Not sure what to say but it feels like a switch clicked in my head today and my eyes were opened.
Yesterday I bought 2 sixpacks to last me over the holidays and today I saw that they’re empty. And the expensive whisky for special occasions too.
I didn’t even have a reason to drink that much. I’ve officially lost control.
So no more “only on weekends”. Or “not at home” Or “not alone”. Or “not more than 2 beers”. Tried all that, didn’t work.
I am not going to drink today. I don’t need to drink today. What a liberating feeling!
Good luck and all the best.
Good for you.
When I need to get my mind of things reading does wonders for me, maybe it’s something for you too.
Good for you mate.
You rock
Nice one buddy! IWNDWYT
be careful quitting cold turkey, one of 2 addictions that will kill you if you quit right away (the other being a type of painkiller i believe) consult a doctor to best manage it
Three addictions! One is VERY difficult to find enough to get addicted to now, though. The three “B”s:
Booze, Benzodiazepines, and Barbiturates.
Kick ass bruh.
Hell yeah!!! Start with one day and just keep stacking them. I just passed the one year mark last month and it was a great feeling.
Hell yeah, brother
Good on you for making the right choice. Controlled drinking is a chore you assign yourself. Abstinence from alcohol is a gift to yourself.
Thanks for posting. I’m now at 108 days. I can confirm that drinking “responsibly” was far more work than not drinking at all. I started journaling my random thoughts about drinking (which still happen) and still refer back to entries I made in the first few weeks. They remind me where I was and why I don’t want to go back to square one. IWNDWYTT!
Welcome, we’re glad to have you here 🙂
So no more “only on weekends”. Or “not at home” Or “not alone”. Or “not more than 2 beers”. Tried all that, didn’t work.
I tried setting rules like that, it didn’t work, it was exhausting and annoying (setting rules, thinking of ways to break the rules, feeling guilty for breaking the rules, thinking of new rules that’ll absolutely definitely work this time…) Way easier to just not bother with all that by not drinking.
I found it helpful to make a commitment to myself to keep good non-alcoholic drinks in, and I use it as an opportunity to explore that space and find interesting things to drink.
Oh yeah, I got creative with the rules.
“Only on weekends” meant I drank the same amount, just concentrated on Fr-Su.
“Not at home” lead to a 2-beer pit stop on my way home from work, than “going for a walk” after supper.
“Not alone” meant getting a bottle of wine for my wife too, and convincing her to drink with me.
And “not more than 2 beers” made me get the strongest beer available, then switch to whisky.I went through the same arc- it lead to binge drinking and getting my wife to drink with me, too.
I quit in Dec '22, and I wake up feeling free from booze everyday, seriously. Every day I open my eyes and don’t have that nasty sweet taste on my tongue, or that dry eye & mouth feeling, I am relieved!
Now I’m 60lbs lighter (I DRANK drank), I exercise before work because it turns out I’m a morning person (!?), most of my health issues have resolved, and I’m not throwing away money on poison.
IWNDWYT
This is huge, you’re going to feel so good.
Make sure you have a plan of something ‘to do’ instead if you feel down, worn out, angry about something. That’s when the “I just need to unwind today” thinking might kick in. But you might just enjoy not drinking enough to never have that urge.
Nice work
I’m really lucky to live in a place where I can just walk or cycle into the woods and hills directly from my house.
That always lets the stress fall off.
And now I’ll finally have the time to do that regularly.
Proud of you. I found that being ready not to drink is an important first step for long term success. That sounds super obvious writing it out, but harder to do than say. Best of luck!
I won’t drink today either
