Drinking .... Advice , stories and conversation

[Shakeandbake]

I am seriously thinking of quitting drinking alcohol.

Its something I have done pretty much every weekend , even some weekdays for over 20 years and I think my life would be better without it.

I am wondering if there are any fellow brothers and sisters out there that have made this choice and can offer some insight.

I think that I drink more than the average person and cant help but think my life would be much better without it .... buts its kind of all i know .... its a habit. Its a habit that leads to other bad habits such as not eating right , not exercising and even smoking. So when I step back and look at this habit I dont like what I see.

Anyone else where I am at or been here that can offer some input ?

 

[stansays]

I went through same issue you did and quit on March 1, 2015. Thought I would try 30 days and then that has turned into 18 months when I saw the overall benefits of no alcohol.

It started out as a break from alcohol to stop the hangovers, but 20 lbs later it has become a lifestyle now. The longer you go, the easier it gets.

Interesting you mention other bad habits as when I quit alcohol, I quit fast food, started walking 30 mins a day and working out 30 mins a day.

For me, non-alcoholic beer has been a life saver. I like having beer after hockey and hot summer days. Near beer helps me through those times!

Peer pressure is tough sometimes, but I always told myself that I would be the first guy to poke fun, so let people have their jokes.

Good luck!!

 

[K Douglas]

I used to be a heavy drinker in my late teens and most of my 20's. I was usually out 3-4 nights per week and binge drinking. What got me to cut down drastically was my doctor telling me that if I continue this path I will be dead by the age of 30. That was a wake up call.
Questions for you - have you had a physical in the past year? All your blood work up to date? If not I'd suggest doing this.
Most people may not be aware but alcohol is a depressant. Not only can it cause physical damage to a human being, it can fuck us up mentally. The bad habits you are following are directly related to the effect that alcohol has had on your brain. Now I'm not here to tell you that you should cut alcohol out entirely. Sometimes humans need to let loose on occasion, and alcohol can help us do that. What I would suggest is as follows

limit your alcohol intake to weekends whenever possible
don't over indulge. having 6+ drinks at one sitting is harmful and considered binge drinking
get active and improve eating habits
find a hobby that takes your mind away from drinking

 

[Shakeandbake]

I am really flattered by the honest and personal replies. It means a lot. I do get regular physicals and everything is always perfect.... I think this leads me to think that my lifestyle has been fine but then when I look at the other habits associated with drinking I see that sooner or later it will all catch up with me. I think the key is to find a replacement for drinking...something I enjoy that will help bring positive habits back into my life.

I will try non alcoholic beer ...any particular brands that taste good ?

 

[frankcastle]

Hey it's great that you can see into the future and want to make a change.

For some people the realization comes too late.

I've never been a drinker but I did mess around with drugs.

It was tough to be around other people doing it when you aren't. But when I explained to my friends that I wanted to stop for health reasons they were supportive and didn't pressure or offer me any.

Offer to be the designated driver. Avoid events where the focus is just on drinking. If you know people are going to drink and say watch a football game then that at least gives you something to focus on other than the drinking.

If you have trouble not drinking also considering a support group might be helpful too. Or at least read up on some literature.

Best of luck! Don't be discouraged if you have a slip up. Just keep trying.

Set aside what you would have spent on a weekend drinking. When it becomes enough to see a SP go!

 

[Shakeandbake]

Set aside what you would have spent on a weekend drinking. When it becomes enough to see a SP go!

I think this is also part of the plan , thx a lot appreciate your input

 

[Mr Bret]

I used to drink quite a bit when I was a teen and a young adult.
Back then, the whole issue of drinking and driving wasn't seen as such a big deal. Everyone did it.
Fortunately, I never had any accidents or tickets, etc.
At a certain point in my early 20s, I realized I like driving much more than I liked drinking (and all the nasty side effects) so I quit drinking.
Now, I'm in my mid 50s and I normally have around 3 beers per year and maybe 4 glasses of wine. And they are all at different times.
My friends like the idea that there is always a designated driver available for them when we go out.
I don't miss it in the least. Especially the next morning after a night out.

Good luck with your decision, what ever it may be.

 

[Shakeandbake]

Again appreciate people taking the time to post on this thread , it means a lot to me.

I think the main think that is coming through to me at this point in time is that I will be missing something when in fact noone has stated this ... In fact it seems like people are happy to get rid of this habit. I dont know what my fear of totally stopping is but I will admit I do feel fear ... of what ? ... I actually an not exactly sure ....sounds odd but its true....

 

[K Douglas]

Again appreciate people taking the time to post on this thread , it means a lot to me.

I think the main think that is coming through to me at this point in time is that I will be missing something when in fact noone has stated this ... In fact it seems like people are happy to get rid of this habit. I dont know what my fear of totally stopping is but I will admit I do feel fear ... of what ? ... I actually an not exactly sure ....sounds odd but its true....

It's fear of change and the unknown. You're so used to boozing you don't know what life sober will be like. One thing I will tell you for sure, you will feel better physically once your liver detoxifies.

 

[Butler1000]

I've cut back quite a bit. Pretty much the after work beers. Pocket book is happier.

I still have beers, ceasers when I'm up north, or occasional dinners out with wine.

But just cutting back to celebratory and lessening the amount at those makes a big difference.

Good on you for making the decision. I once quit for six months to save money for a trip. It's not that hard once you make the choice. And stick to your guns.

 

[Shakeandbake]

Well due to all the shares and advice I have decided to make this my first alcohol free weekend in memory... even typing this there is a strange fear that comes over me saying ...really ? seriously ? not even one night ? not just cut down to a few drinks ... This alone makes me feel that perhaps the habit is bigger than I was willing to admit. I havent lost jobs or friends or had any real major issues with drinking other than an unhealthy lifestyle and some arguments that I didnt like how I acted so I guess I always thought its not a problem .... The fact that one single weekend of non drinking scares me makes me think I have been fooling myself

 

[Keebler Elf]

I haven't been through the OP's scenario but I can say I haven't been a heavy drinker since high school and, honestly, I don't miss it at all. I'm not a teetotaler and drink occasionally but by no means is it a regular occurrence. More often than not when I buy beer for the fridge I end up throwing some of it out after it's expired. Looking back, I think a lot of it is peer pressure and social expectations. I see it a lot more with marijuana today than alcohol today, people thinking you're "weird" for not getting high every night. But then I take a look at the lives they're leading and it's clear to me they're self-medicating to escape from life.

My suggestion: give it up for 6 weeks. See what happens. My guess is you won't miss it that much and won't turn back.

 

[piano8950]

I have an addictive personality. There are things I enjoy that I don't partake in because I too often do it in excess. Thankfully, I've identified and limited those aspects of my life. It's not alcohol in my case, but once I stopped doing said things, I didn't miss it at all.

Good luck in whatever you want to do. I wish you a happier and healthier future.

 

[fuji]

The usual barrier is friends. Your typical weekend is spent with your typical friends doing your typical thing. In your case that has involved alcohol and those friends are going to miss you, and you them.

Some friends will adjust and do new things with you. Other friends you will actually lose.

That's what makes a lifestyle change like this hard.

People who actually are alcoholics can chime in with better personal experience, but I have heard those I know talking about the importance of making new relationships that are not based on alcohol. It's not about quitting alcohol alone, it's about quitting the lifestyle and the friends and situations that are about alcohol and creating new friends and new activities that are about something different.

 

[frankcastle]

Well due to all the shares and advice I have decided to make this my first alcohol free weekend in memory... even typing this there is a strange fear that comes over me saying ...really ? seriously ? not even one night ? not just cut down to a few drinks ... This alone makes me feel that perhaps the habit is bigger than I was willing to admit. I havent lost jobs or friends or had any real major issues with drinking other than an unhealthy lifestyle and some arguments that I didnt like how I acted so I guess I always thought its not a problem .... The fact that one single weekend of non drinking scares me makes me think I have been fooling myself

Try and make plans to do fun things that you enjoy this weekend so you don't spend as much time thinking about drinking. Good luck!!!!!!

 

[Shades]

Well due to all the shares and advice I have decided to make this my first alcohol free weekend in memory... even typing this there is a strange fear that comes over me saying ...really ? seriously ? not even one night ? not just cut down to a few drinks ... This alone makes me feel that perhaps the habit is bigger than I was willing to admit. I havent lost jobs or friends or had any real major issues with drinking other than an unhealthy lifestyle and some arguments that I didnt like how I acted so I guess I always thought its not a problem .... The fact that one single weekend of non drinking scares me makes me think I have been fooling myself

Good Luck. It's a one day at a time process. It is psychologically difficult if you say words like I will quit "forever" or even "thirty days" or a "weekend". Take it one day at a time. You will be surprised at how quickly the days mount up....and it will get easier.

 

[rgkv]

Here's a little story and maybe some advice from a recovering alcoholic.. I drank like a fish from my teens till I was 40, my parent's I swear drank for a living. By the time I hit my forties I had pretty much lost control, All it took was a couple of drinks and off I was, and then the coke came into play. Phone rang, it was my daughter, she was having a baby in about 60 days, her man had left, she asked me to be there when she had the baby, I said YES OF COURSE!!. I hung up the phone, right there and then I knew. She would call, I would be drunk. That was 24 years ago. Never, not once have I had a drink since....The only way though..is you got to want it. Not others saying you got to quit, this and that,,, YOU!! got to want it.
Tell you this too. It changed my life entirely, my drinking caused so much pain over the years, lost years of life with my kids.. Not now,,

 

[Lv Wmn]

Here's a little story and maybe some advice from a recovering alcoholic.. I drank like a fish from my teens till I was 40, my parent's I swear drank for a living. By the time I hit my forties I had pretty much lost control, All it took was a couple of drinks and off I was, and then the coke came into play. Phone rang, it was my daughter, she was having a baby in about 60 days, her man had left, she asked me to be there when she had the baby, I said YES OF COURSE!!. I hung up the phone, right there and then I knew. She would call, I would be drunk. That was 24 years ago. Never, not once have I had a drink since....The only way though..is you got to want it. Not others saying you got to quit, this and that,,, YOU!! got to want it.
Tell you this too. It changed my life entirely, my drinking caused so much pain over the years, lost years of life with my kids.. Not now,,

Great story good for you.

I totally agree, any change like this to stop doing something like this; smoking, drinking, drugs, food has to come from within. You have to want to make the change, doing it for someone else is likely short term

 

[Shakeandbake]

Here's a little story and maybe some advice from a recovering alcoholic.. I drank like a fish from my teens till I was 40, my parent's I swear drank for a living. By the time I hit my forties I had pretty much lost control, All it took was a couple of drinks and off I was, and then the coke came into play. Phone rang, it was my daughter, she was having a baby in about 60 days, her man had left, she asked me to be there when she had the baby, I said YES OF COURSE!!. I hung up the phone, right there and then I knew. She would call, I would be drunk. That was 24 years ago. Never, not once have I had a drink since....The only way though..is you got to want it. Not others saying you got to quit, this and that,,, YOU!! got to want it.
Tell you this too. It changed my life entirely, my drinking caused so much pain over the years, lost years of life with my kids.. Not now,,

Wow thanks for sharing such a personal story , I get that me and only me can make myself quit. Noone is asking me to ... I do have friends that drink but honestly I mostly drink by myself . I think what hit me most from your post is that that you lose life when you chose to make alcohol your way of life. I see that in myself. I see myself not doing things with friends and family because I would rather just relax and drink

 

[BAMan 55]

I will try non alcoholic beer ...any particular brands that taste good ?

Becks is the best. Also, and it figures, it is the most expensive.