Thinking of giving up alcohol

[inmyera]

On Friday I went to see a comedian with friends and I guzzled some much wine that I don't remember ANY of it. Gutted. Also felt absolutely horrendous the next day. Last night I went out for dinner with my family, had two glasses of wine, but that wasn't enough. Nope, had to guzzle a few glasses when I got home. Don't remember what we watched on tb. I am so disappointed in myself. I wish I could enjoy a glass of two of wine but once I start, I can't stop. I can go days or weeks without a drink, I'm just incapable of stopping at one. I think it's time for me to give it up completely, but much of my social life revolves around drinking. Has anyone successfully given it up even though most of their friends are big drinkers? I'm just thinking of all the pre Christmas events that I have coming up where I will very much be expected to drink. Including my work party

I was similar, then I read Allen Carr, the easy way to control alcohol. Honestly it changed my life overnight. I haven’t had a drink in 6 years now and don’t miss it a bit. I was so surprised at how easy it was.

This is great to hear, thanks for the recommendation, I will read that book

Yes, everyone I know is a big drinker. I’m 2.5 years sober now. You absolutely can go out and have a nice time without booze. You can see a comedian without drinking. You can come home and watch tv without drinking. You can meet friends for dinner without drinking. I’ve even done a silent disco totally sober (it was great actually).

The approach I take though is that if I feel like I need to drink loads to get through something then maybe I don’t actually enjoy it and should just not go. If you need drinks to enjoy a night of comedy or a night out dancing, maybe you don’t like those things as much as you thought you do. Find something you actually love instead. There’s lots of fun things you can do, with or without friends.

No one really cares now that I don’t drink. No one has ever had a negative word to say about it. The only thing I’d say is I get more bored of people faster now. I can tolerate 1.5-2 hours at a party or the pub before I get tired of someone telling the same drunken story again. But then I’m just like, right I’m off now! Often I just leave and go home. Everyone who is drunk will wake up the next morning anxious and hungover and worried they did something stupid the night before. No one has any idea when I left and nor do they care!

And in the 2.5 years since I stopped drinking, my MIL also stopped. BIL has gone stretches of not drinking. Dh drinks probably 20% of what he used to. This is quite common. Someone has to go first to start a trend and lead the way. You will be surprised how many people around you are worried about their own drinking. A few of them will follow you if you’re brave enough to just do it.

I think the only way to find out is by giving booze free a go. I was similar in that one drink led to more than I intended and horrendous hangovers. I am 6 months sober now and have gotten through a range of events mainly using alcohol free beer.
I was recommended the Sober Diaries on here and it's fantastic.
I think you have two options for the festive period.
1.Give up from today and white knuckle it sober and see how it goes
2.Try to fade the alcohol out with the aim of Dry January and beyond.
It can be weird when I'm with my friends who like to drink but they soon forget. I'm nearly 40 and since giving up have noticed that a lot of women I know have cut down their drinking,I just hadn't noticed when I was sloshed.

Yes. It’s actually much more fun to remember the whole Christmas party than forget it and find out you talked shite all night.

Oh and once you start getting blackouts - that’s what not remembering through wine is, an alcohol blackout - they never get better apparently. The brain gets used to doing it so you forget things most times you drink, then every time, earlier and earlier in the night.

That’s scary @TenGreatFatSquirrelsbut actually in my case absolutely true. Around a year or so ago I started to have “blackouts” when drunk. I always assumed this meant passing out but in my case I am awake, talking, dancing, etc… but the next day I have absolutely no memory of it, and it’s happening earlier into my drinking sessions now as time goes on. It’s pretty horrifying when I have absolutely no recollection of a whole chunk of my evening when others around me do.