What Surprised You About Getting Sober?

On my sober birthday, I wanted to ask…

Feb 11, 2026

As I turn six years sober on February 11, I’d love to ask you…

What surprised you about getting sober?

You can find my answer here. And since we ask this in the My Sobriety Story series, I’ve pulled from those responses below. You can find the full stories here.

Whether you’re sober curious and looking for inspiration… sober but having a tough time and seeking encouragement… or feeling solid in your sobriety and wanting to pause, reflect, and connect—I hope you’ll find these responses reassuring, uplifting, and a reminder that you’re not alone.

We’d love to hear from you, too. What surprised you about getting sober? Please share in the comments!

And if you’re alcohol-free and would like to contribute to the My Sobriety Story series, we’d love to have you. You can email me here for the questions and guidelines. We welcome and celebrate all paths to getting and staying alcohol free.

“How easy it is. Life in sobriety had a certain ease to it that felt unfamiliar to me… the difference between my life then and now is so stark that it’s never even a question of whether I’d want to do anything to jeopardize that.” —Carly Schwartz

“What surprised me most was how ready I was for a change… There is a before and after. I saw the fruits of my labor reflected in the texture of my skin, the sparkle in my eyes, and the way my brain’s gears started to churn again.” —Little Edits Atelier

“How much of my emotional life I had been missing out on since I started drinking at age 13… Thirty-six years later, I discovered that I had been missing out on so much, as the numbing included the good as well as the bad.” —Mid5 Coaching Scott Cameron

“That my life wasn’t over! It sounds simple, but when I first thought about getting sober, I believed accepting the label of alcoholic would ruin my life, career, and relationships. I thought I’d never have fun again. I assumed I would be fighting cravings the rest of my life. I couldn’t have been more wrong.” —Jake Summers

“I thought getting sober would feel like a punishment. Instead, I feel like I’ve been given an opportunity to live a meaningful, intentional life—like my world cracked wide open.” —Kristen Crocker

“I thought sobriety would be dreadfully boring. I couldn’t imagine going through a holiday without drinking. I couldn’t imagine seeing a band, going to a wedding, or traveling to Italy without drinking. Turns out, ALL of those things are way more fun and easy when I’m not drunk. That was a genuine surprise!” —Parker Gates

“What’s surprising is that quitting drinking doesn’t automatically fix everything… I learned that drinking was not, in fact, my problem. The problem was I had a spiritual hole I had been filling with vodka.” —Elizabeth Jannuzzi

“First, how goddamn hard it was… Nothing that is that hard to give up can be good for one’s soul!” —Dr. Paul Chadwick

“The hardest part comes after putting the substance down… What I didn’t expect was the challenges that come from being completely naked, raw, and vulnerable and unable to numb the feelings that all of a sudden came from my now fully feeling and highly sensitive body.” —Kaitlyn Ramsay

“For me, the biggest surprise was how easy it was once I made the decision and accepted the help I needed. The surrender was all that was required.” —Dee Rambeau

“Sobriety ripped the floorboards up and showed me all the things hiding underneath… But most surprising? It’s how much of recovery is spiritual… In the ‘I get to feel like a whole person again’ kind of way.” —Author Jeremy Evans

“That I continue to be an asshole, and so does everyone else… Unfortunately, as a practical matter, the only person who has to stop being such an asshat is me.” —Marya Hornbacher

“That I am actually pretty fun, and I can still be the life of the party without a single drop of alcohol. Also, I am open about being sober (safely, with care and boundaries), and I’ve found that most people either don’t care or are genuinely curious.” —Marianna Portela

“I was surprised by how accessible peace was to me if I simply chose it… I’d spent years thinking that peace was some distant place… but in reality, it was always within me, just waiting to be chosen.” —Adam PT

“What surprised me is that I did it. I remember hitting 30 days, then 90, then six months, then one year, and thinking: Wow, this sh*t is real. I’m really doing it. What also surprised me was the real weight of my feelings.” —Shane Willbanks

“It became clear pretty early on that diet culture was heavily linked to my drinking. And feeling unworthy was at the core of my adherence to diet culture. Really, it has been shedding layers of conditioning, limiting beliefs, and fears. For me, simply being abstinent from alcohol would not have worked… It was time to do the work on myself.” —Maria Luz O'Rourke

“I honestly never realized life could be this good… On the other side of alcohol, there’s a life I never could have imagined… I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life. And I am so, so, so grateful.” —Ellie Nova

What surprised you about getting sober? Please share in the comments.

And before you go, would you take a second to tap that little heart? It lets others know there’s something helpful here and grows our sober community.

Sober App Substack

Discussion about this post

Ready for more?