365 days without booze... join me?

[nick_j007]

Digger said:

The way i'm currently trying to deal with any thoughts of cravings is to imagine a looong list of all the real harmful, dangerous and illegal drugs that have existed and taken by allsorts over the years and simply add alcohol to that list.

Simple, and puts it into perspective that it is just another chemical/drug that my body (& mind) really has no need for.

Edited by Digger on Saturday 7th January 19:23

I have found in the past that the further I get away from drink the more positive I feel about myself and look back with a tinge of regret for all the lost hours hungover or just wasting time by drinking instead of living.

Right now I would LOVE a drink. The OH is sitting drinking wine and I'll be in for another cuppa soon. I can manage that ok. I also remember that tomorrow I'll have the energy and brightness in me to have a decent day ahead

[Jem0911]

Just caught this thread.
Congrats OP.
I stopped in Oct 2010.
None since or again.

I wasn't an alcoholic but similar to you I did drink to much.

I drink sparkling water now if out or at home.

Alot of friends and collegues STILL think I "will have one"!

Do I feel better for it?
I guess so.
I certainly don't miss the acid heartburn and hangovers.

[nick_j007]

Jem0911 said:

Just caught this thread.
Congrats OP.
I stopped in Oct 2010.
None since or again.

I wasn't an alcoholic but similar to you I did drink to much.

I drink sparkling water now if out or at home.

Alot of friends and collegues STILL think I "will have one"!

Do I feel better for it?
I guess so.
I certainly don't miss the acid heartburn and hangovers.

Awesome. Where's the 'Like' button here?

[johnnybegood]

didnt have a drink yesturday not a good night sleep at all.

However for some reason I have started to feel very hungry.

[ScoobyDood]

Just stumbled across this thread - Stopped Alcohol, coffee and fags on 1st Jan (10 days in). This is a 3-month sabbatical as I am running my first half-marathon on 1st April (at age 50) and need to be able to see April 2nd

The biggest issue I have to contend with is the feelings of extreme fatigue and the mild (but very irritating) headaches. Mainly drink plain water and white or green tea (can someone tell me is there much caffiene in that stuff?). I will prevail as the marathon is a key goal for the year.

[Digger]

Cripes! Sudden cold turkey on all three chemicals is bound to throw a wobble, even more so if you were mildly addicted to any of them! If booze was an issue I'd consider taking some strong Vit B complex tablets.

In your situation i would either have consulted my GP or gradually reduced all three.

[T40ORA]

ScoobyDood said:

Just stumbled across this thread - Stopped Alcohol, coffee and fags on 1st Jan (10 days in). This is a 3-month sabbatical as I am running my first half-marathon on 1st April (at age 50) and need to be able to see April 2nd

The biggest issue I have to contend with is the feelings of extreme fatigue and the mild (but very irritating) headaches. Mainly drink plain water and white or green tea (can someone tell me is there much caffiene in that stuff?). I will prevail as the marathon is a key goal for the year.

Google caffeine for a definitive answer, but both are much lower than black tea and especially coffee. I believe that white tea is particularly low.

[boobles]

I have decided to cut right down. I had been drinking approx 3 bottles of red wine per week for a number of years.
I have now reduced that but it's really hard to sit down at home & relax without reaching for the glass.

[DuncanM]

boobles said:

I have decided to cut right down. I had been drinking approx 3 bottles of red wine per week for a number of years.
I have now reduced that but it's really hard to sit down at home & relax without reaching for the glass.

Eeek! I don't know how you'd cut down from such a small amount of wine?

I currently drink 5-6 bottles a week.

Despite knowing that is probably a little too much in some peoples eyes, I quite enjoy it and can't see myself stopping any time soon.

Good luck to those trying in this thread, excellent OP and I do wish you all the best .

Duncan

[boobles]

DuncanM said:

Eeek! I don't know how you'd cut down from such a small amount of wine?

I currently drink 5-6 bottles a week.

Despite knowing that is probably a little too much in some peoples eyes, I quite enjoy it and can't see myself stopping any time soon.

Good luck to those trying in this thread, excellent OP and I do wish you all the best .

Duncan

I never thought that 3 bottles per week was alot but according to my family, it is.















Right thats it I am of to the shop to buy a bottle!

[pete a]

boobles said:

I never thought that 3 bottles per week was alot but according to my family, it is.

Right thats it I am of to the shop to buy a bottle!

That's fine, I was having three bottles a day, I have not had a drink since December 30th so that's 11 days, so I may as well join you boys in here on the 365.
I have tried many times in the past to stop drinking since my mid twentys to varying degrees of success and lengths of time.
Never managed to stay given up though, tried AA but all the higher power stuff wasn't a bit of me.
I think I enjoy it too much as I get to a point (normally about 6 weeks) and I get really depressed and feel like life is rubbish because I can't havea drink, not long after I reach this point I end up back on the roundabout of drinking again and then trying to stop again when I start to despair.

Good luck all and see you all in here.

[DuncanM]

pete a said:

That's fine, I was having three bottles a day, I have not had a drink since December 30th so that's 11 days, so I may as well join you boys in here on the 365.
I have tried many times in the past to stop drinking since my mid twentys to varying degrees of success and lengths of time.
Never managed to stay given up though, tried AA but all the higher power stuff wasn't a bit of me.
I think I enjoy it too much as I get to a point (normally about 6 weeks) and I get really depressed and feel like life is rubbish because I can't havea drink, not long after I reach this point I end up back on the roundabout of drinking again and then trying to stop again when I start to despair.

Good luck all and see you all in here.

Yeah three a day is pretty full on I guess!

I am genuinely impressed that people can afford (financially) to drink three bottles a day!

[pete a]

I didn't drink three bottles of wine every day but some days I would on a weekend or a litre of spirits like gin or scotch, most week nights would be 4 Stella's and a bottle of red.
Still too much, and yeah it costs a bomb but I'm lucky in some ways as I have plenty of disposable income, a lot of addicts are high achievers for some reason.

[Sebo]

pete a said:

I didn't drink three bottles of wine every day but some days I would on a weekend or a litre of spirits like gin or scotch, most week nights would be 4 Stella's and a bottle of red.
Still too much, and yeah it costs a bomb but I'm lucky in some ways as I have plenty of disposable income, a lot of addicts are high achievers for some reason.

Crikey Pete that's some drinking. How are you in the mornings? Fuzzy headed or clear?

[AcidReflux]

Sebo said:

Crikey Pete that's some drinking. How are you in the mornings?

Over the legal limit for driving, I'd guess

Pete, best of luck with your cut-back. I cooked with wine on Sunday night and was so tempted after working all weekend to finish off the bottle myself but just got myself a glass of sparkling water as my first drink instead. That was enough to break the habit and I was fine all evening afterwards. It's that first drink in the evening that I find hardest to resist but after that I'm OK. Touch wood.

[Digger]

Bloody hard at times isnt it. 18 days for me. I dont feel much pride in the achievement so far as taking control of the situation is out of my hands. I could easily down a couple of bottles tonght. Hfff!

[nick_j007]

Digger said:

Bloody hard at times isnt it. 18 days for me. I dont feel much pride in the achievement so far as taking control of the situation is out of my hands. I could easily down a couple of bottles tonght. Hfff!

Stick with it buddy. It DOES get easier with time. It's an emotional dependency and physical one too in the sense of what you do with your hands, what you're used to doing.

Perhaps I could venture that we all (myself included) drink for various reasons, but I suspect that one of them is to cope with day to day stresses and also for some to just tune out and away from specific issues that are difficult to address when sober. I consider myself to be a regular bloke with no more worries than the average person. I'd say now being in my early 40's I enjoy life and am able to relax into it more than I ever have in the past. I do recognise though that not drinking does allow me to look at various things that have cropped up in my past and to be able to kind of put them straight in my head (in a good way) which would not have been done when drinking each night.

I trust myself more now as well. By this I mean I can talk with loved ones or just good friends about pretty much anything and know that my words are not coloured by excessive emotion caused by drinking. Ah, it sounds like I walk around talking crap when drinking. I don't think I do (or did) much, but had that feeling a few times the next morning when it dawns on me what st I was talking the night before. Hehe.

I mentioned before that I had a list of reasons to stop drinking or the benefits of remaining sober. These came to me without hesitation in no particular order. I take being a dad as the highest!

No hangovers.
No tiredness.
Money in my pocket.
Weight loss.
Look better.
Feel better.
Long term health benefits.
Weight off my knees.
Ease of access to Elise!
Agility, stamina, energy.
Clothes fit better.
More motivated to work.
Optimistic outlook.
A better father.

Feel free to add to the list. It would be interesting to see what other's motivations are. Some of them could be expanded upon easily such as health benefits, weight loss, parenting and work.

There's a few of us keeping dry for various periods now, stick with it folks, I've been dry since the day of the first post

Nick

[nick_j007]

pete a said:

That's fine, I was having three bottles a day, I have not had a drink since December 30th so that's 11 days, so I may as well join you boys in here on the 365.
I have tried many times in the past to stop drinking since my mid twentys to varying degrees of success and lengths of time.
Never managed to stay given up though, tried AA but all the higher power stuff wasn't a bit of me.
I think I enjoy it too much as I get to a point (normally about 6 weeks) and I get really depressed and feel like life is rubbish because I can't havea drink, not long after I reach this point I end up back on the roundabout of drinking again and then trying to stop again when I start to despair.

Good luck all and see you all in here.

I read recently that you need 90 days to allow your body to get back to normal so to speak. I think (if I can say) that that you need to give yourself that long at least to start with. I know I do. It takes time to build the confidence in yourself that allows you to say, 'No, I'm ok, I don't need a drink', and to go do something different.

This part of the forum (or this thread anyway!) is like a load of blokes (no ladies as yet I think) all sitting about drinking tea, coffee and water bemoaning how many days we've been without a drink and debating how long they can carry on like this for.

Personally speaking, it came to a point that I knew I couldn't just carry on drinking so much each day. I value life and myself too much to not turn into some big loathsome pile of st that needs to drink that much every day. NOBODY will come along and save me. The best person to look after me was....me. The best person to look after you is...you

Stopping heavy drinking is really hard to do, but some days now I feel just fantastic, and I tell myself this is normal you know - feeling fantastic. When I'm not drinking I can address my health properly, think about what I'm eating and drinking otherwise and even ensure I get enough sleep in. Drinking aside, I'm keen on 'good health'. Oh the irony.

[nick_j007]

boobles said:

I never thought that 3 bottles per week was alot but according to my family, it is.


Right thats it I am of to the shop to buy a bottle!

I think to some that could be. Some are sanctimonious about the whole drinking thing. A quick google tells me 9 units in a bottle of wine, 27 in a week. 21 for men and 14 for women. God, I would be very happy to be able to stick to 3 bottles per week and be done with it.

Having said that we're all different and various amounts affect different people in different ways.

Nick

Edited by nick_j007 on Tuesday 10th January 21:47

[oldbanger]

nick_j007 said:

This part of the forum (or this thread anyway!) is like a load of blokes (no ladies as yet I think) all sitting about drinking tea, coffee and water bemoaning how many days we've been without a drink and debating how long they can carry on like this for.

<cough>

(though I generally don't correct people so it's my own fault lol)

Edited by oldbanger on Tuesday 10th January 21:41