quitting alcohol

IAmGoingToTri

IAmGoingToTri

New member
I just quit smoking a week ago. I want to keep making measurable progress and keep momentum (and avoid that infamous weight gain that new ex-smokers tend to get), so I want to take another step:

I will not drink alcohol for the next 100 days. Reducing alcohol was already on my to do list, so I thought "why not go all the way?" (at least for a while, though I may extend the 100 days to a year, or perhaps
indefinitely).

Now, what helped me last time (last week :p) in quitting smoking, was knowing a lot of good reasons to do this. So, let's see what I can come up with:

  1. No more hangovers
  2. Saying and doing less stupid things at parties
  3. Less calories -> weight loss
  4. Saving hundreds of euros each year (probably in the first 100 days already)
  5. Better sleep (alcohol is bad for sleep)
  6. More productivity (because of better sleep, no hangovers, among other effects)
  7. Less risk to go back to smoking (I mentioned that alcohol makes me do stupid things)
  8. Able to act in case of an emergency (when you would normally be drinking, for example at a party)
  9. More confident; not needing a substance to have fun and be yourself.
  10. It's probably not easy, so a great training for my character (discipline, courage, all that good stuff).
  11. You don't smell like alcohol (when you would have otherwise drunk)
  12. More quality time with people; you have better conversations when you are sober
I could go on. It's definitely very beneficial. While I could not see any real benefits to smoking, I could see some benefits of drinking. But, for me, at least at this moments, the downsides are not as important as the upsides (and, to be clear, I don't judge anyone for making another decision). So, I am going to do this, starting now.

Feel free to join me if you are up for the challenge.
 
I postponed starting this challenge, just throwing my last alcohol away felt like such a waste ;). And just keeping it there would be too tempting. I have finished the last alcohol that I had in store and I will return the empty bottles after writing this post.

So, today is day #1! I look forward to reaping all the benefits that this lifestyle change will bring! One of the most useful differences that not drinking can make is that it will help me lose weight, which at this moment is a very welcome benefit, because I just quit smoking and then you risk gaining weight, so this may balance it out. I will replace alcohol with water and tea.

There will be frustration, but I know from experience (since I have done this before) that I will get used to it. I also know that this will take a lot of time, more time than quitting smoking. One difference from quitting smoking, is that smoking is frowned upon and quitting smoking is encouraged, while alcohol is the national drug, and people think it is weird if you quit alcohol, they may even take offense, even if quitting is just your personal choice/preference.
 
This challenge is not going great, I drank a few beers every now and then. However, I do want this, and I have no reasons not to do this now, so I am just going to try until I succeed. Yesterday I did not drink any alcohol, so today is day 2 of this attempt.
 
Because it worked so well, I am going to do the same in this thread as I did in my thread about quitting smoking (day 15 now... wooh); I will just post a lot, probably about every day for the first weeks, writing down every thought/experience that I have related to this challenge

Today is day 3 of my challenge to not drink for (at least) 100 days. Yesterday I felt tempted while I was at the supermarket, but I managed to resist it. I got a fruit smoothy instead. Haha it sounds like I am an alcoholic, but it's not that bad, I usually drink 5-10 beer per week. However, it is a habit that is hard to change.

From Wednesday to Saturday, a friend of mine is going to come over. He has some business to do in my city and needed a place to crash. It will probably be very tempting to have a few beers with him, but I should not. I should stick with my challenge.

I think the top 4 reasons to do this now are:
  1. More energy: I have just started a career in a new field and I need my brain to be as sharp as possible.
  2. Losing weight: with alcohol I lose weight.
  3. Setting an example: I have people in my life with alcohol problems and I like them to see that it is possible to quit drinking. I won't preach to them, or even point it out, I am sure they will notice it by themselves.
  4. Saving money: saving some euros more each month is very welcome.
Each of these reasons is enough on it's own to motivate me to do this, so together they give me a real strong motivation (in addition to the ones that I mentioned in my first post). So, I don't have to think that it is silly that I am doing it, it makes a lot of sense. I know I should do this, the only question remaining is how will I be able to stick with this?

I managed not to drink alcohol for the first 15-16 years of my life and I did not miss it at all, so I have already proven that it is possible (I did, however, drink massive amounts of Cola... not sure that I want to go back to that :p).

Anyways, if you read this, thanks for your interest! Anyone who is interested is welcome to join me!
 
Day 4! It's going well!

This evening, a friend will arrive to stay at my place until Saturday. I know him from university, and we often drank some beers (or something stronger) together. So, it will be challenging to resist the temptation of drinking with him. So, I need to mentally prepare for that. First, I know I don't need to drink with him to have a good time. I can also just get a coffee, tea, juice, or just water, and of course he can drink beer if he likes. I will try to cut on caffeine (including tea and coffee) and sugar (including juice) later, but I will not do that now, because I would just set myself up for failure if I try to make too many changes at once, and I would be without a good substitute. I will have to try to find some good beverages that don't contain (excessive) sugar or caffeine.

After I get used to these substitute beverages, I may allow myself the occasional coffee, tea or alcoholic beverage.
 
Ok, I drank alcohol again. I did not resist the temptation of having a few drinks with my friend.

Too bad. I am going to start over, right now. So, today is day 1 once again.

It may take a few attempts, but I believe that I can do this.
 
Day 2!

I am going to post a lot here until it gets easier.

Today and tomorrow will probably not be too hard. I don't meet any friends (with whom I could have a drink), and I am busy with work. Wednesday I will have a drink with my brother. I plan to just have a coffee with him. If I decide that in advance, it is easier.

Damn, I sound like an alcoholic. Just to be clear: I used to drink about 5-10 beers per week on average, not too much I would say (but still enough for 750 - 1500 calories, which could mean I could lose 100-200 grams per week if I would cut out drinking), but still it is quite challenging to break this habit. I would say that its harder than quitting smoking. I mean, even though quitting smoking is hell in the first days (because of the withdrawal), after you have quit smoking for 2 weeks, it gets much easier, while not drinking takes a lot more time to get easier. One reason for this is that drinking alcohol is seen as the norm in western culture, it's even encouraged, while smoking it not (anymore).

Anyways, I did not drink alcohol during the first half of my life and it was no problem, so I can do this again.
 
Day 4!

I was not really tempted in the last days. However, I am sure that there will be more difficult moments and I should mentally prepare for that, because I can't always predict them.
 
Day 5. Yesterday I had a drink with my brother, in a pub. I drank a nonalcoholic (0,0 %) beer. It tasted alright, not as good as regular beer, but still ok. I think that I will do that more often when I am in the pub.

Anyways, I don't expect much temptation today. Tomorrow I am going to my old university city again to visit some friends, but I guess I am alright.

What helps me now is that I have allowed myself to be a bit more flexible with what I drink. I used to not drink soda and I was trying to limit how much coffee I drank, and while I think it is good to reduce sugar and caffeine intake, I think limiting alcohol has a much stronger (positive) impact than limiting those things (although I can do it later). And it reduces frustration, because at least I have some options besides water.

One important argument for not drinking alcohol that I have not really emphasized yet, is that if I don't drink alcohol, the chance of me starting to smoke again is greatly reduced (like 10x), because alcohol reduces my willpower, and then suddenly accepting "just one" cigarette from someone and, well, then I am hooked again. The only way that can happen when I am sober is when I am extremely stressed out, and even then I already have better strategies to deal with that stress.
 
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Day 8.

The last days were easy. I think I am already starting to get used to no drinking. I am sure that I will be successful!
 
Day 10!

2 easy days passed. No temptation at all. It's interesting how something that was really challenging now has become this easy. Tells me that this is really just a mental game. If you really want something, and if you fully want to pay the price of it (such as not being able to drink with friends), only then is it this easy. Anything less, and you will have a really tough time.

I started this attempt by focusing on my motivation to do this, and by weighing all the alternatives. That is how I got this motivated.

I failed last attempt, by drinking with a friend. I did not want to accept that limitation at the time. And I did not allow myself to have an alternative; I was also trying to quit caffeine, and not drinking juice and soda (because of sugars). I let go of those requirements, and now I allow myself to drink as much coffee as I'd like, and a juice or soda every now and then (not a lot though). I realized that these are the lesser evils, and I am human so I need to have something enjoyable. Perhaps later I will cut them out again, but not before not drinking alcohol has become completely normal.
 
Day 16... another week later!

It was mostly easy. Only challenging day was when I visited a friend. But I managed to not accept drinks and now he knows that I am not drinking... which is good, because I will go on holidays with him for 10 days.
 
Day 19. Yesterday there were more temptations, but I did not really feel tempted (I did not expect it would be this easy). I am at a 2 day conference and there are free drinks at the end of each day. I chose to drink sparkling water and cola, which was fine.

I did, however, notice that I had heartburn shortly after that. I suspect it was the cola, as I have noticed this before. I will try cutting this out to see if I have less heartburn, which could be bad for my health in the long run. Also, I was already planning to do this eventually, as a way to reduce sugar/caffeine intake and to save money.

I will start with 100 days (and probably extend it from there). The reward is 50 centa per day (paid out after day 100).


So, today is day 1 of no cola.
 
Day 20 (no alcohol): I have really started to notice the advantages of not drinking. I have more energy, both mental and physical. The benefits of not drinking outweigh the costs by a lot!

Day 2 (no cola): yesterday was actually quite hard. I chose to drank other soft drinks, coffee and water instead of cola. The result: no heartburn. It could be that the carbonation in the soft drinks caused heartburn, but at least yesterday it did not occur.
 
I just found this poem that I wrote when I quit:

The Hangover
Last night had a wonderful time,
We had pizza and plenty of wine.
We laughed and we joked
‘till the chickens had croaked,
I can safely say we crossed the line.

I woke up at twenty past five,
It was obvious I’d barely survived.
In my mouth was a sponge
Soaked in sewagey gunge,
Where my tongue was I’d yet to surmise.

To my left was a cold, sticky patch.
To my right was another to match.
It was lumpy and slippy
Then the truth hit me
As the smell from hell caused me to wretch.

I opened my eyes to the light.
What a terrible fright of a sight.
With regret and remorse
For the pizza of course
Not to mention the Australian white.

I raised my head, what a mistake,
I discovered a terrible ache.
My alcohol stream
Caused my ears to scream
“SLEEP”
I’ll try again later at eight.

Dave
 
Here's another for the smoke, although I relapsed:

Giving up the smoke
I gave up smoking today,
A bitch of a day I must say.
Ten years I’ve been smoking
And coughing and choking,
In my life this was the worst f@#$g day.

I gave up smoking last week,
A hell of a week of to speak.
I’ve been bitching and biting
And arguing and fighting,
All my friends think that I am a freak.

For a month I’ve been going through hell,
But I have never felt so well.
My lungs have stopped bleeding,
I sleep without wheezing,
Like a bloodhound is my sense of smell.

For a year now I’ve been in the clear.
I can enter a bar without fear.
But the stench in the air,
In my clothes and my hair,
For my smoking friends I shed a tear.

My friend all his life never smoked,
But it’s all been a big f@#$%g joke.
Doc said he’s got cancer
With six weeks to answer
So f@#$ the oath, give me a smoke!

Dave
 
Thanks for sharing your poems and well done dave! I hope that you give yourself another chance to quit smoking, and that you'd do it successfully!

Day 23 of no alcohol. It hasn't been hard. I remember that previous times when I quit alcohol, it was much easier. I think the main reason was that I was a student at the time; there were many more occasions to drink with friends (often multiple times per week) and it's hard to resist then. But I am also more focused and motivated, this also makes a lot of difference.
Day 5 of no cola. Getting a lot easier already. I drink more water now, and also more juice. It's always interesting to see how you find a substitute for whatever you quit.
 
I want to reduce the amount of threads that I have to maintain, so I choose to continue writing about this topic in my weight loss diary.

So, if a mod reads this post, this thread can be closed. Otherwise, let it slowly sink to the bottom.

If anyone wishes to discuss this topic with me, feel free to PM me or to pay a visit to my weight loss diary.
 
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