Alcohol and Alcoholism

[Slowtwitch]

For some years now I've been considering giving up alcohol altogether, it's really just the social component of drinking that I would miss, not the alcohol itself. My father was an alcoholic, which of course influences and informs my adult drinking (I rarely drink to excess, and can measure on five fingers the times in my life when I've been really drunk). I primarily drink at the weekends with friends in a pub environment, over the past few years I've noticed I'm drinking more, but that is probably the 'covid effect'. It's come to the point now where I'm not really enjoying the effect anymore, and it's getting expensive! Alcohol is not affecting my family or work life, I'm just not getting out of it what I used to, and to be frank I'm really rather bored with it and the after effects, and also the toll it occasionally has on my sleep patterns.

So my choice is a voluntary one (unfortunately most alcoholics don't have that luxury). Just wondering what others experience of stopping drinking are, and what effect it has on their social, and cycling life? Also it would be interesting to hear from recovering alcoholics, as I daresay their experience is of interest to anyone contemplating stopping altogether.

[Jdsk]

There's a few personal experiences from earlier this year over here:
viewtopic.php?t=144082

Congratulations on thinking about it, and thanks for sharing.

Jonathan

[PH]

Seems to me it wouldn't be too hard a choice for you. There's a trend to give up for a period of time to re-set, Dry-January has become so popular the supermarkets offer an increased range of alternatives, a pity they don't do so year round. There's also One Year No Beer (OYNB) that offers support and help, though I suspect it's aimed at people who have more of a habit than you:
www.oneyearnobeer.com

My alcohol consumption has changed over the years, up till about a decade ago I was regularly drinking at home till it became a habit I relied on, not to the point it was an addiction, but it was detrimental. I gave up completely for a year, which was sometimes a struggle in the same sort of way as sticking to a diet. I then started drinking socially again, which I enjoy but am not bothered if it's three times a week or once a month, I've stuck to that, I don't drink at home unless with guests. Then the last two years I've hardly been in a social situation where people are drinking, maybe six times last year, I've missed the socialising, but I haven't missed the drink and was thinking the other day whether to give it up entirely.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Mick F]

I drink quite a bit.
Happy pub-goer, and always have been.
Drink at home too, though more than I used to.

I'm not an alcoholic and I don't rely on the booze. I just enjoy it, so I have it.
I could stop, I'm sure, but I wouldn't be as happy.

If you want to give up, do so. Give it a go.
Friend of ours always stops the drinking for Lent. She's not religious, just uses the 40days. It works for her.

[Carlton green]

To some extent everyone is different and so are the effects of alcohol and (if it is present) addiction.

I’ve occasionally drunk socially but now I but rarely have any alcohol and tell people that I’m teetotal (totally abstaining); if not totally true that statement does makes things simple and gives me a readily understandable excuse. We have alcohol in the house, because my Mrs and the kids like the occasional drink, but the cupboard door is rarely opened and some of the bottles within are over a decade old.

The other thread that JDSK (?) pointed out is, I think, very helpful and interesting; it certainly made me think and I feel better informed by it. Alcohol misuse has broken many families and people. One of my friends lost his marriage because of it and was only able to escape Alcoholism with the help of AA and a local church - that particular church has a lot of helpful and compassionate folk there. Other friends are poorer for it, micturating your money against the wall doesn’t make a lot of sense to me and in some families the loss of cash has adverse effects.

Whatever, I wish those fighting any addiction well.

[Jdsk]

Alcohol misuse has broken many families and people.

That's a much better term than alcoholic.

Jonathan

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Stopped for a week Mick.

Tell us how you feel every day?

[Mick F]

Sorry, not sure what you mean.
Three - or was it four? - cans of beer yesterday afternoon, and two glasses of white wine in the evening.
Bed and fast asleep at 9pm and up this morning at 05:30 full of the joys of spring.

Just come in for a cuppa after vacc'ing out the car. Out to wash it shortly.
Then. it's walking the dog for a couple of miles. May call in at a pub for two pints part way round. Sailor-the-dog likes visiting pubs! He gets bikkies and treats!

[Pebble]

Home brew enthusiast here, just love the stuff (av below 20 units a week).. For the last few months of last year I have been feeling a bit worn out, generally a bit hung over and I was blaming the beer so have went for a dry January, 3 weeks in I'm still feeling worn out, and particularly hung over this morning (may be my body is now preconditioned to be hung over on a sunday morning)
. Anyway, what ever the reason for not being a 100% I now seriously doubt it is the beer - looking forward to February and beer.

Beer Birds and Bikes are my hobbies, would hate to have to give up any of them.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

Hi,
Stopped for a week Mick.

Tell us how you feel every day?

Sorry my bad grammar/editing

Don't drink for one week!
Tell us how you feel every day?

[thirdcrank]

Perhaps one of the big problems for somebody in the OP's position is people buying "rounds," which means your consumption is largely driven by that of others. The only solution then is to opt out, at the risk of being branded unsociable. Necking pint after pint of coke or lime and lemon isn't a realistic alternative. Perhaps agreeing to be "Des" - the designated driver - might make somebody a tad more popular but there can still be the experience of being sober when all around are smashed. The answer must be to adjust your social life. I've not done that consciously but it's a long time since I've drunk more than a pint.

[yostumpy]

I put this in the other thread, but maybe it should be here.

''I’m not an alcoholic, , I’m not really, I don't think?. But I do like to drink, no, need to drink sometimes. I find it hard sometimes to have just one, and that slips into 3 tinnies, 1/2 bottle of wine , and maybe a couple of large spirits later. This is all at home , after 6 pm ish. So by the time I go to bed, a lot of the booze still has to do it’s thing, so it’s a waste of time having a large rum 1/2 hr before bed. But my head doesn’t see that. I can go for 3/4 days without, then seemingly go into self destruct mode. In the front of my diary, I circle each date that I’ve had none, and X through the date I’ve overdone it. It’s usually 6-8 no’s, and 2-3 X’s, the rest is ‘easy ‘drinking, ie some, per month. It’s the self destruct mode I don’t understand, and when the Mrs goes to the loo, I’ll sneak out and top up.
I’ve noticed that the marking in the calendar has helped me see a pattern, ie, there isn’t one. I’ve also noticed that people have said things like 31 years 3 months and 6 days . Is it important to keep tabs on the duration? Do people get to the stage of saying....’ not had a drink for years’?

So , bit late for a ‘dry January’ but it wasn’t really a wet Xmas either, just constant drizzle. Which is worse though, ‘a dry spell, bit of drizzle then a storm’ or ‘ constant drizzle’? I did discover some rather tasty 0 % German beers in a pub before Xmas. Sorry to whitter on.

Hmmm, maybe I should cut down,and maybe I could have a wee problem. ''

[Carlton green]

Thirdcrank’s comment above leads me back to a couple of thoughts that came to me whilst out getting some exercise.

Social drinking, and to some extent forced social drinking too, is a difficult issue for individuals to sort out. The alternatives to their current situation might be just too difficult to handle and changing one’s life and circumstances can take years.

Pubs sell alcoholic products and in general you’re discouraged from buying non-alcoholic beverages. Get a pint of shandy or lemonade in a pub and it will likely cost you the same as beer ... but the cost to the Publican is surely much less. Sports and Social Clubs sometimes have better pricing policies but brewers want to keep their customers using their products and pricing is one mechanism that they have at their disposal ... it’s a nice little earner too.

[bikepacker]

On Feb 18th 1990 I signed the pledge. In the few years prior to this I was consuming at least one bottle of malt whisky a day and most days it was more. An event at a weekend business conference set off alarm bells in my head and I knew it was time to do something about the amount I was drinking. I then came to the conclusion that the only real way was to stop altogether.

Not having much spare time to attend AA meetings I devised my own programme for stopping basically going cold turkey. The first year was the worst, it is difficult to describe how bad I felt and how the craving dominated everything I did. The craving is now minimal unless I get the scent of a good malt and then my stomach yearns for a drink. That is still there after 32 years.

Was it worth the effort to give up? Only one answer and that is 'yes'. I would not be here now if I had not.

[Mick F]

Don't drink for one week!
Tell us how you feel every day?

No thanks. I can predict that I'd be miserable.

Ask someone else, not me!

Taken the dog a walk, called in at the Queen's Head for two pints of St Austell Tribute 4.2% and walked home.
Circuitous routes both ways. Added up to close on three miles with steep hills involved.