This is a place to motivate each other to control or stop drinking. It is also a place for non drinkers to discuss and share.
We welcome anyone who wishes to join in by asking for advice, sharing our experiences and stories, or just encouraging someone who is trying to quit or cut down.
Please post only when sober; you’re welcome to read in the meanwhile.
Keep it up!
It always helped me to just say I don't drink. Not that that I am quitting but that I don't drink.
Also think about the waste of money it is.
Also if you ever buy alcohol or a beer for home or at a bar, it's okay to not drink and just throw it out.
The money isn't the issue, but I realized what a waste of time it was. Last week when it got really bad, I'd get home from work, do my chores, eat and then start drinking from 7pm till 1am every night. That's almost a second full time job.
Someone told me that he discovered weekends are way longer now that they also have mornings, because he is sober instead of having a hangover until the afternoon.
I really liked his point of view about wasted time.
Good job on your decision, if you need help we are all here. Personally I had great help from the book "the simple method" by Allen Carr and now I don’t even have cravings or think about drinking. It’s easier to not think about the first drink than the 15 following.
I tried to get into The Simple Method before and I disagreed on too many points for it to work. Also stopped smoking but not with The Easy Way. His basic premise that cigarettes and alcohol actually do nothing for you at all simply didn't click with me.
What I did take from his books was the mindset that I'm not forced to avoid the drug, I'm finally free to live without it.
First couple days are the hardest. Then the old routines are hard to break. After about a year you'll have lost weight, feel healthier and wondered how you went on drinking like you did for so long.
This is huge, you're going to feel so good.
Make sure you have a plan of something 'to do' instead if you feel down, worn out, angry about something. That's when the "I just need to unwind today" thinking might kick in. But you might just enjoy not drinking enough to never have that urge.
Nice work
I'm really lucky to live in a place where I can just walk or cycle into the woods and hills directly from my house.
That always lets the stress fall off.
And now I'll finally have the time to do that regularly.
Good on you for making the right choice. Controlled drinking is a chore you assign yourself. Abstinence from alcohol is a gift to yourself.
if I control it I can't enjoy it, if I enjoy it I can't control it
I am proud of you!
be careful quitting cold turkey, one of 2 addictions that will kill you if you quit right away (the other being a type of painkiller i believe) consult a doctor to best manage it
Three addictions! One is VERY difficult to find enough to get addicted to now, though. The three “B”s:
Booze, Benzodiazepines, and Barbiturates.
Good for you.
When I need to get my mind of things reading does wonders for me, maybe it's something for you too.
Welcome, we're glad to have you here 🙂
So no more "only on weekends". Or "not at home" Or "not alone". Or "not more than 2 beers". Tried all that, didn't work.
I tried setting rules like that, it didn't work, it was exhausting and annoying (setting rules, thinking of ways to break the rules, feeling guilty for breaking the rules, thinking of new rules that'll absolutely definitely work this time...) Way easier to just not bother with all that by not drinking.
I found it helpful to make a commitment to myself to keep good non-alcoholic drinks in, and I use it as an opportunity to explore that space and find interesting things to drink.
Oh yeah, I got creative with the rules.
"Only on weekends" meant I drank the same amount, just concentrated on Fr-Su.
"Not at home" lead to a 2-beer pit stop on my way home from work, then "going for a walk" after supper.
"Not alone" meant getting a bottle of wine for my wife too, and convincing her to drink with me.
And "not more than 2 beers" made me get the strongest beer available, then switch to whisky.
I went through the same arc- it lead to binge drinking and getting my wife to drink with me, too.
I quit in Dec '22, and I wake up feeling free from booze everyday, seriously. Every day I open my eyes and don't have that nasty sweet taste on my tongue, or that dry eye & mouth feeling, I am relieved!
Now I'm 60lbs lighter (I DRANK drank), I exercise before work because it turns out I'm a morning person (!?), most of my health issues have resolved, and I'm not throwing away money on poison.
IWNDWYT
I won't drink today either
That's great! I'm proud of you, you got this.
If/when it gets hard, just focus on the day you're living and get through that. Put your hands to work on something. Distract yourself and try not to think about the future. And remember that there's always someone here cheering for you.
Thanks for posting. I’m now at 108 days. I can confirm that drinking “responsibly” was far more work than not drinking at all. I started journaling my random thoughts about drinking (which still happen) and still refer back to entries I made in the first few weeks. They remind me where I was and why I don’t want to go back to square one. IWNDWYTT!
Good luck and all the best.
Hell yeah, brother
Good for you mate.
Proud of you. I found that being ready not to drink is an important first step for long term success. That sounds super obvious writing it out, but harder to do than say. Best of luck!
Kick ass bruh.
Hell yeah!!! Start with one day and just keep stacking them. I just passed the one year mark last month and it was a great feeling.
You rock
LOL I was waiting for the part where you got some liquid courage and quit your job.
But that's what I get for reading it with a big hangover.
And good luck to you, you can do it.
Nice one buddy! IWNDWYT