Has anyone ever just decided they are fed up of drinking one day?

[runforyourdog]

I feel like I've had a bit of a turn around in my attitude to alcohol all of a sudden. I used to drink heavily before children and then have been much better since but feel like thing are starting to get out of control again. I'm not a daily drinker but binge on weekends, holidays etc.

I just feel like it causes me so much anxiety, feel crap, guilt from doing stupid things, I'm just sick of it! It's early days but just wondered if anything he has just suddenly decided to stop drinking and it not be that difficult?

Not sure if I'm kidding myself and come the next Friday night or social event I'll be smashed again, making a fool of myself.,

@brightspice thank you. It’s certainly something I feel passionate about, and would love to help people in the way you do.

12 days so far no booze. Don't miss it at all but it's my birthday in a few days and I'm almost certainly going to have some. I hope I can jump back on the wagon straight away after. If it makes me feel terrible then it may be the final push I want!

That was meant to say '12 days' but it's showing up on my screen and a bullet point...

brightspice or anyone still around?? Been knackered all weekend after a night out, feel so low just so fed up of the cycle. How do start to stop!?

That was always me the idiot asleep in the gutter pissed. One day I woke up and thought no more. Its been 10 years since I had a drink and I don't miss it one bit.

Any advice for the first few weeks bestcatmum?

My best friend has and she's much happier .

I was starting to feel that way then found out I'm pregnant. I don't think I'll go back to drinking regularly, just a glass of something decent on special occasions, I never went back to spirits after my first visit pregnancy.

I think for some people it has to be all or nothing, or at l say nothing for a good long while and then very rarely.

Stock up on Haribo for the sugar cravings.

Get some decent quit lit - I liked This Naked Mind.

Download an app so you can count your progress. It’ll make you not want to break your streak.

Acknowledge the difficulty of what you’re doing, and treat yourself with kid gloves. It’s not nothing; you’re fighting social conditioning, peer pressure, varying degrees of psychological (and maybe even physical, but if this is the case, see your GP) dependency. So baby yourself. As many baths a day as you want. Plenty of sleep - nap when you can. Eat well, (but don’t worry about diets etc. concentrate on kicking the booze for now) drink plenty of water, mint tea, etc. You really need to up the self-care.

Meditate daily. Try the Jeff Warren 30 day ‘learn to meditate’ programme on the Calm app.

Try to take some exercise every day, even if it’s just a little walk, some gardening, etc.

When you get a craving (and you will) you just have to buckle up and ride it. Believe it will pass. It normally takes about ten minutes. You can ride it for ten minutes. Go for a walk, jog on the spot, clean the bath, punch a cushion - anything. And then in ten minutes, it’ll have passed.

Play it forward. Imagine you have that drink. But don’t imagine that first sip then stop. That first sip is what you crave. That’s it. Every other mouthful after that is chasing the relief - the dopamine release - of that first sip. But it’s gone in seconds. So you have to imagine drinking the whole glass. Then pouring another. Then another. Then trying to do the dishes or whatever while you’re a bit pissed. Then getting sugar cravings when your blood sugar crashes, so over-eating. Then going to bed and not being able to sleep. Then waking up at 3am when your liver kicks in. And the self-loathing and anxiety tomorrow morning when you realise you drank again. Imagine it all - not just the first sip.

Find a mantra. Mine is ‘No downside.’ Because their really isn’t.

Join a support group. Club Soda on Facebook is excellent.

Take a photo of yourself weekly. You won’t believe the change after three months.

I did all the above. It’s a commitment, but the best thing you’ll ever do for yourself. Good luck.

*there, fgs.

This is amazing advice, thank you so much!! No downside is certainly true x

@Headisrecked .... there is so much I could say but I believe in keeping it simple. Because changing your drinking is simple.

So start simple. Start by simply watching your drinking in progress. Don't fight it, just observe it. When are you drinking? How much? Where are you? Who are you with? Our drinking THRIVES on being an unconscious habit so start by adding consciousness into the mix. The more aware you are of your drinking (even if you don't like what you find out), the more you will be able to take action to change it. But you need to know where you're starting. (Just like if you were to check driving directions to, say, Blackpool. You need to know where you're starting.)

@CoverYourselfInChocolateGlory what if I were to offer that there is no wagon to jump on (either before or after your birthday)?

@Headisrecked I forgot to add that each week I email out tips and techniques to help with changing your drinking - to get these delivered to your inbox each week, sign up here: 90dayslater.co/list

And I also have a podcast (yep, also called '90 Days Later') where each week I deal with how to stop overdrinking. It's available on all major podcast platforms. I'm also happy to cover topics others have questions on so let me know if there's something in particular you'd like me to address. If it helps you it will help others.

I was forced to cut back on my drinking when I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hypertension and went on blood pressure medication.

Two years on I don't miss it at all. I don't miss the hangovers. I still enjoy a glass or two of wine, but limit it at that.

Thanks, IV signed up. Xx

Thank you - it's a very good point! I did drink over my birthday (not to excess) but feel quite happy to resume the no booze approach again now. Want to give my body a proper break. Poor body - I put it through so much and it works so hard!

@CoverYourselfInChocolateGlory ha, yes, our bodies do do so much for us, eh! The true unsung heroes!

Can I join in?

I had an 8 month break a couple of years ago and felt fantastic! I've said I'd do it again and never quite bothered! I am now! Just decided 4 weeks ago that there is so much more I want to focus on and I want a clear mind!
I'm listening to podcasts and journaling and I am so much more productive already x

@jelly79 yes productivity is a key benefit, isn't it? I went for years not realising there was this thing you could do called 'reading after dinner' ...!

I went out one night, drank too much, felt awful. Woke up and thought, think I'll give it a miss now. That was over a year ago. I don't miss it although I'm developing a taste for alcohol free beers as a grown up drink. We were in Belgium recently and there were so many to choose from in the supermarkets. Sadly, very few here (I brought a stash home).

@nancyglancey I really like the AF Perroni and I've heard good things about the AF Corona but haven't found it to buy (yet).

I loved a Belgian brand called Kwaremont.

This is incredible. I am at the start of Day 3 and know I'm going to find this hard. Extremely troubled relationship with alcohol - drinking 4-5 days a week, come from a long line of alcoholics and know I treat it like my friend. It's the one dependable in my life.

But it no longer serves me. I know I have to stop.

Think I'm going going to print this post and stick it on the fridge. Thank you.

Me. Hellish hangover one morning, two little kids at home, lying on the floor, ds aged 2 asked me to make him toast for breakfast and I could barely get off the floor.

I just decided there and then that it wasn't worth it. I didn't drink at all for a few years, now I'll have the odd one. But the memory of that morning stays with me and I haven't been drunk since.