Six months sober, zero people know. Hiding it feels harder than quitting.

I hit six months sober this week. Not a single person in my life knows. I haven’t told my friends or family because I’m honestly scared of how they’ll react. It’s weird-people always talk about how hard quitting is, but for me, hiding it has been the hardest part.

I used to be the “let’s do shots!” person at every party, so I worry people will think I’m judging them or that I’m not fun anymore. I’ve gotten so good at making up excuses-“I’m on antibiotics,” “I have an early morning,” or just quietly switching my drink for soda and hoping no one notices. Sometimes I feel like I’m living a double life.

The thing is, sobriety has been the best thing I’ve done for myself. My anxiety is way down, I sleep better, and I actually remember what I did last weekend. But I still feel like I can’t share this with anyone close to me.

Has anyone else gone through this? How did you finally tell people, or did you just keep it to yourself? Would love to hear how others handled it, or even just know I’m not the only one feeling this way.