So whos had any luck quitting drinking?

[Shask]

I have a hard time understanding alcoholism. I rarely drink, and when I do it generally just makes me tired and I go to bed. Its like, whats the point?

 

But, I am like that with a lot of things. Alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc...

 

I did smoke, but I quit several years ago. I agree that just making the decision to stop, and doing it is the best course. All the "weening off" and "cutting down" was bull{censored} excuses that never accomplished anything.

 

If it is affecting your life in a negative way, then just quit. Easy as that

[hahavishnu]

I was having an issue with it pretty hardcore about 5 years ago. No good advice from me except to stop doing it. I just decided not to touch it and then did everything possible not to. Now I'll have a few occasionally and everything's been all right. Good luck.

 

 

to the OP.if you are having a serious problem with it, a few "now and then" wont work.full stop.the end

[grwhitefan]

Dude, you are not alone.......I'm in the same boat at this very moment. I know I'm probably an alcoholic, because I can't stop at 1 drink. I only drink on occasion....but when I do.....I keep on going.

I went to a Halestorm concert a few weeks ago....drank before, throughout, & after the concert. Started having mixed drinks (Jack & Coke) at a nearby bar known for it's strong drinks..........got HAMMERED.....thankfully my friend drove me home. I was pretty much blacked out. Puked in the bathroom.....was confronted by the wife.....very sick the next day.

I talked to a friend who'd stopped drinking for 7 years: he suggested replacing the booze with a Pepsi. And do not let friends pressure you into drinking. He suggested shooting for 1 year of sobriety to start out with.....or as long as needed until getting the drinking under control (if ever).

I also feel that each drunken episode is getting worse & worse....will end up dead or wrecking if I don't stop. I'm actually scared, but feel this will keep me from drinking.

Good luck!!!

[LoopQuantum]

Peer pressure's a bitch.

I order something that looks like a drink, so I don't need to make a scene about it. Tonic water and lime.

[cginest]

It seems to be a cyclical thing for me. I'll knock it off for a while and then hit it hard for a while. Good news is the knock off periods are getting longer and the hit it hard periods shorter over the last 3-4 years.

Its defintely a social thing. I dont drink at home, and I dont drink at a bar for an extended period of time unless Im with multiple friends. I'll tell you one thing, if prohibition had stuck, I'd be like $30,000 richer and a few lbs lighter.

[Das Booty]

Everything in moderation.

This. Exactly.

If you deprive yourself something, you will most certainly go back to it, and with a vengeance (binge drink, anyone?)

[Slaymoar]

not me. i havent posted on this forum in a while. im an alcoholic. given up on god. i even have whiskey in my hand as i type this. i drink everyday. morning and night ' lost my job last month because i refused to go to work so i could stay home and drink i dont care about anything/anyone anymore and fine with that

At least you are aware that you are ruining your life with it. Sometimes it just takes becoming a homeless for a few decades and being on your death bed before going "hey, I think I change my mind now" as you get taken off life support. Good job

[Norton666]

to the OP.if you are having a serious problem with it, a few "now and then" wont work.full stop.the end

 

 

I agree with this . If youre posting on a forum asking about it , Id venture to guess its time to take a break from it. Take a couple of months and dont touch it AT ALL. Then re evaluate. It might be possible to occassionally have a few drinks , but you can only make that decision when youve had a bit of time away from it

[meelosh123]

Been said already, but it could be dangerous to quit cold turkey depending on how dependent you are. Safe to say, if you can chug a half liter of liquor in a few seconds and not black out/pass out, it'd be best to be monitored when withdrawing.

There are lots of resources to help. The easiest way to do it is to stop and never touch the stuff again. If your drinking problem is serious, "moderating" your drinking is not an alternative, because you'll more than likely end up suffering the same consequences that you are now.

One tip that works well (and may be indispensable for a while) is staying the hell away from places and people that have/use/encourage alcohol use.

[Kenny Powers]

I used to be a binge drinker (it was my minor in college ) but stopped drinking AS much, as I progressed in my career. That said, I still have my weekends where there are people at my house, we go out or party at my place, and I wake up not remembering getting home. I also love to have a glass or two of wine with my dinner.

However, I have cut severely back in order to acheive other goals. I had to quit cold turkey for a month in order to make weight for a competition. It was all about putting things in perspective, in what you are trying to acheive, and is there something in the way (booze)? If so, get rid of that obstacle, or do what it takes to make it not an obstacle.

[Cougar Hunter]

I used to be a binge drinker (it was my minor in college ) but stopped drinking AS much, as I progressed in my career. That said, I still have my weekends where there are people at my house, we go out or party at my place, and I wake up not remembering getting home. I also love to have a glass or two of wine with my dinner. However, I have cut severely back in order to acheive other goals. I had to quit cold turkey for a month in order to make weight for a competition. It was all about putting things in perspective, in what you are trying to acheive, and is there something in the way (booze)? If so, get rid of that obstacle, or do what it takes to make it not an obstacle.

wow, this sounds like me.:eek:

I went cold turkey for a month back in '07. That saved me. I still drink, but it's nothing like it used to be.

[Ron Burgandy]

I had bleeding ulcers, so I had to cut back. That was beginning of 2008. It's slowly tapered way way down since then, and now I only drink socially.

Prior to that it was at least a 12 pack a day. Weekends were fair game to get stupidly retarded drunk.


My tolerance has dropped way off, and now I'm doing well if I get 5 or 6 beers in. Getting drunk just doesn't have the same fun it used to and drinking solo just ain't my thing anymore.


Back to the OP... dude, if you really lost your job due to booze, then seek some professional help. HCAF ain't going to do {censored}. I did all of the above while going to college, working full time, etc. Getting {censored}ed up never interferes with work in my world.

[charveldan]

9 years alcohol, tobacco & drug free, you just have to get to a place in your life that the alcohol/drugs aren't working, and that your party is over, until someone can honestly admit that ,staying clean won't work.

Recovery is not for those who need it, it's for those who want it.

[mhr74]

Not always that simple. That's good for Zakk, but if you're seriously a hardcore alcoholic, going cold turkey can kill you, literally. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_withdrawal I've been in withdrawal from benzodiazepenes a couple of times in my life, which is very similar to alcohol withdrawal, and it's easily the worst feeling that I've ever experienced. Good luck OP; my best advice is to go find a clinic and/or support group etc, people who have been through what you're going through and can support you both in making the right decisions and in keeping your spirits up so you can make it through it.

 

 

this

 

Don't reinvent the wheel. 3 and a half years sober.

[Zakko]

I haven't drank anything in three weeks. This is coming from a dude who has no problem dropping a pint of Southern Comfort every night and 1/5th every Saturday night.

 

I want to lose weight. After one week, I dropped 10 pounds just by not drinking.

 

 

Drinking for me is quite easy. I can afford it. I have no life and it kills time VERY easily. I become a very lovely person and it's gotten me laid many-a-times.

 

Somedays, on a bad day, I'd look forward to saying, "well, today sucked but at least I can go home and get bombed."

 

Right now, I'm calling it a power play. Challenging myself to do things out of the norm to flex my self-control muscle.

 

charveldan and mrh74, excellent work. Proud of you guys.

[thenakedarab]

If you can't do it yourself, go get help. Doesn't have to be 12 step, a counselor could help you, and while I never considered myself an alcoholic, I did drink like a freaking fish, and I do still smoke some weed, though I've been fighting with quitting. Also, it's not like I quit, I just don't drink often, and can moderate when I do. Drinking water helps, have a beer, a H2O, Maker's neat with a water back, maybe another beer and water if I hang for a long time. I keep around one drink every 3/4-1 hrs. If you drink water and hydrate yourself you'll drink less.

And I don't drink nightly, sometimes I'll go months without so much as a beer, then I might go out a couple times in a month, then another dry spell. Not imposed, it's just I don't really dig bars, and am not an I drink alone kind of guy.

[charveldan]

I haven't drank anything in three weeks. This is coming from a dude who has no problem dropping a pint of Southern Comfort every night and 1/5th every Saturday night. I want to lose weight. After one week, I dropped 10 pounds just by not drinking. Drinking for me is quite easy. I can afford it. I have no life and it kills time VERY easily. I become a very lovely person and it's gotten me laid many-a-times. Somedays, on a bad day, I'd look forward to saying, "well, today sucked but at least I can go home and get bombed." Right now, I'm calling it a power play. Challenging myself to do things out of the norm to flex my self-control muscle. charveldan and mrh74, excellent work. Proud of you guys.

Thanks Zakk, now if i can just lose about 40 lbs.

[carvinlegacy99]

Do intense exercise, and start eating a lot cleaner. Do that and drinking will just make you feel like crap. Also find other fun things to do with your time. Get some new hobbies.

I recommend the Paleolithic Diet.

[Cougar Hunter]

after you get past one night of insomnia, chills, and sweating, you're homefree from then on. (actually being serious)

[PurityS.L.G.]

I only drink to numb the intensive pain of my gout and keep my blood pressure down.

[nvranka]

I do not have a drinking problem, but I do believe with the proper motivation and support from your friends/loved ones you can take your drinking habits to a social and moderate level.

Make a decision, tell everyone you know about it, be alright with it, and get it done.

It won't happen overnight but you can do it bro

[Slunderfungus]

zakk wylde stopped. just stopped. thats how you do it, if you want to quit doing something, just stop doing it. and dont {censored}ing say {censored}, anything you say is an excuse. excuses dont produce results.

 

 

Exactly. I was a pretty heavy drinker, through my teen years and the Navy. When I was 21, my new gave birth to my first child, a son. My first step dad was a heavy drinker and speed freak, and like to beat the {censored} out of me for whatever reason popped into his head. I told myself that I would never expose my children to the kind of {censored} I was. after a three day labor...she had a {censored}ty doctor, my son cam into this world on July 20th, 1991 at 12:30AM. I was ragged when I drove home, and stopped at 7-11 at 2:20, and bought two 40oz'ers. I drank about half of one when I told myself it was enough. I poured the rest down the sink, knocked on my neighbors door and gave him the other one, then cleaned my house, and emptied it of everything pertaining to alcohol. That was 19 years ago, and one of the best decisions I ever made.

 

I have had a couple times since that I broke down and had a beer or two, and one time my brother came over with a bottle of Scotch that was our families recipe from way back...I'm Scotch Irish, and Cherokee...bad combo for drinking...but that has been the only times. I have entertained the thought of every now and then trying a bottle of micro brew, but still haven't broke down and bought any.

 

So if you want to quit, just quit.

[Rogueleader]

I haven't had a drink since June. I don't have an addictive personality though.

[Shiny_Surface]

Just got home from work and cracked a cold one, about to jam.

[PurityS.L.G.]

Anybody else here drink while they shower or {censored}?