365 days without booze... join me?

[Smitters]

Interesting thread and well done to the OP for hitting three months.

Last year I decided I'd try and go booze free for a month, following a two week holiday in Morocco during Ramadan, and made it another three and a half weeks or so. I must admit I felt fantastic. Then the inevitable bad habits crept back in before I'd been able to consolidate the gains. I think it takes quite a while to get to the habit of drinking soft drinks in the pub, for me at least, and I didn't get there.

So, I think I'll give it another go. I shall start on Monday 20th, principally because I have a friends wedding and I'd like to toast them, plus if you quit for a period, you might as well see it out in style and what better way than toasting great friends?

Like a lot of others on here, I've got to a point where I can see alcohol affecting my health. I weight more, get a worse nights sleep and so on. I've never been an "in moderation" person in any sense, work, life, sport, cars (!), so it's all or nothing for me.

I'll drop back in every so often with some stats/thoughts, but I'm hoping to lose weight and fit in my Caterham a bit better!

[CoolHands]

failed at just over three weeks. I was kind of ok, & had probably been through the worst, but just gave in when I 'wanted' it again. It's quite hard you know. I...'relapsed'...I suppose is the drug terminology vocab.

Will try again probably

[nick_j007]

Smitters said:

Interesting thread and well done to the OP for hitting three months.

Last year I decided I'd try and go booze free for a month, following a two week holiday in Morocco during Ramadan, and made it another three and a half weeks or so. I must admit I felt fantastic. Then the inevitable bad habits crept back in before I'd been able to consolidate the gains. I think it takes quite a while to get to the habit of drinking soft drinks in the pub, for me at least, and I didn't get there.

So, I think I'll give it another go. I shall start on Monday 20th, principally because I have a friends wedding and I'd like to toast them, plus if you quit for a period, you might as well see it out in style and what better way than toasting great friends?

Like a lot of others on here, I've got to a point where I can see alcohol affecting my health. I weight more, get a worse nights sleep and so on. I've never been an "in moderation" person in any sense, work, life, sport, cars (!), so it's all or nothing for me.

I'll drop back in every so often with some stats/thoughts, but I'm hoping to lose weight and fit in my Caterham a bit better!

I can identify with the moderation comments. Rarely was there anyone else up later than me squeezing every last ounce out of a night with friends or family. Not having to report into a boss at the office every morning, the party never seemed to stop!

I've lost nearly two stone now too, so that feels great. Low carb, high protein diet works great for me. Elise feels like it's made for me again, and I don't look too much of an arse getting out now. ha ha. Stamina is very good with work, and I've just put in a high pressure week and come out feeling a bit tired but happy that I could cope free from undue stress. Sleep is lovely again and I feel feckin great.

Mind you, opened the fridge tonight to see a chilled bottle of white that OH was about to haved a glass of. OMG, I nearly swigged it. Still I rose above it Ideally she'd stop drinking altogether, but it's not for me to stop her enjoying a couple of glasses. God I wish I could just drink 2 glasses and stop. Ah well.

Dunno if it's a bit hippy, but I wrote a mantra of sorts that I keep close to hand reminding me of the simple benefits of not drinking. If anyone wants to read it I'll put it on here. You know, in the alkies lounge

[JFReturns]

Go on then, but if it is cheesy I'm leaving

[nick_j007]

JFReturns said:

Go on then, but if it is cheesy I'm leaving

I'm a little fairy small and sweet, I must stop drinking to see my feet.

It goes on like that you see.

[Frankeh]

Now I've informed everyone I've given up alcohol I just don't get invited out, which is just great.
Probably an indication that I need different friends.

[JFReturns]

Funny you mention the Elise - I've lost loads of fat since giving up booze which is a good thing as I've just got a VX220. It's a bit snug!

[nick_j007]

Frankeh said:

Now I've informed everyone I've given up alcohol I just don't get invited out, which is just great.
Probably an indication that I need different friends.

Good point. This is a hard aspect. I've got some close friends that I just don't meet up with now I'm not drinking. I guess the things that were founded on the mutual interest of drinking will fall away?

[nick_j007]

JFReturns said:

Funny you mention the Elise - I've lost loads of fat since giving up booze which is a good thing as I've just got a VX220. It's a bit snug!

Feels great to just slip into that seat eh? Good work there.

[Digger]

Tripped and fell off a few weeks back ... Bugger! Oh well, clambering back onboard, disulfiram down the hatch!

And so the cycle repeats itself ... again.

[JFReturns]

nick_j007 said:

Feels great to just slip into that seat eh? Good work there.

Thanks. Oh and the £50 a month I used to spend on beer now gets used for petrol!

[nick_j007]

JFReturns said:

Thanks. Oh and the £50 a month I used to spend on beer now gets used for petrol!

Nice. I alone might have been spending £300 per month. Consider yourself a light weight for that at least!

[Smitters]

nick_j007 said:

Mind you, opened the fridge tonight to see a chilled bottle of white that OH was about to haved a glass of. OMG, I nearly swigged it. Still I rose above it Ideally she'd stop drinking altogether, but it's not for me to stop her enjoying a couple of glasses. God I wish I could just drink 2 glasses and stop. Ah well.

Dunno if it's a bit hippy, but I wrote a mantra of sorts that I keep close to hand reminding me of the simple benefits of not drinking. If anyone wants to read it I'll put it on here. You know, in the alkies lounge

Don't I know it with booze in the house! The OH and I both love our wine and have a few pretty special bottles. Sometimes I think I'll be missing out if she opens something nice while I'm on a month off, but in reality, what's better - the wine, or the quality of life?

I quite like the idea of a little mantra. I may have to try that. There are bound to be moments in the next month when I waver so to have something to remind me and refocus me would be great.

[nick_j007]

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

[jimslops]

nick_j007 said:

Nice. I alone might have been spending £300 per month. Consider yourself a light weight for that at least!

Yep
Very easily done
3/4 on a week night = 20pints, £60 / week during week
£240
PLUS weekend drink for me and Mrs...

[nick_j007]

jimslops said:

nick_j007 said:

Nice. I alone might have been spending £300 per month. Consider yourself a light weight for that at least!

Yep
Very easily done
3/4 on a week night = 20pints, £60 / week during week
£240
PLUS weekend drink for me and Mrs...

Yeah, I was reckoning on £10.00 per night on average for me. That's over the week. Shocking.

[jimslops]

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 st load of beer and gin!

[nick_j007]

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 st load of beer and gin!

It's almost laugh out loud obscene. What do you do with the money now it's in your pocket?

[jimslops]

nick_j007 said:

It's almost laugh out loud obscene. What do you do with the money now it's in your pocket?

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.

[nick_j007]

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