The first few days were rough . I was about a 6 beer a day drinker so withdrawal symptoms weren ' t so bad , but hitting the brakes was mentally draining . I had to rewrite my life patterns . I also was concerned about my drinking buddies ' reactions this ended up being a huge who cares itembut I attached a lot of significance to it at the time . About 2 weeks in I started to feel really good . I got a lot of exercise and a lot of rest . I drank a lot of herbal tea and sparkling water . The turning point was when my default switched from drink to not drink . At that point , I wasn ' t deciding not to drink each day , the decision was already made , and I would need to make the decision to drink . I ' m a very patternoriented person and getting into a sober groove was important . I read this forum to and from work on the bus to keep sobriety in my mind , so that I continue to take it seriously and quiet the lizard brain .