365 days without booze... join me?
Discussion
Caddyshack said:
Blib said:
21TonyK said:
Not sure if its a normal thing but I used microdosing to literally wean myself off wine!
If it works for you, then it's a thing!
Instead of pouring a huge glass of wine and sitting the bottle next to it just a small amount in the glass, bottle out of sight. Tiny sips very very slowly over time until the desire for a glass of wine dissipates. Did this over a few weeks until I got to the point where 1/4 of a glass was lasting all evening. Then switched out to soft drinks. Started the week before Christmas 2023 and by the time I went back to work in mid Jan I was on soft drinks only.
BlindedByTheLights said:
How do you guys best deal with refusing or declining drinks with people now you’ve given up? Ie at gatherings or social events where drink is the norm
For people I don't know well, I just say, I have drank since "x" time. Plain, simple, straight. End of. If they want to know more, I am happy to tell them, but equally, I don't want to bore people with my really unremarkable tale of voluntary sobriety.I do a lot of mountain biking. My mates are what I would call a drinking group with a mountain biking problem. Last night, case in point, "so when did you say you;re starting drinking again?".
They mean no harm by it, but are no help. It takes some resolve, especially going to the pub with them, but it was part of the 'test' I wanted to set myself in this regard. In truth even if/when I might have the odd drink again, I'm not going back to the sort of thing they would call drinking.BlindedByTheLights said:
How do you guys best deal with refusing or declining drinks with people now you’ve given up? Ie at gatherings or social events where drink is the norm
I just stick to NA beers or go for a coke. If anyone asks then I just say I packed it in a while back because I was drinking out of habit. Now I feel a lot better without it so I only have the odd glass or beer on holiday.I've not experienced any negative comments at all, if anything people are supportive and make comments like "probably about time I packed it in as well". Not been on a rugby tour since i packed it but I suspect they will welcome at least one person remaining sober!
425 days and checking in. The last couple of weeks have been impossibly difficult as my Mum has been confirmed as having CJD and only has a couple of months to live.
I was back in the UK a couple of weeks back and was struck by the ease at which booze is available and at hand. I couldn’t help thinking, how much harder it would have been trying to juggle drinking with trying to be with Mum or present for everything that’s going on.
There’s always, always an excuse to drink, I’m so glad I’m able to say no to myself. I cannot begin to imagine how hard this would be if I was dealing with it boozing.
If I can not drink on a normal day, let alone a bad one, trust me if you’re reading this and wondering if you can do it…
You can.
I was back in the UK a couple of weeks back and was struck by the ease at which booze is available and at hand. I couldn’t help thinking, how much harder it would have been trying to juggle drinking with trying to be with Mum or present for everything that’s going on.
There’s always, always an excuse to drink, I’m so glad I’m able to say no to myself. I cannot begin to imagine how hard this would be if I was dealing with it boozing.
If I can not drink on a normal day, let alone a bad one, trust me if you’re reading this and wondering if you can do it…
You can.
11 days. Longest in I don't know how long. On the back of a couple of stupid binges, the latter of which gave me a proper wake up call. I don't know how much but close to a bottle of gin a day for a week or so; the withdrawal was not much fun at all. Missus distinctly unimpressed, as you can imagine.
Took about a week to feel normal but I've been so much more productive, appetite is back to normal, exercise has been excellent, sleep is good and dare I say sex life has been great. This 'new' life has left me seriously asking WTAF I was playing at. Current plan is to do (at least) dry March then see how I feel about the odd glass of wine on a weekend - but I'm perfectly open to just parking it forever, I don't want to find myself undoing the good work I've done by staying off it. Went to the pub twice over the weekend; Saturday we went for a country drive and I had a coffee Sunday none of the 0% offerings appealed so had lime & soda which was nice and refreshing sitting in warm sunshine - no compulsion to have alcohol at all. It's early days so I'm perfectly aware there's likely to be some wobbles along the way, but I feel like I'm reprogramming myself and the longer I go without the less I fancy it.
Head still feels a bit foggy though - how long does that take to subside? From my readings here I know it could be summer before I'm feeling properly refreshed and getting the full benefit and that is highly motivating - I want that feeling! I know which feeling I prefer and given it takes days to shake off a hangover a few hours drinking isn't even close to being worth the trade off.
Took about a week to feel normal but I've been so much more productive, appetite is back to normal, exercise has been excellent, sleep is good and dare I say sex life has been great. This 'new' life has left me seriously asking WTAF I was playing at. Current plan is to do (at least) dry March then see how I feel about the odd glass of wine on a weekend - but I'm perfectly open to just parking it forever, I don't want to find myself undoing the good work I've done by staying off it. Went to the pub twice over the weekend; Saturday we went for a country drive and I had a coffee Sunday none of the 0% offerings appealed so had lime & soda which was nice and refreshing sitting in warm sunshine - no compulsion to have alcohol at all. It's early days so I'm perfectly aware there's likely to be some wobbles along the way, but I feel like I'm reprogramming myself and the longer I go without the less I fancy it.
Head still feels a bit foggy though - how long does that take to subside? From my readings here I know it could be summer before I'm feeling properly refreshed and getting the full benefit and that is highly motivating - I want that feeling! I know which feeling I prefer and given it takes days to shake off a hangover a few hours drinking isn't even close to being worth the trade off.
othername said:
Head still feels a bit foggy though - how long does that take to subside?
Depends on a lot of factors but given your described consumption, then a couple of weeks should see you feeling less tired in the mornings and more alert throughout the days. As I understand it, even moderate consumption is still evident within the system for 3-4 days.Give it another week or so and I am pretty sure you will begin to see a fairly significant difference.
Digga said:
othername said:
Head still feels a bit foggy though - how long does that take to subside?
Depends on a lot of factors but given your described consumption, then a couple of weeks should see you feeling less tired in the mornings and more alert throughout the days. As I understand it, even moderate consumption is still evident within the system for 3-4 days.Give it another week or so and I am pretty sure you will begin to see a fairly significant difference.
Once it does, you've broken the habit.
Knocking on 5 years for me, mostly social drinker who was finding even a small amount was calling the black dog. Not looked back. Sure, a couple of people are still dumbfounded that I can quit and not intend to go back, but interestingly, both these people have a definite drinking problem. The rest of my mates don't really give a monkeys and a few are cutting down anyway.
I stopped for a year about 18 years ago (had a very boozy London based job back then) and it was very different - no decent alcohol free and people thought I'd converted to Islam or had had some sort of breakdown. Nowadays, nobody really seems to bat an eyelid and the pub is full of decent AF beers.
Digga said:
Depends on a lot of factors but given your described consumption, then a couple of weeks should see you feeling less tired in the mornings and more alert throughout the days. As I understand it, even moderate consumption is still evident within the system for 3-4 days.
Give it another week or so and I am pretty sure you will begin to see a fairly significant difference.
Cheers; yeah I didn't expect to suddenly feel great after a week of abstinence especially after such stupid binges (2 lots of a week of gin & vodka within a week of each other). Feeling better today than yesterday, which was better than the day prior, etc... I can very well see myself getting to the end of the month and setting myself a new target, then another etc. One day at a time, right? Give it another week or so and I am pretty sure you will begin to see a fairly significant difference.
Castrol for a knave said:
even a small amount was calling the black dog.
This is a very good point and another reason the last binge (or rather, the aftermath) scared me into knowing this has to be it. I felt genuinely suicidal for a couple of days after, had planned what to do, my emotions were all over the place and I couldn't see an escape. Just more fuel for the 'WTF were you playing at' questions to myself.othername said:
Cheers; yeah I didn't expect to suddenly feel great after a week of abstinence especially after such stupid binges (2 lots of a week of gin & vodka within a week of each other). Feeling better today than yesterday, which was better than the day prior, etc... I can very well see myself getting to the end of the month and setting myself a new target, then another etc. One day at a time, right?
It may be worth swerving the pub for a while, at least until you have a more focused take on your situation.Temptation can be unhelpful early in the process.
Definitely swerve the pub in the early days, you can always pop in once you’re settled. Definitely one day at a time, there’s no other way to do it and a week/month/forever is hard for our brains to manage.
Good luck, I promise it does get better, there’s bumps on the way and days when you’ll question in, then it’s not until someone brings it up that to remember you don’t drink anymore. Not drinking is quite a cool thing these days, hang in there bud.
It definable helps to manage hard things to be clear headed, way, way easier than hungover and hanxious.
Good luck, I promise it does get better, there’s bumps on the way and days when you’ll question in, then it’s not until someone brings it up that to remember you don’t drink anymore. Not drinking is quite a cool thing these days, hang in there bud.
It definable helps to manage hard things to be clear headed, way, way easier than hungover and hanxious.
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