365 days without booze... join me?
Discussion
Re the mantra idea or at least a few lines I penned to reflect the main things I wish to hold onto, I actually awoke one morning with these words in my head. I was keen to get them down as I liked them so much. This came to me just before I decided to stop drinking for the 365:
I choose not to drink,
I choose health and clarity.
I choose not to drink,
I choose to live in the present.
I choose not to drink,
I choose to embrace life.
Simple as that. The comment re living in the present might just be a particularity personal point, but maybe you can relate to it too? I was reading a book by Eckhart Tolle about living in the moment which was (btw) amazing.
Hope it helps.
Nick
I choose not to drink,
I choose health and clarity.
I choose not to drink,
I choose to live in the present.
I choose not to drink,
I choose to embrace life.
Simple as that. The comment re living in the present might just be a particularity personal point, but maybe you can relate to it too? I was reading a book by Eckhart Tolle about living in the moment which was (btw) amazing.
Hope it helps.
Nick
jimslops said:
nick_j007 said:
Nice. I alone might have been spending £300 per month. Consider yourself a light weight for that at least!
YepVery easily done
3/4 on a week night = 20pints, £60 / week during week
£240
PLUS weekend drink for me and Mrs...
jimslops said:
nick_j007 said:
Yeah, I was reckoning on £10.00 per night on average for me. That's over the week. Shocking.
Yeah, I reckon I was easily doing £6k/year. 
Some of that is rounds I never expect to see, wines when out, cocktails for mrs, wine for myself/mrs, few champagnes now and again and a s
t load of beer and gin!jimslops said:
Precisely. I cant actually believe it was that much, but it was. That's before meals out, drinking full time at xmas and holidays...
During cutting back I also managed to get a new job with a decent rise so I am sort of splitting up my new found disposable on more toys/better wines (oops, that defeats the point doesn't it?!
), investments (penny shares), and a couple of charities.
Yes, we used to eat out once a week as well. Only £50.00 for the three of us, but that has stopped since I stopped drinking. There's another £2.5k we save. I've upgraded the Elise, and going on the Alps tour in July During cutting back I also managed to get a new job with a decent rise so I am sort of splitting up my new found disposable on more toys/better wines (oops, that defeats the point doesn't it?!
), investments (penny shares), and a couple of charities. 
jimslops said:
I am hoping it speeds up saving for one of my +50k dream toys 
Good on you.
How much do you drink now?
£50? Quite cheap.
There's a cosy Chef & Brewer just up the road from me, so it was a no brainer for a weekly fish and chips and three pints. Then home for a drink or two Good on you.How much do you drink now?
£50? Quite cheap.
I currently drinking nothing. I started the thread with the (crazy) idea to go 365 days without. Some days I wish I hadn't, but I'm reaping the benefits now.
£50k? Quite a lot.
JFReturns said:
Hopefully going for a works meal next week, this is going to be a test for me as we normally go to the pool halls beforehand and pretty much get a four pint jug each....
At least ill be able to remember what the food is like
Not easy. I can avoid stuff like that as 1) I'm self employed and 2) I don't have any mates. Lol.At least ill be able to remember what the food is like
Maybe speak to one or two of the guys you can rely on and let them know in advance if your intentions? I also try to visualise ahead of time myself with a cold coke or whatever soft drink I'm going to stick with that night. Also to plan something in for the next morning so you can enjoy the benefit of being hangover free!
Good luck.
Nick
Anyone watch the Panorama programme? I thought it was very good.
Quite a bit of news on the back of it too: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16466646
Nick
Quite a bit of news on the back of it too: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16466646
Nick
Smitters said:
I thought it was an interesting take on our countries alcohol issues. I must admit, it felt like there was about an hour's content cut down to 30 minutes. I imagine there will have been some nervous looks between folks on the sofa.
Oh for sure. The problem is relative to the individual also. I was concerned at my volume of drinking at a bottle per night plus beers here and there and more on weekends. Regularly I hear (and know) of others that drink far more and seem quite oblivious to the risks.When I told a friend that I had stopped drinking (or was on a 365 thing) he said 'No drinking? What's the point of life without a drink?'
Black Sport 160 said:
Interesting thread.
Nick, stick me down in the spirit of fellow Lotus owner, pal.
Apart from a thimble-sized sip of Koppaberg cider on Christmas Day, I haven't had an alcoholic drink since mid October. Over 4 months now.
Many benefits to it......
You're about the same as me then time wise. Good work! Yes, I've just changed my 111S to a 111R. In fact I drive the 111s to Paul Matty's this afternoon to sell it.Nick, stick me down in the spirit of fellow Lotus owner, pal.
Apart from a thimble-sized sip of Koppaberg cider on Christmas Day, I haven't had an alcoholic drink since mid October. Over 4 months now.
Many benefits to it......
Cheers, I mean thanks!
Nick
Smitters said:
Quite - I imagine there will have been a few moments of reality striking, as what's being described sounds awfully familiar be it the wine whilst cooking, buying-in as it's cheaper than going out and so on.
I think that the reality is there would be a lot of people who would be classified as alcoholics by an old four point method I saw on a surgery wall and the FAST method that determines hazardous levels.
I would also think you could split over-drinkers, as I shall call them, into three camps. Those who drink a lot and are in control, those who drink a lot and think they're in control and those who are plain out of control. Perceptions as to where an individual fell would probably be very different depending on the circumstance, be it themselves, family members, friends or work colleagues. Taking an interest in the volume you drink, irrespective of your weekly volume, with an aim of reduction is almost always going to be a healthy approach, physically and mentally though.
Exactly. Well said. I think that the reality is there would be a lot of people who would be classified as alcoholics by an old four point method I saw on a surgery wall and the FAST method that determines hazardous levels.
I would also think you could split over-drinkers, as I shall call them, into three camps. Those who drink a lot and are in control, those who drink a lot and think they're in control and those who are plain out of control. Perceptions as to where an individual fell would probably be very different depending on the circumstance, be it themselves, family members, friends or work colleagues. Taking an interest in the volume you drink, irrespective of your weekly volume, with an aim of reduction is almost always going to be a healthy approach, physically and mentally though.
Smitters said:
Well, a whole four days in and I feel... awful. Got a bloody cold from riding home in the rain after a failed MOT. This is not how it was supposed to go. I wanted to be basking in the glow of good sleep and a nice energy-filled start to the day.
Apologies for the next bit - it wasn't supposed to be as long as it is, but it went from answering a simple question to outlining the philosophy/logic behind my decision.
In response to the question on volume, for me it really varies, but my issue was not so much volume as frequency. A few glasses of wine most nights, or maybe if we walked to the supermarket and stopped off at the local pub on the way back, a couple of pints instead (or occasionally as well!). Wine or beer with a meal out irrespective of weekend or midweek, driving not an issue as we can walk to lots of places. Come the weekend it could be a couple of pints and home for supper or if there were a few people game, we'd stay out until 11 plus in the local. Sometime a cheeky pint or two with the papers in the pub on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, and pub quiz on Sunday night. In isolation each day never seemed too bad, just an activity associated with a couple of drinks, but firstly, when you tot it up over a week, it's lots. Certainly way over the recommended unitary amounts. Then, occasionally things would combine, say a couple of pints with Sunday lunch, then meet some mates in the pub with the papers, then do the pub quiz and all of a sudden that's six pints (two at each) and come half ten I'm drunk on a school night, get a terrible night's sleep, wake up hung over and am less productive at work.
The thing that really struck me that was I was getting a poor night's sleep after a couple of pints/wine on five nights a week and this was the beginning of a cycle that went something like this:
Poor night's sleep = lower work productivity = pushed for time at work = work stress (longer hours, delayed delivery on deadlines etc) = get home a bit wound up = look forward to wine with the cooking/grabbing a pint in the pub = poor night's sleep.
Now, add in some side-effects of that cycle: Feeling tired, run down. Get ill more often or just feel under the weather. Lose motivation to go to the gym or don't have time due to extra work. Due to (a perception of?) lack of time, eat convenience food instead of taking the time to cook properly. Poorer diet adds to feeling less healthy, lack of exercise and poor diet plus booze equals weight gain and loss of fitness.
It's easy to see how you get to a stage where you have to stop and take a look at yourself, but also easy to see how the slow slide to bags under the eyes and a beer belly is undetectable. You don't just wake up one day like that, it's the product of weeks and months bad habits.
I sat down the other day and thought all this through. I figured that I needed to crack the cyclicity. I had a think about all the things in life I enjoy, cycling, going to the gym, running, hill walking, camping, cookery, being in shape and tried to work out why I didn't do as much of each as I wanted. If I wanted to get to the point where I had the drive to do all that, instead of just wanting to sit on the sofa with the reasoning that I'm tired and deserve a good sit down, what would I have to do?
The simple solution was, get a better night's sleep, and to do that, I needed to stop the drinking. Why stop entirely and not just in the week? Well, for one, as I've said, I don't do grey areas well. Plus, if I want to go walking over the weekend, I'm going to need to get up early to get to Brecon or Snowdonia. That's not compatible with a Friday night in the pub. All or nothing it had to be. In the end it came down to priorities. I was prioritising sitting on my @rse and having a glass of wine because I was tired and felt that I deserved the rest and without it, wouldn't ever have the energy to go and do the stuff I love. In reality it was sitting on my @rse that was preventing me from doing that stuff. I gradually came to thinking "What would I rather do? Who would I rather be?" Do I want to get out on the hills and enjoy the countryside, keep fit and healthy, or do I want to be that tired guy with a beer belly and stories of how I used to be fit, used to climb mountains, used to run half marathons and trail races, used to fit into a Caterham..? Or would I rather get into the Seven, drive to North Wales, do a walk and blast home on the B-Roads with a massive grin? Not a difficult decision really...
A well crafted post that. As I read it I wondered if I had written it as it struck many, many notes with me. Quite a few others have expressed similar views since the thread started too.Apologies for the next bit - it wasn't supposed to be as long as it is, but it went from answering a simple question to outlining the philosophy/logic behind my decision.
In response to the question on volume, for me it really varies, but my issue was not so much volume as frequency. A few glasses of wine most nights, or maybe if we walked to the supermarket and stopped off at the local pub on the way back, a couple of pints instead (or occasionally as well!). Wine or beer with a meal out irrespective of weekend or midweek, driving not an issue as we can walk to lots of places. Come the weekend it could be a couple of pints and home for supper or if there were a few people game, we'd stay out until 11 plus in the local. Sometime a cheeky pint or two with the papers in the pub on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, and pub quiz on Sunday night. In isolation each day never seemed too bad, just an activity associated with a couple of drinks, but firstly, when you tot it up over a week, it's lots. Certainly way over the recommended unitary amounts. Then, occasionally things would combine, say a couple of pints with Sunday lunch, then meet some mates in the pub with the papers, then do the pub quiz and all of a sudden that's six pints (two at each) and come half ten I'm drunk on a school night, get a terrible night's sleep, wake up hung over and am less productive at work.
The thing that really struck me that was I was getting a poor night's sleep after a couple of pints/wine on five nights a week and this was the beginning of a cycle that went something like this:
Poor night's sleep = lower work productivity = pushed for time at work = work stress (longer hours, delayed delivery on deadlines etc) = get home a bit wound up = look forward to wine with the cooking/grabbing a pint in the pub = poor night's sleep.
Now, add in some side-effects of that cycle: Feeling tired, run down. Get ill more often or just feel under the weather. Lose motivation to go to the gym or don't have time due to extra work. Due to (a perception of?) lack of time, eat convenience food instead of taking the time to cook properly. Poorer diet adds to feeling less healthy, lack of exercise and poor diet plus booze equals weight gain and loss of fitness.
It's easy to see how you get to a stage where you have to stop and take a look at yourself, but also easy to see how the slow slide to bags under the eyes and a beer belly is undetectable. You don't just wake up one day like that, it's the product of weeks and months bad habits.
I sat down the other day and thought all this through. I figured that I needed to crack the cyclicity. I had a think about all the things in life I enjoy, cycling, going to the gym, running, hill walking, camping, cookery, being in shape and tried to work out why I didn't do as much of each as I wanted. If I wanted to get to the point where I had the drive to do all that, instead of just wanting to sit on the sofa with the reasoning that I'm tired and deserve a good sit down, what would I have to do?
The simple solution was, get a better night's sleep, and to do that, I needed to stop the drinking. Why stop entirely and not just in the week? Well, for one, as I've said, I don't do grey areas well. Plus, if I want to go walking over the weekend, I'm going to need to get up early to get to Brecon or Snowdonia. That's not compatible with a Friday night in the pub. All or nothing it had to be. In the end it came down to priorities. I was prioritising sitting on my @rse and having a glass of wine because I was tired and felt that I deserved the rest and without it, wouldn't ever have the energy to go and do the stuff I love. In reality it was sitting on my @rse that was preventing me from doing that stuff. I gradually came to thinking "What would I rather do? Who would I rather be?" Do I want to get out on the hills and enjoy the countryside, keep fit and healthy, or do I want to be that tired guy with a beer belly and stories of how I used to be fit, used to climb mountains, used to run half marathons and trail races, used to fit into a Caterham..? Or would I rather get into the Seven, drive to North Wales, do a walk and blast home on the B-Roads with a massive grin? Not a difficult decision really...
Personally speaking, I added in being self employed and having a beautiful 12 yr old daughter to consider.
A few things you said re time and feeling ill....
Time is an interesting one as I have seem to have got that back in spadefuls now. I am mostly up to date and on top of my life. Very few things that I feel I am procrastinating over. This makes me feel relaxed and calm, which is a nice feeling. The fact is that an awful lot of time goes down the drain when you drink.
Feeling unwell is something that I utterly assure you will pass as you stay away from drink. Your body will readjust and sleep will normalise over time. When I first stopped drinking a couple of years back my sleep was awful and I had sweats the lot. Now my sleep is restful and quite often I awake and feel really quite good. free from aches and pains and of course hangover free. I used to get the world's worst hang overs too. When I was drinking my resistance to colds and flu etc was rubbish. I spent a lot of time with sore throats and overall pretty rough. So far since Xmas I've done well and feel pretty healthy.
This morning I dropped off the little one at school and then went for a coffee as I had a quiet morning ahead. As I walked up the high street in the morning sun I felt bloody brilliant! I wanted to smile and chat with people. I managed to contain myself though
There is a definite transition that takes place over the first few months. It can be very hard at first. I could have cried a few times when others were off for a drink and I just knew I had to stay away or do something different. Thankfully I'm big enough to know my own mind so just went and did something else instead. Now, I am pretty well into the swing of not drinking and feel steady and most of the time feel very well indeed. Able to cope with anything that could come along I'd say, be it professionally or personally.
Weekends are always the hardest, so aim to do things that will occupy you in a healthier more productive way. Sounds like you have a lot of interests like me. Outdoors and cars. I'm working up to some cycle touring this year and am bringing bike and body to the point where I can go off self sufficient for a weekend or two. Used to do that back in the day.
Maybe break it down into the first 4 weeks, and then go month by month with the odd check in here
PM me if it helps. I am definitely doing 365 days, and I sincerely hope I can put my hand on heart after that long and say 'It's cool, it's ok, I don't need or even really want a drink'.Stick with it and get the lemsips in
Nick
Smitters said:
Once week in:
Started 83.2kg
Now 82.6kg
Circa £80 saved
Tested myself with a Friday night in the pub and all day Saturday watching the rugby. Feel proud that I didn't succumb to temptation. I've banked that feeling and will call on it at a later date no doubt!
That is good. Well done. I've been losing 2lb per week on average since stopping. I'm rediscovering some nice old jeans!Started 83.2kg
Now 82.6kg
Circa £80 saved
Tested myself with a Friday night in the pub and all day Saturday watching the rugby. Feel proud that I didn't succumb to temptation. I've banked that feeling and will call on it at a later date no doubt!
Nick
Smitters said:
nick_j007 said:
That is good. Well done. I've been losing 2lb per week on average since stopping. I'm rediscovering some nice old jeans!
Nick
Cheers Nick. I'm hoping to do likewise, though my first every suit which I found the other day, with its 38" chest and 28" waist may have to remain under wraps!Nick
I've been hogging this a bit, so apologies to all.
How are the other folk doing? Share the success!
Thanks.
JFReturns said:
All good here, work meal out was easy drinking coke (though I was rubbish at pool and good when I'm drunk!).
However, Last Friday we got a take away delivered from a new Indian restaurant and as a nice gesture they included an ice cold Cobra beer..... I swear my eyes glazed over, said something like [homer voice]hmmmmm beeeer [/homer] and lunged for it.... luckily SWMBO was at hand and reached it before I did
So still alcohol free this year
Very impressive. OMG the cold beer would have made me bloody cry. Stick with it mate! Right behind you mate.However, Last Friday we got a take away delivered from a new Indian restaurant and as a nice gesture they included an ice cold Cobra beer..... I swear my eyes glazed over, said something like [homer voice]hmmmmm beeeer [/homer] and lunged for it.... luckily SWMBO was at hand and reached it before I did
So still alcohol free this year
Gene Simmons said:
Only time I've had a beer since new year was a few pints for my birthday in jan. Nothing before or since. That includes a family birthday with everyone drinking, and a back to back christening, also a very boozy event. I've had nights out drinking water, and nights in drinking tea. I've detailed my previous drinking habits earlier in the thread, so I think on balance I've done pretty bloody well!!
Very good! It's the big boozy events that are the very hardest. They drag on and seem rather pointless if you're not drinking IMHO.Keep going. I'm as sober as a judge here.
Smitters said:
Yeah - I had this rather nasty realisation on the weekend. Apparently my "humorous anecdotes" are in fact boring and moderately incoherent ramblings, if the drunker people I was with are anything to go by.
Good work to all the folks who are really cracking on with this.
Just heard this morning that I've passed my Masters in dog behaviour. No way could I have got that in let alone pass it if I were drinking at the same time. I rock ! Good work to all the folks who are really cracking on with this.
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