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Timeline for alcohol recovery

Everyone is different, but there is a predictable timeline when you quit drinking. The following lists the common physical and psychological milestones for alcoholics when they first enter recovery.

As always, heavy drinkers should consult a professional about the dangers of alcohol withdrawal, especially if it’s their first time going sober in many years.

Don’t be discouraged on hard days, remember the positive effects of sobriety are worth the struggle.

**This page is a work in progress.

Below is a general guideline, I’ve included links to my blog posts for each milestone.

Day 1 sober – Desperate resolve to finally quit drinking

Day 2 sober – Searching for information. Craving starts to hit you and real physical withdrawal

Day 3 sober – Short-term symptoms withdrawal peaks at 72 hours

Day 4 sober – Fatigue and self-doubt, why is this so hard? Critical to seek outside help.

Day 5 sober – Mood swings and irritability

Day 6 sober – Hints of relief as the physical withdrawal is nearly finished.

Day 7 / 1 week sober – Feeling of pride, accomplished one week. Moving into the psychological struggle of adjusting to life without drinking.

Day 8 sober – Strange dreams, especially of alcohol

Day 9 sober – Introspection as foggy thinking starts to clear

Day 10 sober – Begin to notice the health improvements

Day 11 sober – Alternating between hope and anxiety

Day 12 sober – New sense of well-being

Day 13 sober – Looking for outside help, even spiritual assistance

Day 14 / 2 weeks sober – Another milestone and growing confidence

Day 15 sober – Anger about all the problems alcohol caused

Day 16 sober – Self doubt and boredom

Day 17 sober – Reaching out to help to help others

Day 18 sober – Learning to avoid relapse

Day 19 sober – Anger and mood swings continue

Day 20 sober – Hope to be nearing another milestone

Day 21 / 3 weeks sober – Realization that sobriety is my new happy

Day 22 sober – Mood swings and looking for professional help

Day 23 sober – Gratitude for those helping you fight addiction

Day 24 sober – Honesty about regrets from drinking days

Day 25 sober – Anger at alcohol itself, for all the lies I believed

Day 26 sober – Reflecting on rock bottom

Day 27 sober – Seeing longer term health benefits, my blood pressure is normal

Day 28 sober – Recognizing drinking triggers and fighting through hard days

Day 29 sober – Learning to live one day at a time

Day 30 sobriety / 4 weeks / 1 month sober – The freedom in admitting that I was powerless

5 Weeks / 35 days sobriety – Still struggling to find my sleep pattern

6 Weeks Sober / 42 days sobriety – Learning to cope with life’s mess

7 Weeks  Sober / 49 days sobriety – I couldn’t stop talking about being sober

8 Weeks / 56 day sobriety – This was a day I almost relapsed

60 Days / 2 months sober – More roller coaster

9 Weeks sober / 63 days sobriety – Starting to believe the AA promises

10 Weeks sober / 70 days sobriety – Is PAWS a real thing?

Day 73 Sober – No situation is so bad that a drink can’t make it worse.

Day 74 Sober – I though it would get better by now.

Day 75 Sober – I can’t even do relapse right.

Day 76 Sober – I started taking my bipolar medicine, here’s why.

11 Weeks sober /  77 days days sobriety – Contract for dealing with cravings.

12 Weeks / 84 days sobriety – recovery helped me relocate

Day 86 Sober– My chair at AA is important

Day 88 Sober– Physical amends, running a 5k race

3 months sober / 90 days sobriety – recovery is possible

13 Weeks / 91 days sobriety – dealing with debts

14 Weeks Sober / 98 days sobriety – the triple digit is coming

Day 100 Sober – remembering who got me this far

15 Weeks Sober / 105 days sobriety – feeling depressed again

16 Weeks Sober / 112 days sobriety – sharing my imperfect story

17 Weeks Sober / 119 days sobriety

4 Months Sober / 120 days sobriety

18 Weeks Sober / 126 days sobriety

Seek Professional Help

My blog posts are simply sharing my experience fighting addiction. Alcohol withdrawal is a dangerous situation and you need to educate yourself on the risks.

There are many health benefits when you get rid of alcohol. Your body will begin to heal and reverse some of the damage. Quitting drinking has a host of positive physical side effects, as you would expect when you remove a toxic chemical from your system.

The positive effects of quitting alcohol are dramatic, even for moderate drinkers. Check out this experiment that ran blood tests before and after a 30 day no alcohol challenge.

Related posts:

  1. Resources for Addiction and Alcohol Recovery The following list of resources is a good starting point for anyone struggling with alcohol addiction. Leave a comment to suggest new resources. Experts in Recovery & Addiction Social Networks...

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Comments

  1. John P Thorn says

    December 2, 2020 at 8:38 pm

    I have 18 days sober.Thanks for the info and encouragement,unfortunately I have cirrhosis of the liver.

    Reply

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