To ask what made you stop drinking?

.

I know this post was a few years ago, but do you mind me asking what medical condition it is? I like to have a drink but lately it just does not agree with me anymore and I don’t know why! I totally understand if you do not wish to disclose this x

My dad was an alcoholic and always had an awful relationship with us as a result. I always felt like we weren’t enough for him to stop. I hated it and never really liked alcohol because of our family so it was an easy decision to one day just stop. I don’t miss it and it’s been really easy for me but appreciate it won’t be for everyone.

If it's not in the house then would you go out to buy a bottle?

I was heavy drinker until babies. 3 successive pregnancies and small people stopped me drinking all togther as dh worked away. Now even small amounts make me feel ill the next day. Food (sweets and cakes and biscuits) however is a problem for me now instead.

I would recommend signing up to Annie Grace - The alcohol Experiment. I also like the book - The unexpected joy of being sober. Initially I would suggest trying to aim for 1 day less a week or only half a bottle then a glass and then lower it down slowly until its a level you are happy with. The other option is stopping completely. It depends what you want to achieve.

If it is a case of 'should' rather than 'want' then we really need to get you to want. Would a sad story help? A good friends twin sister died recently. She was 43. She was a full blown alcoholic, probably since she was about 20-ish. Last month, she had a bleed to the brain, began a seizure and never woke up. Turns out her kidneys and liver had failed. 43 though...

@ViciousJackdaw , almost identical to a colleague of mine. 2 young girls. So sad.

I took being pregnant to give up the booze for me. I used to be a bottle of wine a night person but I’m a happy drunk so no arguments. I am due to have my baby soon but I fully understand that I will not be able to start drinking again, not to that level anyway.

I'm really grateful that I'm just not bothered about drinking. Sometimes, an ice cold beer is bloody lovely but on the whole, I'm just not fussed. I have had substance abuse issues though (soon to celebrate 12th clean year!) so I've probably had the desire to drink 'therapied' out of me.

One thing I did learn is that change can only come from within. We could give you the kindest, most caring words of encouragement but you have to want to stop.

Do you want to stop? Don't feel like you have to say you do, just because we are listening. If you think you should stop but don't really want to then there will be difficulties. You'll make excuses, think 'I've not drank for six days, surely I deserve a small glass...', tell yourself 'I can handle it, I'm not an alcoholic', all sorts of things to justify a drink.

If it is a case of 'should' rather than 'want' then we really need to get you to want. Would a sad story help? A good friends twin sister died recently. She was 43. She was a full blown alcoholic, probably since she was about 20-ish. Last month, she had a bleed to the brain, began a seizure and never woke up. Turns out her kidneys and liver had failed. 43 though...

I stopped when I got pregnant, then just didn't start again. Had been prone to bingeing quite a lot before,then suffering the after effects.
Afterwards I was exhausted from the birth, getting up with the baby and I had PND. I realised that the morning after feeling and young children don't go together so was alcohol free for years. I saw this as being something good I could do for myself, to give me the best chance of getting myself back on track MH-wise.
I started having a drink again (just occasionally) and found it triggered migraines so I stopped again.
I will never drink again now I think. I don't miss it, though I still get some weird comments or funny looks and even one or two people who have tried to get me to have a drink, but I don't go on about it so I can only assume that some people feel a bit insecure about their own drinking and that's why they act that way.
I tend to drive on nights out so I have a reason that no one can argue with to say no thanks.
I drink non alcoholic beer which I like, just on a hot day and with a curry.
I have never looked back.

I stopped drinking when I finally accepted that it was rarely ‘just one’ for me, and the consequences of my drinking started to get bad.

Migraines stopped me from drinking and while sad that it would be nice to have a drink every now and again I don’t feel like I’m missing out on much.

Definitely easier to stop completely than moderate. I recommend Annie Grace too and also Quit like a Woman by Holly Whitaker. I'm on five months now and actually don't think about it hardly, it's like I've separated myself from it whereas before I would be constantly totting up my weekly intake and making deals with myself. Now I think I'm learning how to deal with uncomfortable feelings instead of escaping and avoiding in a bottle.

I think it’s easier to stop altogether than moderate as if you try and moderate there’s always the temptation to have another one, finish the bottle etc, and always a ‘reason’ to have a drink- had a bad day, good day, it’s a Friday/birthday/ bank holiday etc etc.
I went from regular at home drinking to stopping and not had anything for nearly 4 years. As already mentioned if you don’t drink it’s more definite and you won’t get encouraged by others to have another one.
Yes it can be hard stopping but I found that people are actually very supportive when you say you’ve stopped drinking. Read about it too as there are a lot of good books.

I stopped as I was fed up with feeling guilty about it, fed up with feeling below par in the mornings, it is such a time waster too just sitting around having a drink in the evenings and not doing much else. I’d also had enough of mentally working out how much I’d had to drink and of waking up at 3 in the morning worrying about things. Go for it. Soberistas online was so helpful.

I never get drunk, and haven’t been for about 25 years. I can have a glass of wine every night but i dont, 3-4 nights. I enjoy it. I know its out if habit, hit 8pm and i have a glass. I’ll have a go in January, once i drink all i have. Don’t go on a health thing as im already healthy and run loads but I’d like to break the habit.

I’m a drinker who goes through phases of no drinking, light drinking, binges... I’ve got more under control and conscious of my choices since I did the 90 day challenge with One Year No Beer. They have a community and it was good to speak to other people exploring their relationship with alcohol in a safe space. I’ve not completely given up but I definitely feel more in control and enjoy my alcohol free time more and more.

Stopped years ago. 100% the best thing I have done.

Once I start drinking, I struggle to find the off switch. I'm prone to blackouts and doing crazy and sometimes dangerous stuff. I also get "the fear"/terrible anxiety for the next few days, even when I haven't embarrassed myself that night.

It's better to just say no to the first drink offered, than risk ending up completely out of it and still regretting it days later.
I don't miss it, the odd time I'm out for dinner or whatever I'll think about it, but 9/10 times I'll order a soft drink instead.

The last dregs of my social life disappeared when I more or less stopped drinking for good, but I enjoy my dc's company/my own more than I ever did most nights out as an adult. A lot of people think I'm boring, but I'm happy so don't care what they think. I couldn't find happiness in the bottom of a bottle, no matter how many times I tried.

I completely lost interest in alcohol when I was in A&E with my daughter in her first term of university. She drank so much and then stopped suddenly, she hallucinated amongst other things and it made me see very clearly that alcohol is poison.

I can take or leave alcohol. Maybe because my husband drank himself to death . My student DS is at the stage of binge drinking and I find it very painful to see him do this. He suffered from years of serious anxiety when his DD died. He now binge drinks and feels so bad the next day that he often self harms. I call it hang-xiety.
All the feel good chemicals from the alcohol are gone from the body and it induces anxiety and self destructive emotions.
I love a few drinks with friends but I just have no appetite for drinking on my own, or binge drinking, or drinking to try and blank out problems. It doesn't solve any problems and can play havoc with your mental health if you're not careful.

I haven't stopped drinking but only drink two nights a week and am considering knocking it on the head altogether.

The thing that's really pushing me towards doing it is just that even fairly small amounts invariably make me feel worse the next day. Not necessarily hangovers, just sluggish, less sharp, slightly depressed and moody. I also cannot get a good night's sleep on more than about two units: I wake up constantly through the night. I only get two lie-ins a week and I don't want one of those to be overcome by alcohol.

The big test will be what happens when things open up again. I can quite happily go without if for weeks on end at home but I find it hard to sit in a pub or have an evening meal without a glass of wine. Not quite ready for that.

I haven’t had a drink for years. IME it’s easier to stop than to moderate - sometimes I could have a glass or two, other times I’d get wasted, and I had almost no control over which it would be. Life without alcohol is better (and easier) in many many ways. At first it seems odd but you quite quickly get used to it. I’m always surprised if anyone mentions having a hangover - I forget they exist. Mine used to be crippling. You’ve got nothing to lose by abstaining for a while - if nothing else, to see if you can or whether you need more support (nothing to be ashamed of if you do). And it’s never too late to stop. Good luck

With me I just became an idiot when drunk- cold and ignorant. I'd go out with a mate drinking but when drunk dump the mate to go look for sex, was just inconsiderate or once I turned up at exs at 5am in the morning. I don't even recall going there , it was so embarrassing.

Not had a drink since February and at most drink about 3 times a year now. It doesn't suit me.

I used to drink a lot and didn't mind what night of the week it was. I just stopped because I find that I get terrible hangovers and feel it's a complete waste to be ill next day. Occasionally I will have a couple, but stop at 3. I would be sick before I was drunk now.