Quitting Alcohol

[schmalzy]

I’m 3 hours into the second. I’d say you might as well listen to the first one. It may seem redundant at times with similar info, but a little extra repetition never hurt anyone.

I’m at 2 weeks now. I made it through the Labor Day weekend with cookouts and I’m currently on a business trip that’s at a resort with open bar. They even offered me the free champagne when I checked in. I had a few NA beers at dinner to look the part and got a good 9 hours of sleep. So far so good.

Way to go man. Athletic Brewing makes some great NA beers.

Lots of ways to quit and get sober but each has one thing in common, and that’s taking it one day at a time.

2 weeks is a big deal, keep it up.


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[*zap*]

Been sober/clean for many years, look back at the bad times and it is only by the grace of God that I made it out alive & free. Just Do It one minute at a time....those minutes add up.

 

[hunt1up]

Way to go man. Athletic Brewing makes some great NA beers.

Lots of ways to quit and get sober but each has one thing in common, and that’s taking it one day at a time.

2 weeks is a big deal, keep it up.


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Thanks. I’m a fan of Athletic too.

Just finished 5 hours of customer butt kissing with dinner and open bar. I stuck to the NA beer and some club soda and lime. It’s certainly odd being sober after 4 hours of open bar and you start noticing the sloppy folks. In the past I would have had my share and never given them a second look.

 

[TheGDog]

Whoo lawdy you ain't lyin' with how you being the sober one at an Event, you start seeing how everybody elses behaviours start degrading as the night wears on, and you have that self-realization of "Oh wow, I must have looked even worse than this a time or two!"

And also... when you're the sober one at an Event... one thing that's kind of empowering about it, from a guys perspective, is you get to see which ladies are easy prey.

EDIT: in this post "easy prey" means, you get to see which ladies are feeling "frisky" and are receptive to being approached. Good grief sad as hell that I should even need to come back here and clarify.

 

[coloyooper]

And also... when you're the sober one at an Event... one thing that's kind of empowering about it, from a guys perspective, is you get to see which ladies are easy prey.

 

[WoodBow]

Yea @TheGDog i would definitely re-word that last bit. I know how you meant it but dang that came off creepy.

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[NB7]

And also... when you're the sober one at an Event... one thing that's kind of empowering about it, from a guys perspective, is you get to see which ladies are easy prey.

 

[doc holiday13]

5th day booze free till thanksgiving. I generally live fairly healthy but I'm sure I'll the benefits soon enough

 

[Less]

Recently came to the conclusion I want/need to stop drinking. I've seen a few guys on here say they've been sober for years.

I've been pretty strong willed when it comes to kicking habits, but this one has been a one step forward three steps back one. Haha

Those of you who have stopped did you notice many benefits on your hunts, mindset, or physical shape?
Any tips on the process?

You know when I was about 15 or 16. A bunch of my buddies and I would put our money together and find someone old enough to buy beer or whiskey for us because of course a minor can’t buy it themselves.

One Saturday night we went to one of the guys uncles house to see if he would buy or alcohol for us. The uncle was about 40 years old , was passed out on his couch with a almost empty gallon of wine. Remember the bottle cap had been left off, bottle had 4 big dead roaches floating around in it. ( The image and number of roaches floating around in that jug has stuck in my mind clear as a bell ever since that happened over 45 years ago. )

Our friend shook his uncle until he woke him up. The first thing the uncle done was to down the rest of the wine roaches and all. Then fail flat of his back onto the couch. His mouth wide open eyes closed. Arm hanging off the side of the couch. His nephew was shaking him, slapping him in the face trying to wake him. A couple of the guys said he was dead. I thought the same thing myself, scared me. The nephew said he’s not dead. Said he does this all the time.

Next morning happened to be driving by the man’s house as medics was loading the man’s body into an ambulance. He was dead.

I drink a lot when I was a teen and in my 20’s. We held a traditional deer camp with most of the same guys in it for 35 years. There was always alcohol at that camp. I was probably one of the few 15 year olds to always take 3, 4, 5 cases of old Milwaukee beer to deer camp with them most seasons. And the funny thing about it is out of all of that beer that spent my hard earned money on I probably didn’t drink a six pack if that much myself. You see I had a brother in law in his late 20’s that bought the beer for me. I just wanted to play Mr. big shot i guess was why I spent my hard earned money doing that. Or maybe I was that stupid back then.

But a lot of those guys my brother in law included ended up coming to camp most of those years but never hunted. They were there to drink and stay drunk the whole time they were there. That’s about all they done when they would go home too. As a teenager I thought they were funny. But eventually as I got older I was drinking pretty good myself. If I took 5 cases of beer to camp and I had of caught someone in my cooler with me giving them the green light the fight would be on.

Remember one time I was 19. That brother-in-law of mine and another one of the guys his age that came to camp to just drink. We went to secure our camp sight a couple days before opening day. Well we all got tanked up. Well at the age when I got to drinking I guess I could be a little obnoxious you might say. Any that’s what my brother-in-law and his buddy said happen that night. Because all I can remember is when the two of them, one sitting on my chest slapping me in the face, the other holding my arms down telling me I better cool it and straighten up.

Well when they finally let me loose and went back into the camper to drink a few more beers. Instead of cooling it. I seemed to just heat up a bit more. So when that camper door opened I was ready for the both of them. I got the first one with a from the heels hay maker just almost knocking him out. Soon as he got to his feet he got gone. When I got a hold of my brother-in-law he ended up with a broke arm. Drove him to the ER the next morning and back then they still put broke arms in a cast.

I drink and fought well up into my late 20’s hurt a lot of family and friends and myself because of it. Luckier than some of my other buddies just because Alcohol was my drug. They added other drugs to their Alcohol like coke,meth,acid just run of the mill common drugs.

I thank my lucky stars I finally grew up before I ended up like some of my other friends who I thought of as brothers, guys that I hunted, fished, trapped with from the time all started out with daisy BB guns. One of my closest friends is so burnt out from alcohol and drugs you can’t even carry on a conversation with him today.

But even though he is on disability, wears a colostomy bag, is 6 foot 2 inches tall and weighs about 90 lbs. Has given up drinking and doing drugs, don’t even smoke now. Only if he had of smartened up way before he was in his fifties to quit drugs. He had a lot of other things he was interested in that he could of done. Was heck of an athlete. Always wanted to play in the NBA.

Again I apologize for being so windy. Guess that’s part of getting old. For the OP of this post. I don’t think you will get the advice you need from me or anyone else because when it comes down to it. Your going to do what you want to do. I know I did. I hope you do like I did and finally realize even though drugs and alcohol even in small doses can and most of the time do lead to big problems that can cause you to lose a lot.

 

[TheGDog]

Whoo lawdy you ain't lyin' with how you being the sober one at an Event, you start seeing how everybody elses behaviours start degrading as the night wears on, and you have that self-realization of "Oh wow, I must have looked even worse than this a time or two!"

And also... when you're the sober one at an Event... one thing that's kind of empowering about it, from a guys perspective, is you get to see which ladies are easy prey.

Oh FFS!!! Do I seriously need to doctor this sentence up with "PC" terminology on THIS forum??? Seriously?? ...fine.

 

[Sundance]

Soda water and lime is my go-to. But not to look the part, just because it’s the best refresher.

Nothing makes a drinker more aware of his drinking than you just ordering water when they are ordering booze.

And what is an Irish goodbye?

It's where you just leave, no explanation or announcement. Once they are all good and lubricated you just excuse yourself and split. Usually they don't even remember.

 

[Sundance]

I've really been doing it all wrong...

Think of it like finishing without the other party evening knowing you'd started.

 

[coloyooper]

Think of it like finishing without the other party evening knowing you'd started.

And that other party is my wife

14 days no drinks. First time in a long time I’ve gone this long. No real urges except for during CFB/NFL slots. Definitely sleeping a lot better and feeling better overall. My sweet tooth has come back but I can work with that.

 

[260madman]

Since I posted last, my BIL has been to rehab 2x and 3 day detox just a couple weeks ago. He won’t do it for himself and nobody is willing to let him lose it all. “This time he’s going to do it”. No, he won’t.

I’m still a social drinker of 2 beers or wine and call it good. Seltzer water and purified water is still my main drink. haven’t had soda in 3 months. Still have 2 K-cups of coffee in the morning but that’s it.

I will admit that sitting in on Hunter Safety course with my daughter was enough to make me want a drink. It was Fuddfest at the rod and gun club . 3 more nights to go.

 

[Mojave]

If you have a drinking problem then it will be necessary to eliminate drinking from your life.....in order to have a better life.

AA is the proven way to do that.

If you can have just one drink anytime you want and not another then you do not have a drinking problem.

This is me. I think i have had two beers in 12 months.

 

[vortex]

Best thing I’ve ever done. Drank hard for ten years 17-27 and now at 49 drank maybe 20 times in 20 years . Feel great!!!


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[hunt1up]

I'm at 3 weeks today. That first week or two it was at the front of my mind pretty much all day. That has subsided greatly. My weight loss efforts have kept on accelerating. My goal was to drop 20-25 pounds to get to my old "fighting" weight. In the first 2 months while still drinking I lost maybe 7-8 pounds. In the past three weeks I've lost an additional 6. The beer isn't breaking my caloric budget on a daily basis like it was prior.

Every night I sleep perfectly. I lay down for bed, fall asleep in 5 minutes, and don't really stir until the alarm goes off at 5am. According to my wife I've quit snoring. She'd kick me on a nightly basis when drinking beer. I also no longer wake up for that nightly piss that had become routine.

I'll turn 37 in 2 weeks and I don't think I've had so much energy since I was a teenager. It's wild.

 

[schmalzy]

I'm at 3 weeks today. That first week or two it was at the front of my mind pretty much all day. That has subsided greatly. My weight loss efforts have kept on accelerating. My goal was to drop 20-25 pounds to get to my old "fighting" weight. In the first 2 months while still drinking I lost maybe 7-8 pounds. In the past three weeks I've lost an additional 6. The beer isn't breaking my caloric budget on a daily basis like it was prior.

Every night I sleep perfectly. I lay down for bed, fall asleep in 5 minutes, and don't really stir until the alarm goes off at 5am. According to my wife I've quit snoring. She'd kick me on a nightly basis when drinking beer. I also no longer wake up for that nightly piss that had become routine.

I'll turn 37 in 2 weeks and I don't think I've had so much energy since I was a teenager. It's wild.

Keep it going brother. Excited for you. More revelations and positive side effects to be discovered.


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[Gr8tz]

5 Months sober this month, my last year dinking was kind of a blur which is quite sad because I live a very blessed life. I knew the last couple years I drank that there was so much more to offer myself and family. Someone asked me awhile back if I wish that I could drink like a normal person, I told them that for me that is a very sad thing that I could wish for, but if I could wish for something that it would be that I can stay sober the rest of my life

 

[Ratbeetle]

My wife and I are both children of alcoholic fathers. Neither of us have spoken to our fathers for years; over 10 for me and probably 5 for my wife. They'll never get to meet their granddaughter or be involved in our lives again.

All you dads that are taking steps to quit and not let alcohol control your lives, good on you and stick with it. Your children deserve it.

I had an alcohol problem in my early 20s. Thankfully a combination of the military and recongnizing the path I was going down allowed me to fix it before I got too far gone. I've still been a few drink per week kind of guy though. But after recently listening to the huberman podcast recommended here, my wife and I are really cutting it out now.

I do love a cold beer or glass of bourbon occasionally, but I certainly don't need it. We bought one of those carbonated beverage makers and it's stepping in nicely to fill the beer gap on hot days.

Stick with it guys!