Quit drinking last June, so coming up on 7 months.

Had a long run, but it slowly was becoming at minimum a really bad habit (particularly during Covid) so I decided it was time to make a change. Was a little rough in the beginning, but really has not been that bad and most times I really don't miss it. I am one of the lucky ones that could just quit and move on. I still hang out at bars with friends and just did 5 days in Vegas for work with no problem.

I do drink a NA beer sometimes at a bar or after a round of golf because I still like the taste of beer, but even that is getting less and less.

(01-18-2023 11:04 AM)jmu98 Wrote:  Quit drinking last June, so coming up on 7 months.

Had a long run, but it slowly was becoming at minimum a really bad habit (particularly during Covid) so I decided it was time to make a change. Was a little rough in the beginning, but really has not been that bad and most times I really don't miss it. I am one of the lucky ones that could just quit and move on. I still hang out at bars with friends and just did 5 days in Vegas for work with no problem.

I do drink a NA beer sometimes at a bar or after a round of golf because I still like the taste of beer, but even that is getting less and less.

Good for you!

I enjoy a drink here and there.. This month is a good reset for me. When it starts I'm already going somewhere during the week to drink.. Then Friday-Sunday is nothing but drinks starting at lunch til bed time, it's time to step back for me.. Right now my mindset is starting February will be do I need a drink instead of what will I drink?

(01-18-2023 11:04 AM)jmu98 Wrote:  Quit drinking last June, so coming up on 7 months.

Had a long run, but it slowly was becoming at minimum a really bad habit (particularly during Covid) so I decided it was time to make a change. Was a little rough in the beginning, but really has not been that bad and most times I really don't miss it. I am one of the lucky ones that could just quit and move on. I still hang out at bars with friends and just did 5 days in Vegas for work with no problem.

I do drink a NA beer sometimes at a bar or after a round of golf because I still like the taste of beer, but even that is getting less and less.

I’m also a June quitter, 2017. Mine also was a long run but somewhere along the way I had crossed the imaginary line from a cucumber into a pickle. I’m sure others around me could see it had developed into more than an harmless drinking but I had plenty of justifications in my mind why I had things under control. Eventually, consequence started to occur and that’s when I finally was able to get honest with myself and make the decision to step away. There were a couple times along the way when I had convinced myself that enough dry time had elapsed and I could go back to drinking a couple here and there. So I gave it a try but it didn’t take long to see that for me, now being a pickle, it was impossible to go back to being a cucumber. As the joke goes, “I’m allergic to alcohol. When I drink I break out in handcuffs.”

I'm doing dry January...not because I felt bad but just for health reasons...during the week of Christmas it felt like I was having a glass of wine every night with dinner because it was a different party or family celebration.

Really interesting read from the NY Times about dry January's impact on bars: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/nyreg...tores.html

Dry January? WTF is that and why? I feel pretty confident in saying that's not a thing in Louisiana.

(01-20-2023 11:17 PM)WARDAWG93 Wrote:  Dry January? WTF is that and why? I feel pretty confident in saying that's not a thing in Louisiana.

10% of the reason people do it is for their health. The other 90% is so they can tell people on the internet.

(01-20-2023 11:51 PM)APPdiesel Wrote:  

(01-20-2023 11:17 PM)WARDAWG93 Wrote:  Dry January? WTF is that and why? I feel pretty confident in saying that's not a thing in Louisiana.

10% of the reason people do it is for their health. The other 90% is so they can tell people on the internet.

What I’m doing is a 6 week detox and definitely something I’m not sharing with the world, outside of this thread of course. For the last 8-10 years I was going through roughly 1 handle of vodka and 3 cases of beer every 2 weeks. Couple that with daily marijuana use and you lose sight of who you are. I am 21 days sober today and it definitely forces you to look at yourself in a different light. It’s boring at times and amazing at other times…but my goal is to not fall into the deep drinking after the six week period. I did this back in ‘21 but I slowly feel back into my ways. I’m trying to stay off boos all of ‘23…just stick with wine/beer after 6 weeks of sobriety. We shall see!

(01-21-2023 09:37 AM)Big Buds Wrote:  

(01-20-2023 11:51 PM)APPdiesel Wrote:  

(01-20-2023 11:17 PM)WARDAWG93 Wrote:  Dry January? WTF is that and why? I feel pretty confident in saying that's not a thing in Louisiana.

10% of the reason people do it is for their health. The other 90% is so they can tell people on the internet.

What I’m doing is a 6 week detox and definitely something I’m not sharing with the world, outside of this thread of course. For the last 8-10 years I was going through roughly 1 handle of vodka and 3 cases of beer every 2 weeks. Couple that with daily marijuana use and you lose sight of who you are. I am 21 days sober today and it definitely forces you to look at yourself in a different light. It’s boring at times and amazing at other times…but my goal is to not fall into the deep drinking after the six week period. I did this back in ‘21 but I slowly feel back into my ways. I’m trying to stay off boos all of ‘23…just stick with wine/beer after 6 weeks of sobriety. We shall see!

I wish you all the best at reaching your goals. Outside of my college days, I never really had much of an issue with alcohol and I'm proud to say that in almost 55 years I've never had an illegal drug in my life. Never held it against those that do/did. That was just my personal choice.

I find that the best way to quit something is to replace it with something else, preferably something beneficial. Personally, I find that if you quit something, there's a big hole there where it used to be - and your mind just gravitates to that hole - "dang, would you look at that!" and you end up filling it with something if you don't have something to fill it in with. That's just me though. I have serious respect for those that are quitting something to better themselves. Keep going, time will space out the the annoyance of the thing till it no longer bothers you.

I don't post much here anymore, as I mostly just lurk. But this thread has compelled me to contribute.

I've gone through some similar issues. I was a relatively straight and narrow kid, and didn't even have my first alcohol buzz until I was over 30. Started trying out the different flavors in my early/mid 30's and found that I really enjoyed the taste of bourbon, and as a lifer in retail, I was fond of the ability to take the edge off. Thing is, I have always struggled with moderation in any capacity. It's difficult for me even now, as I stare down the barrel of the big five-oh. I tended to let myself slip into just having a sipping glass of bourbon (or brandy or whatever) alongside my normal drink. At my peak, I would go through upwards of two liters of liquor per paycheck. I never really cared for getting drunk, so I tended to keep myself just below that line. On top of that, I'm not a mean or belligerent drinker, and I usually become more jovial with my only real crime being me thinking I'm cuter than I am. That made it easier for me to justify it not being a problem, but also meant that I didn't tend to get called out on it. But eventually I kind of hit a point where I felt I needed to scale back. It wasn't really affecting my life directly, my relationships, or my performance at work so much. But I didn't sleep as well, and that fatigue made some of the everyday things harder to deal with. So, March of 2021 I decided to quit because it just seemed like the right time. As stingingeagle mentioned, I used replacement. I decided to see if I could will myself into acquiring a taste for seltzer water, and that became my sipping drink of choice to replace the alcohol, and it worked out for me.

I went through a full year with nothing before deciding to ease back in because I missed the actual taste and burn of the bourbon itself. Through most of the year, I continued, but easily found myself back in the habit of grabbing copious amounts of liquor each payday. So, at the end of 2022, I worked out the timing so that I could have my last drink with the new year toast, and then I've gone dry again. My plan is to try out Jan-Aug as dry, and then Sept-Dec with some indulgence to see if that's a rhythm that works for me. That will allow me to keep a foot in the best of both worlds while maintaining very specific boundaries, but without completely depriving me of either side of that coin. We'll see how it goes. As long as I am still able to consistently stop when I decide I want to (in actual practice, as opposed to "I can stop whenever I want!"), then I think I'm still on the right path.

I've learned some things about myself along the way. One is that replacement works for me. While I enjoyed the flavors, I can keep something at hand which allows me to channel that same sit-and-relax energy. I have also learned that I apparently have this obsessive need to overcome things. I stopped drinking pop (soda/cola...whatever term you prefer) a year or two before I stopped alcohol the first time. It served as a pretty good test run for quitting alcohol. But I would have never touched seltzer water before, and unsweetened tea? Never! Now I enjoy them both. I also have become a fair bit more nihilistic since losing both of my parents and my only sibling in a three year span a few years back. It's led me to feel like very little matters in the grand scheme of things, so I can largely do whatever the hell I want so long as it doesn't negatively affect others, especially those that I care about. So, quitting just because I feel like it? No problem!

Cons of not drinking alcohol:
I miss being able to take the edge off the day so easily
I really miss the taste of bourbon and brandy. Love that stuff!
I have a bit more trouble managing my anxiety

Pros of not drinking alcohol:
I sleep better, and because of the better rest, I have more strength to take on the challenge of managing my anxiety
I feel some minor sense of accomplishment, mostly in domination over my desires.
I lost nearly 40 pounds (from about 210 down to nearly 170) in the year I didn't drink, so that was nice

Anyway, y'all didn't ask for the TMI background picture of my life, and lord knows I've rambled too much. But for any of you who are fighting the battle to quit, I hope it helps to know that you're not the only ones trying to do what you feel is best. If you suffer a setback, keep your head up. Even most of the best teams still lose a game once in a while.

---
-Ed.

(01-23-2023 01:28 AM)EdM Wrote:  I don't post much here anymore, as I mostly just lurk. But this thread has compelled me to contribute.

I've gone through some similar issues. I was a relatively straight and narrow kid, and didn't even have my first alcohol buzz until I was over 30. Started trying out the different flavors in my early/mid 30's and found that I really enjoyed the taste of bourbon, and as a lifer in retail, I was fond of the ability to take the edge off. Thing is, I have always struggled with moderation in any capacity. It's difficult for me even now, as I stare down the barrel of the big five-oh. I tended to let myself slip into just having a sipping glass of bourbon (or brandy or whatever) alongside my normal drink. At my peak, I would go through upwards of two liters of liquor per paycheck. I never really cared for getting drunk, so I tended to keep myself just below that line. On top of that, I'm not a mean or belligerent drinker, and I usually become more jovial with my only real crime being me thinking I'm cuter than I am. That made it easier for me to justify it not being a problem, but also meant that I didn't tend to get called out on it. But eventually I kind of hit a point where I felt I needed to scale back. It wasn't really affecting my life directly, my relationships, or my performance at work so much. But I didn't sleep as well, and that fatigue made some of the everyday things harder to deal with. So, March of 2021 I decided to quit because it just seemed like the right time. As stingingeagle mentioned, I used replacement. I decided to see if I could will myself into acquiring a taste for seltzer water, and that became my sipping drink of choice to replace the alcohol, and it worked out for me.

I went through a full year with nothing before deciding to ease back in because I missed the actual taste and burn of the bourbon itself. Through most of the year, I continued, but easily found myself back in the habit of grabbing copious amounts of liquor each payday. So, at the end of 2022, I worked out the timing so that I could have my last drink with the new year toast, and then I've gone dry again. My plan is to try out Jan-Aug as dry, and then Sept-Dec with some indulgence to see if that's a rhythm that works for me. That will allow me to keep a foot in the best of both worlds while maintaining very specific boundaries, but without completely depriving me of either side of that coin. We'll see how it goes. As long as I am still able to consistently stop when I decide I want to (in actual practice, as opposed to "I can stop whenever I want!"), then I think I'm still on the right path.

I've learned some things about myself along the way. One is that replacement works for me. While I enjoyed the flavors, I can keep something at hand which allows me to channel that same sit-and-relax energy. I have also learned that I apparently have this obsessive need to overcome things. I stopped drinking pop (soda/cola...whatever term you prefer) a year or two before I stopped alcohol the first time. It served as a pretty good test run for quitting alcohol. But I would have never touched seltzer water before, and unsweetened tea? Never! Now I enjoy them both. I also have become a fair bit more nihilistic since losing both of my parents and my only sibling in a three year span a few years back. It's led me to feel like very little matters in the grand scheme of things, so I can largely do whatever the hell I want so long as it doesn't negatively affect others, especially those that I care about. So, quitting just because I feel like it? No problem!

Cons of not drinking alcohol:
I miss being able to take the edge off the day so easily
I really miss the taste of bourbon and brandy. Love that stuff!
I have a bit more trouble managing my anxiety

Pros of not drinking alcohol:
I sleep better, and because of the better rest, I have more strength to take on the challenge of managing my anxiety
I feel some minor sense of accomplishment, mostly in domination over my desires.
I lost nearly 40 pounds (from about 210 down to nearly 170) in the year I didn't drink, so that was nice

Anyway, y'all didn't ask for the TMI background picture of my life, and lord knows I've rambled too much. But for any of you who are fighting the battle to quit, I hope it helps to know that you're not the only ones trying to do what you feel is best. If you suffer a setback, keep your head up. Even most of the best teams still lose a game once in a while.

---
-Ed.

What a great post. Good luck and FFS you need to post more often.

(01-21-2023 09:37 AM)Big Buds Wrote:  

(01-20-2023 11:51 PM)APPdiesel Wrote:  

(01-20-2023 11:17 PM)WARDAWG93 Wrote:  Dry January? WTF is that and why? I feel pretty confident in saying that's not a thing in Louisiana.

10% of the reason people do it is for their health. The other 90% is so they can tell people on the internet.

What I’m doing is a 6 week detox and definitely something I’m not sharing with the world, outside of this thread of course. For the last 8-10 years I was going through roughly 1 handle of vodka and 3 cases of beer every 2 weeks. Couple that with daily marijuana use and you lose sight of who you are. I am 21 days sober today and it definitely forces you to look at yourself in a different light. It’s boring at times and amazing at other times…but my goal is to not fall into the deep drinking after the six week period. I did this back in ‘21 but I slowly feel back into my ways. I’m trying to stay off boos all of ‘23…just stick with wine/beer after 6 weeks of sobriety. We shall see!

Good luck Buds

As of Saturday I was down 15 lbs. Last weekend before I will allow myself to have a drink.. Truth be told I'll be easy on myself. One day a week.. And starting out easy with a few beers I have left over from NYE... They've been in the cooler since then (it's bee in the 30s and ice cold in it)..

Still dry after my single beer on the 12th. Even with my wife drinking wine on the weekends. I have also only managed to eat one small slice of king cake after having two whole cakes in my house since the start of carnival season. Passing up the king cake (with knife conveniently left in the box) is harder than passing by my liquor cabinet.

(01-23-2023 11:18 AM)Complacent Cajun Wrote:  Still dry after my single beer on the 12th. Even with my wife drinking wine on the weekends. I have also only managed to eat one small slice of king cake after having two whole cakes in my house since the start of carnival season. Passing up the king cake (with knife conveniently left in the box) is harder than passing by my liquor cabinet.

Bruh…you got that right! That knife in the box for a quick slice! Lol

(01-23-2023 07:45 AM)gdunn Wrote:  As of Saturday I was down 15 lbs. Last weekend before I will allow myself to have a drink.. Truth be told I'll be easy on myself. One day a week.. And starting out easy with a few beers I have left over from NYE... They've been in the cooler since then (it's bee in the 30s and ice cold in it)..

I’m down 12 lbs.

I miss King Cake.

a li'l stink sleight-o-hand humor for this thread... great stories you guys are sharing ... fwiw, I'm in a land you don't want to know about ... keep it up, gents!

@theBaTTTleNeverEnds #crossroads

(01-23-2023 12:34 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I miss King Cake.

try quitting nicotine ... King Cake turns into a 'dietary supplement' ...

(01-23-2023 01:21 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:34 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I miss King Cake.

try quitting nicotine ... King Cake turns into a 'dietary supplement' ...

I quite dipping Copenhagen (started dipping when I was 12) about 10 years ago. I've gained about 30lbs since then LOL