Those of you who have given up or greatly reduced your intake of alcohol ...

[eekamoose]

Can I ask

Why you did it? What were your incentives?

and

How did you do it?

Would be very interested to hear your stories ...

Thanks

I drank a lot as a student and then settled into a pattern of drinking at weekends during my 20's - either out with friends or a couple with DH if staying in. I noticed when I got into my 30's the hangovers - especially from mixing drinks or lots of wine started to get crippling, so I virtually stopped.

I now only drink either if I go out with friends (about once every couple of months) or occasional galss of wine with Sunday lunch if with family ro friends.

I don;t crave it, don;t miss it, and like the fact that a night out is dead cheap as 2 Smirnoff Ice are all I need to ahve a really good time

Yes bluesky. Put a bit of a long post on the smoking thread last night. Feel really rather pleased with myself re. giving up smoking (over 40 days now) and have drunk less since giving up, the two seem to go together.

But I do need to lose quite a bit of weight (including some extra lbs acquired since no fags) and decided the most sensible way to do this was to stop drinking the 3-4 bottles of wine a week that is my norm. I know that's too much btw.

So have decided not to drink at all for 40 days. Then I'll be able to have a drink again at Christmas if I want one. But am hoping 6 weeks of abstinence will greatly reduce my desire to have wine generally.

Heard on radio this morning that you get 6 weeks on a detox programme if you're an alcoholic so 6 weeks (or 42 days) has become a bit of a goal for me now.

oh yes now I remember.. sorry I'm very forgetful.. my husband lost a load, absolute load of weight by giving up mild drinking

it was really effective and gave him a significant feel good high

good luck.. you can do things like drink tonic with ice and a slice and pretend it's got gin in ..it works in the pub and it works at home too

plus, limit yourself to something you don't have very often say sparkling wine. it feels special when you do, maybe once a week, and you don't feel deprived. I used to live in a place where you could buy mini bottles of sparkling wine so it was possible to do that.. is that available where you live?

sorry that sounds really wanky

Not wanky at all