That's one thing Reddit doesn't somehow grasp: They outsourced their brand experience a long time ago when they were late to building an app of their own. To me and many others, reddit definitely is reddit is fun. There's no putting that genie back in the bottle.

I definitely miss Jerboa. But the past month has already brought so much chaos to my internet use. What's a little more?

I'm on steroids to treat a gnarly poison ivy rash that spread across my body. The meds have been waking and keeping me up throughout the night. It's a bummer, and I'm tired, but it's also fine. I feel better than I did when I was drinking. I'm still parenting, working, exercising, and reading.

Grateful for life even when it's a little hard.

IWNDWYT.

Thanks! And that is scary. It's definitely easy to forget how fragile this is if we don't care for it. Glad you're doing great now.

The early weekend was crazy. It was such an excuse for me to obliterate the majority of my workweek because god knows I was worthless on Monday and part of Tuesday. Did better late Tuesday, crushed Wednesday, and then was down and out for Thursday and Friday.

It didn't always happen like that. And toward the end, that was really rare. But damn do I remember when I was at my worst. The pain in my head as my alarm blared after a couple of hours of strained sleep. The horror of waking up. The immediate regret, the dread, the feeling that I'd trade anything to be anyone else.

No thanks. Life's better on this side. It wasn't easy to get here, and I still face days when I wonder whether this sober person is really me. Did I really make that change? Did I really set those boundaries? Am I really no longer a drinker, something that was core to my friendships, family relationships, and identity?

The answer is yes, so long as I don't take that next drink. IWNDWYT.

Sure thing. Sounds like you really thought it through. I'm gonna borrow a page from your book during a slippery situation tomorrow. Thanks!

Lol it's seriously crazy how much less active this place felt a couple of weeks ago. I can't imagine what it's like to be someone who was here years ago.

Happy Friday! IWNDWYT. But I will definitely eat pizza with you today.

Nice job. I know how hard that kind of situation can be.

I'm sorry you felt like an outsider. As someone whose family and friend groups is full of binge drinkers, I know that feeling well.

What works for me has always been leaving when I feel like it. I've also set boundaries with loved ones, which helped me prevent being in many -- but not all -- difficult situations. And my wife, kid, and I do a lot of fun, active stuff -- and more and more, people we know want in on that, which helps a ton.

Anyway, you're a champion. Way to go!

This brings up a good question: Do we really want everyone we can get?

On one hand, it'd help flesh out fledgling communities and keep threads and feeds more active.

On the other hand, the more people who come here, the more likely we are to see lower-effort, lower-value, and even counterproductive content and comments.

There's probably some magic number, an adoption level where communities thrive but are not watered down. I have no idea what that is, though.

Don't say, "I can't wait." It's OK to be excited for something but not to wish away all the moments between then and now. Each one is precious.

I picked that up a few years ago from a Buddhist book. It helped me with so many aspects of life.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's good to hear there wasn't a lot going on because, honestly, coming here from Reddit feels a bit like participating in some sort of digital gentrification.

OP could get constipated by doing a bunch of opioids. Obviously not recommended.

Great story. I relate to a lot of it, especially the realizations that: 1) My relationship with alcohol had taken a lot from me; and 2) Alcohol is incompatible with how I want to live my life.

There just isn't any joy in parenting, hiking, or writing if you're nursing a debilitating hangover.

You're right. The fediverse is definitely in a better position to ward off the suck.

Happy birthday!

I totally get what you mean. "Grab a drink" -- yeah right.

Hoping you can find a better and more fulfilling way to treat yourself today.

Wow! That's awesome. Keep it going! And IWNDWYT.

By now, we've all been around the internet long enough to know that good things never last. That's really life: Everything's impermanent. Lemmy will probably suck someday, as will much of the fediverse. But I'm grateful it's good right now and for the foreseeable future.

Never used it, but I could see it being nice. I'll never really get used to carrying out used toilet paper in a Ziploc bag. Just feels kinda gross and weird. But the time in the wilderness is always worth the price of admission.

I feel you completely. I spend most of my free time with my family, hiking or paddling, or reading books. It's nice to have places online to burn some time, but I'd sooner give it up than be forced into some corporate playground. The past 15-20 years have shown that it just doesn't work.