365 days without booze... join me?
Discussion
Barchettaman said:
I also have some massive gigs coming up at the end of the month so am enjoying the better quality sleep and general benefits of sobriety.
I won’t push into April though.
Never say never I won’t push into April though.
If you get to the end of the month and fancy a drink, that's your choice, you're a grown-up. But don't feel you have to have a drink. I succumbed to "beer pressure" a few times in my 20s after my annual abstainious months and TBH always wished I hadn't simply because it felt like it wasn't my choice but rather an arbitrary date and my friends ribbing me.
Depending on your age that might not be an issue of course; by the time you're 40 I think most people have known at least one person becomes a full-blown alcoholic and get into difficulty, so are a bit more considerate.
chris4652009 said:
chris4652009 said:
I did dry January and have decided to continue with it.
I feel so much better, was clearly drinking far to often/much
Update: still dry I feel so much better, was clearly drinking far to often/much
If your financial situation allows it, set aside what you WOULD have spent on booze. Stick it in a separate account if you can, for some banks it's really easy to do that online.
Then decide on something expensive that you want, that is worth about the same as say, a year of drink. When you hit that milestone, buy it. Enjoy the crap out of it. Take pride each and every time you see it or think of it, knowing that you bloody well earned it.
donkmeister said:
chris4652009 said:
chris4652009 said:
I did dry January and have decided to continue with it.
I feel so much better, was clearly drinking far to often/much
Update: still dry I feel so much better, was clearly drinking far to often/much
If your financial situation allows it, set aside what you WOULD have spent on booze. Stick it in a separate account if you can, for some banks it's really easy to do that online.
Then decide on something expensive that you want, that is worth about the same as say, a year of drink. When you hit that milestone, buy it. Enjoy the crap out of it. Take pride each and every time you see it or think of it, knowing that you bloody well earned it.
Blib said:
chris4652009 said:
chris4652009 said:
I did dry January and have decided to continue with it.
I feel so much better, was clearly drinking far to often/much
Update: still dry I feel so much better, was clearly drinking far to often/much
Any observations for people contemplating a period of sobriety?
Much more energy especially noticeable at weekends
Don't hide away from going out, drink NA beers instead of coke.
Of my circle of friends only one doesn't get it, he's the definition of an alcoholic and tbh quite pitiful the way he lives.
chris4652009 said:
Blib said:
chris4652009 said:
chris4652009 said:
I did dry January and have decided to continue with it.
I feel so much better, was clearly drinking far to often/much
Update: still dry I feel so much better, was clearly drinking far to often/much
Any observations for people contemplating a period of sobriety?
Much more energy especially noticeable at weekends
Don't hide away from going out, drink NA beers instead of coke.
Of my circle of friends only one doesn't get it, he's the definition of an alcoholic and tbh quite pitiful the way he lives.
As for your friend who doesn't get it, your sobriety alone may help him make a change. You don't have to say a word.
chris4652009 said:
Already doing it, currently have £1153 sat in a separate account that is growing every month via scheduled payment. But yes that's an excellent suggestion.
I'm doing it the opposite way. Whilst I've improved on some of the depths of stupidity I delved into last year I've still managed to disappear down a binge wormhole a few times this year, albeit they are lasting less and less amounts of time. Progress of sorts. I had to go through my statements from the beginning of the year to check some financials and it delivered a shock to me. I could see my binges writ large on my statements: £7.99, £7.99, £7.99 same shop same day. Then the next day. Then maybe £12 at Sainsburys when trying to save a few quid against the corner shop. Blocks of this happening for 3-4 days. So basically pissing £100 up the wall over a few days binging. Ridiculous. So that's yet another motivation on top of the physical and mental health damage (one I'd largely buried my head in the sand over). I will beat it. Davie_GLA said:
My daughter is 16 this weekend and if you’d have asked me if I would have been here to celebrate with her back in 2019 I genuinely couldn’t have said yes.
Great to hear everyone getting on and either choosing to stop or control whatever they feel is a priority. Onward!
She probably/may not understand what you've been through, and what you've done but I can guarantee she is immensely proud of who you are today. Great to hear everyone getting on and either choosing to stop or control whatever they feel is a priority. Onward!
I made it to just over 6 months and then gave up. No regrets and I enjoyed being sober for most of it. I did find counting days to be really unhelpful in the last month or two. It became a big "thing" and added pressure. So rather than me just thinking "I'm not drinking" or others knowing this, it was "Wow, how long has it been now, over 100 days???" etc.
I may give up again at some point. I probably should as it really isn't helping my mental health and moods.
I may give up again at some point. I probably should as it really isn't helping my mental health and moods.
4 months for me, not tempted one bit to go back to any for the foreseeable - happy with the 0%'s if I really need to have something in a social group, but quite like a tonic water with a slice of lemon, in all honesty.
People are still wary of me not drinking I have found, querying why, or make a joke - really not arsed now as I am doing it for medical reasons, they tend to stop jibbing when I am forced to explain...
The positives clearly out weigh the negatives drinking had for me, the thought of it makes me feel abit sick now tbh (quite a revelation).
People are still wary of me not drinking I have found, querying why, or make a joke - really not arsed now as I am doing it for medical reasons, they tend to stop jibbing when I am forced to explain...
The positives clearly out weigh the negatives drinking had for me, the thought of it makes me feel abit sick now tbh (quite a revelation).
I've been reading 'The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober' by Catherine Gray which is very good, brutally honest in places but funny and insightful. Worth a go if anyone is looking for some Quit-Lit! That's me mostly drink-free since the start of February and feeling all the better for it. A couple of annoying slip-ups or deliberate days which I then regretted mean my streak isn't great but will keep it going, it's becoming a habit not to drink which is excellent!
dirtbiker said:
I've been reading 'The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober' by Catherine Gray which is very good, brutally honest in places but funny and insightful. Worth a go if anyone is looking for some Quit-Lit! That's me mostly drink-free since the start of February and feeling all the better for it. A couple of annoying slip-ups or deliberate days which I then regretted mean my streak isn't great but will keep it going, it's becoming a habit not to drink which is excellent!
Ohhh yea, I read that and also her other book "Sober On A Drunk Planet". It's funny but I prefer all the messy sections rather than her getting sober. I read a few other books on sobriety. They're pretty good, one of the better ones (will try to find the title) listed out 50 tips throughout one chapter and it was very helpful, such as:
Sliding doors
When tempted, stop and think of the two cases.
1) You drink and after enjoying the first glass/beer you will then probably very quickly get drunk, blackout, lose the evening, do something stupid even fi it's just eating rubbish, and end up in bed at 2am. You'll wake up groggy, feeling terrible about yourself, bloated, lost half your morning and tired. You'll just drag yourself through the day and achieve very little.
2) You don't drink and instead get to 9-10pm and go to bed. You'll probably sleep relatively well and wake up at a decent time. You'll feel fresher, be awake early, not hung over, bloated or tired. You will not have the depressing feeling of having been drinking the night before.
Blib said:
Well done on achieving six months!
Have you noticed any changes since you started drinking again?
Thank you! Yes I have noticed a few things:Have you noticed any changes since you started drinking again?
- I am less stressed, before I wanted to drink or at least end the stupid counting cycle and the whole "I am not drinking" just got tiring. It was like a constant mental drain on me towards the end
- One probably bad sign is I am now feeling myself in the same cycle as before. Even now as I sit here on a Thursday afternoon, I am feeling the urge to start drinking as I am coming to the end of a busy day (WFH), football is on tv, the weather is rubbish and I'm just a bit stressed.
- Feel bloated and definitely fluffier than before. I drank a bit on Friday and a lot on Saturday. Already I see my stomach is a lot more bloated than before.
I've stopped a few times. What drained me towards the end this time was I had absolutely no benefits from not drinking (that I could feel). I was sleeping terrible for about two months.
I felt depressed, irritable. I was always wound up and angry. I felt unfit. Exercise wasn't well, running and cycling, gym work was a mixed bag.
In other instances when I have stopped it's always been a very different feel - in fact it was when I first gave up this time.
As I said, no regrets about drinking - not going to say I will continue but I just wanted to mentally reset and rid myself of the stupid counting of days. If I stop again, I'll just stop, no counting and I won't tell others about it like I did before
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