365 days without booze... join me?
Discussion
These are the sorts of reasons that I committed to the 365 days. There are countless times and events that I associated with drinking. Pint on a winter's night, pint in the sun in the summer. Every day seemed like a good day! Going a week or two most heavy drinkers could do that I think. Going months and staying resolved is not easy. I feel it too.
However I really do feel that if I can get through the 'months in' period and past it I can emerge feeling less bothered and change some deep seated habits and ways of thinking about my drinking habits. I have no deep physical cravings at all now, but I do feel very much as though I'm missing out on the fun, the party, the laughs. Still, there are strong benefits in staying sober. No hangover this morning and being able to type this is one of them
Have a good day all.
Nick
However I really do feel that if I can get through the 'months in' period and past it I can emerge feeling less bothered and change some deep seated habits and ways of thinking about my drinking habits. I have no deep physical cravings at all now, but I do feel very much as though I'm missing out on the fun, the party, the laughs. Still, there are strong benefits in staying sober. No hangover this morning and being able to type this is one of them
Have a good day all.
Nick
Sounds like you're at quite a good point Nick, though I wonder if there's an element of "Fun Bobby" syndrome still for both of us? (Fun Bobby was a Friends character who was a raconteur who always had a drink in his hand and became just "Bobby" when he quit drinking).
I must admit Sunday was tough for me. Not the drinking + GP. I had no desire to imbibe at 4.30 am. Just a combination of knowing I was at 28 days, and thus had "done really well already", so despite saying I am going to the end of April, I was really tempted to have a few beers. In the end I went for a drive instead and had a nice early night, mainly due to a 5.30 start. However, pressure ratcheting up at work and a desire for beers - coincidence? Probably not.
Anyway, I'm very lucky to have a group of friends who are sympathetic to the cause and most of which have done similar stuff for health reasons, like 'Sober September', but I've found meeting the same people, but in a different context to normal has helped balance sociability with abstinence. I've used going for walks instead of the pub and offering to be designated driver to good effect so far. Even took a road-trip to collect a car with a mate - cracking couple of hours chat that would normally take place in the pub, but instead was on the M1!
Anyway - day 29 today, 80.1kg (B*starding scale - I really wanted to type 79.x)
ETA - it was cold when I measured first so I had my PJs on! Post shower, and it's 79.9. Well happy with that. 4.3kg or 9 1/2 lbs in 28 days. Long may it continue...though I think I'll have to work harder to lose another 4kg by the end of April...
I must admit Sunday was tough for me. Not the drinking + GP. I had no desire to imbibe at 4.30 am. Just a combination of knowing I was at 28 days, and thus had "done really well already", so despite saying I am going to the end of April, I was really tempted to have a few beers. In the end I went for a drive instead and had a nice early night, mainly due to a 5.30 start. However, pressure ratcheting up at work and a desire for beers - coincidence? Probably not.
Anyway, I'm very lucky to have a group of friends who are sympathetic to the cause and most of which have done similar stuff for health reasons, like 'Sober September', but I've found meeting the same people, but in a different context to normal has helped balance sociability with abstinence. I've used going for walks instead of the pub and offering to be designated driver to good effect so far. Even took a road-trip to collect a car with a mate - cracking couple of hours chat that would normally take place in the pub, but instead was on the M1!
Anyway - day 29 today, 80.1kg (B*starding scale - I really wanted to type 79.x)
ETA - it was cold when I measured first so I had my PJs on! Post shower, and it's 79.9. Well happy with that. 4.3kg or 9 1/2 lbs in 28 days. Long may it continue...though I think I'll have to work harder to lose another 4kg by the end of April...
Edited by Smitters on Monday 19th March 08:43
Smitters said:
Sounds like you're at quite a good point Nick, though I wonder if there's an element of "Fun Bobby" syndrome still for both of us? (Fun Bobby was a Friends character who was a raconteur who always had a drink in his hand and became just "Bobby" when he quit drinking).
I must admit Sunday was tough for me. Not the drinking + GP. I had no desire to imbibe at 4.30 am. Just a combination of knowing I was at 28 days, and thus had "done really well already", so despite saying I am going to the end of April, I was really tempted to have a few beers. In the end I went for a drive instead and had a nice early night, mainly due to a 5.30 start. However, pressure ratcheting up at work and a desire for beers - coincidence? Probably not.
Anyway, I'm very lucky to have a group of friends who are sympathetic to the cause and most of which have done similar stuff for health reasons, like 'Sober September', but I've found meeting the same people, but in a different context to normal has helped balance sociability with abstinence. I've used going for walks instead of the pub and offering to be designated driver to good effect so far. Even took a road-trip to collect a car with a mate - cracking couple of hours chat that would normally take place in the pub, but instead was on the M1!
Anyway - day 29 today, 80.1kg (B*starding scale - I really wanted to type 79.x)
ETA - it was cold when I measured first so I had my PJs on! Post shower, and it's 79.9. Well happy with that. 4.3kg or 9 1/2 lbs in 28 days. Long may it continue...though I think I'll have to work harder to lose another 4kg by the end of April...
Not heard of Fun Bobby before made me laugh thanks. I can relate to that yes. Though I think Fun Bobby himself must have found it hard going after so many years of over indulging and looking in the mirror one day to see a bloated old fart? I'm a peace loving person at heart and I certainly feel fairly peaceful on the whole nowadays. More confident that I'm looking after myself and beginning to look better. Hell, I've even started to tuck my shirt into my jeans again I must admit Sunday was tough for me. Not the drinking + GP. I had no desire to imbibe at 4.30 am. Just a combination of knowing I was at 28 days, and thus had "done really well already", so despite saying I am going to the end of April, I was really tempted to have a few beers. In the end I went for a drive instead and had a nice early night, mainly due to a 5.30 start. However, pressure ratcheting up at work and a desire for beers - coincidence? Probably not.
Anyway, I'm very lucky to have a group of friends who are sympathetic to the cause and most of which have done similar stuff for health reasons, like 'Sober September', but I've found meeting the same people, but in a different context to normal has helped balance sociability with abstinence. I've used going for walks instead of the pub and offering to be designated driver to good effect so far. Even took a road-trip to collect a car with a mate - cracking couple of hours chat that would normally take place in the pub, but instead was on the M1!
Anyway - day 29 today, 80.1kg (B*starding scale - I really wanted to type 79.x)
ETA - it was cold when I measured first so I had my PJs on! Post shower, and it's 79.9. Well happy with that. 4.3kg or 9 1/2 lbs in 28 days. Long may it continue...though I think I'll have to work harder to lose another 4kg by the end of April...
Edited by Smitters on Monday 19th March 08:43
I miss Fun Bobby quite a bit though. He was bloody funny (well I always thought so!) when he had a drink in his hand. Was super smooth and confident with it too. Still, he was unsustainable and became boring after a while.
Sounds like you're doing really well Smitters. Despite being a Piston Head I've never really caught the GP bug (nor rugby etc.) so I don't worry about such events. For me it was just plain ol' social drinking in and out of the home. You're hoping to get to the end of April then yes? Then what can I ask?
4Kg weight loss is about 9lb. I think that's doable at roughly 2lb per week, but you'll need to really watch your carbs. Consider cutting out any bread based foods, go low fat and plenty of water and lean fish and chicken & veg/salad etc. That's roughly where I'm at and doing ok, though had a blow out yesterday joining in with Mothers day lunch/picnic and then cinema ice cream and then pizza for dinner. OMG.
Ok, must dash. Need to see a man about a dog.
Nick
[Newcastle Accent]It's day 37 in the no drinking house...[\Newcastle Accent]
Still on the wagon, though it rocked mightily a few times this weekend. Good Saturday weather, out walking, sunny pub garden, lazy Sunday on the deck. Man alive it was tough. I chose early in the new year to quit as I thought with sunnier and lighter days my better mood would make things easier, but it's just the opposite. Amazing how deep seated some associations with drinking are!
I must admit though, it's peaks and troughs in the past couple of weeks. In the first ten days or so, I was acutely aware I had a long way to go. I still had that first flush positivity though and that was enough to motor through. Then there was day 24, the new record for this millennium. Another high. Now I'm into the unknown and I feel it would be very easy to cave from here. I even started wondering if I could follow a "only on holiday" rule (going away on Easter weekend...) or take a cheat day. Luckily, I saw sense, muttered my own little mantra and moved on. So for the next couple of weeks I'm going to have to refocus, get some distractions rolling (gym, running, working in the garden) and be very careful who I hang out with and what I do.
Been crunching numbers too. April 9th represents 50 days, so that's my next milestone. The end of April is my stated goal and that would be 71 days. Quite close to 100 days no? So, 100 days is my stretch goal. But, baby steps. Lets make it to 50 first. Edit: I'm also over 10% through a year...which makes Nick's challenge all the more impressive, but from this lowly position, daunting!
Monday stats at day 36 is 79.6kg. Since I'm using weight loss as the reward for not drinking, not a very good result in a week, but hardly surprising. One gym session, two runs, one takeaway, one chips and one pizza. So perhaps a total refocus and not just on the booze is required...
Still on the wagon, though it rocked mightily a few times this weekend. Good Saturday weather, out walking, sunny pub garden, lazy Sunday on the deck. Man alive it was tough. I chose early in the new year to quit as I thought with sunnier and lighter days my better mood would make things easier, but it's just the opposite. Amazing how deep seated some associations with drinking are!
I must admit though, it's peaks and troughs in the past couple of weeks. In the first ten days or so, I was acutely aware I had a long way to go. I still had that first flush positivity though and that was enough to motor through. Then there was day 24, the new record for this millennium. Another high. Now I'm into the unknown and I feel it would be very easy to cave from here. I even started wondering if I could follow a "only on holiday" rule (going away on Easter weekend...) or take a cheat day. Luckily, I saw sense, muttered my own little mantra and moved on. So for the next couple of weeks I'm going to have to refocus, get some distractions rolling (gym, running, working in the garden) and be very careful who I hang out with and what I do.
Been crunching numbers too. April 9th represents 50 days, so that's my next milestone. The end of April is my stated goal and that would be 71 days. Quite close to 100 days no? So, 100 days is my stretch goal. But, baby steps. Lets make it to 50 first. Edit: I'm also over 10% through a year...which makes Nick's challenge all the more impressive, but from this lowly position, daunting!
Monday stats at day 36 is 79.6kg. Since I'm using weight loss as the reward for not drinking, not a very good result in a week, but hardly surprising. One gym session, two runs, one takeaway, one chips and one pizza. So perhaps a total refocus and not just on the booze is required...
I too find it very hard going Smitters. Not helped by the OH opening a bottle of wine and drinking on the weekends.
I never led a big pub life and circle of friends that way, I was a 'home drinker'. So in that respect I can cope quite well. I nearly failed on Friday night gone as the daughters at school (all about 12-13yrs) were having a pizza out together so it was arranged for the parents to meet at a pub and we were duly invited. OMG, I nearly panicked and ran away as I knew I couldn't go in that pub drink lemonade and enjoy it. At times I get to a point where I think 'Ah sod it, a couple won't kill me'. The only thing that saves me at times is the 365 status.
Thankfully I arranged that we all had a curry instead, which took the focus away from standing up and holding a pint in front of me. Phew! As you say, being careful about what situation you put yourself in is essential I think.
Hang in there!
Nick
I never led a big pub life and circle of friends that way, I was a 'home drinker'. So in that respect I can cope quite well. I nearly failed on Friday night gone as the daughters at school (all about 12-13yrs) were having a pizza out together so it was arranged for the parents to meet at a pub and we were duly invited. OMG, I nearly panicked and ran away as I knew I couldn't go in that pub drink lemonade and enjoy it. At times I get to a point where I think 'Ah sod it, a couple won't kill me'. The only thing that saves me at times is the 365 status.
Thankfully I arranged that we all had a curry instead, which took the focus away from standing up and holding a pint in front of me. Phew! As you say, being careful about what situation you put yourself in is essential I think.
Hang in there!
Nick
Cheers guys. You're right on the one step at a time, but I decided that March was going to be a bit of an all out assault, so off the booze, joined the PH Transformation Challenge and started keeping track of my calories and food quality. That intensity of change isn't sustainable, but I have prioritised what can slip and what can't.
For what it's worth, (excuse the cross posting) I started this a while back on a triathlon forum. It's meant to be oriented toward exercise, but some of the stuff is inspirational in it's own right, especially Team Hoyt. http://tritalk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=84676
Sounds like we're all toughing out the difficulties and getting there, which is what counts.
For what it's worth, (excuse the cross posting) I started this a while back on a triathlon forum. It's meant to be oriented toward exercise, but some of the stuff is inspirational in it's own right, especially Team Hoyt. http://tritalk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=84676
Sounds like we're all toughing out the difficulties and getting there, which is what counts.
chaps, alcohol is fun, you can become more sociable and enjoy things more. I say life is for living and if you aren't happy not drinking then have a drink.
A curry without a beer?
A pub beer garden without a beer?
mates round watching the football without a takeaway?
A night out on a saturday night without booze?
A nice restaurant with your o/h without red wine?
Trouble is after 365 days you will just get ruined and drink again.
Why don't you try and moderate things so you drink shandy instead of beer, white wine spritzer instead of wine or even gin and tonic and just don't get so wasted? 3 beers could be a limit etc.
Plus, in the days when you aren't drinking you can hit the gym/go for runs/get a punch bag at home etc.
A curry without a beer?
A pub beer garden without a beer?
mates round watching the football without a takeaway?
A night out on a saturday night without booze?
A nice restaurant with your o/h without red wine?
Trouble is after 365 days you will just get ruined and drink again.
Why don't you try and moderate things so you drink shandy instead of beer, white wine spritzer instead of wine or even gin and tonic and just don't get so wasted? 3 beers could be a limit etc.
Plus, in the days when you aren't drinking you can hit the gym/go for runs/get a punch bag at home etc.
JFReturns said:
Because moderation is not as easy as it sounds.
yes, very true, I agree with that, one drink becomes ten etc - many of my mates can't stop and have to carry on. One or two of them are so bad that after a night out at 3am whilst most people go home to crash out they go home to carry on drinking on their own! bad times. need willpower.nick_j007 said:
ge0rge said:
Ive managed 5 weeks, dotn feel that much better for it - perhaps slightly less grumpy at best!?
I guess how you feel now is in comparison to how you felt when drinking?@jonah35
You start off saying: chaps, alcohol is fun, you can become more sociable and enjoy things more. I say life is for living and if you aren't happy not drinking then have a drink.
I couldn't be more opposed to this sentence, which probably illustrates the difference in our mindsets. Neither of us is necessarily correct, just looking from different points of view.
For me personally, alcohol wasn't fun, at least not in the long term. It made me fat and lazy. I remain just as sociable now as before. I have a great group of friends and we don't just meet up and drink. Life is indeed for living, and on balance, I'm happier not drinking, so I don't drink. It's all about the balance. So, with that in mind:
A curry without a beer? Yes. Regularly. The Indian Subcontinent manage quite well!
A pub beer garden without a beer? Of course. More pub gardens in fact. I can drive there. In a Caterham that has a better power to weight ratio than it used to, for zero expenditure.
Mates round watching the football without a takeaway? Sub rugby for football, but, again, yes. A whole Six Nations in fact. My first Saturday off drinking consisted of about seven hours in a pub.
A night out on a saturday night without booze? Er, yep again, but since I don't go "out" in the clubbing sense, it's probably not such a big deal anyway. Can't stand yelling to make myself heard and paying for the treat!
A nice restaurant with your o/h without red wine? Again, yes. This is easy as I always hate paying £20-30 for wine when it's usually swill with a stratospheric mark-up.
I'd say reading the whole the thread would probably put much of this in context. Except the wine prices. Everyone knows that anyway.
@Jem0911
Brutally honest there, but if you can't be honest with yourself, who can you be honest with? Good work.
For me, day 43, 78kg dead and this past week I've not really noticed the no-drinking rule. Been mega busy at work, but feel pretty energetic, so all in all, a good week. My mates are becoming amused by my continued abstinence, especially as I have revised up the end-point a couple of times. Off to Snowdonia for the Easter weekend, which has traditionally been a walk hard relax in the pub hard scene, so I'll see how that goes. Keep plugging away everyone.
Well I've been in the pub from 2 o clock drinking coke whilst my mates got hammered. I had a great time! At no point did I get close to wanting a beer. Alright that is a lie, but I didn't want a beer the entire time I was there. I was really aware of how loud my mates were though, especially during the drinking games! That would have been me had I still been drinking....
It will be great waking up tomorrow with no hangover, but the best part of the evening was the drive home, the roads were deserted
It will be great waking up tomorrow with no hangover, but the best part of the evening was the drive home, the roads were deserted
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