Giving up booze permanently

[Aussiebird99]

Posting for traffic really.

I have been dabbling with quitting booze totally for about 2 years now- mainly because combining it with me perimenopause symptoms is like pouring petrol on my anxiety. And I am vain and I found Booze was making my middle aged jowl 10 times worse 😄

I tend to stop for 3/4 months, have a couple nights drinking, stop again for another few months but I can’t quite seem to totally give it up but this stop/start approach is occupying a lot of mental energy. It’s my 48th birthday next week and do I/don’t I is all I can think about. Aarrggh!

Aibu to ask for your booze free stories- how did you stop totally? Or do you just drink a bit?

It doesn’t sound like you have a dependency, in which case having nothing to drink for three or four months then drinking for a couple of night and going back to nothing for the next three or four months, sounds perfectly reasonable. I wouldn’t have thought you need to change anything in particular.

I just gave up totally 8 years ago when I was 42. I'm not a nice person when I drink. I was sick of the beer fear.

Best thing I ever did! I lost weight, had more motivation, my depression has gone, my confidence has improved, I've saved money.

I choose not to drink at all - it's just too easy to slip back into the old routine if I have a glass of wine. Not worth it.

Good luck.

Stopped drinking in my late 20s. Continued to go out with friends. Seeing them drunk put me off even more. Not touched it in 14 years and very happy.

@BouquetsAndBalls I think it’s the slipping back that’s my issue. I do months booze free, get drunk, feel shit, have a week of angst and anxiety and start the cycle all over again so now I am thinking it’s easier to stop totally. But finding that complete stop really hard!

I read Hoe to drink Less by Jason Bale/ lots of reframing and NLP techniques to make alcohol less appealing

I stopped completely 17 months ago. I didn't think I had a problem, but I could never have just one drink and I did get into some right states over the years.

Even having two close family members who died as a result of alcohol problems did not stop me.

I got to a point where I was scared that if I wanted to cut down, I wouldn't be able to. And my hangovers were horrendous.

I read the Allen Carr book The Easy Way To Control Alcohol and joined the Annie Grace 30 day alcohol experiment online (it's free), and things just clicked. I also followed the alcohol support board here, there are some great non-judgemental threads, the posters are lovely.

I am now healthier, happier, more in control; I have lots of free time (no longer drinking alcohol or thinking about drinking alcohol). I've saved a fortune. I can jump in the car any time (no calculating how many units I have in my system). My mind feels clearer and I wake up every day with loads of positivity and enthusiasm for the day ahead.

Give it 30 days to change your habits around alcohol, and you will never look back.

I don't miss it at all.

Yes, like ElsaCragg I can recommend Annie Grace. Might be just what you need to not just stop, but to change your whole attitude to the habit.

The way I have succeeded in stopping altogether is to fix my relationship with drink. I've realised it doesn't calm me like I thought it did. It isn't the treat I deserve at the end of a long day. It makes me tired and anxious and look like shit.
I read alot of quit lit, blogs, Instagram pages etc and I see it as a huge positive rather than something I am denying myself.
The other key thing is not to compare yourself with others. You'll get people saying 'Oh I drink a bottle a night and it's not a problem for me'. Which is fine for them but if you've decided you need to stop, don't let this distract you.
Also personally I have chosen to go completely alcohol free. I know abstinence won't work for me as I'll always be thinking should I drink tonight or not? If you take away the choice then you also take away the little voice in your head which suggests a drink.
And almost conversely to that advice, I haven't said I won't ever drink again. I could go and get a bottle of wine now. It's just that I don't want to.

I read Jason Vale Kick the Drink easily and Alcohol Lied to Me by Craig Beck. I haven't looked back since reading those. I don't drink occasionally either. Its completely gone from my life and I am so much happier without it. I sleep better, I'm less anxious and I never have to suffer a hangover again!
I'll be two years Alcohol Free in a few days.