[Drinking] Alcoholic/like a beer or two too much?

[Triggaaar]

I had a job that made me get through about 20 pints and 4 grams of cocaine a weekend!

Blimey, the things they put in contracts these days.

Now I've cleaned up my act and only ever drink a couple of pints at football or family 'do's'.

 

[Triggaaar]

I have a been a heavy drinker for 30 years, and this month i stopped to see if i could (mainly because of this thread). For 2 weeks i did not touch a drop but them, last Saturday, we had an annual event/family day out. I drank at it, had a great time, and have not touched a drop since that day. I'm delighted, as i'm proving to myself that the drink does not control me, moreover it is the other way round. And i really was not sure.

Great news. What's your plan going forward (eg, off alcohol most days and then drink on special events, or what)?

 

[Normal Rob]

i've not really made a plan. After this month it's probably just be drink (much) less than previously. If it creeps up, then i now know i can cut it out for a while if i want to. I don't want to stop, i just want to drink in moderation.

 

[Knocky's Nose]

I reckon there are 20 people reading this thread thinking "yeah, that's me" to every one person typing "yeah, that's me"...

At no point when I was drinking too much did I ever feel like it was a good thing to be doing. I used to beat myself up inside for being weak, harming my body, ruining my waking hours by feeling jaded and slow, and staring down at my ever increasing belly thinking 'is this really worth it?'

Your rational mind screams "no, you absolute twunt' - but the little monkey section in the back of your head shouts 'MORE!!' that bit louder.

For clarity, I've never been a 'problem drinker' in the form of it affecting anyone but myself which can often make it harder to stop as I've never embarrassed myself in public, fallen over, said stupid things or so on. Sometimes that lack of a 'Jolt' to wake you up from it can be a bad thing.

Each journey is different, each solution is different, each outcome is different. That's why we're all individual. However, as humans we're social creatures - so support, camaraderie and shared knowledge is the best way forward when you're kicking the booze, wether it be temporarily or permanently.

PS : Get past the first 2 weeks and you're properly getting out of the woods (unless you have a severe addiction to alcohol of course, then it's a different story). That's a fairly common theme. You'll then start sleeping better, and you'll then see what it's all about... Trust me on the sleep bit.

 

[BBassic]

Regarding the Chinese takeaway (and weight gain/loss), don't worry about it, just get back on track now. A mistake many make is thinking they've blown it when they've eaten too much and since they've already blown it, it doesn't matter what they eat next. As long as you get back on track, that Chinese takeaway won't matter.

Cheers, yeah you're right. Getting back on track is key.

Don't be too hard on yourself mate.

It sounds like you need a healthy reward. I had a job that made me get through about 20 pints and 4 grams of cocaine a weekend! Madness. Now I've cleaned up my act and only ever drink a couple of pints at football or family 'do's'.

Good luck with it and going by what you've said, I know you're strong enough to sort it all out.

Thanks Durlston, kind words

 

[oneillco]

I've gone right off drinking over the last few months. Not sure why but not feeling the beer and never been a wine drinker. I did try Seedlip while on holiday but made the mistake of trying it with the aromatic tonic which is pretty rank. I wouldn't say I'll go teetotal but drink so little now I don't think it would take much to take the final step.

Hardly ever drank at home anyway but I have wanted to get away from the fizzy drinks to cut down on sugar. I tried the Coke Zero products but they all seem to have aspartame and that doesn't agree with my body - seems to act as a diuretic at night.

Good luck to all those trying to give up booze.

What I have found are the Teiseirre non sugar syrups in Waitrose. These are not cheap and are a posh squash but last quite well and very refreshing.

It doesn't actually sound like you have a drink problem and so I'm curious to know why you want to give up. I totally understand why people who realise they are dependent need to quit, those who want to lose weight, or those who get depressed, but most people can drink and it's not a problem. It gets on my nerves every January when the people I know who drink the least take every opportunity to tell you that they're doing Dry January...

 

[marcos3263]

I have an issue with scotch. I like it too much and if I buy a bottle I can drink 1/3 - 1/2 a bottle in a session and not even get a headache. I drink it as I love the taste and if I know I have a bottle at home I will want some.

If I don't have a bottle it doesn't matter, I don't need a drink and quite often have dry days and always for dry January (this year until February 14th)

I like various drinks and can easily have one and stop but scotch is my achilles heal.

The simple answer is not to buy it. I don't drink it out as its too expensive and the measures too small - a single barely covers the bottom of a glass.

When I look at a the remnants of a bottle in the morning I do shock myself and I know the wife is critical so I now try to restrict myself to a bottle every other month at most.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Blimey, the things they put in contracts these days.

Music A&R jobs have contracts like that.

 

[Weststander]

I think for the majority of us it's a lack of interest in booze. And I don't mean not liking the stuff - I like a nice glass (or two) of red, or (not and) a couple of beers, or maybe some whisky - but I'm just not that bothered. I don't need it to de-stress, or get merry. I also like a good night out with friends and a bit too much alcohol, but again, I wouldn't mind if I couldn't drink (eg driving). So I don't need to have great willpower.

It’s similar for me, as luckily I simply don’t get addicted to harmful things. I really enjoyed social drinking in pubs, clubs and on holidays in my teens, 20’s and 30’s, but as those occasions lessened with age and from starting a family, my alcohol intake naturally diminished to not much at all. I like an occasional G&T and in hot weather love drinking an ice cold shandy or two. When I’m thirsty tap water and hot drinks are fine. A virtuous and unintended side effect, is that I haven’t had a hangover for many years.

But for others trying to get unhooked from their middle-aged bottle or two of wine an evening, and copious pints of real ale at every opportunity, I wonder if it’s an all or nothing thing to break the habit?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Weird timing for me, this thread.

I have always had a couple of rum and cokes, and later, a couple of glasses of wine each night. I have also got through a fair bit of beer, particularly at weekends.

Earlier this year I was told that my blood pressure is a little higher than it should be, which made me think about my lifestyle a bit. I then spent seven weeks in France and drank like a fish.

When I got back to Brighton, I had put on half a stone or so. Strangely, for the first time, I had also lost the desire to drink.

Since then, just over three weeks ago, I have been out with my sons once when I drank three pints, for a meal when I had three pints, and after the Burnley game...when I had three pints.

Apart from this I haven't drank any alcohol at all, and have lost the desire to drink at home, or during the week. I have no idea why this is, as it was never a conscious decision on my part. But I am enjoying how it has made me feel, and it is definitely how I am going to live my life going forward. I will still drink beer when I meet up with my mates at the weekend, but not as much as previously...and I will not drink at home during the week anymore.

It's Friday today, and sunny, so I may have a couple by the beach later. But then again, I'm not sure that I feel like it.

 

[Weststander]

Weird timing for me, this thread.

I have always had a couple of rum and cokes, and later, a couple of glasses of wine each night. I have also got through a fair bit of beer, particularly at weekends.

Earlier this year I was told that my blood pressure is a little higher than it should be, which made me think about my lifestyle a bit. I then spent seven weeks in France and drank like a fish.

When I got back to Brighton, I had put on half a stone or so. Strangely, for the first time, I had also lost the desire to drink.

Since then, just over three weeks ago, I have been out with my sons once when I drank three pints, for a meal when I had three pints, and after the Burnley game...when I had three pints.

Apart from this I haven't drank any alcohol at all, and have lost the desire to drink at home, or during the week. I have no idea why this is, as it was never a conscious decision on my part. But I am enjoying how it has made me feel, and it is definitely how I am going to live my life going forward. I will still drink beer when I meet up with my mates at the weekend, but not as much as previously...and I will not drink at home during the week anymore.

It's Friday today, and sunny, so I may have a couple by the beach later. But then again, I'm not sure that I feel like it.

A similar thing happened to my Dad. He’d always loved scotch, Harvey’s, wine, home brewing, and he drunk at home every night and socially.

When he got to about 60, he largely stopped drinking alcohol almost overnight. The bottles of scotch bought for him as pressies just sat there in the garage for years, collecting dust. There was no known reason for this change, he just didn’t fancy drinking alcohol anymore.

Later he developed liver and bladder issues, so it was definitely a medical plus that he’d stopped boozing some time before. He’s still going strong now over 80. The last man standing, as all his mates and his younger brother have passed away.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

A similar thing happened to my Dad. He’d always loved scotch, Harvey’s, wine, home brewing, and he drunk at home every night and socially.

When he got to about 60, he largely stopped drinking alcohol almost overnight. The bottles of scotch bought for him as pressies just sat there in the garage for years, collecting dust. There was no known reason for this change, he just didn’t fancy drinking alcohol anymore.

Later he developed liver and bladder issues, so it was definitely a medical plus that he’d stopped boozing some time before. He’s still going strong now over 80. The last man standing, as all his mates and his younger brother have passed away.

Good to hear, and all power to him!

Blimey, I'm 57, so yes, a similar story.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

It doesn't actually sound like you have a drink problem and so I'm curious to know why you want to give up. I totally understand why people who realise they are dependent need to quit, those who want to lose weight, or those who get depressed, but most people can drink and it's not a problem. It gets on my nerves every January when the people I know who drink the least take every opportunity to tell you that they're doing Dry January...

I haven't said I want to give up but it is more that I have lost interest in drinking - same as [MENTION=4019]Triggaaar[/MENTION] and [MENTION=19321]Pogue Mahone[/MENTION] . Not doing it in any self-righteous way like some of those in Dry January. What this thread has shown is that there are plenty of people out there who used to drink and now don't.

 

[StillHateBellotti]

This. The way to see it is simply as a slip up and a blip. Get back on track and it will be meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

9 weeks off on a proper detox and was feeling amazing and then I decided that it would be a good idea to have a pint, now downing Guiness like it is going to run out of stock, my hangovers are worse than ever, and feel like shit. But I realise that I needed to drink again to know how good I was actually feeling when not drinking. So time to get back in the gym and get off of it again, its certainly a blip and in my position its something you really take personally when you give in to the urges.

 

[Knocky's Nose]

.... then I decided that it would be a good idea to have a pint....

Your physical/chemical addiction to alcohol said it was a good (in fact, rather amazing) idea, then your monkey brain went "Yeah Baby.. BRING IT ON !!!"

Some time later your rational human brain enters the room and says "what the FECK'S been going on here?!". That's when you kick yourself....

Sometimes recognising the urges can be a good thing. Mrs Nose was working all day yesterday and I was pretty much alone the whole day, just keeping myself busy with work. I was climbing the walls for a few beers in my head, but I knew it was just boredom - which is a bit of a trigger for me. I fully realised what was happening and dutifully smashed about 5 cans of Heineken 0,0 down my neck. I got to burp a lot, feel bloated, and flop in front of the telly - just like old times... but without a drop of alcohol

Anyway.. urges. If you know what they are, you can talk back at them - then do something about them.

 

[marcos3263]

Maybe because of my previous message about scotch or just a sense of drinking too much, me and wifey said no drinking this week. She lasted until Wednesday whereas I haven’t even though got lots in house and also had a colleagues leaving do today. will now not drink until my birthday on November 1st to prove again to myself that I don’t need it

 

[Bry Nylon]

100 days!

Mostly, it has been easier than I would ever have thought - but there have been some real moments of temptation when I have come close to caving in. For some reason, this thread and the support on it, has been the driving force behind me not giving in. I'm not getting any support from anywhere else so this thread has been pivitol in helping me to keep going. Not sure how long I will stay off the booze. I know that I feel alot better for knocking my 'middle-class drinking' habit on the head, so hopefully for some time to come. I'm going to try and target the remainder of 2019 as 'dry' now, and then see where I go from there.

To anyone else trying to cut it out - or even just cut back a bit - good luck and keep going.

 

[Knocky's Nose]

For some reason, this thread and the support on it, has been the driving force behind me not giving in...

Knowing you're not the only one is a huge boost. Having the balls to admit you're a heavy drinker is a big hurdle. Once you're over that, and have accepted it - you can then start to address it. The more you share it, and talk about it - the more you realise you're not some lone lunatic in a personal world of skullf*ckery.

I wouldn't say most people are in 'denial' as such - but more 'forced ignoring' (if that's even a term). I took the whole of September off booze as I was drinking too much again. Not to my old levels, but every night... So, I stopped - and it was so easy I was a little taken aback if I'm honest.

Now, I had a couple of beers last weekend at a family 'do' in Bradford (you need beer to make Bradford bearable, honestly..), then nothing all this week until Friday night (4 cans of lager) then last night, nothing - and tonight I'll have one beer. After that I've said I'll drink nothing until my mate comes down from Nottingham on the 27th when we go to see Jonathan Pie at the Dome. I find setting 'drinking days' is a new thing for me now. I know I'm not going tee-total forever, but I also know I can have the odd blow-out - and setting dates really helps. What I'm finding is that I'm building them up as these amazing 'beer nights' - and all they're ending up to be is normal nights where I feel a bit squiffy, then feel like crap all the next day. A great way of putting me off booze!!

 

[DJ NOBO]

Today marks 1,000 days since I last drank alcohol.
Nice bottle of West Country cider, it was too.
It gets easier.

 

[Happy Exile]

100 days!

Mostly, it has been easier than I would ever have thought - but there have been some real moments of temptation when I have come close to caving in. For some reason, this thread and the support on it, has been the driving force behind me not giving in. I'm not getting any support from anywhere else so this thread has been pivitol in helping me to keep going. Not sure how long I will stay off the booze. I know that I feel alot better for knocking my 'middle-class drinking' habit on the head, so hopefully for some time to come. I'm going to try and target the remainder of 2019 as 'dry' now, and then see where I go from there.

To anyone else trying to cut it out - or even just cut back a bit - good luck and keep going.

Fantastic effort, very well done to you! That's a great achievement! An inspiration as so many on this thread are.