No booze in 2013

[BigGully]

Being teetotal is bad for your health and that is a medical fact. It will go down as a down mark on a life cover application. Moderate drinking will add around 4 years to your life expectancy. Do as you see fit Snook.

As a committed drinker who enjoys the social aspect of it, I used to use the same myth that being teetotal actually decreases you life expectancy and therefore drinking increases my life expectancy !!.

However last year I was listening to the radio and they said that was flawed research, by all accounts they didnt factor in that many of those responding to and confirming their non drinking status, were in actual fact ex alcoholics or extremely heavy drinkers that had already effected their likely life expectancy anyway.

If you think about it that sounds about right, any teetotallers that I know and there arent many, tend to be teetotal due to health concerns either as a direct result of their drinking habits or associated health problems that alcohol might effect.

So in many ways those teetotallers researched were already 'damaged goods' and I would suspect up against the majority of responsible drinkers painted a flawed conclusion.

 

[Frutos]

Fair enough if it is needed when things have got out of control but I don't get the random " I am never going to have a drink again " as a drink lubricates the wheels of life and its struggles. It's like getting out of bed one morning and saying " I am never going to have sex again ", it makes no sense.

If you're mentally weak enough to need a drug o "lubricate the wheels of your life" then I'd suggest you have a problem.

Drink in moderation is absolutely fine but suggesting, as you have, that its basically a necessity is ridiculous.

 

[BLOCK F]

No booze for at least the whole of January,Feb and half of March...........longer if we don't go down for a break in Cornwall in late March.
Also on a diet as I weighed myself the other day and was horrified.
Love my food and drink,but I've GOT to get myself back into some kind of better shape!

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

If you're mentally weak enough to need a drug o "lubricate the wheels of your life" then I'd suggest you have a problem.

Drink in moderation is absolutely fine but suggesting, as you have, that its basically a necessity is ridiculous.

I guess it depends on the challenges people have. I would not comment on how people live their lives without knowing what their life circumstances have been.

 

[Deleted member 18477]

I really do like the thought of giving up drinking, but i know I will struggle, however i would never of thought I would give up smoking and I did, so nothing is impossible I guess. I probably drink 1 bottle of wine or 4 cans of lager a night.

jesus christ!

 

[BigGully]

I guess it depends on the challenges people have. I would not comment on how people live their lives without knowing what their life circumstances have been.

Have to agree with you there, by Frutos' logic he infers that you must be mentally stronger if you do not drink whilst mentally weak if you do, accepting that our culture might include challenges for both, one neednt be seen as particularly stronger than the other.

 

[Chesney Christ]

Am packing in drinking for 2013.

Has anybody ever done anything like this themselves?

Reckon its gonna be quite a challenge.

You are setting yourself WAY too difficult a challenge, which means you are much more likely to fail.

Be realistic.

If you attempt to go a whole year without drinking, when/if you fall off the wagon you will just go back to your old ways (this is not to judge you... a huge amount of us - including myself - probably drink too much). Make it a realistic manageable target. This will keep you positive and motivated.

Try either doing:

A) Dryathlon (and seeing how it makes you feel afterwards)
B) Monitoring your drinking levels as a way to cut down significantly

I started doing the latter in June, monitoring my alcohol intake every month. With the exception of August (weekend stag do in Barcelona and week long "lads holiday") and December (Christmas) I have successfully reduced my alcohol intake every month. I intend to continue doing so (so in January drink less than November). This has helped keep me on the right path. If I tried to cut it out altogether for a whole year I think I would fail miserably.

Good luck, buddy!

 

[Brovion]

Fair enough if it is needed when things have got out of control but I don't get the random " I am never going to have a drink again " as a drink lubricates the wheels of life and its struggles. It's like getting out of bed one morning and saying " I am never going to have sex again ", it makes no sense.

Agreed. If you want to give it up - fair play to you. If you HAVE to give it up for whatever reason then I wish you all the best. But I know how much I miss booze when I have to give it up for a night (if I'm driving for example), so I'm more than happy to keep on drinking, it's one of my main pleasures.

 

[Deleted member 18477]

If you're mentally weak enough to need a drug o "lubricate the wheels of your life" then I'd suggest you have a problem.

Drink in moderation is absolutely fine but suggesting, as you have, that its basically a necessity is ridiculous.

this. people cannot seriously be saying that drinking is better for you than not drinking?

i like a bit of a binge drink at the weekends occasionally (once or twice a month) with mates... but to me it sounds like we have a few jokers on here or serious alcoholics!

i've never ever needed to drink during the week. in fact i've never needed to drink at the weekend... i just enjoy it sometimes.

 

[Chesney Christ]

Heard on the radio today that rather than give up drinking for the whole of January it's better to have 2-3 dry days a week.

Jesus Christ, thats your version of "cutting down"?!?!?! Most people have 3-4 "dry days" a week without it being a conscience effort to cut down. Personally, apart from special occasions (Christmas period, holidays etc), I never drink more than 3 nights a week max anyway, and I don't consider myself a particularly "moderate" drinker.

 

[Brian Fantana]

this. people cannot seriously be saying that drinking is better for you than not drinking?

i like a bit of a binge drink at the weekends occasionally (once or twice a month) with mates... but to me it sounds like we have a few jokers on here or serious alcoholics!

i've never ever needed to drink during the week. in fact i've never needed to drink at the weekend... i just enjoy it sometimes.

I totally agree with this.

 

[Chesney Christ]

this. people cannot seriously be saying that drinking is better for you than not drinking?

i like a bit of a binge drink at the weekends occasionally (once or twice a month) with mates... but to me it sounds like we have a few jokers on here or serious alcoholics!
.

Agreed. I'm quite staggered by the some of the stuff on here - are people really saying they drink most nights of the week? That, to me, would equate to something approaching a drink problem. Sorry to sound judgemental at all, but is it really normal to drink 5, 6, 7 nights a week? Maybe I have lived a sheltered existence......

 

[Deleted member 18477]

Jesus Christ, thats your version of "cutting down"?!?!?! Most people have 3-4 "dry days" a week without it being a conscience effort to cut down. Personally, apart from special occasions (Christmas period, holidays etc), I never drink more than 3 nights a week max anyway, and I don't consider myself a particularly "moderate" drinker.

i'd say most people have 5-6 days a week dry. most people wouldnt drink monday-thurs and sunday.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Jesus Christ, thats your version of "cutting down"?!?!?! Most people have 3-4 "dry days" a week without it being a conscience effort to cut down. Personally, apart from special occasions (Christmas period, holidays etc), I never drink more than 3 nights a week max anyway, and I don't consider myself a particularly "moderate" drinker.

Depends how much you drink on the non-dry days surely. Personally it's only the odd day that I don't have any alcohol, but the majority of those days it might be one pint or one bottle of lager in front of the TV in the evening. I'd have thought that was healthier than 3-4 dry days and then 3 evenings of several+ pints. But I'm no doctor!

 

[Brian Fantana]

Agreed. I'm quite staggered by the some of the stuff on here - are people really saying they drink most nights of the week? That, to me, would equate to something approaching a drink problem. Sorry to sound judgemental at all, but is it really normal to drink 5, 6, 7 nights a week? Maybe I have lived a sheltered existence......

I think it depends totally on the quantity being drunk on each night. For example, I would consider my dad to be a very moderate drinker indeed, and he has a glass of wine each night with his evening meal.

 

[Deleted member 18477]

I think it depends totally on the quantity being drunk on each night. For example, I would consider my dad to be a very moderate drinker indeed, and he has a glass of wine each night with his evening meal.

this is a very fair point. 7 drinks per week would equate roughly to a friday/saturday night for some people.

 

[Camicus]

I gave up drinking for a month 12 years later I still dont drink. I would drink daily averageing 10 pints a night so from a heavy drinker to none at all it is possable

 

[Chesney Christ]

I think it depends totally on the quantity being drunk on each night. For example, I would consider my dad to be a very moderate drinker indeed, and he has a glass of wine each night with his evening meal.

Agreed. And I think you're making a very good point. Its just that this guy is talking about giving up alcohol COMPLETELY, and people are saying "don't worry, just reduce your drinking to 5 nights a week". Strange advice to give.

Like you say, the real problem is the bingeing, not a glass of wine with your meal every night (which is perfectly healthy).

 

[Brian Fantana]

Agreed. And I think you're making a very good point. Its just that this guy is talking about giving up alcohol COMPLETELY, and people are saying "don't worry, just reduce your drinking to 5 nights a week". Strange advice to give.

Like you say, the real problem is the bingeing, not a glass of wine with your meal every night (which is perfectly healthy).

If you are a reasonably big drinker, I think it would be very difficult to suddenly cut down to zero. And why just for a year? What about at the end of that year? Do you hope the habit has just stuck and you don't return to your old ways?

 

[Chesney Christ]

If you are a reasonably big drinker, I think it would be very difficult to suddenly cut down to zero. And why just for a year? What about at the end of that year? Do you hope the habit has just stuck and you don't return to your old ways?

Agreed. See my initial reply to the OP, further up Page 4.