Quitting Alcohol

[thinhorn_AK]

Do tell.

a lot of people have been able to kick the booze with those farm bill approved, federally legal cbd/thc products.

Skip all the calories of those NA beers and you don’t need to look like a dork buying them.

 

[SC HUNTER]

I look like an idiot just walking around normally day to day. I've used some CBD products in the past but not recently. Stopping drinking alcohol has been very easy for me thus far.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I look like an idiot just walking around normally day to day. I've used some CBD products in the past but not recently. Stopping drinking alcohol has been very easy for me thus far.

The. It’s probably not applicable advice for you since it dosent seem to be hard for you. For lots of folks though, it’s not super easy.

 

[lil' bear]

Came here to say November 8, 2018 was the last time I had a drink. Today marks 7 years.

I was a budweiser guy, would usually buy 2 tall boys and a 24 pack everyday after work. Would occasionally go get another 18 after the 24 was gone.

After a few wrecks (all single car no injuries) I quit cold turkey. No meetings.

 

[SC HUNTER]

Came here to say November 8, 2018 was the last time I had a drink. Today marks 7 years.

I was a budweiser guy, would usually buy 2 tall boys and a 24 pack everyday after work. Would occasionally go get another 18 after the 24 was gone.

After a few wrecks (all single car no injuries) I quit cold turkey. No meetings.

Congratulations! I have been known to get on the golf cart and go to the store shithammered drunk to get more. What an idiot I was! Again, Congratulations!

 

[Klooop]

What a great crew we have on this thread.

I recently found out my cousin killed someone while driving drunk. He's a great guy and I have tons of respect for him, but he made some bad decisions that he has to live with forever. He went to jail for a while, no longer drinks, and so on. That one hit me pretty hard.

I am fortunate that I've never really had a problem, and I mostly just consumed a fairly moderate amount compared to others around me, but I certainly recognize there were NO real positive effects from drinking.

Between reading a bunch of the stories on this thread, the Andrew Huberman episode linked previously, and some other life circumstances (including the above) - I just haven't felt any desire to drink over the last couple months. And I hope it stays that way. I honestly feel substantially better right now than I have in a long time. Better memory, quicker thinking, less wasted time, better & more consistent workouts, more productive & family time, more money in the bank, etc. I can only imagine the effects being more dramatic for heavier drinkers.

I hope you all keep up the good work. Report back if in need of support.

 

[Cantshoot]

The. It’s probably not applicable advice for you since it dosent seem to be hard for you. For lots of folks though, it’s not super easy.

For me it felt impossible and something I could never live without. After a couple decades of drinking myself to sleep every night and eventually getting to where I couldn’t go without alcohol, the withdrawals and mental obsession were just too much. I decided I had to quit because I couldn’t go on living that way. I tried every way I could think of to not drink. Eventually I realized I had to go to rehab. Having to admit I had a problem was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. After rehab I started attending AA meetings and so far it’s kept me sober. January 26th will be two years. I’ll never forget the feelings I had sitting in the parking lots of liquor stores not wanting to go inside but knew I was going in eventually. The pic is when I was trying to quit on my own and the night sweats would hit on my second night like clockwork, I never made to the third. It was a miserable life and one I never want to live again. My pillow would be covered in sweat and the bed so wet you’d think I pissed in it. Would lay a towel down so I could get back in to go to sleep. For people that have never been fully addicted to alcohol it’s impossible to understand.

 

[Woolley Bugger]

Joining the party late. I've never had a problem with alcohol and until a few years ago, the medical consensus was that moderate drinking was fine. So I enjoyed a whiskey or two in the evenings. Two things change my mind.
1) The current consensus is that there is no safe lower limit. I'm a physician and have seen enough "consensuses" overturned over the years to take this with a grain of salt. I'm not going to make myself miserable to reduce my mortality by 0.01%
2) More importantly, a couple of years ago I got a Garmin watch that tracks my sleep and stress levels. I was shocked at what a difference there was in days that I drink and days that I don't. That convinced me to cut back. I feel much better and have higher energy now.

So, I still drink, but much less. I find the Garmin a great feedback tool to gamify the process.