Giving up booze

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ScotRoutes
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by ScotRoutes »

And, once again we're at the extremes.
You will develop a much better and healthier sleep pattern which will lead you to not feeling tired the next day and you should notice an increase in energy and wellbeing.
MAY develop...

Lots of folk (the majority) manage an occasional alcoholic drink without turning into a lethargic insomniac.
ton
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by ton »

I have to say that I sleep like a baby when I have had a few pale ales.
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Ray Young
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Ray Young »

ScotRoutes wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 5:20 pm And, once again we're at the extremes.
You will develop a much better and healthier sleep pattern which will lead you to not feeling tired the next day and you should notice an increase in energy and wellbeing.
MAY develop...

Lots of folk (the majority) manage an occasional alcoholic drink without turning into a lethargic insomniac.
Not talking about the occasional drink though are we.
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gairym
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by gairym »

Interesting (and timely) discussion.

I've had a lifelong unreality relationship with booze.

I don't drink every day, I'm fine when I've needed to stop completely (during injury or illness recovery etc...) and I'll do occasional 'health kicks' whereby I give up for weeks at a time etc...

BUT...failing a good enough reason not to I repeatedly follow a familiar, tiring and increasingly damaging pattern of:

- having a few to unwind a few evenings per week which then leads to...
- having a few most/every evening per week and then...
- the few slowly creaps up from 1 or 2 to 3 or 4 and then 5 (with more at parties, BBQs etc...)
- I put on weight and eventually something gives (injury or illness) and I reign it all in and behave for a while until everything is ok and I go back to point one and begin again :-bd

I'm like Ton in that I LOVE craft beer, I'm a proper beer nerd and regularly plan 'beerpacking' trips which have craft beer pubs as the destination each night.

I'm currently at the tail-end of the cycle above and getting tired of finding any old excuse to crack open a beer and waking every morning with a fuzzy head after a crappy sleep and the health problems of putting on weight again etc...

I rarely get drunk drunk but in a way that's worse for me as I can defend myself and my actions by pointing out that I'm not hammered but the damage is still being done.

I've endured lots (and LOTS) of the "why not just not drink too much" conversations which I liken to suggesting that a depressed person simply 'pull their socks up' or a person with an eating disorder 'just eats in moderation' etc... highlighting what non-problematic behaviour looks like is of zero use to somebody who can't control an element of their lives.

For me a beer is a release from stress, a reward for being good, a way of cheering myself up when I've had a crappy day, a way to socialise and a much needed way to switch off my brain from overly dwelling on the lunacy of these fun times we're living in - all rolled into one.

Ultimately, almost anything is a reason to grab a beer.

I stopped drinking for 3 or 4 months early last year (nasty double herniated discs back injury) and felt absolutely great about it but soon slipped back into my old ways once the need to stop was removed.

What's the solution? Dunno really... I plan to work on the underlying causes/triggers as opposed to attempting to simply correct my behaviour.

I'll be starting another period of saintly restraint very soon but realistically I'll probably kick the arse out of it for a week or so more while the wife/kids are away and I'm able to go out and see buddies much more than usual (thus ensuring that things really will be in as bad a state as possible before I commit to making changes - yay!).

Does any of this sound familiar to folks???
Tomwoodbury
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Tomwoodbury »

Gairym- very familiar. My social life has revolved around real ale and craft beer for years. I’m not an alcoholic, drinking doesn’t cause me any life problems other than the odd hangover but I like it so much I consume more than I should.

I think my ideal situation would be to drink a couple of beers once a week but feel there is some deconstructive work needed first to prevent me from slipping back into bad habits. I’ve bought a book ‘alcohol explained’ by William Porter which will hopefully help with this.
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

a reward for being good
I think this is perhaps one of the main issues that effects us all when trying to curb behaviour or habits that we enjoy - beer, food, purchases. Society tells us 'we're worth it' and 'we deserve it'. Well, the truth is you don't - you went to work for 5 days in a row, well 'kin done. You mowed the lawn all on your own? Congratulations, have a medal.

It's hard not to use a reward system but it is easy to lower the requirements for receiving one ... aim high people :-bd
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Lazarus
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Lazarus »

MAY develop...

Lots of folk (the majority) manage an occasional alcoholic drink without turning into a lethargic insomniac.
this is what the OP asked for [ due to difficulties in their life with alcohol and trying to remove it form their life]
I know there are a few non drinkers on here, so would you be kind enough to share your experiences/ thoughts / benefits of giving up for inspiration?
I will leave you to decide how helpfull you have been to the OP and how well you done with the brief.
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Lazarus »

I think my ideal situation would be to drink a couple of beers once a week but feel there is some deconstructive work needed first to prevent me from slipping back into bad habits.
Unfortunately ,and my only experience here is smoking , you may not be able to achieve this state

I stopped smoking but wanted the occasional one and this worked well initially but sowly crept up. Eventually I realised i can have one of two reationships with smoking . I could be addicted to it or i could abstain from it. there is no middle way for me. Perhaps you will get balance but you might not- at least alcohol is not 100% addictive like nicotine is.
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Cheeky Monkey
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Cheeky Monkey »

I've endured lots (and LOTS) of the "why not just not drink too much" conversations which I liken to suggesting that a depressed person simply 'pull their socks up' or a person with an eating disorder 'just eats in moderation' etc... highlighting what non-problematic behaviour looks like is of zero use to somebody who can't control an element of their lives.
If it is of zero and you really can't control an element of your life then it sounds, with respect and not being holier than thou, that you might well have a problem, maybe? Is it that you can't control it or are unwilling to? Sometimes, some people do just need to pull their socks up and sort themselves out.

WRT to smoking, I was the worst kind (to my mates), only did it when bored or out drinking and then I'd start poncing fags. From that it crept up with the spliff and just smoking more habitually. I eventually came to the conclusion it was a dumb-arse habit, particularly for me. I decided to stop and did, not had one in 20+ years. I'm just using that as anecdotal illustration that sometimes just pulling socks up is sufficient and possible.

I accept there are some people with addiction related diseases where this is incredibly hard (maybe even impossible). Between them and me (or someone "normal") there will be degrees of variation between tragically, clinically addicted to others who are just weak willed and unwilling to take responsibility for themselves and get it sorted.

For the avoidance of doubt - not having a jab at anyone (even you filthy smokers :wink:) - just trying to talk honestly and frankly about a potentially tricky (set of) subjects :cool:
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Ray Young
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Ray Young »

ScotRoutes wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 5:20 pm And, once again we're at the extremes.
I was going to let this comment pass but you know what, I'm pretty annoyed.
The guy asked for experiences/thoughts/benefits. I gave him not only my personal experience of reducing alcohol intake but also that of many alcohol abusers that I have given counseling to. It is a well known fact that even small amounts of alcohol can have a negative impact on sleep patterns.
Why is it extreme?
Lazarus
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Lazarus »

Because we are so in love with alcohol that if you dont consume it you are seen as taking an extreme position?
Might be because folk dont realise that because they can , or they perceive themsleves to , drink without issue they dont understand why others cant also do this.
Its about as hepful as this 67 kg man turning up on diet threads saying i can eat what i like without adding weight so why dont you
lune ranger
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by lune ranger »

Lazarus wrote: Mon Jul 19, 2021 9:34 am Perhaps you will get balance but you might not- at least alcohol is not 100% addictive like nicotine is.
I think you’re mistaking chemical dependency for addiction.
Anything can be addictive. Addiction is a state of being, not a physical thing.
Anyone addicted to nicotine is past the physical,chemical dependence in hours to days (depending on which sources you believe), bu as an ex-smoker you will remember wanting to, needing to smoke well past that time frame.

I do, however, whole heartedly agree with everything else you’ve said.
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Lazarus
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Lazarus »

Indeed I was -mainly because i did not know there was a difference till you told me [ and I googled]
Thanks for the clarification/correction.
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MuddyPete
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by MuddyPete »

Drinking/smoking/watching substandard telly/scrolling through Instagram for hours/eating burgers, biscuits, cake...
Ray Young wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 12:33 pm ... is easy entertainment and giving up can mean you find yourself bored so always have something to do in your free time.
Good point :geek: .
Changing habits takes a while to get used to, so having an alternative interesting distraction can help.
Drinking -> ride the bike.
Smoking -> 5 minutes wheelie practice. Or frisbee/juggling/slacklining :-bd .
Telly -> Music, so you can talk to someone else, or do something else, too.
Instagram -> play guitar/keyboard/bongos :cool: .
Burgers/biscuits/cake -> interesting and unusual food you'd not usually try.

And if you really do think "need" a beer, is it just because you're actually thirsty and just need to hydrate? :smile:
May you always have tail wind.
tobasco
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by tobasco »

I’ve never had much trouble with alcohol thankfully. But I did smoke for a few years in my twenties, took three attempts to kick it. Have also had phases of life when I’ve wanted to avoid certain food types, be it meat or processed etc. With OP in mind, a thing which works for me is to realise that whenever I get the urge for whatever it is I’m trying to avoid, I tell myself it’s just an urge and I just have to get through the next half hour. When quitting smoking that worked for me, until eventually urges became weaker and weaker.
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RIP
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by RIP »

Came quite close to panda deployment back there a couple of times but we seem to have levelled off again so I'll risk a moment of levity...

There's a brewery near here called Banks & Taylor. Used to visit one of their pubs Friday lunchtimes when working nearby. One mate won a competition to name a new brew. He was very keen on their beers and he was in fact verging on 'addiction'. Still, his winning entry was pretty simple.....

2XS
Last edited by RIP on Tue Jul 20, 2021 11:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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RIP
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by RIP »

redefined_cycles wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 9:55 am P.S. alcohol gel kills nearly all germs, so why do we drink a derivative of it? Weird isn't it
In the interests of balance I think that's possibly stretching the disbenefits a little bit far :wink: .

Consider alc gel is 90-100% alcohol and the size of a germ is, well, pretty titchy. Dumping the equivalent of a vat of 100% alcohol on/in a body is predictably going to do it a mischief. A vat of 100% H2O would have the same effect.

A pint of 4% alcohol on a body weighing over 150 times as much would not seem a fair comparison.

And think of all those fantastic B vitamins! :smile:
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP

The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....

"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
Lazarus
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Lazarus »

Water wont "drown" a virus -please dont use this process to disinfect your hands-- corona can live in water [ not indefinetly but certainly days if not weeks] really dont try this.
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RIP
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by RIP »

Aye that wasn't a suggestion for virii :wink: . But a vat of water would certainly drown a human. Anyway I'm guilty of OT now sorry.
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP

The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....

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ScotRoutes
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by ScotRoutes »

My grandfather died after falling into a vat of whisky.

He had to get out 4 times to go for a pee.
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RIP
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by RIP »

Sigh! :wink:
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP

The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....

"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by RIP »

ScotRoutes wrote: Tue Jul 20, 2021 12:09 pm My grandfather died after falling into a vat of whisky.

He had to get out 4 times to go for a pee.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/7news. ... 8116.amp
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP

The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....

"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
Scud
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by Scud »

I think a lot of it is routine, boredom and a sense of its something you have always done...

I think you have to ask yourself if you are someone who can just have an occasional drink, or it has to be all or nothing?

My old man was an alcoholic, i grew up with him drinking half a bottle of Bells or Teachers whisky before he went to the pub, then through my 20's playing rugby and having been a squaddie, i always drank a lot, i could easily put away 15+ pints after a game, but you get to a point as you get older you just can't do it anymore, when i drink now at 46, i very rarely ever get drunk, i just get more and more tired as i drink, and then the next day i am just lethargic.

But you need to break the habit with something that you really enjoy and something that also feels the social gap. i am down now to probably 4-5 drinks a week, and try to drink quality instead of quantity. so a decent glass of red, or a craft beer that i can drink slowly instead of necking.

But the things that stops me, is i really enjoy social cycling / bikepacking with friends, and i tend to be the coordinator of rides with my mates, so we ride every wednesday evenings and most Sat/Sun mornings at 8am, so it stops me drinking that 3rd beer on a friday night, the fact i want to be up bushy tailed in the morning and i want enjoy my cycling.

The other thing that is good is weight training, will improve your cycling no end, great for aging muscles and joints and bone density, but most importantly has a real exercise "high" that goes with it.
arkay
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by arkay »

Lazarus wrote: Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:48 pm Its about as hepful as this 67 kg man turning up on diet threads saying i can eat what i like without adding weight so why dont you
That was me, well 76kg not 67kg. I thought I was one of those lucky people who could much through biscuits, have a beer or a glass of wine with dinner and not worry about porking out.

Since lockdown and a change of job means I am no longer commuting by bike, I have found that is very much not the case and I am now the owner of a magical shrinking wardrobe. For the first time in my life I can feel my belly as a physical entity, and I don't like it.

Which brings me (sort of) on topic. Booze really does have a lot of calories. I am not sure how much of the weight gain since March 2020 is down to the lack of commuting and how much is down to being at home and therefore tempted to have a drink every evening, whereas before I would usually only have one on the rare occasions I was home early, or at weekends.

I don't really like the sensation of being drunk - I will have a bottle or two of beer, or a glass of wine, just because they are nice things to drink and add to a good meal. Drinking water with a meal is OK but I have never really found anything else that goes with food like booze does. Likewise when you roll up to a pub on a summer ride, a cold pint of lager hits the spot in the way nothing else does.

But for the sake of my waistline I really need to start seeing booze as a "special treat" rather than the default "what shall I have with dinner?" option.
middleagedmadness
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Re: Giving up booze

Post by middleagedmadness »

Stopped about a fortnight back when they changed my meds , was sat in the pub at lunch time with the wife , had a couple of pints , stood up to go for a pee and dropped like a sack of poor show , wife was panicking when I came round thinking I’d took a heart attack, so that was that no drink since , like ton I enjoy the taste more than the feeling but it’s just one of those things that needs to stop so I stopped, like everyone says over here your looked at strange when you go out and don’t drink , yet back in Dublin even though it’s a major drinking culture nobody bats a eye lid a those who don’t
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