meet one sober.
You don’t lose your edge when you quit drinking. You sharpen it.
You don’t become boring. You become powerful.
You don’t get weak. You get free.
What I’ve Learned in These Four Months
1. Mindset is everything.
If you think sobriety is about losing out, you’ll resent every second. But if you start seeing it as freedom, it’ll lift you. I stopped saying, “I can’t drink,” and started saying, “I don’t drink.” That shift changes everything. It’s not a punishment. It’s power reclaimed.
2. It gets messy before it gets better.
The emotions come in hot. Anger, sadness, confusion—all the stuff you’ve been drowning comes to the surface. That’s healing. That’s your nervous system finding its footing again. Don’t numb it. Ride it.
Breathwork saved me. Cold showers grounded me. Get tools. Use them.
3. The world’s upside down.
We glamorize booze and shame sobriety. People laugh when you blackout but go quiet when you heal. That’s not your problem. That’s a reflection of their fear. You’re not the weird one for changing. You’re the brave one.
4. You don’t owe your past self anything.
You’re allowed to evolve. To outgrow the old version of you. To leave behind people who only knew you at your lowest. That’s not selfish—that’s survival.
5. A lapse isn’t a relapse.
One slip doesn’t mean you’re broken. Don’t throw everything away because of one bad night. Stop the spiral. Don’t let “fuck it” become your mantra. Say “Not today.” Pick yourself up. Rebuild. You’re still in the fight.
Together, these lessons aren’t just survival tips—they’re the blueprint for freedom.
Sobriety Doesn’t Fix You — It Reveals You
Let’s kill the fantasy: quitting booze doesn’t make life perfect. It doesn’t hand you happiness on a silver platter. What it does is peel back every numbed-out layer of yourself and say, “Alright. Here’s what we’ve really got to work with.”
You’re going to feel it all—raw, unfiltered, without the chemical cushion. And that’s not a flaw in the process. That is the process. You’ve got to meet yourself in the mess before you can build something better.
I learned to sit with discomfort. To breathe through the urges instead of silencing them. To feel anxiety clawing at my chest and not reach for a drink. That’s real growth. That’s inner fire. That’s where the healing starts.
It’s Not Just About Subtracting Alcohol — It’s About Adding Tools
Sobriety without tools is just white-knuckling. That’s not sustainable. I didn’t just stop drinking. I started living.
Before I go any further, let me show you exactly what kept me grounded when the storm hit. Here’s what helped me stay rooted and rising:
- Breathwork — Box breathing. 4-7-8. Wim Hof. When the cravings hit, I didn’t fight—I breathed.
- Cold Showers — Every damn morning. Shocking. Grounding. Builds resilience.
- Visualization — I pictured the man I wanted to be. Then I acted like him.
- Journaling — Real reflection. What triggered me today? What did I learn?
- Movement — Walks. Pushups. Stretching. Move the body, shift the state.
People Will Not Understand. Do It Anyway.
You’ll lose some people. A mate once asked me why I was being so dramatic just because I skipped the pub—it stung, but it showed me who was really in my corner. Friends who only knew the drunk version of you might fade out. That hurts—but it’s part of the clearing. You’re not here to stay small and palatable. You’re here to evolve.
And you’ll find your people. People who’ve walked through fire. People who know what it’s like to claw your way out. Sober doesn’t mean alone. Not anymore.
Four Months In: The Truth
- I’ve got energy I forgot existed.
- My mind is sharp. Decisions come more easily.
- I cry more, but I also laugh deeper.
- I’m rebuilding trust with my body, my heart, my people.
- I’m here. Fully. Finally.
Sobriety didn’t fix me. It gave me the clarity to do the fixing myself.
What I Wish I Knew When I Started
- You don’t need to hit rock bottom. You can climb out now.
- Joy returns in layers. It’s slow, but it’s real. And when it hits? It’s breathtaking.
- Discipline feels like self-punishment at first. But soon, it feels like self-respect.
This journey isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about remembering who you were before alcohol took the wheel. It’s about reclaiming your energy, your focus, your relationships, your f***ing life.
I don’t post this for likes. I don’t care for applause. I don’t sell fairy tales. I share this because I’ve been to the edge and clawed my way back. I’ve studied the science, lived the pain, and built rituals that work. If you’re on the floor, I’m telling you—you can stand.
If you’re reading this and wondering if you’ve got it in you? You do. You absolutely do.
If you want to know exactly how I did it—how I rewired my thinking, built ironclad sober habits, and started every damn day with intent—it’s all in the book.
📍 📍 Get the Mindset Makeover book here and start rewiring your brain for real freedom. Grab the guide.
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Start now.
This isn’t just sobriety. It’s a bloody revolution.
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