Quitting Alcohol

[Yoder]

This month makes it 8 years since I've stopped drinking. I used to think it was impossible to never drink again. Now I can't imagine ever starting back up. It brought me nothing but misery in my life and I'm glad to be done with it. It gets easier every day.

 

[lamarclark09]

I’m so glad you quit that notorious habit. You must have seen a very positive change in your physical shape and mental health as well. Of course, drinking was deteriorating your health for quite a while so the change will be slow and steady but trust me it will be worth it.

 

[UncleBone]

I’ve actually found some really great non-alcoholic beers I like. So much so even if I went back to drinking I’d still drink them.


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Well being heavenly wheat was my jam. I was actually a sales rep for a beer distributor, and LOVED craft beer. That heavenly wheat isnt as good as a great hazy ipa, or any good beer, but it reminded me a lot of boulevard wheat. I drank a ton of that when I was younger. Now I dont drink any of it, but if you need a substitute for a bbq or something, that would be my go to.

 

[hunt1up]

Glad to see the thread bumped. I'm now a little over 6 months booze/beer free. I'm still pretty certain it was one of the best decisions of my life. Down 27 pounds(I attribute about half that to the lack of alcohol) since August. I had to go buy all new dress clothes for work trips since my pants are now 2" too big.

Sleep continues to be great. I can get a square 7-8 hours, wake up early and exercise for a bit, then go about the the day with plenty of energy.

Another big change is my digestive system. No urgent dirty morning beer poop, no bloat, far less gas. Everything comes out in a calm and timely manner. Sorry to bring that one up but it was worth mentioning.

 

[UncleBone]

Glad to see the thread bumped. I'm now a little over 6 months booze/beer free. I'm still pretty certain it was one of the best decisions of my life. Down 27 pounds(I attribute about half that to the lack of alcohol) since August. I had to go buy all new dress clothes for work trips since my pants are now 2" too big.

Sleep continues to be great. I can get a square 7-8 hours, wake up early and exercise for a bit, then go about the the day with plenty of energy.

Another big change is my digestive system. No urgent dirty morning beer poop, no bloat, far less gas. Everything comes out in a calm and timely manner. Sorry to bring that one up but it was worth mentioning.

Congrats man! Stick with it if you feel that great about it for sure. I always said I would take a year off and then decide. The first few months, I was certain Id drink again after a year. Now it is almost 4 years later and I still don't drink. I will tell the truth though, I still LOVE craft beer, and if a friend or friends open something really good, Ill have an oz or two of it just to taste it and enjoy the flavor. It also reminds me that I have more self control than I give myself credit for. Could very easily decide to crush a whole beer, and then a 6er.

 

[Kilboars]

Well being heavenly wheat was my jam. I was actually a sales rep for a beer distributor, and LOVED craft beer. That heavenly wheat isnt as good as a great hazy ipa, or any good beer, but it reminded me a lot of boulevard wheat. I drank a ton of that when I was younger. Now I dont drink any of it, but if you need a substitute for a bbq or something, that would be my go to.

I’m with you. I brewed beer for many years but But ended up preferring the very lower alcohol levels or just drank wine or bourbon.


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[schmalzy]

i quit drinking for 2 weeks at a time when im at work.

I make up for it on my 2 weeks off work.

Nobody likes a quitter.

I do.


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[Greenbelt]

quit. It's the best thing you'll ever do. For everyone.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Two months dry and holding.


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Same here, started as just a new year thing but I’ve been feeling so good and my workouts have been awesome so I’m holding tight.

Sort of strange, I’m sleeping so well that when I do wake up I have to piss really REALLY bad. In the past, I’d just sort of half wake up and pee. Now I wake up after like 5 solid hours of sleep and it’s go time. Part of that is being old, lots of that is sleeping better.

 

[General RE LEE]

Thanks to God and the fellowship of AA, I have been sober 10 years. My drinking got so bad in my early 30s, I checked into rehab for 30 days to medically detox and get some distance away from my last drink. As soon as I got out, I went to meetings, got a sponsor and worked the Steps. Now I sponsor others and have seen their lives change. We must pass on what was freely given to us.

 

[survivalistd]

Thanks to God and the fellowship of AA, I have been sober 10 years. My drinking got so bad in my early 30s, I checked into rehab for 30 days to medically detox and get some distance away from my last drink. As soon as I got out, I went to meetings, got a sponsor and worked the Steps. Now I sponsor others and have seen their lives change. We must pass on what was freely given to us.

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Great job helping others. Giving back is what keeps us sober.

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[bobinmi]

I've got a question for the group. If this thread was only about sobriety I would not, but it refers to drinking specifically. Has anyone (or someone's friend) made the switch from alcohol to thc? "my friend" noticed throughout covid that things had gotten a little out of hand with his drinking and he was 261lbs. About a year ago "my friend" made the transition. He's now lost 50lbs, stopped taking insomnia meds and has a better relationship with his wife than any time during their 12 yr marriage. What does the group say? if this is out of line feel free to delete.

 

[CRJR45]

I've got a question for the group. If this thread was only about sobriety I would not, but it refers to drinking specifically. Has anyone (or someone's friend) made the switch from alcohol to thc? "my friend" noticed throughout covid that things had gotten a little out of hand with his drinking and he was 261lbs. About a year ago "my friend" made the transition. He's now lost 50lbs, stopped taking insomnia meds and has a better relationship with his wife than any time during their 12 yr marriage. What does the group say? if this is out of line feel free to delete.

Good question , I used weed to help me not drink . Many of my friends in AA looked down their noses at me for it and said I wasn't truly sober .
I guess I get their way of thinking , but I never got out of control on weed . Everything affects people different . Weed has many benefits , much like some people can have just one drink to calm down at the end of the day , IMO
I've always said , whatever works for you is what you need to do , as long as it's not hurting anyone else .

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I've got a question for the group. If this thread was only about sobriety I would not, but it refers to drinking specifically. Has anyone (or someone's friend) made the switch from alcohol to thc? "my friend" noticed throughout covid that things had gotten a little out of hand with his drinking and he was 261lbs. About a year ago "my friend" made the transition. He's now lost 50lbs, stopped taking insomnia meds and has a better relationship with his wife than any time during their 12 yr marriage. What does the group say? if this is out of line feel free to delete.

Ask any emt, firefighter or police officer which does more damage, alcohol or pot. I like alcohol as much as anybody but it leaves me hungover, dehydrated, hammers the liver, messes up sleep, digestion, all sorts of stuff really. A few hits of weed isn’t doing that.

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

I've got a question for the group. If this thread was only about sobriety I would not, but it refers to drinking specifically. Has anyone (or someone's friend) made the switch from alcohol to thc? "my friend" noticed throughout covid that things had gotten a little out of hand with his drinking and he was 261lbs. About a year ago "my friend" made the transition. He's now lost 50lbs, stopped taking insomnia meds and has a better relationship with his wife than any time during their 12 yr marriage. What does the group say? if this is out of line feel free to delete.

I'm completely sober. There was phases where I indulged in both.
When I really thought about it. The latter often made me content with mediocrity. I never did anything too stupid with it, but I was doing it for the same reasons.

Ultimately I realized I didn't need a substance to "take the edge off." I feel all my emotions and moments fully. I learned other healthy ways to cope with life, relax... Ect.
I don't put anyone down that made the switch though. While I have seen people do dumb shit while high it was usually with alcohol combined, or we were teenagers.

Friends I grew up with that still consistently indulge in cannabis seem to be stuck in a weird rut. They don't have bad lives per se, but they don't take many steps to go beyond their comfort zone to improve them.
I believe a lot of that stems from never learning healthy coping then being content to never take action.
Also have some people I grew up with that developed nasty anger problems when they don't smoke.
I've seen cannabis help and I've seen it hurt. Not nearly as bad as alcohol though.

Caffeine has always been a hard one for me to kick. I finally toned it down to only tea, but I know come backpacking/hunting time I'll want a little coffee again. We'll see if I can stick to the change.
Life has been less stressful since I lowered the intake though.

 

[coloyooper]

Ask any emt, firefighter or police officer which does more damage, alcohol or pot. I like alcohol as much as anybody but it leaves me hungover, dehydrated, hammers the liver, messes up sleep, digestion, all sorts of stuff really. A few hits of weed isn’t doing that.

Now if only FDs, etc would acknowledge that..

 

[ScottRK]

Probably be dead from the alcohol or driving if I hadn’t quit at 29. Although I’ve had a few rarely since then and could now without a problem , the desire just isn’t there.

Working on the road living in motels starting at 21. It was a party all the time.

At 25 laying in a motel bed in daylight after work seeing things move in the room out of the the corner of my eye was a wake up.I left that job and noticed my hands shake, but that didn’t stop me for a couple years yet.
Started out beer, then whiskey and coke, my last favorite drink was VO and water.

Go out and get drunk at least 5 nights a week and twice on Sunday.

 

[General RE LEE]

My opinion only

Sobriety is abstinence from any mood altering substance unless prescribed and supervised by a physician.

For example, I have anxiety attacks on occasion. I have 4 Ativan in a pill bottle as a “rescue” if I have a hard time getting it under control.

I haven’t taken one in 2 years and the pills are expired.

Experiencing life in full technicolor, the good and the bad, and learning how to navigate the tough times is the key to emotional and spiritual growth. Being high on other substances hinders growth IMO.

 

[hunt1up]

I've got a question for the group. If this thread was only about sobriety I would not, but it refers to drinking specifically. Has anyone (or someone's friend) made the switch from alcohol to thc? "my friend" noticed throughout covid that things had gotten a little out of hand with his drinking and he was 261lbs. About a year ago "my friend" made the transition. He's now lost 50lbs, stopped taking insomnia meds and has a better relationship with his wife than any time during their 12 yr marriage. What does the group say? if this is out of line feel free to delete.

I was always a heavy drinker that dabbled slightly into THC. Someone would have some weed around and I'd already be 12 beers deep and then I'd have some of that on top. Talk about a terrible combo for me. I'd go from drunk to lights out pretty quick doing that. When you've already consumed that much alcohol it's going to end poorly no matter what though

Since I've quit drinking I've still moderately had some THC in various forms. For whatever reason I can have some here and there and have no addiction to it. Alcohol is a true problem for me but weed never has been. I don't wake up hung over, depressed, I don't black out, and I don't do dumb crap with weed. I know I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth on this, as it is also a mind altering substance just the same.

At least for me there's no comparison between the two substances. One was highly destructive to my life and the other is benign to moderately beneficial. While alcohol causes far more problems in society I do know a few people that hit the weed pretty hard and I'd say they're addicted to it. But, I know 50 people addicted to alcohol and maybe 2 I'd say smoke too much weed.

I'll certainly not tell people in a thread about sobriety to go try some other substance. That's stupid. I'm just speaking from my personal experience that it's an apples/oranges comparison and that right or wrong I view them differently.

 

[Ehunter]

I had to divorce my drinking buddies. I quit drinking lost 40 lbs. I am older now and will still have a occasional beer. But none of my social circle are drinkers. My bottom was when I heard a bull bulging that I had been working. I was too fat to go after him. I went home started exercising quit drinking started working out. I was up to 260 now I am 185. I am also a senior now but love hiking and hunting. Good luck it's a long road