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stripeyfox

Giving up / Cutting down on alcohol

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Well, ten days in and no beer (or any alcohol for that matter). Sleep seems to have settled down and have been enjoying either AF beer, sparkling water or tonic water which seems to fool my brain into thinking I'm having a drink. Have been more productive in the evening, a bit less short tempered with the kids, and even found time later in the evening to play some computer games (which I'm usually too knackered to be bothered with after a few glasses of wine). 

 

Feeling a bit fresher in the morning when I wake up is nice too!

 

Could still kill for a beer though,,,,,,

 

 

 

 

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34 minutes ago, stripeyfox said:

Well, ten days in and no beer (or any alcohol for that matter). Sleep seems to have settled down and have been enjoying either AF beer, sparkling water or tonic water which seems to fool my brain into thinking I'm having a drink. Have been more productive in the evening, a bit less short tempered with the kids, and even found time later in the evening to play some computer games (which I'm usually too knackered to be bothered with after a few glasses of wine). 

 

Feeling a bit fresher in the morning when I wake up is nice too!

 

Could still kill for a beer though,,,,,,

 

Keep it going mate, you're doing great :thumbup:

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Trying to do the rest of the month off myself.

 

My drinking isn't out of control but when I binge it can go beyond ridiculous, 15 pints with a few shorts and wine thrown in is pretty common.

 

I still rarely drink in the week as well, but as soon as Friday hits that's it and we get going.

 

I have a friend who comes over from the states and when we get going its scary, 36 hour sessions and often we'll have knocked back ten doubles before midday. I still really dont know how I do it.

 

If I succeed on this it will comfortably be my longest period off it since being a teenager.

Edited by MattP
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3 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Keep it going mate, you're doing great :thumbup:

Thanks mate - I knew you'd be pleased!

 

I'm really quite pleased myself. I reckon this is the longest I've gone without a drink since records began. When I first decided to mention "dry January" to the missus in the run up to Christmas, the thought of going a week without a drink was quite scary to be honest, but I've done ok I think.

 

Last night for example. I got home from work about 5 (after picking my youngest up from after school club) and made their tea etc efore the missus gets home about 8.30pm. Previously this would have involved me sitcking a four pack of 500ml Rheinbacher away whilst leaving the kids to their devices (literally). before getting some dinner ready for the missus and cracking open a bottle of red when she gets home. Then maybe a couple more cans before bed.

 

Last night, got home, made their tea, tidied up, made the pack ups for the next day, spent some time talking to the kids, reading with them etc and then got them settled down before getting dinner ready for the missus. Had an Heineken 0% beer and a Tonic water with dinner and then did some work before going to bed and reading for half an hour before sleep.

 

I know I'm only a week or so in, but it has been really eye opening. Definatley going to go to the end of January and then who knows beyond that? Don't want to got straight back to boozing every night that's for sure!

 

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11 minutes ago, MattP said:

Trying to do the rest of the month off myself.

 

My drinking isn't out of control but when I binge it can go beyond ridiculous, 15 pints with a few shorts and wine thrown in is pretty common.

 

I still rarely drink in the week as well, but as soon as Friday hits that's it and we get going.

 

I have a friend who comes over from the states and when we get going its scary, 36 hour sessions and often we'll have knocked back ten doubles before midday. I still really dont know how I do it.

 

If I succeed on this it will comfortably be my longest period off it since being a teenager.

Christ on a bike! I wouldn't be able to get out of bed for a week after a session like that!

 

 

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41 minutes ago, stripeyfox said:

Well, ten days in and no beer (or any alcohol for that matter). Sleep seems to have settled down and have been enjoying either AF beer, sparkling water or tonic water which seems to fool my brain into thinking I'm having a drink. Have been more productive in the evening, a bit less short tempered with the kids, and even found time later in the evening to play some computer games (which I'm usually too knackered to be bothered with after a few glasses of wine). 

 

Feeling a bit fresher in the morning when I wake up is nice too!

 

Could still kill for a beer though,,,,,,

 

 

On 08/01/2020 at 12:12, Alf Bentley said:

 

In my experience, sleeping badly for several nights after stopping is par for the course. The good news is that it stops after about a week, and you then get a much more satisfying sleep than while you're drinking. I found that I then faced a different issue - after about 7-10 days off, I'd feel really vigorous, positive and full of energy....and my instinct would be "Life feels good, let's go and neck a few pints!" 

 

If I could get beyond that moment of temptation at about 10 days, I'd probably stay off with no problem for about 2-5 months.....when the risk would be complacency and thoughts drifting to the enjoyable elements of drinking. The bad bits about boozing faded in the memory, but not the good bits - a manifestation of psychological addiction, I presume.

 

 

All you describe sounds very familiar to me! :D

 

Sorry for self-quoting, but the bit of my post above seemed relevant to what you've posted.

 

Sounds like it's an important moment to consciously think about the positive benefits you're seeing from not drinking (as you seem to be doing), so that you're not tempted.

Also, if you find that you have more time on your hands, worth thinking what else you could do with that time, as opposed to filling it with boozing. Good luck!

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4 minutes ago, stripeyfox said:

Christ on a bike! I wouldn't be able to get out of bed for a week after a session like that!

I often didnt - it was literally 3 days in bed to recover sometimes - only getting up to get more water or trying to throw some food down myself.

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2 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

 

All you describe sounds very familiar to me! :D

 

Sorry for self-quoting, but the bit of my post above seemed relevant to what you've posted.

 

Sounds like it's an important moment to consciously think about the positive benefits you're seeing from not drinking (as you seem to be doing), so that you're not tempted.

Also, if you find that you have more time on your hands, worth thinking what else you could do with that time, as opposed to filling it with boozing. Good luck!

Cheers Alf. I don't want these to be all about "me" but the support on here is definately helpful.

 

Of course the other benefit is financial. A quick back of the envelope calculation shows that even a cheap £6 bottle of wine a day adds up to £180 per month and I reckon I could add to that another £120 at least per month on beer. £300 a month on drink at home? That's absolutely bonkers!

 

 

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Definitely agree with the doing more things observation. It is eye opening how much more you can get done when not drinking. If I am boozing on a Friday for example when I’m done I am already thinking about the next pint on Saturday, especially if we have a match. Like you @stripeyfox I would easily knock back 4 cans like before I had even noticed. When it comes to Friday after work the beer goes down rapidly. 
 

I have an app too where I log absolutely everything that I spend and put a category against it. I used it all 2019 and now I can see exactly how much I spent on drinking last year and it is frightening. So there is definitely the financial motivation to add to the mix. Like most things it is a habitual and lifestyle change. Once you have gone 2-3 weeks without drinking it will become a lot easier, your mindset will have changed.

 

Anyway when we have all hit our goal @MattP can take us out lol 

Edited by Unabomber
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1 minute ago, Unabomber said:

Definitely agree with the doing more things observation. It is eye opening how much more you can get done when not drinking. If I am boozing on a Friday for example when I’m done I am already thinking about the next pint on Saturday, especially if we have a match. Like you @stripeyfox I would easily knock back 4 cans like before I had even noticed. When it comes to Friday after work the beer goes down rapidly. 
 

I have an app too where I log absolutely everything that I spend and put a category against it. I used it all 2019 and now I can see exactly how much I spent on drinking last year and it is frightening. So there is definitely the financial motivation to add to the mix. Like most things it is a habitual and lifestyle change. Once you have gone 2-3 weeks without drinking it will become a lot easier, your mindset will have changed.

 

Anyway when we have all hit our goal @MattP can take us out lol 

Er, might have to get back to you on that one. If @MattP gets me doing double shots before lunchtime then someone will need to bring a bucket and plenty of cash to pay the taxi soiling charge!
 

 

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12 hours ago, MattP said:

My drinking isn't out of control but when I binge it can go beyond ridiculous, 15 pints with a few shorts and wine thrown in is pretty common.

 

I still rarely drink in the week as well, but as soon as Friday hits that's it and we get going.

 

I have a friend who comes over from the states and when we get going its scary, 36 hour sessions and often we'll have knocked back ten doubles before midday. I still really dont know how I do it.

 

If I succeed on this it will comfortably be my longest period off it since being a teenager.


Everything else you say in this post rather contradicts this statement tbh.

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10 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

Everything else you say in this post rather contradicts this statement tbh.

Yeah I can imagine when you read that it sounds ridiculous - but as I say soon as Monday hits I dont drink until Friday and I never crave a beer, that's what is so weird about it.

 

Then as soon as Friday lunchtime hits it's like a switch goes off in my head.

 

Similar to @Unabomber it would be heavy and I'd already be thinking about the Saturday and Sunday session.

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Not had a drop this month so far.

 

My biggest problem is away days. If it’s not my turn to drive or I’m on the train I go a bit mad and instantly regret it when I get in the stadium and just want to go sleep.

 

I was meant to cut out meat for Jan as well but I had a shit day at work and have a virus so I demolished a burger with every kind of meat known to man on last night, much more difficult.

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On 10/01/2020 at 10:37, stripeyfox said:

Well, ten days in and no beer (or any alcohol for that matter). Sleep seems to have settled down and have been enjoying either AF beer, sparkling water or tonic water which seems to fool my brain into thinking I'm having a drink. Have been more productive in the evening, a bit less short tempered with the kids, and even found time later in the evening to play some computer games (which I'm usually too knackered to be bothered with after a few glasses of wine). 

 

Feeling a bit fresher in the morning when I wake up is nice too!

 

Could still kill for a beer though,,,,,,

 

 

 

 

Nice job, I did it last year, good to have a break from it on occasion 

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Who else has had 12 beers this fine Monday evening!!! Oy oy just me hay lads. Only another hour til the live big bash t20 game though so worth it eyyyyy!

 

Nah but I do have a bad relationship with alcohol. I'm late 20s. growing up my family drank a lot. all the time. I had my dummy dipped in beer ffs. 

 

As a young lad I wasnt one to go out drinking on the park etc. The first time I got actually drunk was age 16 on a holiday in Greece. When I turned 18, I waited for all my friend to be of age until we started going to our village pub. I remember when  doing my a levels I got hammered on a Wednesday and my dad sent me off in my car the next day for school. I knew I couldn't and shouldn't drive so found the next available layby to pull into, and slept a good few hours!

 

I drink extremely fast. Throughout school, and more noticeably university, everyone would call me a lightweight as I'd be so, so ****ing drunk. But I would drink double what everyone else had in an hour. A pint lasts me a few mouthfuls. I cant help how fast I drink no matter how hard I try. Tbh the only time I cant drink fast, or drink at all for that matter is if I have eaten a lot.

 

My family are all heavy drinkers. 2 brothers, both hold down high level jobs whilst drinking heavily every single evening. Im considerabley younger than them. My mum and dad are currently dieting for a holiday, so instead of drinking beer and wine every single evening without fail, they are drinking straight spirits. Whiskey, rum etc, because they are dieting! I mean what chance do I have growing up and living with that? Its monday and I've had 12 beers. 

 

I have dropped booze entirely before for a few months, and genuinely, I found it  very easy. But the older I get, the harder it gets. And this is just drinking at home, not talking about going out. Since the 1st of December, I've probably had 1 dry week in total, adding individual days together, in total up to now.

 

As I'm currently quite pissed I'm missing out a lot of what I want to say, and explaining it very poorly, and I know this is just a football forum, but advice I've had in the past, and read from here towards others, is invaluable. 

 

Perhaps being half polish gives me a bulletproof liver, lungs  and brain, as my alcoholic, chainsmoking polish grandfather is now 96 years of age and still going strong! His mother, also an alcoholic chainsmoker lived to 107!

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3 hours ago, Kopic said:

Who else has had 12 beers this fine Monday evening!!! Oy oy just me hay lads. Only another hour til the live big bash t20 game though so worth it eyyyyy!

 

Nah but I do have a bad relationship with alcohol. I'm late 20s. growing up my family drank a lot. all the time. I had my dummy dipped in beer ffs. 

 

As a young lad I wasnt one to go out drinking on the park etc. The first time I got actually drunk was age 16 on a holiday in Greece. When I turned 18, I waited for all my friend to be of age until we started going to our village pub. I remember when  doing my a levels I got hammered on a Wednesday and my dad sent me off in my car the next day for school. I knew I couldn't and shouldn't drive so found the next available layby to pull into, and slept a good few hours!

 

I drink extremely fast. Throughout school, and more noticeably university, everyone would call me a lightweight as I'd be so, so ****ing drunk. But I would drink double what everyone else had in an hour. A pint lasts me a few mouthfuls. I cant help how fast I drink no matter how hard I try. Tbh the only time I cant drink fast, or drink at all for that matter is if I have eaten a lot.

 

My family are all heavy drinkers. 2 brothers, both hold down high level jobs whilst drinking heavily every single evening. Im considerabley younger than them. My mum and dad are currently dieting for a holiday, so instead of drinking beer and wine every single evening without fail, they are drinking straight spirits. Whiskey, rum etc, because they are dieting! I mean what chance do I have growing up and living with that? Its monday and I've had 12 beers. 

 

I have dropped booze entirely before for a few months, and genuinely, I found it  very easy. But the older I get, the harder it gets. And this is just drinking at home, not talking about going out. Since the 1st of December, I've probably had 1 dry week in total, adding individual days together, in total up to now.

 

As I'm currently quite pissed I'm missing out a lot of what I want to say, and explaining it very poorly, and I know this is just a football forum, but advice I've had in the past, and read from here towards others, is invaluable. 

 

Perhaps being half polish gives me a bulletproof liver, lungs  and brain, as my alcoholic, chainsmoking polish grandfather is now 96 years of age and still going strong! His mother, also an alcoholic chainsmoker lived to 107!

Sounds like you and @MattP would make good drinking partners! 

 

Like you, alcohol has been ever present in my life since I was old enough to drink. Even before that, my mum was always a heavy drinker - usually putting away a bottle of sherry a day. She eventually died of heart failure at 68 as the result of a generally unhealthy lifestyle and the booze was a significant element of that lifestyle.

 

From my late teens I started going out and drinking, initially in small quantities but the frequency and amount of drink increased steadily until my mid twenties by which time my week consisted of going to the pub virtually every night.- Monday Darts, Tuesday Pool, Weds - usually football on TV and then Thursday, Friday, Saturday are the weekend and Sunday was play football in the morning and then drink all day in the afternoon -then rinse and repeat!

 

Later, as the socialising dried up (family commitment etc), I replaced it with drinking at home.

 

What I mean is, drinking has been ever present - and normal - in my life. That's why this break from drinking has been such an eye opener, and I really hope it helps me to re-calibrate my relationship with alcohol. I still want to be able to enjoy the odd drink, and even the odd "bender" maybe, but not for it to become the normal again.

 

I checked my Fitbit stats this morning - my average resting heart rate has gone from 81 in December to 66 today! I'm pretty shocked that just cutting out the beer for a couple of weeks could make such a difference!

 

 

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