365 days without booze... join me?
Discussion
If you're serious about staying off the booze over Christmas, don't forget it is still a time to celebrate and cut loose. I would normally avoid soft drinks and the like, but I do love a ginger beer, so I go for treaty soft drinks instead of the normal lime and soda. Fine, it's not 15 year old port, or mimosas or whatever, but at least you won't feel like utter s
te on Boxing Day morning. No teeth from the sugar maybe, but then you win some you lose some.
It's Merry Christmas, not bladdered like a lads trip to Benidorm Christmas...
te on Boxing Day morning. No teeth from the sugar maybe, but then you win some you lose some.It's Merry Christmas, not bladdered like a lads trip to Benidorm Christmas...
Well today is day 365 off the grog for me 
to be honest I'd still love to drink, I simply love it. Hence why I can't. I look forward to when I'm 80 and can get pissed everyday, but in the meantime I am required to have a successful normal life, and be a good father for my daughter. Now that I'm writing this it makes me really want a drink! but most of the time the urge is quite low these days, so maintain it I must.
to be honest I'd still love to drink, I simply love it. Hence why I can't. I look forward to when I'm 80 and can get pissed everyday, but in the meantime I am required to have a successful normal life, and be a good father for my daughter. Now that I'm writing this it makes me really want a drink! but most of the time the urge is quite low these days, so maintain it I must.
CoolHands said:
Well today is day 365 off the grog for me
to be honest I'd still love to drink, I simply love it. Hence why I can't. I look forward to when I'm 80 and can get pissed everyday, but in the meantime I am required to have a successful normal life, and be a good father for my daughter. Now that I'm writing this it makes me really want a drink! but most of the time the urge is quite low these days, so maintain it I must.
Congratulations on the 365. to be honest I'd still love to drink, I simply love it. Hence why I can't. I look forward to when I'm 80 and can get pissed everyday, but in the meantime I am required to have a successful normal life, and be a good father for my daughter. Now that I'm writing this it makes me really want a drink! but most of the time the urge is quite low these days, so maintain it I must.
I too have an intense love of the alcohol buzz, it makes me feel great, feel 'whole', like something is missing when I am sober.
Unfortunately, I have discovered that even after 16 years abstinence, I still turn into an a
hole when I started drinking again, and one is too many, 20 is never enough. For the first two years after I fell off the wagon I was fairly in control, drinking moderately and gently mainly, but familiarity breeds contempt, and as the months have gone by I've slowly started drinking more and more, and getting nasty with it occasionally.
The wife irritates me at the best of times, and like most guys, I tolerate it, but after a skinful I occasionally let her know exactly how I feel.
And I have embarrassed my daughter in front of her school friends by getting hammered one night at a party, falling about and swearing a lot.
So, I have decided to cease drinking completely when I am at home. I work offshore, 5 on, 5 off, so a couple of beers on the way to work, and on the way home, on the plane, 36 hours travel, will have to do for my drinking future.
Great work on the 365!
Your point about hold on lives is true. It's only when you make the conscious decision to stop and take a step back do you see how deep the drinking culture is in everyday life and how much of a stranglehold it has on the majority of people. Quite scary when you start to think about it, but in a peverse kind of way I like that I am going against it - rebelling against the machine!
Apart from 3 small beers over a weekend in Amsterdam in October, I'm dry since mid August. That time period has seen a 40th birthday (brother's) and a wedding and although I got some stick, I managed to get through it easier than I expected. The Christmas period has been fine so far and now that other people seem more comfortable with it, there isnt the pressure or expectation to drink that there initially was.
Here's to a dry and enjoyable Christmas and a hangover free Boxing day!!
Your point about hold on lives is true. It's only when you make the conscious decision to stop and take a step back do you see how deep the drinking culture is in everyday life and how much of a stranglehold it has on the majority of people. Quite scary when you start to think about it, but in a peverse kind of way I like that I am going against it - rebelling against the machine!
Apart from 3 small beers over a weekend in Amsterdam in October, I'm dry since mid August. That time period has seen a 40th birthday (brother's) and a wedding and although I got some stick, I managed to get through it easier than I expected. The Christmas period has been fine so far and now that other people seem more comfortable with it, there isnt the pressure or expectation to drink that there initially was.
Here's to a dry and enjoyable Christmas and a hangover free Boxing day!!
grumbledoak said:
Count the number of days since your last, then think about starting again from 'one'. Worked for me.
I think, when I started I thought I'd just do a year. I do think I'll continue indefinitely, to be honest, which means the idea of 1 week a year is tempting. I got given a load of booze over the year, despite telling people that I was dry, and have kept a few bottles which I didn't want to give away, mainly out of guilt. I kind of wonder why I have them, really. My other half is unlikely to drink it, unfortunately.Alcohol gives me low blood sugar - headaches, palpitations, bizarre dreams, insomnia -as well as making me look like an idiot, causing binge eating and giving me hangovers which can last for days. There's no earthly reason why I should miss it really.
When I first gave up sugar, I remember being in a supermarket in the sweet/biscuit aisle actually sweating and shaking. I'm nowhere near as bad with booze, but I think in the back of my mind I thought I'd be letting myself indulge around now.
oldbanger said:
Alcohol gives me low blood sugar - headaches, palpitations, bizarre dreams, insomnia -as well as making me look like an idiot, causing binge eating and giving me hangovers which can last for days. There's no earthly reason why I should miss it really.
I've found it ruins much of the time I spend at home, as even a half dozen drinks of an evening makes me useless next day, and a big session, or two in a row, can have me in a mess for better part of a week. When I first get home I'm often reluctant to drink at all, as I know deep inside that it is not going to be good, but I still find I get the sudden urge to taste a few cold ones......
It'll be hard telling my drinking 'partners' that I'm dry now. Just last week we went for a drink round a neighbor house, who also likes a few himself.
I thought it would be awkward me being sober, but I actually gas-bagged away more than I do when I have a beer in front of me. Probably because I rely on the beer to make conversation flow, rather than approach it with a clear mind.
Back in 1996, when I first stopped drinking, I physically and mentally enjoyed being sober and alert in the morning, or able to drive late at night. I'd get up at 6am and go for a ride on my bike for a couple of hours, reveling in the lack of hangover.
Fingers crossed I can go to that place again.
Where I live we have so much sunny weather for 9+ months of the year, there is so much time in the day to be doing stuff, that spending half of it moping away and suffering with a hangover seems dumb.
I'm in (for the third time). Six months first time, three months the second but as soon as I start again its back to old ways. Nothing too terrible - disciplined to rarely if ever drink during the week - but too much at home over the weekend drinking beer and playing computer games. Getting a little too old (34) for such behaviour! My goal is to stop for January then reassess to see if I can come up with and stick to moderate drinking or stop altogether.
I caved in April when on a stag do in Barcelona (detailed earlier in the thread) as the peer pressure was immense. Nothing planned this year but eventually I'll have to come up with some kind of plan for big social events.
I caved in April when on a stag do in Barcelona (detailed earlier in the thread) as the peer pressure was immense. Nothing planned this year but eventually I'll have to come up with some kind of plan for big social events.
King Herald said:
Back in 1996, when I first stopped drinking, I physically and mentally enjoyed being sober and alert in the morning, or able to drive late at night. I'd get up at 6am and go for a ride on my bike for a couple of hours, reveling in the lack of hangover.
Fingers crossed I can go to that place again.
Where I live we have so much sunny weather for 9+ months of the year, there is so much time in the day to be doing stuff, that spending half of it moping away and suffering with a hangover seems dumb.
Good luck Fingers crossed I can go to that place again.
Where I live we have so much sunny weather for 9+ months of the year, there is so much time in the day to be doing stuff, that spending half of it moping away and suffering with a hangover seems dumb.
it's good to know you have that to look forward to.I've made it to a year dry
I intend to keep goingNow to get back on the no-sugar wagon as I fell off it this Christmas. No booze, no fags, no sugar. I need some new vices (workaholism doesn't count). I suppose I still have driving slightly too fast with the stereo turned up high!
Good luck to those on day one of a week, month, year, whatever. The toughest days are those close at hand, where the habits are yet to be tamed and broken, and the temptation can loom large over the achievement. Get to a milestone, whatever that is, have a reward planned (early Sunday drive, new DVD, flowers for the OH just because), then set another milestone and crack on.
For what it's worth, it's done me the world of good. More money in my pocket, 10kg lighter, more productive at work, feel better on a Sunday morning, the list goes on.
For what it's worth, it's done me the world of good. More money in my pocket, 10kg lighter, more productive at work, feel better on a Sunday morning, the list goes on.
Smitters said:
Good luck to those on day one of a week, month, year, whatever. The toughest days are those close at hand, where the habits are yet to be tamed and broken, and the temptation can loom large over the achievement. Get to a milestone, whatever that is, have a reward planned (early Sunday drive, new DVD, flowers for the OH just because), then set another milestone and crack on.
For what it's worth, it's done me the world of good. More money in my pocket, 10kg lighter, more productive at work, feel better on a Sunday morning, the list goes on.
Just over two years for me now - and I stopped as a direct result of this thread!For what it's worth, it's done me the world of good. More money in my pocket, 10kg lighter, more productive at work, feel better on a Sunday morning, the list goes on.
For me it has also all been positive. I am the healthiest I've been for years. At a recent health check I found out that I've lost 15kg since my last check! (I commented that that was almost a suitcase and the nurse replied "or two pieces of hand luggage - depends on the airline"
)What was more surprising for me is the vast amounts of time, energy and money even moderate boozing takes up (a "quick pint" after work is the best part of an hour gone for example). Not only am I reading a lot more, I'm learning Spanish and have joined a scuba diving club.
I do have some friends I rarely see now as I can see now we had little in common apart from a shared love of boozing. But time spent with other friends is more productive - gong out to do things such as see bands rather than spend the whole evening in the pub.
Partner also happy as she always has a designated driver on nights out.
For anyone starting out, good luck. There really are no downsides in my experience. Grab a copy of the Allen Carr book and go for it!
Happy New Year!
If anyone starting out on Dry January needs a bit of encouragement, the experience of staff at New Scientist might be of interest:
"Less liver fat, cholesterol and weight – just some of the benefits that New Scientist staff enjoyed in a pioneering study into a month's alcohol abstinence"
One participant said "If someone had a health product that did all that in one month, they would be raking it in."
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129502.600...
"Less liver fat, cholesterol and weight – just some of the benefits that New Scientist staff enjoyed in a pioneering study into a month's alcohol abstinence"
One participant said "If someone had a health product that did all that in one month, they would be raking it in."
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129502.600...
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