IWNDWYT is an initialism that stands for I will not drink with you today. Meaning that we will not be drinking alongside each other, in solidarity, today.
It is often seen on social media (Instagram, Twitter, Reddit) where users will sign off posts with IWNDWYT. Signalling to other – particularly newer – users that they are not alone and there are others out there going through similar battles with alcohol. Battles being faced successfully.
I personally find it helpful in my sobriety to know that there are lots of other people out there “not drinking with me today”. Hence why I have shamelessly co-opted that phrase when setting up this site.
Why Should I Only Not Drink Today?
Why do we say ‘I will not drink with you today’ instead of ‘I will not drink with you’?
Well how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Yes, a terrible joke. But one that highlights the point well. You don’t get anywhere in life immediately. It takes time and a multitude of actions to get from A to B. In the case of stopping drinking instead of actions it is days.
If you always focus on not drinking today and making your life better today then you will conquer today, and then the next day, and the next, and then very soon you will have eaten the whole elephant.
…Or will be happily sober rather.
And that is how I have chosen to interpret the phrase and apply it to my sobriety and to my writings on this site.
Who Am I & What is this site?
If you are going to be reading what I write you should probably know more about me.
My name is Mike. I am 30 something years of age and I live in the always sunny North West of England.
I had my first drink when I was around 15 years old and for the next 13 years (give or take) I abused alcohol. I don’t like the label alcoholic not just for myself but for all who are on this path. I much prefer what Doctors call ‘Alcohol Use Disorder‘ to describe my drinking during these times.
Now though – after a few failed upstarts – I am comfortably and happily alcohol free. I like to say that my sober life has finally begun. I am not an alcoholic, as I am not addicted to alcohol, I am a Non-Drinker (an Ex-drinker you could say) and I will not be drinking today.
When I first quit drinking I had so much time to fill. Time that I had previously spent drinking or hungover (or drinking while hungover) was now mine to do as I pleased. So I revisited old hobbies I used to enjoy. I also picked up some new hobbies I had always wanted to try. I really started to pick up the pieces of my life that alcohol abuse had stolen from me.
Even though I was enjoying life again I was still concerned that all of this free time could lead to boredom and that boredom could lead me right back to drinking. So I started going to more meetings. Over time as I became comfortable in my own sobriety I started to reach out and help other people – as I had been helped myself.
Eventually I wound up in a counselor position with a local outreach charity, where I mainly focus on helping people who want to quit drinking or taking drugs. There is no greater joy for me than finding out that my work has helped people get back on their feet and get their life back on track
It’s in this spirit of giving back and helping that I have set myself the somewhat lofty goal of helping 10,000 people get sober – and more importantly – to stay sober.
This site with all of the posts and associated media is part of that challenge. I knew that I couldn’t reach my 10,000 goal just by volunteering locally (which I still do). I needed to go worldwide. Get online and reach the masses as they say. Initially I was afraid that by being online I would lose the personal touch that comes from helping people, but with my email newsletter I feel I can provide just as much help to those who need it without losing that one-on-one feel.
If you are interested in joining my newsletter please check it out, I provide regular recovery tips, helpful support emails and whenever I release a new book my readers get them absolutely free!:
What Can You Learn About Being Sober From Me?
A lot I hope. But why don’t you see for yourself. Here is a varied selection of some of the posts on this site. Read one or two of them and if you like them why not give my newsletter a try. My subscribers receive notifications of new posts and they also receive tips and advice that is not published here at all.
How to Quit Drinking – Learn the 8 steps I recommend everyone takes when they decide to quit drinking. These steps are straight and to the point. Follow these steps and you will come out sober the other end.
“Do I Have a Drinking Problem?” – Not quite onboard with the ‘getting sober’ thing? That’s cool not everyone has a problem with alcohol that requires quitting for good. But if you are here it means you are concerned about your drinking. Take a read of this post and see what’s what.
Is AA right for you? – Heard good things about AA and want to see if it’s for you? Check out this post. Heard bad things about AA and want to see if it’s true? Check out this post. Heard nothing about AA and want to learn more? Check out this post.
Alcohol Addiction Stories – Sick of reading stuff written by me? Check out the posts sent to us by our readers. These posts are real life experiences of people who have been there, done that and bought the beer swilled t-shirt. I love these posts as it reminds me I am not alone. It gives me strength to know that there are other people out there going through the same battles I go through (and doing so successfully!)
Alcohol Recovery Questions – Have a specific question you want answered? I personally answer every question that is posed to us. Even if that means sending you to another site that has the answer. As long as you get what you needed that’s all that matters to me.
And again don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter so that we can keep in touch. Until then…
IWNDWYT – I will not drink with you today!