alcohol - how to cut down?

[IAmLost]

Didnt know where to post this


I have gradually been drinking more and more over the past year or so. I need to cut down. I want to cut down. But I am finding it very hard. How can I do it? It is such a contraversial subject. Especially amongst mothers I have found.

[controlfreaky2]

i think there's a longstanding / ongoing dependent drinkers thread on here....

[IAmLost]

yes I know thanks controlfreaky2 - but this is kind of different

[CountessDracula]

could you try and have a total break for a bit, say 2 weeks, just to clear your head and get your tolerance down?

How much are we talking?

[Quootiepie]

I have no experience, but, maybe cold turkey is an approach? If there is none at all in the house it should be easier? Then maybe build upwards slightly from there. In the summer DH and I always had a drink in the evening, suddenly I realised I didn't want to get into the habit, so just stopped altogther.

[controlfreaky2]

what is your aim? how would you like your drinking to be? what is your drinking pattern now? is it causing any problems?

[IAmLost]

I am going cold turkey tonight. Feeling twitchy already though. And want to keep smoking.

[IAmLost]

my aim is not to reach for the bottle every night. And then not to drain it. But I want to be able to drink when I socialise.

[Rhubarb]

You have to make sure that there is no alcohol in the house. If you have to physically go out and buy some of an evening it does put you off.

Get into a routine, so Monday night could be your relaxing bath night, Tuesday is telly night and so on. You drink more when you are bored.

Get some good alternatives in. Fizzy drinks often leave you feeling full, so try different fizzy drinks each week.

Buy low alcohol stuff.

Hope these help.

[CountessDracula]

alcohol free Becks is good
Tastes quite like the real thing!

I find when I stop drinking I get bored of sweet things so I try that and also Tomato Juice is good

[IAmLost]

good advice rhubarb. I am not at the stage of not having any in the house though. Does that mean I am not serious?? That is worrying

[Rhubarb]

I have managed to cut down. I now try not to drink at all during the week. It does easier as time goes on.

I still drink at the weekends. But if I'm sharing a bottle of wine with dh, I always make sure that when it comes to top up time I still have some in my glass so that I'm not drinking as much as him.

When you are out try drinking one fruit juice to every alcoholic drink.

Slow down. If you drink pints like me, then make sure again that you still have some in your glass when it comes to another round, and just order a half to top up your glass.

[IAmLost]

nothing compares to red wine though

[IAmLost]

rhubarb, did you really want to do it? I worry that I dont

[Rhubarb]

I can have alcohol in the house now, but I am stronger.

I find that if I have cans in it's tempting to just open one, so I try not to have any cans in the house. Whereas opening a bottle of wine during the week is different to just drinking a can of beer, you are less likely to do that. So I can have lots of bottles in now and not touch them.

Fizzy drinks do help. If I want a drink now I get a Coke instead.

[Rhubarb]

No, I don't want to do it.

But I do want to be healthy without any complications due to drinking. I am just under 8 stone and I was drinking as much as dh was. I can down a bottle of wine and then some. That's not healthy.

I have children now and responsibilities. So whether I like it or not, I realised that I had to cut back. But I like drinking and didn't want to give up altogether.

I now drink half of what I used to. But it can creep back up on you. I drank far too much over Christmas. I'm trying to get back into the routine now of not drinking during the week and only opening one bottle of wine between us at the weekend.

[dinny]

would echo Rhubarb - don't have it in the house, just drnk when you go out or if you have people for dinner . don't drink in front of the TV and don't drink as routine.

totally agree with CD about no-alcohol beer, I really like Cobra, can't tell difference. also, have a Virgin Mary after kids in bed as a special relaxing drink?

I stopped drinking on Boxing Day as was drinking far too regularly and felt guilty every morning. had also started almost having wine so I'd be able to have a fag (I only smoked when drinking). so have stopped smoking totally too, which has really helped.

felt so hideous for the first week on the wagon but feel fab now and I'm only going to drink on high days and holidays. maybe try a two-week break as suggested to get some distance on your habit? good luck, it can be done. Dinny

[IAmLost]

thanks you two. that is helpful. I will try. Feel quite down about it all tonight. And am tempted to go and open a bottle now. But I am trying not to

[dinny]

and as Rhubarb says, drinking regularly creates addiction, ie. the more you drink, the more you want to drink

the bonus with cutting down a lot is that when you do drink you only need to drink within the healthy limits to feel the effect.

[Piffle]

pregnancy put the issue to bed for me
Breastfeeding for 18 mths will stop me reverting back to the amounts I was drinking before.
So I am using that time to encourage dp to change too (and he has bless him) so we can change forever how we drink
www.drinkaware.co.uk is quite a useful tool for scaring/informing yourself about what you're drinking.
Mixing cheap dry wine with soda very weakly is surprisingly useful at slowing down actual consumption.
Adult fizzy drinks are also good for that witchign hour when you'd pour yourself that first glass.
Once I got over that the rest of the evening was a lot easier.
Do you have a partner who shares your drinking patterns - could you change together support each other?

[dinny]

Iamlost, it gets easier the more days you don't drink - when the alcohol leaves your body and you get used to being booze-free, you stop craving it.

[Rhubarb]

Coke!

There is no substitute for red wine. But you have to reset your mind, see wine as a treat to be enjoyed at the weekends only. It gives you something to look forward to then.

You don't have to go cold turkey straight away, just start taking little steps, like making 2 days in every week official non-drinking days, then when you are comfortable with that try for 3 days etc.

Remember though that if you give up during the week you'll need less to get you drunk at the weekends. So go easy and refuse at least one drink. These little steps will make you feel better about yourself and more in control.

[CountessDracula]

NO fio!

I remember you cut down for ages last year didn't you?

I agree red wine is the one
We have bloody cases of it in the house too so not having any booze in the house is not really an option.


I just really really try to have at least 3 nights off a week. And not go overboard the other nights though if I go out I do rather usually

[frumpygrumpy]

My advice would be to look at when and why you have an alcoholic drink. I primarily have a glass of wine or a gin around 5pm when its my children's tea time. It is habit and one I should cut out.

When and why do you pour a glass?