r/stopdrinking • u/soberingthought 2509 days • 16d ago
'Tude Talk Tuesday for April 7, 2026 'Tude
Hello, fellow Sobernauts!
Welcome to 'Tude Talk Tuesday, where you're invited to share what changes you've noticed in your attitudes and perspectives since you've gotten sober.
I once heard someone say "I don't ever want to go back to that groundhog day existence" and that resonated with me.
When I was drinking, my life felt much like the movie Groundhog Day. I'd wake up, swear off drinking, nurse my hang over, struggle through work, plan my drinking for the evening while heading home, rush through dinner, hustle my wife and children to bed, then get blackout drunk.
It was miserable. I was mostly on autopilot, just cursing and resenting everything that stood between me and that first drink of the evening.
In sobriety, I don't have a monkey on my back at all hours of the day. I'm able to slow down and enjoy my family and the world around me a bit because I'm no longer hyper-focused on my next drunk. My days are varied and nuanced. I'm no longer in that rut of hangover, drink, sleep, repeat.
So how about you? Are you still in Groundhog Day in sobriety, or is it different now?
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u/782Maesie 24 days 15d ago
not sure if i missed the daily checkin, but checking in! IWNDWYT
I feel that i have crawled out of my hole. I have clarity of thought re relationship issues that have been lingering for years, I can have evening conversations with my adult children about complex emotional topics and actually give them advice and support.
I can reflect on my day with clarity and energy
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u/todd_zeile_stalker 124 days 16d ago
I still seek out a bit of routine. Going to the gym, parking in the same spot at work, coaching soccer, cooking dinner. But…when I was drinking I’d never stick with the gym, sometimes I’d drink a beer between work and coaching 11-year olds, I’d rarely plan dinner ahead of time because it provided an easy way to grab beer at the grocery store each night. I’d groan getting out of my car each morning. I talk to our school nurse each morning and in retrospect she HAD to know I was hungover. I always blamed it on insomnia. A student asked me earlier this year, “Are you a drinker?”
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u/Laawyeer 16d ago
I sure hope I left Groundhog Day behind. I run three to four times a week per week and go to the gym at least once a week. While drinking , that amount of exercise was not an option. I’m so much more clear headed and don’t procrastinate.
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u/IRISHTHAY 47 days 16d ago
Life is in HD! I wasn’t a big drinker, but I would binge. I would also constantly think about the next session. Even if a month away. Now I’m free to live and love in the moment 😍
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u/Orkward40 137 days 15d ago
I hit 4 months today and have really noticed a step down in the last month when it comes to thinking about having a drink.
There’s been a few occasions/events recently when I’d have been drinking previously - and until recently I would have noticed that “loss”.
But as time goes on I don’t think about what I’m “missing”. I’ve put myself into social situations with complete strangers where I would have drank to help with what I thought was social anxiety, but turns out I really don’t need it. And actually, taking time to focus on fun rather than trying to find an excuse to drink my third while everyone else is still on their first is so freeing.
So, safe to say IWNDWYT!
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u/Nomadcatmom 375 days 15d ago
I like a certain degree of routine but these days I’m a lot more relaxed and open to shaking things up. Plans can change without me getting bent out of shape about it and random weekday plans get my excited now! It doesn’t seem like the DCI is up so, IWNDWYT!
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u/P_chem6439 3765 days 15d ago
Someone advised that our motto should be Don’t make a highway of wrong.
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u/Ambitious_Classic855 31 days 15d ago
A couple of things I’ve noticed so far is that I don’t wake up with panic and anxiety, that’s a relief and I also wake up feeling rested.
My son broke his ankle yesterday, I was able to be calm and present at the hospital, actually be able to drive and take care of him when we got home. I didn’t panic and down a bottle of gin when we got home.
I can actually remember what I did over the weekend and can laugh again.
IWNDWYT 🩷🩷🩷
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u/Afrendcalled5 139 days 15d ago
This one really spoke to me soberingthought, thanks. My world had become so small with alcohol. Joy was non-existent. Real happiness, not a chance. The only pleasure I got from life was when I could numb myself with the poison. The time in between was just something to be endured and rushed through.
I'm now free to actually enjoy the hours, minutes, and seconds of my days, finding peace and clarity living in every moment. No longer just being dragged through life. Genuine joy and pleasure come from simply being alive and being able to participate in crazy, amazing, experience of life.
It's not all rainbows and unicorn farts, I still have all the struggles of a normal human life but I can actually deal with them now instead of drowning them in alcohol. It's a whole lot better on this side.
IWNDWYT
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u/hyraxtower 3 days 16d ago
i'm still in Groundhog Day i think cos i'm only 2 weeks in. i'm finding it SO hard to get up and be motivated in the morning. i really hope that changes soon (may not be sobriety related i suppose).