Ric Flair Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 So, the time has come for me to stop drinking. My liver creates too much potassium and the doctors told me not to booze many years ago but I still did anyway as it's hard not to in your early twenties. Anyway i'm 30 now and i've had enough. In the last year alone i've slid down the middle bit of an escalator at Oxford Circus Tube Station and shattered my coccyx. I've slipped over on a cobbled floor in a boozer when my mate lobbed an orange at me and knocked my front tooth out and on Saturday morning i've got up to go for a piss at my mum and dads house and fell down the stairs head first. I've split my norris open, sprained my ankle and done my back in. Hahahahaa The party is over. Has anyone else stopping drinking before or doesn't drink? I'm not worried about not being able to stop as I have confidence in myself that I can. I've quit gambling for nearly a year now which I thought I was a lost cause with and I have the mental strength to do anything I put my mind to but i'm more worried about having a social life that doesn't revolve around getting plastered every weekend. I'll be fine when i'm with the missus as we've always done many things that doesn't involve copious amounts of booze but it's seeing my mates that's going to be the challenge. What do male friends do that doesn't involve either getting arseholed, going the football and invariably getting arseholed, playing some form of sport and then getting arseholed. Gambling on anything that it's possible to gamble on and going to any event where there's swig available? I don't want to be seen as boring but I just cannot put myself through boozing any longer, it's not just me that's effected. My missus and my friends and family have had to witness what a disgrace of a man I can be. I've got more stories than Enid Blyton from my boozing days but enoughs enough. Any advice or success stories from people who have quit boozing or never drank and how enjoyable they find life would be great to hear. I almost feel embarrassed by that last sentence " how enjoyable they find life " but sadly there's a lot of people in this world that spend the majority of their free time getting absolutely garried and if they couldn't do that any longer they genuinely wouldn't know what to do with themselves. Cheers
Vardinhio Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 Well on the plus side you will save a fair bit of money. However, unless your liver condition means alcohol MUST stop, have you ever thought about just going out and having a few shandys with the lads. No one really cares who drinks what when they are out as long as they are having a good time do they? Since starting shift work I'm often not even able to go out on a Friday or Sat night and to tell you the truth it hasn't bothered me. You keep in touch with your good mates, alcohol or no alcohol.
Ric Flair Posted 23 June 2014 Author Posted 23 June 2014 Well on the plus side you will save a fair bit of money. However, unless your liver condition means alcohol MUST stop, have you ever thought about just going out and having a few shandys with the lads. No one really cares who drinks what when they are out as long as they are having a good time do they? Since starting shift work I'm often not even able to go out on a Friday or Sat night and to tell you the truth it hasn't bothered me. You keep in touch with your good mates, alcohol or no alcohol. My condition means I really should stop, but it's not critical that I do. My biggest problem is my inability to not dive head first in to any gig possible and I fall over regularly hence the injuries. I'm a spud. I don't do things by half. I either bull hammer it or don't bother. Hence why i've had to quit gambling and i'm very pleased and proud that I did. It's a crying shame I can't have a few casual bets as I love sport and the idea of recreational gambling. But I love multiple Scandinavian women and I realise they would think i'm the pits, so lifes unfair and sometimes you can't do what you want to do. Ultimately the same thing happens with booze, I can't trust myself to enjoy a couple which i've tried in the past because at some point it'll be more than a few drinks and i'll end up losing my pickle and wake up with my nose and todger pierced together somewhere.
Kinowe Soorie Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 I got fed up with the side effects a few years back. Spewing, headaches, memory loss and potential aggro. Don't miss it at all. Think I've gotten to the stage, where I would rather spend the £ on things you can still see!
Bryn Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 I think with anything like this you have to do what makes it easiest for you. Some people can go to events, not drink and not worry about it. Some cave easily. If you really want to not drink and you don't think you can resist you might have to make the choice not go attend those events, at least at first.
Samilktray Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 I've gone from drinking 2 or 3 times a week to probably drinking once a month. Had enough of hangovers and I'm only 23.
Ric Flair Posted 23 June 2014 Author Posted 23 June 2014 I think with anything like this you have to do what makes it easiest for you. Some people can go to events, not drink and not worry about it. Some cave easily. If you really want to not drink and you don't think you can resist you might have to make the choice not go attend those events, at least at first. I don't think i'll cave in, my worry is i'll just be anti-social and not bother going to such events as I can't be arsed if i'm not getting larrupsed. It's the worry of being boring rather than the worry i've not got the will power. I suppose that's part and parcel of making changes though, the uncertainty. It's about finding some other interests that you're comfortable in the environment and if that means turning my back on such things where people are plastered then so be it.
Bryn Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 I don't think i'll cave in, my worry is i'll just be anti-social and not bother going to such events as I can't be arsed if i'm not getting larrupsed. It's the worry of being boring rather than the worry i've not got the will power. I suppose that's part and parcel of making changes though, the uncertainty. It's about finding some other interests that you're comfortable in the environment and if that means turning my back on such things where people are plastered then so be it. Ah fair, well in that case it might take a bit of practice but I don't see why you'd be boring just cause you're not wrecked. However, if you've never been "that guy" who's sober around pissed people, get ready for how tedious pissed people are when you're sober.
Ric Flair Posted 23 June 2014 Author Posted 23 June 2014 Ah fair, well in that case it might take a bit of practice but I don't see why you'd be boring just cause you're not wrecked. However, if you've never been "that guy" who's sober around pissed people, get ready for how tedious pissed people are when you're sober. Hahahaaa I have on a few occasions and it's horrifying. That's the sort of rude awakeming I need though, it'll put me off being in those environments and looking at other interests.
davieG Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 Hahahaaa I have on a few occasions and it's horrifying. That's the sort of rude awakeming I need though, it'll put me off being in those environments and looking at other interests. You're not boring on here so are you always pissed when posting. Six months on the wagon and not going to gigs could help you see life differently and may well enable you to go to gigs again without the booze and with the confidence you don't actually need it to enjoy yourself and be entertaining/interesting to others. Best not to brag about not boozing though as that could be boring.
MooseBreath Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 Now you can start to get on with rad middle age fitness interests like cycling and walking up and down hills. You won't want to go out on the lash when you've got a sunday morning on your road bike in fresh lycra's to look forward to. Personally I haven't been arsed about regular drinking for a good few years, I've done alright with replacing it with outdoor hobbies and more foreign travel but still yeah, I imagine my old drinking crew think I'm a crushing bore and they're probably right. Also completely lost touch with a number of people after realising that we had nothing to say to each other unless we were mullered.
Ric Flair Posted 23 June 2014 Author Posted 23 June 2014 Now you can start to get on with rad middle age fitness interests like cycling and walking up and down hills. You won't want to go out on the lash when you've got a sunday morning on your road bike in fresh lycra's to look forward to. Personally I haven't been arsed about regular drinking for a good few years, I've done alright with replacing it with outdoor hobbies and more foreign travel but still yeah, I imagine my old drinking crew think I'm a crushing bore and they're probably right. Also completely lost touch with a number of people after realising that we had nothing to say to each other unless we were mullered. I look forward to it mate! I've enjoyed cycling for a while but the amount of times i've cancelled plans to go on a good bike ride because hungover is scandalous!! You're not boring on here so are you always pissed when posting. Six months on the wagon and not going to gigs could help you see life differently and may well enable you to go to gigs again without the booze and with the confidence you don't actually need it to enjoy yourself and be entertaining/interesting to others. Best not to brag about not boozing though as that could be boring. Cheers Davie, you're probably right.
Rincewind Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 You will see you as you were when sober and amongst drunken friends. You will then ask yourself why. I stopped for a few months last year through illness. Never really missed it but I like beer. I don't overdo it in my opinion but I do not go out at night and only drink at lunch times or afternoons not starting until mid afternoon. I do not drink one after another and can sit for a while with just one.
sphericalfox Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 My condition means I really should stop, but it's not critical that I do. My biggest problem is my inability to not dive head first in to any gig possible and I fall over regularly hence the injuries. I'm a spud. I don't do things by half. I either bull hammer it or don't bother. Hence why i've had to quit gambling and i'm very pleased and proud that I did. It's a crying shame I can't have a few casual bets as I love sport and the idea of recreational gambling. But I love multiple Scandinavian women and I realise they would think i'm the pits, so lifes unfair and sometimes you can't do what you want to do. Ultimately the same thing happens with booze, I can't trust myself to enjoy a couple which i've tried in the past because at some point it'll be more than a few drinks and i'll end up losing my pickle and wake up with my nose and todger pierced together somewhere. Get married and have kids, that's good recipe to kick the booze! You can't afford or want to have a hangover, you lose people likely to want to drag you boozin, as they are allergic to children, and you'll find that half a can will send you to bed as you're too tired and bolloxed to even contemplate getting pished.
Vardinhio Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 From what you've said I think you owe it to yourself to stop as you don't want to cause yourself any health concerns. I go out once a month now, normally to a decent city like Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool etc which makes it fun as you can get there earlier and have a look around the city a bit whilst drinking too. If you can't stop why not try cutting the habitual drinking down, aim to have one or two less and maybe save yourself for the odd big gig/festival/night out? Your mates will understand about your health concerns, just give it a go matey.
Manwell Pablo Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 I've got ambitions to chuck it for 3 months starting in September in the run up to Xmas. Thought it a bit pointless doing it before with the World Cup being on and my 30th being in August. I drink smaller amounts more regularly as a social/relexant thing as opposed to getting absloutley wankered though. Which means I'm very rarely trollied but cutting it out completley will probably be harder. I can't imagine going on the wreck for anything other than a big occasion these days It's just not worth the hang over.
Haydos Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 The only thing I hate about drinking is the hangovers. They completely ruin me for the next day if I have quite a few and it just makes it a write off.
Guest MattP Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 Not something I could ever do as I like getting pissed too much but good luck. You'll need another vice though, I'd get back into punting if I were you.
............... Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 I'm 19 and don't drink, it's probably the habit rather than actually wanting to drink that makes it tough to give up.
Alf Bentley Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 As Davie says, you don't come across as boring on here - anything but. However, you do come across as someone with a lot of energy and a need for excitement. You'll probably need to channel that energy into something else and find new excitement to replace the excitement that you got from benders. I wouldn't worry about boring other people, but if you bore yourself and abstinence becomes a dull, miserable experience for you, then there's every chance that you'll be back boozing (or gambling) sooner rather than later. Only you can work out what sort of booze-free stimulation / excitement will satisfy you. Cycling/hillwalking, as Moose suggests? Some other vigorous sport or adventurous activity? Something wilder? Wild sex? Abseil down the Statue of Liberty? Hitchhike to Cape Town? Or would a steadier project provide stimulation? Writing would be an obvious choice, as you clearly enjoy expressing yourself! I've been a "semi-controlled chronic binge drinker" since age 18 (I'm 51 now). I've gone tee-total for extended periods on numerous occasions over the past 20 years: 14 months was the longest; between 2 and 6 months on various other occasions. Like you, I used to get into some outrageous scrapes in my teens, 20s and early 30s: waking up in police cells or at the train terminus with no memory of how I'd got there was a speciality. Once I'd had a certain amount, my brain chemistry and psychology changed and I didn't want to come down from the booze-induced high. Fortunately, now that I'm older, my digestion is slower and I have less surplus energy, so it would be physically unpleasant to drink so much or so quickly - the prospect of downing 9 pints in 3 hours or whatever has as much appeal as eating a sack of potatoes - so I don't get in such states. If you're serious about this, I'd consider occasional counselling sessions. I've been to them before and it's not like being lectured or being a victim or whatever. It can just provide a focus to think about why the negatives of boozing outweigh the positives, and what you can do differently in your life instead. If you've been off the booze for a while, it can also act as a useful reminder. Because complacency is so easy to fall into - you've not had a drink for 3 months or whatever, the negatives seem vague and distant, life seems a bit dull recently....."Why don't I have a couple of drinks?"...and you're back into the old cycle. I've been to AA meetings a few times in the distant past, too, and met a lot of intelligent, interesting people there. But that didn't suit me as I found the approach too negative and pseudo-religious. To stay sober, I needed to feel that life was better, not worse! Funny enough, once I'm off the booze for a few days and am clear in my head that I'm not drinking, I don't find it a problem at all to go to pubs or other places where people are boozing. As I'm a contrary fvcker, if someone tries to persuade me to have a drink, it'll just make me even less likely to do so! You might find that your sobriety will make some of your drinking mates uneasy, though. Sitting drinking lime-and-soda with blokes on the beer didn't bother me (at least until they reached the drunken drivel stage), but it bothered some of them... You should be OK in/around live/TV football, though, as there's another focus. These days, as I'm not physically capable of my ridiculous binges of old, I concentrate on not wasting too much time on boozing (sometimes succeed, sometimes fail). I wish you all the best, though, Mr. Flair. Once you've been off the booze for a couple of weeks, you probably won't miss it at all....but watch out for complacency a few weeks further on. And don't lead a dull life! If you're not a dull person, it'll drive you to drink! Oh, health & safety! I'm assuming you're not someone who drinks every day, but if anyone else is: don't just stop drinking without medical advice. If you have a physical dependency on daily booze, going cold turkey without supervision can be very dangerous. Let us know how you get on, Mr. Flair!
Alf Bentley Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 Not something I could ever do as I like getting pissed too much but good luck. You'll need another vice though, I'd get back into punting if I were you. What fine, disinterested advice! Has he paid off his debts to you from the last time?!
Focks Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 I went to the Kasabian gig sober and enjoyed it, to be fair nobody that I went with was drinking which made it easier (that and the cost of the beer!) Its something you'll just have to try, the killer is being out with mates and drinking Coke in the corner like Phil from Eastenders
Parafox Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 I went to the Kasabian gig sober and enjoyed it, to be fair nobody that I went with was drinking which made it easier (that and the cost of the beer!) Its something you'll just have to try, the killer is being out with mates and drinking Coke in the corner like Phil from Eastenders Is your Avatar a pic of Wetherspoons in Hinckley?
indierich06 Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 I'm getting to the point now where I'm absolutely sick of the states I get in - it used to be a lot worse in my late teens and early twenties when I was at uni, and while I've wound my neck in a bit over the past few years, there'll still be the odd time when I go out and have too much and embarrass myself, or my girlfriend, and wake up feeling half dead. Just fed up of it. Even when I go out for a few I'll still wake up feeling wretched and it ruins the next day for me. Can't remember the last time I got up and did some constructive with my weekends. I don't want to quit at all - some of the best nights of my life have involved going and getting a bit pissed and having some great times with my mates, and the vast majority of the time I can enjoy a drink without going OTT, I'd like to cut down a fair bit though. I'm trying to get fit and drinking 10/15/20 pints over the course of every weekend isn't helping, and when I'm hungover I'll often get back on the junk food too, which obviously doesn't help either. So I'm going to start by stopping all drinking at home - if I'm not out, I'm not going to drink - and I'm going to limit my drinking to Friday and Saturday, and that's it, and unless there's a good reason to go out, I'm going to try and give it a miss. That's all I'm going to do for now, but I'm hoping to cut down to fortnightly drinking after that too. I do love a good session, but I don't love waking up feeling like shit all the time, seeing a ****ing ridiculous beer belly in the mirror every morning and being so unfit. Me and the Mrs have got a holiday booked in September and I want to get into decent shape for that, and I'll be popping the question before long and there's no way I want to look like a fat **** in all my wedding pictures.
Mike Oxlong Posted 23 June 2014 Posted 23 June 2014 If you can moderate your drinking there's a whole new world to be experienced. By way of example you could participate in http://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2014/jun/23/the-baby-jumping-festival-in-pictures which could not be recommended after having a skinful.
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