First, if you have even what you would consider a small issue with alcohol, get rid of it and never look back. It will be the last thing you regret in your life ridding yourself of this garbage.

Second, if you have a pain, trauma, PTSD and are coping, even in some small fashion, maybe in some 'healthy' way with alcohol sporadically, get rid of it immediately. I'm in a group of those suffering serious trauma, PTSD, etc and they are some of the most BA MFers I've ever known. Some are from the military, some from just from pain. Alcohol with these mental issues will only make you suffer exponentially more. (And this is coming to you from someone who used to make fun of people who claim they were 'triggered.' I get it now.)

Lastly, I've included two pictures, before and after. The first picture is right before a week of detox, followed by over a month of out-patient. After the month of out-patient, while not drinking but eating like a horse, I began a cycle that started on 7/1/26 and ended 9/20/26. I did so to show myself that I still had some form of control over my body and actions and that I could again tell my body "no" or "yes." The 2nd picture is from the 20th of September, and I haven't felt this good since before alcohol a few years ago.

Again, fck alcohol. For anyone who needs to hear this, do whatever it takes to stop. I had to drop myself at detox for a week just to get free for a small amount of time, if even for just a week. I'm a business owner, so I couldn't take sick-leave but I knew I needed a freedom I hadn't had for years. Out of roughly 20 people I went in with and had out-patient with, there might be 2-3 that are doing ok. Some have died, and most have started off worse than where they left off. Just stay the fcking course and don't waiver.

Life without alcohol is exponentially better. Even those who didn't have an issue with it and have stopped will tell you the same thing. Get healthy, get gains, take control back, and get as much from this life (with God preferably) as you can. I promise, it is 100% worth any sacrifice made.