To ask if anyone has quit alcohol recently?

[SGS1805]

I'm done with it.

I don't drink a lot I suppose, but I'm just done with it.

Every celebration, meet-up, weekend etc revolves around the stuff and my eyes have been opened to the insanity of it.

I'm really hoping my anxiety and depression are improved even slightly.

Anyone else?

I stopped in the new year, I did drink regularly but not heavily, the plan was to try and year and see how it is but I feel I'll likely stay this way now.

My main motivation was to improve my mental health and I have seen improvements, particularly in the mornings, but I also changed jobs at the same time so it's hard to say what's what!

At first I was sleepy and ate a lot of sweets (so my dreamed of weight loss didn't happen!). I still go to the pub with friends and AF beer and have just as much fun, am just a confident and relaxed once I've settled in, and feel I have unlearned some myths about alcohol!

Just mentioned those things as my expectations of incredible mental health, weight loss and money savings have not appeared! But my fear of missing out socially has also not appeared so I'm happy! Good luck!

I have unlearned some myths about alcohol!

Ooh tell me more!

Well done for doing so well

To unlearn myths about alcohol I cannot recommend Alcohol Lied to Me by Craig Beck enough. That book cured me of a 30 year love/hate relationship with alcohol. I gave up two years ago and I have never been happier. Life isn't all sunshine and flowers. It never is. But I am healthier, wealthier and free of the merry go round.
I will never go back to drinking now I know about the bullshit that it is.

I was never much of a drinker but in jan 2020 I had to give up totally after being diagnosed with an illness. My health and happiness is much better.
My only words of warning is the RAGE I find in the obsession society has with booze. Christmas telly is full of adverts for booze, every social event includes reference to a well stocked bar. It’s a bit boring.

You have to work quite hard to not be left out.

I should give up, I'm on a 1 to 2 bottles of wine a night at the moment.... Its like I get to 5pm and start to cook so it's drink time. What's worse is that I don't even get a hangover most days.

I've been dieting but don't include wine in my daily calories and have still been losing weight.

But as my expectations of incredible mental health, weight loss and money savings have not appeared i feel like what's the point of giving up then? (Obviously I know)

But I honestly feel so bored throughout the day that by the time the evening comes along, I want to feel something, anything!!

I feel like I'm going to be bored as hell tonight, there's no wine in the house.

1st step and all that jazz, wish me luck!

@KatyN

I was never much of a drinker but in jan 2020 I had to give up totally after being diagnosed with an illness. My health and happiness is much better. My only words of warning is the RAGE I find in the obsession society has with booze. Christmas telly is full of adverts for booze, every social event includes reference to a well stocked bar. It’s a bit boring.

You have to work quite hard to not be left out.

Yes I'm worried about that.

I'm quite sure that at least 2 friends and maybe even my sister will want to hang out with me much less.

Which is really sad!

@41stars

I should give up, I'm on a 1 to 2 bottles of wine a night at the moment.... Its like I get to 5pm and start to cook so it's drink time. What's worse is that I don't even get a hangover most days.

I've been dieting but don't include wine in my daily calories and have still been losing weight.

But as my expectations of incredible mental health, weight loss and money savings have not appeared i feel like what's the point of giving up then? (Obviously I know)

But I honestly feel so bored throughout the day that by the time the evening comes along, I want to feel something, anything!!

I feel like I'm going to be bored as hell tonight, there's no wine in the house.

1st step and all that jazz, wish me luck!

Have you read any books?

I've just finished Alcohol lied to me, and started Sober Girl Society and it's really changed my mind set - literally overnight!

No I haven't but I'll have a look for those.

I don't necessarily want to give up completely, just not drink as much and as often as I do now. I've had 1 day off in the past few months.

I'm aware my relationship with alcohol needs to change.

Yes, I quit drinking about 3 years ago. I didn't drink much, never in the house, just out in bars, but I started really suffering with hangovers, plus I realised I didnt enjoy drinking; I was just using it as a shield to hide my social anxiety.

The first few months when I went to pubs drinking soft drinks were awkward because I had never socialised without drinking before. I didnt know what to do or say. But then I got used to it and actually worked on the underlying social anxiety instead of numbing my uncomfortable feelings with alcohol. I could never go back to drinking now. It's so pointless, and drunk people are really boring! Now I still go to pubs (when we're allowed) but I leave when people start getting sloppy. It's the best of both worlds.

Allan Carr's book about controlling alcohol helped me too.

I couldn't drink on Saturday so I was sober watching my step sister and step mum start to look faintly ridiculous and talk utter shite. Eye opening.

Good for them, they had a great time. But I did make me question alcohol, which lead to me reading a couple of books and now my mind is made up!

"But as my expectations of incredible mental health, weight loss and money savings have not appeared i feel like what's the point of giving up then? (Obviously I know)"

Haha, I know! But really there are lots of benefits I have felt, it just isn't this sudden solution I was hoping for! Although in many ways it's actually kind of better, just a background, general, 'wellness'. Nothing dramatic.

The main things I unlearned was that I needed to drink to be 'me' - to be fun, to relax, to celebrate, to cheer myself up, to join friends etc.

I've found socially I get a kind of Drunk-by-association! Obviously how it works socially depends very much on your circle.

At the beginning I found myself bored, was often tempted to just go to bed early! But now that time has been filled magically.

I'm only 4.5 months in and drank a lot for a long time before that so I still expect improvements to come my way.

I recommend 'this naked mind' if nobody has mentioned it yet, interesting read on psychology and advertising and addiction etc.

I love wine but did dry Jan & even did dry Feb this year. Didn't noticeably feel any better but I had a class of bone dry wine for my first drink after & was agog at how sugary it was. I was into the habit of Drinking at least a bottle a night. Am now trying to stick to weekends & about half a bottle a night.

I can't be arsed reading self helps about it but would like to maintain moderation in my life.

@buckeejit

I love wine but did dry Jan & even did dry Feb this year. Didn't noticeably feel any better but I had a class of bone dry wine for my first drink after & was agog at how sugary it was. I was into the habit of Drinking at least a bottle a night. Am now trying to stick to weekends & about half a bottle a night.

I can't be arsed reading self helps about it but would like to maintain moderation in my life.

Not to be rude, but you don't sound like you are moderating at the moment though

Haha, I know! But really there are lots of benefits I have felt, it just isn't this sudden solution I was hoping for! Although in many ways it's actually kind of better, just a background, general, 'wellness'. Nothing dramatic.

I felt like this with quitting smoking, just generally felt a bit better than I had been. Which is great, because who doesn't want to feel better!

Some books I found really helpful for quitting booze are:

This Naked Mind by Annie Grace is brilliant for breaking down assumptions about alcohol. This is the book I credit with helping me give up without any second thoughts.

Quit Like A Woman by Holly Whitaker is wonderful, it's a feminist perspective of quitting booze and it is brilliant.

Mrs D is going without by Lotta Dann for a memoir type (also her follow up Mrs D is going within is great too)

The Sober diaries by Clare Pooley A good diary of the first year of giving up, although it is very MC

The unexpected joy of being sober by Catherine Gray is helpful too. Part memoir, part advice/science of drinking. I personally love this book.

The unexpected joy of being sober by Catherine Gray is helpful too. Part memoir, part advice/science of drinking. I personally love this book.

Great, I have this coming today!

I stopped 18 months ago. I was a binge drinker in my 20s , I drank to problematic levels in my early 30s , aged 39 I realised I just didn't like alcohol. I never have. I hate the way it makes me feel , I hate the way I enjoy my food less if I have wine , I hate the lack of proper sleep after drinking , and worst of all , I hate the expectation that we all like a 'cheeky' alcoholic drink.

I feel much healthier and my mental health is moderate and balanced rather than up and down.

Good luck op , and those others looking to give up.

It's amazing how ingrained it is in our lives.

Obviously I knew that before but in the last 24 hours I've really thought about it.

I'm sure most people don't like alcohol either

I am not drinking but think I will be more tempted when the weather is good and being in the garden. I have got myself some nice tonics and alcohol free wine as it’s the signal that alcohol has with relaxing that I miss. Haven’t drank since January.

@Boulshired

I am not drinking but think I will be more tempted when the weather is good and being in the garden. I have got myself some nice tonics and alcohol free wine as it’s the signal that alcohol has with relaxing that I miss. Haven’t drank since January.

Yes it's a learned response isn't it, but we can unlearn it!

I don't drink at home except for Christmas Day. So had a long period without alcohol.

My main trigger is nice weather (sunny beer) or terrible weather (cosy wine) haha, and I did actually enjoy drinking but it turns out I can't moderate so it's curtains for me and drinking.

I also read Sober Girl Society which I recommend, I bought myself one of their badges too but sadly it fell off my coat. Hoping maybe it'll be found by someone who'll like it?

@OrangeElk

My main trigger is nice weather (sunny beer) or terrible weather (cosy wine) haha, and I did actually enjoy drinking but it turns out I can't moderate so it's curtains for me and drinking.

I also read Sober Girl Society which I recommend, I bought myself one of their badges too but sadly it fell off my coat. Hoping maybe it'll be found by someone who'll like it?

I can't moderate at all.

Wouldn't ever fancy alcohol during the week, but get to Friday evening and it would begin. I would drink around 2/3 bottles per weekend, more if socialising.

I think I can see it for what it is now. It's not making my life any better - in fact it makes it worse. Buggered up sleep for 2/3 nights isn't good for anyone!

Yes - I realised about a year ago that I had a seriously unhealthy relationship with alcohol. I referred myself to my GP, got myself some anti-alcohol meds and got myself sober. I attend meetings once a week (NOT AA) and am feeling much better for it!

I've cut down a good bit. When I have a drink it's 2/3 glasses of wine. No being drunk, no hangovers. Instead of a mad night out every weekend (obv lockdown stopped that anyway) it's a glass or two. I've got back into running and it's keeping me motivated because I can see my body shape changing and I just feel good. I did quit for a good while and I can definitely say it does improve your mental health massively! My skin has been really clear too.