Quitting Alcohol

[betelgeuse]

Magnesium has helped my sleep after stopping drinking. I sleep much better since I quit. I dropped about 20 lbs in a few months after quitting alcohol. It's not easy, but it's worth it for your health.

 

[(NOP)]

It's been over a year since I last had a sip, 2 years+ on the sobriety journey. My blood pressure an is now at the point I can't take my medicine as prescribed. When I lose the another 10-20lbs I should be able to get off it completely.

Also my Gerd is under control and no longer need to use PPI medicine or antacids every day.

Fortunately sobriety had been relatively easy for me. It's something I've enjoyed once I made up my mind. It's funny how coworkers react when I'm on business trips, they went from questioning what's wrong with me and I must have a serious problem, to on this last trip a coworker was like "you know your starting to make a lot of sense, I didn't drink the last 3 weeks and am only going to be have 2 drinks this trip."

 

[Rich Lamiroult]

I quit in June 2013. I was maybe 160lb but drinking like a liter of vodka at a bartending job I had.

I quit cold turkey.

I’ll never touch it again. I’ve been bad about exercising lately but when I was I felt amazing paired with no alcohol.

My decisions and demeanor were much different (for the worse) during that time. Even when I was not actively drinking I was like in a cloud.

If you don’t quit completely you should at least take a long hiatus and see how you feel.

 

[Batsonbe]

I’m thankful this has never been an issue for me. I typically only want a cold beer during the summer or when we go eat Mexican food. I didn’t know people struggled with their sobriety until I met someone at work that talked to me about their experiences with alcohol. I’m sure it’s a hard choice daily to choose. He seemed like he was in a better place and was a better person because he had chosen his sobriety for about 30 years now.

 

[Amos Keeto]

I was probably as good a prospect as my hometown had for the next "Cowboy" Nix!
My dad was an alcoholic, he just didn't get slobbering drunk! ...but he was going to have his several "toddies" daily. Probably 5 or 6. Just enough to keep a "buzz" going.

I went to work on a union job in 1969 right out of high school.
A couple of years later, it dawned on me that alot of the men, 40 to 45 years of age, on the job were bitter and/or angry! ...and drunk more than they were sober!
Union? Upper management? Working conditions? It was pretty bad.
I quit in 1983. Soon after, it finally dawned on me that a huge percentage of those guys were WWII vets, Korea War vets with some Nam vets thrown in!
By far, the worst were the WWII vets. PTSD was decades from being recognized!
ALL they had to help deal with the demons and the horrors they witnessed was at the bottom of a can or bottle!
Two of the union crafts were road work. Leave home today.
Work back home tomorrow.
One day at home, then wash, rinse, repeat!
One night at home then two to three nights on the road was/is not conducive to marital bliss! ....and led to infidelity and alcoholism.

 

[Billogna]

I had a relapse. Was dry for over a year. Then the "What if" monster started whispering in my ear..... I started dabbling again. Went the same way as last time tho. Complete waste of time and money. Felt like crap. Everything went downhill in a hurry. I've been dry now for almost a month and don't even think about it. Already feeling better! For those of you on Facebook i highly recommend giving Ian Callahan a follow. He has a great ZERO BS approach to quitting that just makes sense. Anyways.... Wishing everyone health and happiness!! Thanks Fellas!

 

[Rich Lamiroult]

I quit cigarettes in ‘99. Cold turkey. Zero tolerance. I have treated alcohol the same. Quitting means quitting not occasionally having some.

Man I wish I could have a couple social drinks here and there especially with my wife but I messed up and surpassed my life’s alcohol quota and it is what it is.

 

[betelgeuse]

I had a relapse. Was dry for over a year. Then the "What if" monster started whispering in my ear..... I started dabbling again. Went the same way as last time tho. Complete waste of time and money. Felt like crap. Everything went downhill in a hurry. I've been dry now for almost a month and don't even think about it. Already feeling better! For those of you on Facebook i highly recommend giving Ian Callahan a follow. He has a great ZERO BS approach to quitting that just makes sense. Anyways.... Wishing everyone health and happiness!! Thanks Fellas!

Keep at it. It's worth it. Best of luck.

 

[betelgeuse]

I have another tip. Hang around a bunch of slobbering drunks and don't drink. That is an eye opener !

 

[Rich Lamiroult]

Yes. It’s a test of your will but you’ll see what you look like by watching them. It helped me when I kept bartending while quitting.

 

[go_deep]

I have another tip. Hang around a bunch of slobbering drunks and don't drink. That is an eye opener !

I did that kind of by accident one evening, they were people I know and like, but I couldn't get home soon enough.
I honestly felt bad for them, they thought they were funny as hell

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have another tip. Hang around a bunch of slobbering drunks and don't drink. That is an eye opener !

Yes 100%. I've been at a few parties and bonfires with people I used to drink with, all fairly high performing adults, doctors, nurses, teachers etc. As the booze starts flowing their behavior clearly deteriorated and they don't even realize it. I've witnessed people doing embarrassing things, saying things they shouldn't say and just acting dumb in general.

I have one buddy who just gets after it, the bonfire starts and he's taking shots, slamming beers, chugging white claws. Talking to him a few days later he's like e"I can't believe how much we all drank"....bro, you drank about 6 times more than anybody else and I wasn't even drinking so I remember...

It makes me realize that I probably did that a lot, Im glad I don't do it any longer.

 

[betelgeuse]

Yes 100%. I've been at a few parties and bonfires with people I used to drink with, all fairly high performing adults, doctors, nurses, teachers etc. As the booze starts flowing their behavior clearly deteriorated and they don't even realize it. I've witnessed people doing embarrassing things, saying things they shouldn't say and just acting dumb in general.

I have one buddy who just gets after it, the bonfire starts and he's taking shots, slamming beers, chugging white claws. Talking to him a few days later he's like e"I can't believe how much we all drank"....bro, you drank about 6 times more than anybody else and I wasn't even drinking so I remember...

It makes me realize that I probably did that a lot, Im glad I don't do it any longer.

I don't fault them for it. Been there many times. I just leave earlier now. It's easy to start, hard to stop

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I don't fault them for it. Been there many times. I just leave earlier now. It's easy to start, hard to stop

For sure, I m not faulting them for it, it's fun and it's their life. Im just glad Im moving away from that in my own life.

 

[CRJR45]

I had a relapse. Was dry for over a year. Then the "What if" monster started whispering in my ear..... I started dabbling again. Went the same way as last time tho. Complete waste of time and money. Felt like crap. Everything went downhill in a hurry. I've been dry now for almost a month and don't even think about it. Already feeling better! For those of you on Facebook i highly recommend giving Ian Callahan a follow. He has a great ZERO BS approach to quitting that just makes sense. Anyways.... Wishing everyone health and happiness!! Thanks Fellas!

I tell everyone I quit a thousand times before it took , it’s part of the process, IMO .

 

[CRJR45]

I agree being around friends when they’re drunk is good medicine for me .
I had a friend, a professor of law , teaching at seven online colleges , smart guy . But , when he got drunk he was the most juvenile person you could ever meet.
One time he was talking about boobies , bragging about how much money he had and what he was going to do with it , all while cursing like a sailor in front of my mother-in-law. We were on his boat so I had to listen to him until we returned to his slip .
I told him what I thought of it , calmly , and he got upset with me , lol
I don’t miss him one bit .

 

[Billogna]

I agree being around friends when they’re drunk is good medicine for me .
I had a friend, a professor of law , teaching at seven online colleges , smart guy . But , when he got drunk he was the most juvenile person you could ever meet.
One time he was talking about boobies , bragging about how much money he had and what he was going to do with it , all while cursing like a sailor in front of my mother-in-law. We were on his boat so I had to listen to him until we returned to his slip .
I told him what I thought of it , calmly , and he got upset with me , lol
I don’t miss him one bit .

It's funny what an insidious little tether alcohol creates between people. Once it was cut most of the people I drank with were tolerable at best when they were sober, and I'd just as soon avoid them if I can.

 

[Will_m]

I agree being around friends when they’re drunk is good medicine for me .
I had a friend, a professor of law , teaching at seven online colleges , smart guy . But , when he got drunk he was the most juvenile person you could ever meet.
One time he was talking about boobies , bragging about how much money he had and what he was going to do with it , all while cursing like a sailor in front of my mother-in-law. We were on his boat so I had to listen to him until we returned to his slip .
I told him what I thought of it , calmly , and he got upset with me , lol
I don’t miss him one bit .

If I had to teach at seven online schools after going through the trouble of a law degree, well, I’d probably be drinking like that too!

 

[CRJR45]

If I had to teach at seven online schools after going through the trouble of a law degree, well, I’d probably be drinking like that too!

I might have stated that wrong , LOL ! He is a professor that teaches law , basic LEO training I think , I didn't really listen .

 

[ChrisD]

Hanging out with drunks can show ya what not to be like. But, being a little more careful and hanging out with people that want the best for you, and that model good behavior could be helpful too. Misery loves company, and I had friends that were “bothered” by me quitting. Not all of them, but a few. Gradually, those friendships faded. The ones that weren’t bothered have remained great friends. I got selective with who I hung out with.