How We Survived Witching Hour in Early Sobriety
Sober people share the strategies that got them through wine o’clock
Before quitting alcohol, I’d make my way through difficult, dread-inducing times by leaning into the mantra: Well, at least there’ll be wine with dinner.
Envisioning that full glass of red at the end of the day brought renewed-if-false energy and a sense of relief. And just to make sure I earned it, I’d push through overwork, exhaustion, worry, and fear. I’d tell myself: Well, at least there’ll be wine with dinner.
Then, when dinner arrived, I’d pour the wine, sit down with my meal, and exhale. Finally, a few moments of peace. Finally, a precious half hour to push pause on worry.
I probably don’t need to tell you how this played out. I’d feel that well-deserved relief for twenty, maybe thirty minutes. And then, right on cue, an even larger wave of anxiety would crash over, pulling me under.
Chasing the relief I’d felt earlier, I’d pour a second glass. But alas, it never quite worked. That’s how it goes with alcohol: The high lasts the first thirty minutes, levels out, then follows a predictable arc—one that leads to more worry, more dread, and often more anger or weepiness.
After getting sober, the specifics of my daily routines—especially my evenings—saw big rearranging. Heck, I’ll go so far as to say that consciously reshaping my evenings was essential to: 1) actually getting sober in the first place, and 2) making sobriety less stressful, more easeful.
These days—five-plus years sober—my new evening routines are so consistent that my cats have them memorized. They know when yoga’s about to shift into meditation, when meditation’s about to shift into reading, and when specific, predictable moments mark the imminent arrival of kitty treats.
But in early sobriety? The “witching hour”—that window when I once reached for wine—was in flux and I grasped for new anchors. I joined an online sober community and attended their meetings. I devoured sober memoirs and podcasts, searching for answers. I poured my newfound energy (and time) into writing projects. I bought an essential oil diffuser—and fairy lights! Eventually, I discovered what worked.
Turns out, I wasn’t the only one fumbling through those first raw evenings. Most people who’ve gotten sober face some version of that stretch of time when cravings, restlessness, and old habits come calling. To help, they might go to meetings, or move their bodies, or find quiet comforts or clever distractions.
What works for one person won’t always work for another—and what works for any of us might change over time. That’s the messy, beautiful truth of recovery: There’s no single right way, only whatever keeps you from pouring that drink.
So I asked others in this community: When you first got sober, what helped you get through the witching hour? Here’s what they shared—and we’d love to hear what worked for you in the comments!
“Keeping busy- cooking tricky recipes, yoga class almost every day, deep cleaning my home, taking really long walks, sober podcasts, speaker meeting tapes/podcasts, quit-lit, and importantly for me- Sleep. In early recovery I was putting myself to bed very early. My body, heart, mind and soul needed deep rest.” —
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“I moved my body in any way possible. Tidied a cupboard, made dinner, had a swim. Didn’t let myself listen to the very convincing addict brain chatter. And most importantly called someone.” —
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“My ‘witching hour’ was after work as a teacher. I had a few hours before getting dinner on the table as a single mom. I liked to prepare a plate of what we now call charcuterie…cheese, crackers, cut up apple, nuts etc…and savor a glass of wine with it. The glass of wine would be followed by another at dinner and more into the night until the bottle was empty. I still enjoy winding down as the sun goes down. It is 4:30 right now in Albuquerque. I have my afternoon Constant Comment tea, some crackers and cheese next to me as I write. I knew I needed self-care time when I was first sober and I just switched out the beverage.” —
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“I said the serenity prayer on loop, mixed with a ton of meetings. I stayed busy.” —
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“Leaning into learning. Putting all my focus into the study and practice of healthy living. In the moment, when the witching hour rang, it was picking up a book or hitting a martial arts class.” —
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“I had to change my nightly routine. No more late nights up alone. I made sure that if everyone else in the house was shutting down for the night then I needed to do the same. I still practice this, and it helps my family feel safe in my sobriety, as it adds a layer of accountability.” —
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“It was a gradual shift of my subconscious. Starting with limiting myself, tracking that, seeing that wasn’t very effective, the process then opened up the willingness to make a change, to seek more knowledge, I found This Naked Mind and through reading that book, my relationship changed, it became easier to not reach because I now knew what alcohol was doing to me, from there I made a public commitment of 365, so there was accountability. Each day that progressed made each day grow less of a desire to even think about it. I believe in being gentle with myself, seeing now that how I talk to myself can make things more challenging or a bit easier. Supportive in dialogue. You’re doing a great job, this is not easy.” —
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“Evening meetings helped me fill my time with community in a safe space.” —
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“Honestly - a simple mantra. Sometimes I’d be driving and I’d have to pull over. breathe deeply and repeat ‘just this.’ And name what I was seeing. Usually in a few minutes I could continue on.” —
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“Herbal remedies! Tea, or kava tincture!” —
“I walked 30-40 miles a week. I’d get home from work, feed the cats, and head out the door with a few hours of podcasts on deck. I’d get home in time to go to sleep. Did that for six months straight. It’s one of the things that inspired me to start a podcast.” —
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“I quit drinking 7.5 years ago. The first 90 days or so I gave myself permission to not accomplish anything else—i went to bed at 7pm with ice cream and watched crap tv. I bought myself treats every other day—fancy coffees, manicure, take out, etc. I devoured sober memoirs and podcasts. I also created a new drink routine for myself—tonic water—that I’d drink in a fancy glass. Eventually you do get to the mindset that it’s hardly missing out when you give up drinking—actually you are now finally really living.” —
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“AA meetings and calling other alcoholics.” —
“what helped me go sober starting in 2025 was learning to make shrub mocktails. so think of any fruit in season and pair it with apple cider vinegar and soda water. So easy and refreshing!” —
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“Honestly, just getting to the next minute on the clock. And the next, and the next. Nothing fancy or exciting, just grit. I see, at times, people glamorize healing on social media. For some, the process may be simple. For others, the work is dark. There isn’t a one size fits all when it comes to it. It’s important we respect the journey for what the journey is.” —
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“Something that helped me hugely with cravings was writing a list of 10 things I could do instead of drink. Things that were gentle and loving and would actually meet my needs. I had on there things like: go for a walk, watch a funny TV show, do some yoga. And I would say to myself ‘you can still drink - but do one of these FIRST’ then see how you feel. Almost always, the urge to drink will have passed. And if it hadn’t, I chose something else to do.
It was really helpful for me to tell myself ‘if you need to drink, you still can, it’s there for you’ because that took away the stress and fear of using willpower, which never worked for me. It helped me relax and feel safe, knowing that I was just experimenting and getting curious about what behaviours actually helped me.” —
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“For me, I didn’t walk into AA thinking it would work. I wasn’t excited about it. I wasn’t even convinced it was the right place for me. But I went with an open mind—because I was out of ideas. I sat in the back of the meeting with my hoodie on and a fake name ready (‘Hi, I’m Cinderella and I’m an alcoholic’)—just in case.
That night, at the end of the meeting, they asked if anyone wanted a ‘desire chip’—a plastic coin with the Serenity Prayer on it. It symbolizes the desire to stay sober just for the next 24 hours. I looked around at all these people who were happy, but who had shared the same thoughts and experiences as me.
That first 24 hours, I don’t think I let go of that chip. I wanted a drink—but I’d look down and remember the moment I accepted it, and the desire to stay sober. It felt good to make it to the next night’s 6pm meeting.
I kept that chip in my pocket as a reminder. When cravings hit, I’d hold it and tell myself: just make it to the next meeting. I used to joke that the tiny pocket in jeans was made by a sober person—it fit that chip perfectly. That chip, and the nightly 6pm meeting, got me through a lot of cravings and hard moments.
There’s no one-size-fits-all in sobriety. That chip might be a daily affirmation or a text to a friend for someone else. I found what worked for me—mostly AA—and some meetings clicked, some didn’t. But showing up mattered.” —
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If you’re sober, how do you get through the witching hour? Please share in the comments!
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Love this, thanks for sharing my words!
I love this! What a great resource to share with others thinking about getting sober. Thank you so much Dana for putting this together!!!!!