Sobriety

[The Old Man of Storr]

Kudos to all of you that are nailing this.
It seems to be that I'm not very good at it.
It's just a crutch, of that I'm aware, but it won't be too long until that crutch will turn into a wheelchair, and that wheelc...
Seriously time to sort my shizzle out.

I was the same as you , probably a lot worse - I tried giving up 2-3 times even seeking help from the Doctor at one point - in the end it had to up to me , no one can help you more than you and I promise you that you can do it if you want to . I've now genuinely lost count of the years I've been sober , it's in the region of 15 years maybe more .

[Polaroid]

I was the same as you , probably a lot worse - I tried giving up 2-3 times even seeking help from the Doctor at one point - in the end it had to up to me , no one can help you more than you and I promise you that you can do it if you want to . I've now genuinely lost count of the years I've been sober , it's in the region of 15 years maybe more .

That might just be the kick up up the arse I need,
Thank you T. (It's always better when you're around).

[btajim - mcfc]

After I was discharged from hospital, I was on about five different lots of medication and couldn’t drink. I was going stir crazy at home so I went to the pub for Diet Coke. Three of the chavvy lads from another bar were in there and pissed up thinking they were the boys.

I purposely sat in the corner and was getting “what’s up with you?” and one was swaying from side to side trying to banter with me about the football. I just remember taking one look at them and thinking what complete ****ers they were. Admittedly, they didn’t know I’d been ill but I’d considered them mates at one point.

They’re nobodies. Absolute nobodies.

[The Old Man of Storr]

That might just be the kick up up the arse I need,
Thank you T. (It's always better when you're around).

By posting on here you've already taken the first step -

Depending on how bad the drinking is you will find the first 3-7 days bad , after that it gets slightly easier - so 7 days out of your life and you're on the road to recovery -
When I went to the Doctor he gave me something called Campral , it's suppose to block out parts of the brain that seeks pleasure [ or some such thing ] not sure how they work but you're not suppose to drink when you're taking them - I managed to stop for 10 months then started again at Christmas .
The time I gave up for good I just put up with the stuff that comes from giving up alcohol , irritability , anxiety etc - it took me around 9 days before things got easier , after that things begin to improve .

Nowadays I can go into pubs and just have orange & lemonade , I still have 2-3 pints every night but now it's apple & elderflower & lemonade .

Best of luck , mate .

[Alan Pardew's Dad]

When I went to the Doctor he gave me something called Campral , it's suppose to block out parts of the brain that seeks pleasure

There’s another option that does this, but it can be very expensive.

Marriage.

[The Old Man of Storr]

There’s another option that does this, but it can be very expensive.

Marriage.

[AnthraxDave]

Let myself down quite badly last weekend. Work night out on Friday for a leaving do, with 20 or so others, for a great person retiring.
All of us ended up shitfaced, and my boss tried it on with me after a drunken duet on the Karaoke. A few dances/kisses/fumbles were had outside in the smoking/vaping area.

Don't get me wrong, she is very, very attractive. She's also married to someone else who works in the same place as us but wasn't out that night.

Monday morning was a bit, er, frosty. If I had been sober, then I would have been sane enough to stop it before it started.
Spent all week waiting for the Hubby to come and punch me. He's a ****ing big unit, to be honest.

[dasnutnock3]

Let myself down quite badly last weekend. Work night out on Friday for a leaving do, with 20 or so others, for a great person retiring.
All of us ended up shitfaced, and my boss tried it on with me after a drunken duet on the Karaoke. A few dances/kisses/fumbles were had outside in the smoking/vaping area.

Don't get me wrong, she is very, very attractive. She's also married to someone else who works in the same place as us but wasn't out that night.

Monday morning was a bit, er, frosty. If I had been sober, then I would have been sane enough to stop it before it started.
Spent all week waiting for the Hubby to come and punch me. He's a ****ing big unit, to be honest.

[dasnutnock3]

I quit drinking with work people decades before I thought about quitting altogether. Dangerous, dangerous game.

[btajim - mcfc]

Everybody is different but I don’t consider a cheeky kiss cheating. I’ve had female friends kiss on the lips despite being with fellas and I used to have to dance with my friend’s partner because he’d sit in the corner and refuse to move all night. We’d have the odd cuddly hug too but he trusted me and we both knew where the line was.

The pair of you were naughty perhaps but nothing more. Chances are, if he was angry then it’s more likely to be with her than you and, if he was going to do anything, then he’d already have done it. He knows how to find you. He may never find out? If it was just you two out there then he never will.

We’ve so many mums in our team at work that we never go out. There’s one leaving two weeks before me and we’re all going to Spoons. I’m going to eat and when there’s too much Stowfords Press in me then I’ll leave.

[Monkeybubbles]

I haven't had a drink since the beginning of Jan. Also, been exercising shitloads and being very very careful about what I eat. All part of this:

https://thesixpackrevolution.com

Genuinely, I've never felt better. I've even got an embryonic six pack for the first time since I gave up drugs 40 years ago.

The program finishes tomorrow, and I was allowed a glass of wine this evening. It was ****ing great, don't get me wrong, but I had no desire to have another. Just like I'm not interested in pizza and burgers and whatever anymore. What the **** has happened to me? And where are my moobs?

At the risk of sounding like a bit of a shill: give it a go. You'll thank yourself.

[Centre Half]

I’ve made a conscious effort to cut down over the last 18 months or so, after getting myself into situations when drinking that potentially threaten my relationship.

Hitting 30 now, nights in the pub are much more irregular than they used to be which certainly makes cutting back easier. If I do go out for some drinks with friends, I now have a golden rule to make sure I’ve had something substantial to eat before, and make sure I drink fairly slowly, dragging a pint out over 45 mins or an hour.

I’ve going away on some stag dos this year where I’m a bit worried about drinking too much and misbehaving. I’ll try to pace myself and drink slowly, with the hope that people don’t take too much notice when they are getting through them quickly. The drinking games might be hard to avoid though.

Anyone got any advice on how I can keep a lid on it and stay sensible?

[dasnutnock3]

Have one or two 0% beers for every alcoholic one you get. You’ll barely notice the difference and will feel a lot less pissed.

If you move onto mixers, have a single measure of spirit and make sure you get a long mixer with it - 330ml coke, tonic, ginger ale etc.

Don’t bother with wine, shots etc - there’s no low/no alcohol substitute.

Make sure everyone’s aware you’re limiting consumption before you start drinking, and if anyone tries to goad you into hard boozing, just ignore them. Just because some other bell-end can’t moderate their intake, doesn’t mean you can’t. You’d have to hope that most people will be grown up about it.

Don’t deviate from your “eat well first” rule, that’s an excellent starting point.

[dasnutnock3]

P.s. drinking games are for college kids.

[Het-Field]

I've not been as diligent recently as I had been for the first three months of the year. Had a couple of drinks at home with the nitro surge on Friday, and I haven't been boozing at home since Christmas. Social situations have been ongoing whereby I have wanted a few beers, and have imbibed. but those will be settling down soon, and I will try to return to my initial habits of 2023 as that settled period sets in.

[Toulouse_Iron]

Well done everyone!
Going to try from tomorrow to the end of the month off the booze. I regularly do November and April and now need a break and to shift a few pounds, so no booze and tons of salads/steamed veg + lean meat etc. plus exercise, now the weather is turning nice here, should give me a boost. Writing it down here makes it real for me, so here goes!

[dasnutnock3]

The weight’s dropped off me since I stopped drinking. I also paid a bit more attention to diet and have been exercising when I’ve not bee twatted by covid, but I’m a full stone lighter than I was at the end of last year. I suspect I’m snacking a lot less, too, which is probably making a difference.

[EvilC]

The weight’s dropped off me since I stopped drinking. I also paid a bit more attention to diet and have been exercising when I’ve not bee twatted by covid, but I’m a full stone lighter than I was at the end of last year. I suspect I’m snacking a lot less, too, which is probably making a difference.

Same here. It really has been as simple as switching to 0% beers and a bit of portion control/making a conscious decision to avoid the additional calories in the evening or packet of crisps with lunch. I'm at a funeral tomorrow (driving so not drinking) and then will probably have a couple of drinks on Wednesday as I'm meant to be out but shouldn't be out long and will make sure at least one or two are 0% alcohol drinks.

It's really strange, I'm just not really in a position where I want to drink, which makes it a f*** load easier than dry January or a couple of other short periods off the sauce before. I guess I value the weight loss/health benefits quite highly.

Since I've had kids I've not been much of a drinker anyway - aside from COVID and the periods around Christmas and when I'm on holiday, my drinking really has been mostly no more than five or six drinks a week, which isn't much compared to many.

[btajim - mcfc]

I last had alcohol in at home en masse when it was Wales v Iran in the World Cup and the pub wasn’t open as it was 10am KO. Save one beer as I ate on Friday night, there’s literally nothing alcoholic in. Pubs are still around but there’s no temptation.

[dasnutnock3]

Summer’s going to be the real test, I suspect. Won’t beat myself up if I do have some booze, but I need to make sure the casual drinking, where I’m just doing it because I’m bored, doesn’t make a return.