Anyone stopped drinking for 6 months/a year

[Shandon Par]

23 minutes ago, Clockwork said:

 

Often feel that if I could rely on light moderation just now and again, say a couple of pints after a round of golf, that would be fine. I soon get back into the habit of heading for a drink after work or planning weekend Sport around the pub though. Recent restrictions and working from home have largely put paid to that however. Perhaps now is a good time as any to break the cycle for good. I know it’s the right and healthy thing to do, it just strangely feels as though I’m losing something?The thought of not going for a beer before/after the game or not drinking when meeting up with friends just feels pretty flat. It’s crazy really, that the enjoyment of an ‘event’ (even in the future) could somehow be measured by the amount of alcohol consumed.
It’s where I find myself unfortunately. I’m not talking about being steaming on a regular basis, but drinking far more frequently than is good for anyone.

 

That's a crucial point. Some sort of therapy or programme can really help to unpick this. First couple of times I tried to stop smoking it was like a death in the family, and not just one you never liked that much anyway. The fear of never getting to smoke or drink again is just horrific. We put booze, ciggies etc on such a pedestal. Instead of thinking about stopping, the methods that really helped me quit were ones that first knock away all these justifications for smoking and drinking.

[Rob1885]

a week, a month, a year. you're all doing great troops.

[throbber]

20 hours ago, Shandön Par said:

I’m not on commission but Allan Carr’s Easyway to stop smoking is some witchcraft shit that seems to erase ciggy craving from your brain.

His book about drinking is very good at highlighting things you already know about boozing. Things like how alcohol is everywhere, you will have been exposed to it from a young age, how it is socially acceptable to get drunk and how it’s promoted as a cool thing to do and how these messages can get stuck into your head from a young age. 
 

Also it puts a stop to the sort of mindset that giving it up has to be a long, hard journey and dispels the label of “alcoholic” which is useful for anyone who tarnished themselves with that label. I was always interested in what made someone an alcoholic as opposed to just a major piss pot and assumed there was some sort of tipping point that occurred which made someone realise they were actually an alcoholic but of course the human mind is more complicated than that so it is a harmful label to be given as it creates the idea that you have an illness you are stuck with. At the end of the day it really shouldn’t be that difficult to stop ramming poison down your throat to great excess on a regular basis and the reason you are doing it constantly is down to your own mindset which can easily be altered with the right information.

[Shandon Par]

13 minutes ago, throbber said:

His book about drinking is very good at highlighting things you already know about boozing. Things like how alcohol is everywhere, you will have been exposed to it from a young age, how it is socially acceptable to get drunk and how it’s promoted as a cool thing to do and how these messages can get stuck into your head from a young age. 
 

Also it puts a stop to the sort of mindset that giving it up has to be a long, hard journey and dispels the label of “alcoholic” which is useful for anyone who tarnished themselves with that label. I was always interested in what made someone an alcoholic as opposed to just a major piss pot and assumed there was some sort of tipping point that occurred which made someone realise they were actually an alcoholic but of course the human mind is more complicated than that so it is a harmful label to be given as it creates the idea that you have an illness you are stuck with. At the end of the day it really shouldn’t be that difficult to stop ramming poison down your throat to great excess on a regular basis and the reason you are doing it constantly is down to your own mindset which can easily be altered with the right information.

Wow. Has someone hacked your account?

[throbber]

5 minutes ago, Shandön Par said:

Wow. Has someone hacked your account?

Why would you say that?

[Richey Edwards]

Today is my four year anniversary of stopping drinking. I don't miss it.

[Torpar]

I'd forgotten about this thread, I stopped drinking the day I found out my wife and I were expecting our daughter, this was in January last year. By then I was down to drinking maybe one beer a weekend anyway. I found it much easier than I thought it would be, I enjoyed saving money, losing weight and not having hangovers anymore. I do not miss it at all

[Connor1874]

Only during the first lockdown have I ever made a conscious effort to stop drinking. Was only a month or 2 I think, but after finding myself drinking way too much from boredom during the first lockdown, I felt inclined to make a change. Not only did I quit drinking, but I ate a lot healthier, used an exercise bike daily and honestly, I felt no different. Didn't lose weight, just felt weak and hungry all the time. And then of course the pubs opened, and we were allowed to meet up with mates and stuff, so it all went out the window.

Honestly, I only drink when I want to but I'm perfectly capable of going days or even weeks without a drink, and that's for me, the crucial thing. If I get to a point again where I subconsciously find myself reaching for a crate of beer in the supermarket, or taking them out the fridge just because they're there, then I won't hesitate to pack it in again. Even in times where I find myself having a bit of a blowout, I make the effort to take a break. That's got to be crucial to anyone I think.

Right now, I'm finding myself really missing the pub, but not even for drinking, I genuinely appreciate the social side of it more. The drink helps me enjoy it more, but I don't need to drink to be social.

[Sergeant Wilson]

I'd be about 4 months now if I hadn't drank to be sociable on Christmas Day. I'm not missing drinking in the house or drinking locally but will probably go back to it on holiday or days away.

[Granny Danger]

36 minutes ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

I'd be about 4 months now if I hadn't drank to be sociable on Christmas Day. I'm not missing drinking in the house or drinking locally but will probably go back to it on holiday or days away.

So another two or three years!

[Sergeant Wilson]

3 minutes ago, Granny Danger said:

So another two or three years!

I hope I'll be coming back here for holidays by then.

[Antlion]

Went six months leading up to/following surgery and haven’t gone back to drinking regularly (though on the rare occasion I do, it’s still all-night binges...). Not missed weekend drinking, haven’t missed casual booze, and haven’t missed a few drinks with meals - I actually find the thought of boozing a bit of a chore now. I have to say, though, I’ve noticed no upswing in fitness levels and don’t *feel* any healthier than I did before. No significant weight loss either, though I’ve always hovered around 10-11 stone, so probably shouldn’t expect any.

[Jambomo]

I never used to be a massive drinker but I did used to overdo it when I went on nights out and had more than a few bad nights/mornings after. After one particularly bad night where I was so plastered I passed out on the street in front of my house and was shouting at my partner who came to pick me up and take me home, I gave up drinking entirely. That was about 15 years ago.

I have been basically off it since, barring the odd glass or two of baileys during Scotland matches. I’ll never have more than two drinks in a row now. 

[Ray Vaughn]

I’m a week away from 7 months aff drink.
Eating far too much in lockdown so I am not healthier.

But back in it when the football and pubs returns though.
My 50th birthday was last Saturday so Ike a couple of parties to do come the summer.

[Hillonearth]

Occasionally, you hear news that gives you pause and makes you start totting up your own consumption....I'd heard over the weekend that a mate of mine had been hospitalised through drinking. He works in an industry that's essentially kaput at the moment, and has a bit of a bevvy-soaked culture at the best of times. Although he's seemed fine anytime I've spoken to him online the past year, clearly his intake had spiralled upwards from what was probably already a pretty high baseline.

It does reinforce the fact that you never really know what's going on in someone's life - even the ones you think you know well.

 

 

 

 

[Jacksgranda]

At a pint = 2 units and a half at 1.4 units and recommended consumption of 14 units/week I must have crammed about 15 - 20 years worth of drinking into 5 years.

[Chris McDonald]

I dont drink now but i went through a phase of drinking heavily in my late teenage years and early twenties but my first attempt to seriously stop i was sober for three months.  I stopped because the hangovers were getting brutal and i was getting the fear and i had made friends who were non drinkers. Barring getting fucked over by my ex when euro 2016 was on and a family scare a couple of year back I dont drink and dont even miss it although breaking out of the routine of drinking can take some getting used to

[Scorge]

On 25/02/2021 at 10:58, Hillonearth said:

Occasionally, you hear news that gives you pause and makes you start totting up your own consumption....I'd heard over the weekend that a mate of mine had been hospitalised through drinking. He works in an industry that's essentially kaput at the moment, and has a bit of a bevvy-soaked culture at the best of times. Although he's seemed fine anytime I've spoken to him online the past year, clearly his intake had spiralled upwards from what was probably already a pretty high baseline.

It does reinforce the fact that you never really know what's going on in someone's life - even the ones you think you know well.

 

 

 

 

I know a couple of people for whom the wheels have come off in lockdown. Hard to watch, especially having been a full blown alcohol artist from around 2006-10 myself and now look back on that period with horror. Nothing but respect for people resolving to kick the booze during such a turbulent time. I stopped in November 2014, only regret was not giving up sooner (short of never touching it full stop, my mid 20's existential breakdown four years earlier would have been the ideal out). I identified a lot with what Frank Skinner said in the Chiles documentary about not being able to replace the 'white heat', but that's the deal when you kick any drug, I s'pose. Nowadays, the mental and physical health benefits are more than enough to counter the idea of, essentially, putting posh poison into my body voluntarily, ever again.

[Raidernation]

Since my relapse I’m now back up to 55 days sober. Going to treatment and doing meetings (AA, Refuge Recovery and Celebrate Recovery)
So far so good

[BigBo10]

Since my relapse I’m now back up to 55 days sober. Going to treatment and doing meetings (AA, Refuge Recovery and Celebrate Recovery)
So far so good

Easy for me to say, but keep going. I’ve seen and read your posts on here and you deserve a lot of credit for keeping your life on a level. If life goes tits up message me for someone to vent at if it’ll keep you on the path you’ve chosen.