My name's Jeremy.
I want to tell you why I stopped drinking. Not the polished version. The honest one.
It Wasn't One Dramatic Moment
There was no single rock bottom. No dramatic intervention. No waking up in a ditch somewhere.
It was quieter than that. And somehow harder to explain.
Over a period of time, very similar circumstances just kept repeating. Drinking had become my default — for everything. Stress. Socialising. Sports. Going to the footy with your mates and having a beer. That's just what I did. That's what everyone did.
But what it was doing to me functionally was not good.
When My Doctor Said Stop
It hit my liver. My doctor told me I had to stop.
That should have been enough. But even then — it wasn't easy. Because the drinking wasn't just a habit. It was woven into everything. Every social situation. Every way I knew how to unwind.
Stopping meant figuring out who I actually was without it. And that's a confronting thing to face.
The Moment I Knew It Was Serious
I blacked out. Didn't even know where I was.
And that wasn't a one-off. It was happening more regularly than I wanted to admit — drinking at home, then going out, and not remembering going out.
That was the moment I knew. Not just that I had to stop. But that I actually wanted to.
What Life Looks Like Now
I've got a clear head. Which sounds simple. But when you've been foggy for years, clarity feels like a superpower.
The one thing that's helped me most is family. Family is everything to me. And one of the core reasons I stopped was because of them — I could see how much it was affecting the people I love most.
I haven't got it all figured out. But it's day by day. Hour by hour. Week by week. And that's enough.
If Any of This Sounds Familiar
You're not alone.
You don't need to be at rock bottom to deserve support. You just need to be willing to show up — for yourself, and for the people who matter to you.
That's what Still Standing Co is here for. Real support, from someone who's been through it.
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Still Standing Co provides peer support, personal perspective, and community — not clinical or medical treatment. If you are in crisis, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.