On The Wagon... then in 'ere!
- Thread starter Cosimo
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Soldato
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How's this going for you?Still not touched a drop this year, fair to say I'm fairly good at controlling my cravings
I really haven't drunk much this year, but have decided 2 weeks ago not to drink anymore. I've been up and down mentally and the only times I have been out (twice this year tbf) it tends to be a pretty heavy session of beers and it really ***** with me and I don't like how it affects me. My dad is basically a functioning alcoholic whether he thinks he is or not. He's had a lot of stuff in his younger life he never dealt with and spent his life burying his trauma and emotions with alcohol and I don't want that to be me.
It's hard as people know in here I love my nice wine. I love my nice Champagne lol but for me it's more important to look after myself and I'll see where that goes. In fact I've given up any vice that could be used to "escape" because it's not what I need in my life. I'm actually quite nervous but almost looking forward to seeing where I am and how much better I feel within myself. Will it be forever? I don't know. But for now I'll not be drinking! There, I said it. I'm accountable now
Wow, good luck mate. I guess there's always the option to still allow yourself to share a bottle at home with the wife but just try and really limit and restrain yourself, or do you think it's easier to just have a blanket restriction?
I find i'm generally alright at limiting myself when at home (or at least my wife is good at limiting me), and so am quite happy to just have a few glasses on a friday/saturday night. However it's when i'm in a group that i find i never quite have that cut-off and just keep drinking.
Let me know if you want me to pop over to remove any wine/booze from your house
Maybe your next business venture can be to try and create a non alcoholic red wine that doesn't taste like crap. I've tried a few and nothing comes close to the real thing to the point it's not worth bothering with. Same with beers, i've had the odd one where i've thought "That's not as awful as most", but they're still not enjoyable and so i just end up drinking water/nicer cordials instead. Seems crazy given how many brewers are creating NA beers these days that they're all still rubbish.
I find i'm generally alright at limiting myself when at home (or at least my wife is good at limiting me), and so am quite happy to just have a few glasses on a friday/saturday night. However it's when i'm in a group that i find i never quite have that cut-off and just keep drinking.
Let me know if you want me to pop over to remove any wine/booze from your house
Maybe your next business venture can be to try and create a non alcoholic red wine that doesn't taste like crap. I've tried a few and nothing comes close to the real thing to the point it's not worth bothering with. Same with beers, i've had the odd one where i've thought "That's not as awful as most", but they're still not enjoyable and so i just end up drinking water/nicer cordials instead. Seems crazy given how many brewers are creating NA beers these days that they're all still rubbish.
Soldato
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I'm not the sort that has to have none or I'll drink it all to be fair. We have loads of booze in the house (45 bottles of gin for example!) and you know I have a fair chunk of wine, too. I am much more about quality over quantity so might get to that point where I only drink expensive stuff and enjoy it with meals etc. as that's when I love it the most. Will see!
Only 2.nights a week but last week demolished a bottle of red Friday night 14 percent then started on the beer, was physically OK but on a real downer on the Saturday, this is what I do.
Will power is rubbish but dont drink when working the next day, that's one posotive, just need to sort binge out
Will power is rubbish but dont drink when working the next day, that's one posotive, just need to sort binge out
Soldato
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Being on a downer on the Saturday is pretty much inevitable if you have drunk that much. My suggestions for tackling this:
- Don't have any alcohol in the house by Friday (or ever, if possible).
- Try and have an alternative activity in place for Friday that you can do instead, e.g. a movie, or a computer game etc.
Rgds
Pretty much failed at giving up many times for the simple reason I get such a massive rush at the time, really enjoy it, then like a credit card it has to be paid for.
Going to try and stick to the 2 bottles of wine over 2 nights, guess a bottle in a sitting is seen as binge drinking but I can't see me stopping,
Watching a movie would trigger me for sure, going for a surf would delay me but not stop
Going to try and stick to the 2 bottles of wine over 2 nights, guess a bottle in a sitting is seen as binge drinking but I can't see me stopping,
Watching a movie would trigger me for sure, going for a surf would delay me but not stop
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Soldato
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There has to be something else that you would enjoy doing at home that would not involve alcohol, so have a think about this. You will save money by not drinking, so you have some budget to go towards a new hobby or activity.
You need to make it harder to have a drink, so things to try are:
- Ideally, don't buy alcohol in the first place. Resist buying it. If necessary get someone else to shop for you or shop online.
- Any alcohol you do have, move to a place that is difficult to access, to remind you that you should not be drinking it.
- Tell other people you are giving up, and start counting the days, then don't break the chain.
My big problem is I dont want to stop but I do want to stop feeling like you know what the day after, mentally that is.
Do you reckon a full bottle of red is excessive in one go, sure my doc would say yes but I feel is OK it's just the will power crumbles after it, so I need to just have that 1 bottle.
I also work in a gin Distillery, that doesn't help we got a free 50 quid box of mixed drinks the other week and discount and free gin,
Very good but really very bad,,,,, ,
Do you reckon a full bottle of red is excessive in one go, sure my doc would say yes but I feel is OK it's just the will power crumbles after it, so I need to just have that 1 bottle.
I also work in a gin Distillery, that doesn't help we got a free 50 quid box of mixed drinks the other week and discount and free gin,
Very good but really very bad,,,,, ,
Soldato
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On and off a lot here. Did a 4 month dry spell last year end of August to December 23rd. Had a few bottles of beer for crimbo and then didn't stop drinking until June this year. Consistent rather than blotto. But piled on the pounds and felt crap most of the time. Been about 2-3 weeks dry now again. Just so much easier to get up in the morning and get stuff done.
Mid 40's now, I think I have used up my lifetime allocation of drinking already. Won't be sad if I never touch a drop again.
Mid 40's now, I think I have used up my lifetime allocation of drinking already. Won't be sad if I never touch a drop again.
Soldato
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Yes it's excessive, and quite bad for you in the long term. Maybe first thing in your evening, you could try pouring a smaller allowance into a jug, and then put the bottle way out of reach somehow.
Better still, don't have any alcohol in the house in the first place, and find something better to do with your time.
Still not convinced 2 bottles a week even if done over 2 nights is that bad, but the session I described was definitely damaging
I find that some house bound things I do are enhanced by drink, youtube or a movie, but as I said I dont drink on night before work ever.
My aim is to stick to the one bottle but not to buy the strongest possible (definitely addicted I know and can't deny)
I find that some house bound things I do are enhanced by drink, youtube or a movie, but as I said I dont drink on night before work ever.
My aim is to stick to the one bottle but not to buy the strongest possible (definitely addicted I know and can't deny)
Depends how often. It's about 10-11 units, so the same as about four pints of beer.
I had an ex who used to drink a bottle of wine every night on her own, but she was only around 24 at the time, so she could handle it [actually she couldn't but that's another story].
Associate
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For me, alcoholism is more about the effect drinking had on my life rather than the specifics of exactly how much I was drinking (though certainly I was drinking significant quantities of alcohol too). I don't think there's a specific number of units above which a person is an alcoholic and below which they're not. I'd say judge your drinking on its effects - what is it costing you? If it's too expensive (and to be clear I'm not just talking financially) then it might be time to quit, or at least reduce your intake to a level where you're willing to accept the costs of you can.
I'd also point out that people rarely attempt to fix problems they don't have so I'd suggest that there's something about your drinking that's causing you problems or you wouldn't be looking for solutions like you are
Associate
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Double post
How is it going? I have also given up recently as I am sure my consumption was getting a little out of hand, i.e. 1 bottle of wine per night seven days a week.
I have purchased many bottles of wine based on your recommendations, so your journey is very similar to mine.
I have been off the booze for 2 weeks now, it has not been as difficult as I thought but I do have trouble getting off to sleep at night.
As somebody that suffers with anxiety coming of the booze has really helped calm me down, so I am seeing some positives already.
As somebody that suffers with anxiety coming of the booze has really helped calm me down, so I am seeing some positives already.
Soldato
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Well I'm actually drinking a corona here right this minute... BUT I very very rarely drink at all. I had nothing from that post and to be fair haven't drunk much this year at all. The occasional glass of red with a meal. I have only got absolutely ******* once, which was when I said I wasn't drinking and stopped on 2nd July. Funny how I remember. I had nothing until I was in the mountains on my own, where I had 3 beers over 7 days. It was hot and I'd had some lovely hikes out on my own and just fancied a beer sitting on the terrace. I had one, was happy. That was it.
I'm not too worried about having nothing. I love a really good red and my champagne, you know that
but I didn't want it to be something I went to as a means to mask the reality I was faced. I feel I have turned a bit of a corner on that and don't feel I need to, which I think is a big thing. I didn't get to now today and think oh **** I need a beer to get over this week. I really fancied a nice cold one. But I'll have this and I'll be fine. So while I haven't totally given up, I am not beating myself up about it. I set out my guidelines and the reasons why and I'm happy with that.
I 100% feel your sleeping at night. At the start I would lie awake until 4:30am just couldn't switch off and then was woken by my 7yr old at 6:30. I had that for about 2 weeks and it was ruining me. I can't turn my brain off. I swear I have ADHD or something, because I find it really hard to stop my mind in general and it's alwways going 1000 mph on something. If it can't find something productive to work on up there it turns to overthinking things that aren't even there and that's a battle I have all the time. Which is why I keep myself so busy really. I give into the mind and let it carry me through it's labyrinth of WTF as otherwise it starts to turn on itself. Not what I needed going through a separation!
Hang in there man. Hope you find it OK and I'm always here on Trust if you want to reach out.