365 days without booze... join me?

[breamster]

Speed Badger said:

Fell off my little wagon.
On Monday night I had two and a half bottles of wine, starting at 7pm and finishing at 1am. I became unreasonable and got angry at myself for allowing the time to slip and messed up our dinner plans. I was escorted (of course I don't remember this) to the sofa, slept all night until 9am. Woke up feeling awful, had to take the day off work and was making myself sick at 3pm just to make myself feel better. Haven't been as drunk as that in ages, went for a walk later and started to feel better around 5pm. Hate myself for getting in that state, but it served as an excellent reminder of how I am knocking this on the head now, the final nail is in the coffin and I've just had enough.

Goodbye to random wine for no reason on every day that ends in a 'y'.

Good luck getting back on the wagon. It's been a long time since I've been that drunk as well but I can still remember how bloody awful it makes you feel.

[oddman]

Speed Badger said:

Fell off my little wagon.
On Monday night I had two and a half bottles of wine, starting at 7pm and finishing at 1am. I became unreasonable and got angry at myself for allowing the time to slip and messed up our dinner plans. I was escorted (of course I don't remember this) to the sofa, slept all night until 9am. Woke up feeling awful, had to take the day off work and was making myself sick at 3pm just to make myself feel better. Haven't been as drunk as that in ages, went for a walk later and started to feel better around 5pm. Hate myself for getting in that state, but it served as an excellent reminder of how I am knocking this on the head now, the final nail is in the coffin and I've just had enough.

Goodbye to random wine for no reason on every day that ends in a 'y'.

To be fair if you were a big boozer and you''ve had a fair bit of time on the wagon, you'll have lost all your tolerance but your mind will still be programmed to chuck it back like you were when you were boozing.

Falling off in style with horrible consequences might be a better way of falling off the wagon than letting it creep back in insidiously.

[ConnectionError]

That’s me celebrating 6 years.

I never thought 6 years ago I could go without for 6 days.

No desire to drink at all.

[BlindedByTheLights]

ConnectionError said:

That s me celebrating 6 years.

I never thought 6 years ago I could go without for 6 days.

No desire to drink at all.

Congratulations well done

[unseen]

I did 2025 booze free, it massively helped sleep quality, mental and physical health. I had a whisky after completing the year and it tasted like petrol, I’ve definitely fallen out of love with alcohol so that’s me tea total now.

[Joscal]

unseen said:

I did 2025 booze free, it massively helped sleep quality, mental and physical health. I had a whisky after completing the year and it tasted like petrol, I ve definitely fallen out of love with alcohol so that s me tea total now.

I can t touch it all now, so weird but a good thing!

Well done all on your efforts and it s totally worth the struggles at the beginning.

Edited by Joscal on Saturday 10th January 13:28

[Caddyshack]

Life is so much better without booze, imagine the relief on hospitals and police if people never got steaming drunk anymore.

Year 7 just started for me.

[swanseaboydan]

I tasted my brothers pint of I p a after 2 years sober and it tastes like some sort of drain cleaner - one of my fav pints when I used to drink. When you have a break from it you realise how strong chemically and repulsive it is .

[Speed Badger]

I think I've found what my issue is. I like the feeling of being squiffy. Not drunk drunk, just squiffy and the longer it lasts the better. I don't know how to get through an evening - usually a weekend evening - with some music on, drink in hand without the feeling of being in that squiffy, floopy, having a laugh special place.

[Caddyshack]

Speed Badger said:

I think I've found what my issue is. I like the feeling of being squiffy. Not drunk drunk, just squiffy and the longer it lasts the better. I don't know how to get through an evening - usually a weekend evening - with some music on, drink in hand without the feeling of being in that squiffy, floopy, having a laugh special place.

That is the dopamine effect that you are chasing, I think that was probably the bit that caused me to drink too much. Lots on the net about how to control dopamine.


If you do want to give up then you have to re frame the down sides as greater than the benefit of that feeling.

[Speed Badger]

Caddyshack said:

Speed Badger said:

I think I've found what my issue is. I like the feeling of being squiffy. Not drunk drunk, just squiffy and the longer it lasts the better. I don't know how to get through an evening - usually a weekend evening - with some music on, drink in hand without the feeling of being in that squiffy, floopy, having a laugh special place.

That is the dopamine effect that you are chasing, I think that was probably the bit that caused me to drink too much. Lots on the net about how to control dopamine.


If you do want to give up then you have to re frame the down sides as greater than the benefit of that feeling.

Yes! I need some dopamine. How do I get this without getting squiffy?! When I go on a rollercoaster I'm not particularly excited, I've done track days and I've felt like I'm 'at home' but not thrilled or 'high,' I've done lots of things that are risky but feel nothing. The most excited I've ever felt, and this probably sounds wrong, but it's when I nearly fell into the Grand Canyon in 2012 (much more common than you'd think!

[7 5 7]

swanseaboydan said:

I tasted my brothers pint of I p a after 2 years sober and it tastes like some sort of drain cleaner - one of my fav pints when I used to drink. When you have a break from it you realise how strong chemically and repulsive it is .

I did exactly the same thing a few months back, been off it for 2 years now (yay me).

...I accidentally picked up a alcoholic Corona, thinking it was my Corona 0% I put down - wow, exactly the same feeling and taste you described with your IPA experience...I quickly recoiled and went back to my more palette friendly 0% version.

It actually repulses me now, never thought I would think or feel like this.

Good luck all on your journeys so far.

[Caddyshack]

Speed Badger said:

Caddyshack said:

Speed Badger said:

I think I've found what my issue is. I like the feeling of being squiffy. Not drunk drunk, just squiffy and the longer it lasts the better. I don't know how to get through an evening - usually a weekend evening - with some music on, drink in hand without the feeling of being in that squiffy, floopy, having a laugh special place.

That is the dopamine effect that you are chasing, I think that was probably the bit that caused me to drink too much. Lots on the net about how to control dopamine.


If you do want to give up then you have to re frame the down sides as greater than the benefit of that feeling.

Yes! I need some dopamine. How do I get this without getting squiffy?! When I go on a rollercoaster I'm not particularly excited, I've done track days and I've felt like I'm 'at home' but not thrilled or 'high,' I've done lots of things that are risky but feel nothing. The most excited I've ever felt, and this probably sounds wrong, but it's when I nearly fell into the Grand Canyon in 2012 (much more common than you'd think!

Your body becomes desensitised to dopamine so you will need to retrain it. I am no expert but you need to become one with research and a bigger want to give up booze than will power will do.

[mooseracer]

Speed Badger said:

I think I've found what my issue is. I like the feeling of being squiffy. Not drunk drunk, just squiffy and the longer it lasts the better. I don't know how to get through an evening - usually a weekend evening - with some music on, drink in hand without the feeling of being in that squiffy, floopy, having a laugh special place.

I used to say/think/tell myself I liked being drunk. For me understanding wtf alcohol really does to our brains, the way it reacts etc helped me think differently (and Annie Grace, 30 day alcohol experiment was the book that did it for me - there are others that people recommend).
As Caddyshack mentioned - willpower doesn't cut it for a lot of people, me included. It's too much like hard work battling something constantly. Far better to understand what is going on and chose something different.

[Smitters]

Regenesis said:

Well that s two years gone. Doesn t time fly?

Top effort. Well done.

[TrevorHill]

unseen said:

I did 2025 booze free, it massively helped sleep quality, mental and physical health. I had a whisky after completing the year and it tasted like petrol, I ve definitely fallen out of love with alcohol so that s me tea total now.

I was told in no uncertain circumstances that I had to stop drinking. In November. Four weeks before Christmas. So I did what any person who knows better and I came home and had a large brandy and then another.

During the second brandy the enormity of it all hit me. I have a degenerative brain condition and I turned to alcohol as an escape mechanism. I always maintained that I wasn’t ill when I was drunk. I was wrong. I poured the second glass down the drain and with it the bottle. That was me done.

The only time I’ve thought about having a drink was on Christmas evening. I would have loved a warm brandy. Sitting in my armchair, beside the fire. Christmas tree in the background.
I went to bed early, annoyed at myself. I was never a drinker. I only started to drink regularly during Covid. Around about the time I started to notice that things weren’t right.

It’s made a massive difference to my overall health and wellbeing. I’m a much nicer person to be around. I feel so much better, more relaxed, more confident, certainly happier, less anxious and less stressed.
Alcohol for me was a way of getting through the anxiety, but everyone knows that it makes anxiety a hell of a lot worse. It’s a very short term solution.

There’s no cure for my condition. Alcohol definitely isn’t the answer. I’m not one for preaching but if anyone wants to stop drinking. Do it today. I’m not one for rehab or group therapy, I like to do things my own way. That won’t be the case for everyone. Do whatever works for you.

I took the recycling out this morning. It’s been the first time that the box for glass has been emptied since Christmas. Not one single bottle of brandy. Little victories.

[Sycamore]

I've wanted to quit/cut down massively for quite a while.

Thankfully, I had the good fortune last Thursday of slipping in the snow storm, breaking every bone in my ankle. Back home now in a cast, awaiting surgery to have it pinned and plated.

Not being able to drink, or even go and buy some, so I'm using the whole thing as a weird positive in the first steps to quitting it/cutting down 95%.

Not hungry either, as I'm not really moving, so I'll lose some weight too hopefully.

All you've gotta do is break your ankle

[GM182]

Sycamore said:

I've wanted to quit/cut down massively for quite a while.

Thankfully, I had the good fortune last Thursday of slipping in the snow storm, breaking every bone in my ankle. Back home now in a cast, awaiting surgery to have it pinned and plated.

Not being able to drink, or even go and buy some, so I'm using the whole thing as a weird positive in the first steps to quitting it/cutting down 95%.

Not hungry either, as I'm not really moving, so I'll lose some weight too hopefully.

All you've gotta do is break your ankle

Ow - hope you get surgery sorted quickly. My badly broken tibia helped me quit smoking. I tried once to go to the corner shop in my wheelchair (leg had to remain elevated on a metal brace attached to the chair) to buy fags but turned around after 200m.

Good luck with the booze binning.

[Smitters]

Sycamore said:

I've wanted to quit/cut down massively for quite a while.

Thankfully, I had the good fortune last Thursday of slipping in the snow storm, breaking every bone in my ankle. Back home now in a cast, awaiting surgery to have it pinned and plated.

Not being able to drink, or even go and buy some, so I'm using the whole thing as a weird positive in the first steps to quitting it/cutting down 95%.

Not hungry either, as I'm not really moving, so I'll lose some weight too hopefully.

All you've gotta do is break your ankle

I did that with chickenpox and smoking. Had it aged 21 and ended up going back to live with my folks for a bit. No way I could ask them to pop out for ciggies while I was laid up, so that was that.

[Blib]

TrevorHill said:

I was told in no uncertain circumstances that I had to stop drinking. In November. Four weeks before Christmas. So I did what any person who knows better and I came home and had a large brandy and then another.

During the second brandy the enormity of it all hit me. I have a degenerative brain condition and I turned to alcohol as an escape mechanism. I always maintained that I wasn t ill when I was drunk. I was wrong. I poured the second glass down the drain and with it the bottle. That was me done.

The only time I ve thought about having a drink was on Christmas evening. I would have loved a warm brandy. Sitting in my armchair, beside the fire. Christmas tree in the background.
I went to bed early, annoyed at myself. I was never a drinker. I only started to drink regularly during Covid. Around about the time I started to notice that things weren t right.

It s made a massive difference to my overall health and wellbeing. I m a much nicer person to be around. I feel so much better, more relaxed, more confident, certainly happier, less anxious and less stressed.
Alcohol for me was a way of getting through the anxiety, but everyone knows that it makes anxiety a hell of a lot worse. It s a very short term solution.

There s no cure for my condition. Alcohol definitely isn t the answer. I m not one for preaching but if anyone wants to stop drinking. Do it today. I m not one for rehab or group therapy, I like to do things my own way. That won t be the case for everyone. Do whatever works for you.

I took the recycling out this morning. It s been the first time that the box for glass has been emptied since Christmas. Not one single bottle of brandy. Little victories.

I'm sorry to hear of your condition. Congratulations on quitting.

One word of caution. Do not close the door on other forms of support. You are very early on in your journey. You may need other strategies to help you along as time passes.