365 days without booze... join me?
Discussion
The last drink I had was in April 1979 when two halves of Guinness made me vomit blood.
I'd been dry for over 3 months, having had a similar, but worse, period over Xmas when I was in bed for three days.
It turned out that I had an intolerance to alcohol, brought about by defective stomach lining.
It was hard for the first months, especially as I was expected to be the free taxi service at parties. I once drove my car to a friend's house, left it there and drove him and his rather nice car to the X-mas eve party. He was almost impossible to extricate and so I was not in a good mood on the way back to his place. So when he was sick into his glove locker, politely shutting the lid afterwards, I didn't work out the problems.
It seems the heater hose for the face level vents ran behind the glove compartment so when his wife drove the car a couple of days after Xmas, the smell was quite distinctive.
I gave up explaining why I didn't drink, it being assumed in my profession that it was normal to get plastered, and unknown to me, I got the reputation of being a recovering alcoholic.
I don't miss it. I used to drink at parties because I was shy and nervous. Now when people get drunk, the shoe is on the other foot and I don't want to know them.
I stopped drinking in my early 30s, when married. If I'd known what opportunities drunks miss at parties, I'd have stayed sober.
I'd been dry for over 3 months, having had a similar, but worse, period over Xmas when I was in bed for three days.
It turned out that I had an intolerance to alcohol, brought about by defective stomach lining.
It was hard for the first months, especially as I was expected to be the free taxi service at parties. I once drove my car to a friend's house, left it there and drove him and his rather nice car to the X-mas eve party. He was almost impossible to extricate and so I was not in a good mood on the way back to his place. So when he was sick into his glove locker, politely shutting the lid afterwards, I didn't work out the problems.
It seems the heater hose for the face level vents ran behind the glove compartment so when his wife drove the car a couple of days after Xmas, the smell was quite distinctive.
I gave up explaining why I didn't drink, it being assumed in my profession that it was normal to get plastered, and unknown to me, I got the reputation of being a recovering alcoholic.
I don't miss it. I used to drink at parties because I was shy and nervous. Now when people get drunk, the shoe is on the other foot and I don't want to know them.
I stopped drinking in my early 30s, when married. If I'd known what opportunities drunks miss at parties, I'd have stayed sober.
johnwilliams77 said:
FreeLitres said:
1.5 years since my last drink.
That's me dry during 2 Christmas days, 2 of my birthdays, lots of other peoples birthdays, works do's, 15+ international business trips, social get togethers, etc. That's a lot of booze I would have had if i hadn't of joined this challenge!
Next stop: 2 years.
Lose some lbs too?That's me dry during 2 Christmas days, 2 of my birthdays, lots of other peoples birthdays, works do's, 15+ international business trips, social get togethers, etc. That's a lot of booze I would have had if i hadn't of joined this challenge!
Next stop: 2 years.
FreeLitres said:
I started running at the same time as giving up so yes, I've lost a few kg. When on the booze, I would always have snacks and a big greasy takeaway at the end of the night. I just can't face the same foods when sober!
Strangely enough, I did too. From someone who always hated running. I started couch to 5k at the end of last October and I am still running 3 X a week now. Niggles are annoying though!olly22n said:
I'm starting to find drunk people really quite dull.
Oh, yes, I agree, especially when the jokes start. I had to fight back a feeling of superiority. Early on, I felt I had to give a reason for not drinking and many drinkers tried to make me have a tot or two, this despite me saying that it made my stomach bleed. I stopped telling them and the story went around, not from me, that I was a recovering alcoholic. They stopped bothering me then.
Odd morals there.
I have not touched a drop of alcohol since July 2013. Had my first drink aged 13 and never had a dry week til then. Became dependant as a means of coping and dealing with stressful "stuff" Once I had realised that it was really detrimental to me I actually found it not so bad (Librium helped!) Fast forward to now and I can honestly say I do not miss it one bit. At the start being around drink and people drinking was very hard but it did get easier.
I appreciate 99% of people posting in this thread may not be as extreme but if I managed it anyone can. Support is all well and good but if you want to quit it has to be for you and you alone not for your children, family or spouse. I had to distance myself from certain circles/people but that's par of the course.
Good luck!
I appreciate 99% of people posting in this thread may not be as extreme but if I managed it anyone can. Support is all well and good but if you want to quit it has to be for you and you alone not for your children, family or spouse. I had to distance myself from certain circles/people but that's par of the course.
Good luck!
olly22n said:
I'm starting to find drunk people really quite dull.
Aye. I really can't take being around habitual drinkers any more. It's desperately boring and I don't understand why they don't get bored subjecting themselves to the same process constantly. I haven't had a drink since last summer. I seem to have forgotten to rather than making a willful decision. Good luck to all those who do struggle with it.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
This is the odd thing. When you refuse a drink, some take offence. I used to apologise but after a while I stopped. In Italy we were in a very friendly restaurant when I told the waiter that I could not drink. He was shocked and sat down at our table to commiserate. He asked me if I could smell it, and I said I enjoyed the aroma. He came back with a glass of wine, put it beside me and said I could smell it whenever I felt the need. It didn't appear on the bill and when I questioned it, he said it was his gift for the pain I sufferedItaly has alcohol flowing all day but I can't remember ever seeing any falling down drunks.
Couple of days ago I decided I had to stop, for good. I was out in the gogo bars until 4am, made an absolute abusive tvvat of myself to the wife and daughter, and woke up the next day to her telling me to get out, and stay out.
It has happened a few times in the last year, come home all drunk and abusive, bitter and twisted over something. And each time I tell myself to cut down, just stick to a few beers next time, but I know I can't do that, so it has to stop completely.
I did it for 16 years once before, so I can do it again.
Today is day two.
It has happened a few times in the last year, come home all drunk and abusive, bitter and twisted over something. And each time I tell myself to cut down, just stick to a few beers next time, but I know I can't do that, so it has to stop completely.
I did it for 16 years once before, so I can do it again.
Today is day two.
King Herald said:
Couple of days ago I decided I had to stop, for good. I was out in the gogo bars until 4am, made an absolute abusive tvvat of myself to the wife and daughter, and woke up the next day to her telling me to get out, and stay out.
It has happened a few times in the last year, come home all drunk and abusive, bitter and twisted over something. And each time I tell myself to cut down, just stick to a few beers next time, but I know I can't do that, so it has to stop completely.
I did it for 16 years once before, so I can do it again.
Today is day two.
That should be a smiling face. Now is the start of happiness, not sadness. It gets easier and easier and you have no hangovers ever again!It has happened a few times in the last year, come home all drunk and abusive, bitter and twisted over something. And each time I tell myself to cut down, just stick to a few beers next time, but I know I can't do that, so it has to stop completely.
I did it for 16 years once before, so I can do it again.
Today is day two.
In 2014 and 2015 I gave in January. I lasted till June in 2014 and August in 2015. In both those years the winters were a struggle as I suffered with bad anxiety. I tried lots of things and was kidding myself that I was drink because I had anxiety. Of course I now realise that I was anxious because I was drinking.
The drink is not totally to blame for the anxiety and I am doing other things (counselling etc) to combat it but drinking makes it 100 times worse. Partly it is because the after effects of drink are similar to the physical symptoms of the anxiety. I wake up with a pounding heart and funny tummy and my mind starts racing thinking I ma anxious and then finds or invents something to worry about.
Whilst I drink for those couple of hours I feel a little better but so much worse the next day. If I exercise I get the same feeling and feel good afterwards.
Anyway from now on I am not drinking again, ever. I always knew the amount I drunk was doing me no good psychically and now there is a direct correlation to my mental health as well. I haven't had a drink in over a week an already I can feel a difference in how I feel.
The drink is not totally to blame for the anxiety and I am doing other things (counselling etc) to combat it but drinking makes it 100 times worse. Partly it is because the after effects of drink are similar to the physical symptoms of the anxiety. I wake up with a pounding heart and funny tummy and my mind starts racing thinking I ma anxious and then finds or invents something to worry about.
Whilst I drink for those couple of hours I feel a little better but so much worse the next day. If I exercise I get the same feeling and feel good afterwards.
Anyway from now on I am not drinking again, ever. I always knew the amount I drunk was doing me no good psychically and now there is a direct correlation to my mental health as well. I haven't had a drink in over a week an already I can feel a difference in how I feel.
johnwilliams77 said:
That should be a smiling face. Now is the start of happiness, not sadness. It gets easier and easier and you have no hangovers ever again!
The misery face was because of what I had done that night, not because of my decision to clean up my act. But you're right, every morning I wake up feeling a bit cleaner, a bit healthier, but the guilt and worry about what happened during that last binge is still tearing me up inside.
That is the odd thing, we all KNOW how bad booze is, how bad it makes us feel, the hangovers, the guilt, the blackouts, the family problems, financial etc, but we still go back and open that bottle........ Stupid does not quite cover it.
King Herald said:
The misery face was because of what I had done that night, not because of my decision to clean up my act.
But you're right, every morning I wake up feeling a bit cleaner, a bit healthier, but the guilt and worry about what happened during that last binge is still tearing me up inside.
That is the odd thing, we all KNOW how bad booze is, how bad it makes us feel, the hangovers, the guilt, the blackouts, the family problems, financial etc, but we still go back and open that bottle........ Stupid does not quite cover it.
7 months and counting away from it has allowed me a lot of time to reflect. Only I know myself and my relationship with booze. I am quite sure I can enjoy it on occasion: holidays, Christmas, the odd weekend with dinner etc. The drawbacks for drinking lots or regularly are just not worth it to me.But you're right, every morning I wake up feeling a bit cleaner, a bit healthier, but the guilt and worry about what happened during that last binge is still tearing me up inside.
That is the odd thing, we all KNOW how bad booze is, how bad it makes us feel, the hangovers, the guilt, the blackouts, the family problems, financial etc, but we still go back and open that bottle........ Stupid does not quite cover it.
So, I lasted 102 weeks, but started again just before Christmas. I just can't tolerate alcohol and am still not very good at moderation once I have the first one.
So tomorrow is my birthday, I decided to get a nice bottle to drink yesterday. After 2/3 of the bottle, I am a mess today, nausea, muscle pain, etc.
My 42nd birthday seems as good a milestone as any to use as the first day back being sober.
So tomorrow is my birthday, I decided to get a nice bottle to drink yesterday. After 2/3 of the bottle, I am a mess today, nausea, muscle pain, etc.
My 42nd birthday seems as good a milestone as any to use as the first day back being sober.
I had written a fairly detailed reply but can't face posting all of it,. suffice to say it's been a hard couple of years. Even more than I've let on in other posts. Work stresses, a couple of family tragedies, a very turbulent home life, kids with special needs, strained marriage and failing health, with me being the family stalwart through much of it.
Cheers for the response. I'm also 42 and have had enough. I've given up twice before, for 5 months and then a month back on it, then another 4 months - that was almost 2 years ago. My wife says it was a midlife crisis whilst approaching my 40th birthday. And she might be right. I felt absolutely brilliant when not drinking, was much fitter, slept better and got to spend far more time with my kids. The biggest issue and it really was a big issue, was other people's reaction to me not drinking. Lots of people struggled to understand it and I was constantly grilled about it, plus my work involves a fair bit of corporate entertainment.
My drinking has crept back up again and I don't feel I'm achieving what I want to achieve in life as I'm always in a state of recovery. My issue is that once I've had a drink I struggle to stop, so a quick beer with my dinner leads to 4 beers topped of with a bottle of wine shared with my wife - on a Monday night! Plus after 13 years of not smoking, I've started smoking when having a drink at the pub, which is definitely not something I want to continue. If I carry on drinking like this it's going to catch up with me, and by then it may be too late. My drinking is constant and excessive.
That's it, I had a drink on Saturday and I'm planning for that to be the last drink I ever have. I'll update this thread with my progress, as I found that really helpful last time. I'm also considering seeing an NLP specialist, as I saw one to stop smoking and it worked for 13 years. Has anyone had any experience with one?
Cheers
My drinking has crept back up again and I don't feel I'm achieving what I want to achieve in life as I'm always in a state of recovery. My issue is that once I've had a drink I struggle to stop, so a quick beer with my dinner leads to 4 beers topped of with a bottle of wine shared with my wife - on a Monday night! Plus after 13 years of not smoking, I've started smoking when having a drink at the pub, which is definitely not something I want to continue. If I carry on drinking like this it's going to catch up with me, and by then it may be too late. My drinking is constant and excessive.
That's it, I had a drink on Saturday and I'm planning for that to be the last drink I ever have. I'll update this thread with my progress, as I found that really helpful last time. I'm also considering seeing an NLP specialist, as I saw one to stop smoking and it worked for 13 years. Has anyone had any experience with one?
Cheers
JQ said:
Cheers for the response. I'm also 42 and have had enough. I've given up twice before, for 5 months and then a month back on it, then another 4 months - that was almost 2 years ago. My wife says it was a midlife crisis whilst approaching my 40th birthday. And she might be right. I felt absolutely brilliant when not drinking, was much fitter, slept better and got to spend far more time with my kids. The biggest issue and it really was a big issue, was other people's reaction to me not drinking. Lots of people struggled to understand it and I was constantly grilled about it, plus my work involves a fair bit of corporate entertainment.
My drinking has crept back up again and I don't feel I'm achieving what I want to achieve in life as I'm always in a state of recovery. My issue is that once I've had a drink I struggle to stop, so a quick beer with my dinner leads to 4 beers topped of with a bottle of wine shared with my wife - on a Monday night! Plus after 13 years of not smoking, I've started smoking when having a drink at the pub, which is definitely not something I want to continue. If I carry on drinking like this it's going to catch up with me, and by then it may be too late. My drinking is constant and excessive.
That's it, I had a drink on Saturday and I'm planning for that to be the last drink I ever have. I'll update this thread with my progress, as I found that really helpful last time. I'm also considering seeing an NLP specialist, as I saw one to stop smoking and it worked for 13 years. Has anyone had any experience with one?
Cheers
Best of luck over long weekend, i know how 1 leads to 7 etc i am exactly the same thankfully this year i have only had one day where I drank and that was in Jan I am hoping rest of year will be dry, I think last year 10 out of 365 days maybe 15 (cant be sure) I had a drink 50% of thoes it was 2 or less pints but the other 7 days it was more so lets hope this year I get through with only one. Only time I smoke now is when drinking.My drinking has crept back up again and I don't feel I'm achieving what I want to achieve in life as I'm always in a state of recovery. My issue is that once I've had a drink I struggle to stop, so a quick beer with my dinner leads to 4 beers topped of with a bottle of wine shared with my wife - on a Monday night! Plus after 13 years of not smoking, I've started smoking when having a drink at the pub, which is definitely not something I want to continue. If I carry on drinking like this it's going to catch up with me, and by then it may be too late. My drinking is constant and excessive.
That's it, I had a drink on Saturday and I'm planning for that to be the last drink I ever have. I'll update this thread with my progress, as I found that really helpful last time. I'm also considering seeing an NLP specialist, as I saw one to stop smoking and it worked for 13 years. Has anyone had any experience with one?
Cheers
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