I am drinking 600 calories a day. How to just quit?

[hellenbackagen]

Ok....
If I buy a cake I eat a small piece and save the rest
If I buy a bar of chocolate I eat a few squares and I save the rest
If I eat a big meal I eat sensibly for the rest of the day

I am surprised I am not fecking huge because the one rule this does not apply to is wine.
If I have a bottle of wine - its gone. The whole damn bottle. And this is now nearly a daily occurrence.
This is 700 cals a day.
I want to stop but it feels like my only treat and it's the one thing I can't ration.

I just need to ban the booze altogether don't I?

It feels harder than stopping smoking or giving up chocolate or carbs!

How do I get to grips with this? I know that without the extra 700cals a day I'd be healthy, slim, fit and probably ultimately a lot happier and I know my partner would be ecstatic if I stopped drinking. (He hates it and worries about my bottle a day habit)

I CAN do without when working nights so I'm not alcoholic or alcohol dependant. It's in my head that I need a drink. But I am struggling to go tee total.

Anyone any advice?

I agree, moderation is very hard. It's all or nothing for me!

If it's any comfort, I had to have an MRI recently, after a bit of an alcoholic year, my liver was perfect!

Just cold turkey really I think is easiest. Plan when you are stopping, buy the Epsom salts, buy really, really healthy food and you're good to go.

(Should listen to self!)

Mollys
Thank you but I think I'm an all or nothing kind....
I reckon I'll be better going t total. If I taste wine I'll want more. Little bottle will lead to big bottle!

Wendy thank you I think this is me....
That's how I stopped smoking. (A few times!!!)

Little bottle will lead to big bottle absolutely!

I know what you mean about weight versus liver... to do 'self care' is all part of it and a month off the vino I always loose at least half a stone. Around my middle! I am not at all overweight, but I look great and glowy.

Skin and hair better etc...

I just need to start soon too!

Maybe Monday?

The DRY threads are fantastic and there are people who drink double what you do, everyone is kind and sympathetic.

Few things that helped me. I find wine makes me hungry so try to have gin & diet soda instead, if anything. Didn't do dry January because I thought I'd probably binge immediately after. So just stop drinking for periods but know fixed time limit. Got into the habit of driving late at night to get a bottle of milk for tea in the morning. Drink a cup of tea/coffee about half an hour before my normal first glass. Chug diet fizzy drinks instead of alcohol; I needed the sugar fix alcohol had been giving me.

These have helped me. I hope they help you. Obviously it's down to personal taste. A lot of it is habit

Posted too soon. Personal taste/circumstance.

Good luck! Hope you get some useful tips on this thread!

That should say "No fixed time limit "

They say addictions are replaced with another, try another drink, a low cal pop you like. Just have that at the time you’d normally have the wine.

How are you actually buying the wine? Is the shop close by? Do you have shopping delivery?

I'm trying to think of ways to alleviate your access to wine...

Do you think you could actually just say 'no more?', cold turkey? Or would you have to wean yourself off it, I.E.switch to just one gin and tonic instead?

If you take a break from alcohol for a week or two your alcohol tolerance comes back down quite quickly and you'll get the same feeling from half a bottle, saving 300 calories :D

I find wine the easiest thing to overdrink on as the volume isn't a lot for the units. If I drink beer/cider I fill up on volume/gas and have to stop earlier.

It's not hard to spot the posts from people who don't understand or can't empathise with addiction.

There's an alcohol support sub in Health, OP. I suggest that you post there. Good luck!

Only a few weeks ago I was exactly where you were. Felt I couldn't moderate. Read loads of quit lit. Couldn't completely quit. Couldn't quit at all. Felt guilty. Frustrated by my lack of weight loss. Frustrated that I couldn't find a way to deal with alcohol that I was happy with.

Then 3 weeks ago I settled on not drinking in the week. I'm not drinking Sunday to Thursday. But have what I want Friday and Saturday. It's working for me. It hasn't been as difficult as I expected, after the first week. The first glass of wine on a Friday night tastes amazing (although I've found I don't sleep well on a night I've had a drink)

I hope you find a solution you are happy with c

I did this at the start of January.
I downloaded two drink apps: one to pledge drink free days and one to log when I did have a drink.
I drank 58 units a week around Christmas - I had 45 units throughout the whole of January.

I bought a load of nice tonic, frozen lemon and lime slices and drank that when I thought “I would love a gin right now”.
I also have decaf tea every evening.
The first week was hard, since then it’s been easy. I still drink at weekends but nowhere near the level I was (and in fact some weeks I just don’t bother because I now don’t crave the taste of wine)

How about limiting drinking to the nights before non work days? Or giving it up for lent as someone else has suggested?

As a lifetime teetotaller I would say you might find it hard socially. I have never drunk but i feel a lot of pressure on nights out and parties. If that were added to by really enjoying drink myself I think I would struggle to say no. So if you are really going to do this that is an important area to consider.

I a big fan of making a non-alcoholic drink feel nice and grown-up.

I had to be tee-total for years due to a stomach problem. I used to do myself a lovely tonic and lemon, in a really nice glass, with loads of ice. That way it s still felt like I was treating myself. Tonic and bitters can also work (these are alcoholic but you only use a few drops, so it's negligible).

www.intuitivethinkingskills.co.uk/intuitive-recovery

Try to ignore the "Recovery" focus if that vocabulary doesn't appeal.

I did this course a few months ago and it's been one of the things that's helped change my mindset with drinking.

I also downloaded an Alan Carr reducing alcohol book.

I read This Naked Mind on Kindle.

I downloaded the Dry January app, and really enjoyed seeing the money, calories and units I've saved.
I read sober and reducing books, blogs and listened to podcasts.

I don't Not Drink. And I don't want that Sober/ Alcoholic/ Tee Total identity for myself. I just wanted to reset my relationship with alcohol and I have.

I could go days, weeks, months without drinking. But I would usually buy a bottle of wine on the days I'd decided I would. And I would always finish it. The permitted days had started to creep up. I didn't feel I should stop altogether and enjoyed drinking and felt entitled to a treat.

I also realised if I carried on I might end up really dependent or unable to stop. Or, and this was the biggest thing, HAVING to stop altogether, which I don't want.

Anyway, good for you for choosing to do something about it. Feel free to PM me if you'd like, and good luck!

Ok, this is very wasteful but.......
Pour your first glass of wine, then tip it down the sink. You can then drink the rest. Second night tip a little bit more down the sink etc etc. You should get to the point where you are drinking a lot less and obviously not drinking the whole bottle, but you are finishing the bottle ifyswim. Gradually you should begin to resent wasting the wine and be able to perhaps pour the first glass of wine into a bottle kept in the fridge for another night.

If you are going to work at 5am after drinking a bottle of wine the night before I assume you are using public transport/walking? You'd be well over the limit for driving.

You say you want to stop and asked for books
The first reply ( mine )gave you a book . Jason vale . If you are serious then download it read it and start .

I think its about making swaps, so could you instead buy an expensive bottle of gin or vodka and have it with slimline tonic and lime or something, then you can just have one or two and it'd be a real treat, over time save you money and also save you calories?

I think you should make yourself really busy some nights, get out the house, go for a really long walk or even go late night shopping or cinema so you're not at home drinking. Also i think a good rule is saving 3 days for not drinking, so if you try do that mon-weds then u'd be guilt free having a drink the other days.
Having a drink u have to make also takes away the excuse of having to finish the bottle within a time period.
X

I’d find it easier to stop at a time when a lot of other people do too, so dry January, dry July, sober October, so I’d do it for Lent as that’s coming up. People find it easy to accept and don’t quiz you about it. See how you feel after that, you’ll probably naturally want to drink less after having a break from it and stopping the habit.

I know how you feel. I love wine, and was staring to think I might be becoming dependent especially as my Dad was an alcoholic. My solution was a New Years resolution never to open a bottle at home unless we had guests. I still drink if I'm out but feel much more in control.

My DH is a recovering alcoholic drinking about 70 units a week so similar to you, OP. He couldn't stop on his own. He went to his GP who referred him to a local addiction support group. It's been really helpful and he's been sober for 2 months. He had to be completely open to it, in return they offered him group therapy, 1:1 support, acupuncture and meditation weekly. He has nearly finished the programme and is being encouraged to move on to AA. He read 'sober' by a famous footballer as that's his interest. If you Google soberista this is a good online resource.
There is no quick fix. You need to access support which is why posters are pointing out to you the seriousness of your situation. Good luck OP.

I also stopped drinking to support him and these are my tips:
Have a plan for the evening. Do something else eg phone a good friend, read a new book, have a bath, paint your nails but stay busy.
Get some nice non alcoholic drinks. Posh juice, elderflower, etc. I like bog standard lemonade. In a nice glass with ice it feels relaxing.
Have the cake- if you feel deprived you are more likely to drink. People who stop drinking often crave sugar and it's ok to indulge this in the short term.
Get the demotivator app on your phone- think it's from moneysavingexpert- work out how much money you are saving in a week or month. Spend some on a facial or hobby to treat yourself.
Your skin will look amazing. The weight will drop off. You'll have so much more time in the evenings. You'll wake up feeling calmer with more energy.
It's hard but worth it!