# 5 years sober **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 22, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-years-sober/490302 "2009-03-22T00:34:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-years-sober/490302/41 "2009-03-25T02:25:43Z")
sleestak---- It sounds like life is going great for you, and I am glad you are in a good way… Congrats on your willpower and determination, its something to be proud of!!! Matthew is Salt Lake. (one of my closest friends has a good 8+ years on the wagon) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-years-sober/490302/42 "2009-03-25T02:32:39Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I think it’s a hard concept to grasp. For people like us (I presume) alchohol is something that enhances life. A couple beers after work with a close friend. Some good wine with dinner. Crazy Mexican margharita night with the girlfriend. For other people, they can’t control themselves and it results in lost jobs, or a lot of pain and suffering. > > I have to imagine staying completely sober must be tough since it seems like booze is so ingrained in just about everything. That’s about how I used to look at it, but now I just don’t care about _having_ alcohol myself. I don’t mind being in bars, or being with people who are drinking, unless they are the type whom alcohol makes obnoxious–but then I didn’t want to be around them when I was drinking either. But mine is an unusual case in that I never had to struggle with it, nor have I forbidden myself from ever taking another drop. Maybe leaving the option open is what enables me to pretty much leave it alone. I do understand though what they mean about being “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-years-sober/490302/43 "2009-03-25T08:20:22Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > That’s about how I used to look at it, but now I just don’t care about _having_ alcohol myself. I don’t mind being in bars, or being with people who are drinking, unless they are the type whom alcohol makes obnoxious–but then I didn’t want to be around them when I was drinking either. I find that these days, I have little tolerance for frathouse style bars full of douchebag 23 year old dudes dropping Jaeger shots and dollar Bud specials so they can get fucked up enough to hit on the 4 sloppy drunk chicks. I miss the IDEA of it in the sense of being young and not having to care about anything other than where everyone is going to meet up and get drunk this weekend. But I think I would rather find something more productive to fill my time with. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-years-sober/490302/44 "2009-03-25T08:38:13Z")
Congratulations! _salutes with her glass of water_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-years-sober/490302.md?page=2)