How to quit alcohol?
Discussion
I've quit smoking, caffeine and now I'm making inroads on curbing my drinking. Perhaps I might even sell the minis and get a diesel Rover. 
There is a stigma attatched to drinking in the UK and it freaks a lot of people out. If you are worried about your drinking, set yourself some rules.
Mine are.
Never drink once autopilot has told you to stop. For me, that is about 5 pints.
Never drink during daylight hours.
No spirits ever.
Look at your drinking in the context with the recommended maximum weekly dose (ish).
I have quit pubbing on consecutive week nights.
I was worried about having an alcohol dependence. Or a pub dependence. I don't have much of a social life at the moment, going for a pint over the road is a good way of catching up with the chaps and having a socialise. I don't crave booze on a night, but I find it the worst option to stay home. I am aware of the nature of alcoholism and pubs are the facilitators of such a thing.
If you do have worries about it, try halving your intake by either drinking less or cutting your drinking time. If it interferes with your daily running, is taking over your life or beyond your means, it may be time to seek professional advice. Otherwise a bit of sensible management is in order.
Are you drinking to get pissed? Or is it a consequence of your social life?
>> Edited by love machine on Thursday 20th January 00:30
There is a stigma attatched to drinking in the UK and it freaks a lot of people out. If you are worried about your drinking, set yourself some rules.
Mine are.
Never drink once autopilot has told you to stop. For me, that is about 5 pints.
Never drink during daylight hours.
No spirits ever.
Look at your drinking in the context with the recommended maximum weekly dose (ish).
I have quit pubbing on consecutive week nights.
I was worried about having an alcohol dependence. Or a pub dependence. I don't have much of a social life at the moment, going for a pint over the road is a good way of catching up with the chaps and having a socialise. I don't crave booze on a night, but I find it the worst option to stay home. I am aware of the nature of alcoholism and pubs are the facilitators of such a thing.
If you do have worries about it, try halving your intake by either drinking less or cutting your drinking time. If it interferes with your daily running, is taking over your life or beyond your means, it may be time to seek professional advice. Otherwise a bit of sensible management is in order.
Are you drinking to get pissed? Or is it a consequence of your social life?
>> Edited by love machine on Thursday 20th January 00:30
I stopped drinking as a new years resolution to keeps the books balanced (I'm a student).
I just stopped, my thoughts being that if you cant enjoy an evening with friends without the drink then you are in a sorry state. I have had no problem and dont have any desire to drink at all atm. I just laugh when I see lots of other students spending £20 on alcolhol per night!
I just stopped, my thoughts being that if you cant enjoy an evening with friends without the drink then you are in a sorry state. I have had no problem and dont have any desire to drink at all atm. I just laugh when I see lots of other students spending £20 on alcolhol per night!
Decide what you want to do. Examine when/where/how you drink and then ask
"Why."
Write them down (the 'why' answers) on a piece of paper. Leave some space between answers.
NOW, if you are serious, question your answers to the first set of questions.
Some of _MY_ answers
It tastes good.
We all do it when we go out.
It makes me feel good.
It relaxes me.
Expect a lot of grief from some of your 'acquaintences', but your friends will still be there.
All the best,
Dave
"Why."
Write them down (the 'why' answers) on a piece of paper. Leave some space between answers.
NOW, if you are serious, question your answers to the first set of questions.
Some of _MY_ answers
It tastes good.
We all do it when we go out.
It makes me feel good.
It relaxes me.
Expect a lot of grief from some of your 'acquaintences', but your friends will still be there.
All the best,
Dave
Hugh1 said:
I stopped drinking as a new years resolution to keeps the books balanced (I'm a student).
I just stopped, my thoughts being that if you cant enjoy an evening with friends without the drink then you are in a sorry state. I have had no problem and dont have any desire to drink at all atm. I just laugh when I see lots of other students spending £20 on alcolhol per night!
A friend stopped drinking one year and smoking the next, then banked the savings. In 3 years he rolled up on a brand new Harley.
My dad quit smoking and with the money he saved after one year he bought a brand new set of top of the range golf clubs! That's his main hobby now and it's taken him all over the world!!
As for drinking, I always say a couple of beers is not a problem as long as you stick to that. But don't drink for the sake of it or because other people are. Set yourself a limit and only do it if you want to do it.
As for drinking, I always say a couple of beers is not a problem as long as you stick to that. But don't drink for the sake of it or because other people are. Set yourself a limit and only do it if you want to do it.
sparkythecat said:
Quotes attributed to George Best
"I've stopped drinking, but only while I'm asleep."
"I was in for 10 hours and had 40 pints - beating my previous record by 20 minutes."
-- (on a blood transfusion for his liver transplant, not on his Drinking)
Cheers George
My favourite Bestie quote has to be "I spent most of my money on booze, birds and fast cars, the rest I just squandered"
For me a 28 day stay at Rehab center, with no alcohol, sugar, caffiene and plenty of group therapy.
On May 14th it will be 4 years no booze!
Very happy about that, I had a big problem. Now I'm back in school and hopefully can make something of myself. You have to want to quite, to do it for yourself.
Trooper2.
On May 14th it will be 4 years no booze!
Very happy about that, I had a big problem. Now I'm back in school and hopefully can make something of myself. You have to want to quite, to do it for yourself.
Trooper2.
I used to be a very heavy drinker about 10 years ago. I managed to give up for 18 months and that seemed to break the 'habit', and having money left at the end of the week is a incentive too.
I still enjoy a drink now, but would never go back to how I was.
Life does seem a lot easier when you're not pi
ed all the time.
Grouch.
I still enjoy a drink now, but would never go back to how I was.
Life does seem a lot easier when you're not pi
ed all the time. Grouch.
I quit a rather large booze habit in 1989, I sold my house, changed my job, left all my boozeing buddies down the pub. I told nobody I was doing this as they would have just got me drinking again.
A totaly clean break sorted it for me, 16 years later I can happily have a glass or 2 of wine with a meal, every now and then. I do have trouble with pubs though. If I go to pubs everybody expects you to drink, and treats you like a leper if you don't.
A totaly clean break sorted it for me, 16 years later I can happily have a glass or 2 of wine with a meal, every now and then. I do have trouble with pubs though. If I go to pubs everybody expects you to drink, and treats you like a leper if you don't.
ARH said:
I quit a rather large booze habit in 1989, I sold my house, changed my job, left all my boozeing buddies down the pub. I told nobody I was doing this as they would have just got me drinking again.
A totaly clean break sorted it for me, 16 years later I can happily have a glass or 2 of wine with a meal, every now and then. I do have trouble with pubs though. If I go to pubs everybody expects you to drink, and treats you like a leper if you don't.
I find the simple statement "I'm driving, later." fixes that. You have one drink and no-one expects you to have more...
Alcohol.
Great stuff, social lubricant, mellows me after a day's work, great wines taste fantastic and it is proven, in moderation, to make you live longer.
But a friend of mine drank himslf to death. Couldn't get out of bed without half a bottle of vodka. Peed and pooed in his bed. Not nice. It wrecks thousands of lives once it takes over and it is the cause of endless violence, vandalism and thuggery.
The solution is to stay in charge. As proposed earlier I rarely drink during daylight and rarely drink spirits. In addition Monday and Tuesday are dry and I have a month without each year. These rules aren't a religion so they are open to interpretation, holidays for instance. However their application does put space between me and the precipice. I remain the master not the slave.
Great stuff, social lubricant, mellows me after a day's work, great wines taste fantastic and it is proven, in moderation, to make you live longer.
But a friend of mine drank himslf to death. Couldn't get out of bed without half a bottle of vodka. Peed and pooed in his bed. Not nice. It wrecks thousands of lives once it takes over and it is the cause of endless violence, vandalism and thuggery.
The solution is to stay in charge. As proposed earlier I rarely drink during daylight and rarely drink spirits. In addition Monday and Tuesday are dry and I have a month without each year. These rules aren't a religion so they are open to interpretation, holidays for instance. However their application does put space between me and the precipice. I remain the master not the slave.
bruciebabe said:I agree with most of what you said, but I would strongly disagree that it is the cause of endless violence, vandalism and thuggery.
Alcohol.
.
.
is the cause of endless violence, vandalism and thuggery.
People cause endless violence, vandalism and thuggery. They may blame it on alcohol, but it's just a way of them self justifying what they do. In my younger days, I (and my friends) drank to excess on many occasions - we did many really stupid things (like eating kebabs, ride motorbikes through minefields, that sort of thing), but we never engaged in violence, vandalism and thuggery. Not once.
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