Going teetotal - is it really that mad / crazy?

[handlemecarefully]

Bear with me - what do you think of this (I'm thinking aloud):

I'm not an alcoholic (I don't need and crave a drink every day), but I do drink a little too much.

I'd find it easier to stay relatively slim if I cut the booze (it's a struggle not to gain weight atm), otherwise my diet is very good....

It's undeniably healthier without booze

Plus I use it as a prop to relax me / help me sleep / have a good time - and those are not positive associations. I should be able to do those things without a beer.

It might help with my running....

I can't just cut back to merely drinking at the weekends - that doesn't work for me, I have tried it and over time the weekend started to begin on a Wednesday!

I'm an all or nothing kind of gal - i.e. if I enjoy something I can't do it in moderation, I do it to excess. So for instance 4 months ago I totally gave up sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cakes, chips and high fat foods...(because I couldn't trust myself just to indulge occasionally), and giving them up completely has worked for me. I've just become the person who doesn't do fatty foods...

So, I'm thinking I could become the person who doesn't do alcohol...

But friends say I am mad / OTT in giving up alcohol. You would think I was proposing giving up life itself...

So am I mad?

there are 1 or 2 exceptions eg Liverpool winning the Cup!

Planning drinking and setting limits etc and also the fact that you say you can't do anything in moderation probably means you need to stop altogether 'Normal'social drinkers don't generally need to do this.Why don't you give up altogether for say one month.Feeling that you need restraint to only drink at weekends is worrying I live with a recovering alcoholic and he tried all these things before giving up altogether

Hmc - you sound a lot like me. I'm now not drinking at home - just when I go out and my social life is crap so it's not very often. I know I use drink as a crutch when I'm stressed - it's my only vice but one that definitely isn't good for me. I don't 'get drunk' but do feel rubbish in the morning after only one or two drinks so think my liver is probably suffering.

So no, I don't think you're mad

Ah thanks for these later posts (since I last checked in).

I feel quite positive about giving up the demon booze atm. Later this week will be interesting - I've got a Christmas Do to go to on Friday night, and another on Saturday. I intend to drive on both occasions so that will underpin not drinking. It will be interesting to see how it feels to be a model of sobriety surrounded by p**sheads !

Ooh hmc, do let us know how you get on. I'm similar to you, don't think I'm an alcoholic but like wine and Champagne and can v easily drink too much. I can stop easily (I did a month or so a while back) and atm I don't drink at all in the week as I'm temporarily living with people who are teetotal. I would like to lose some weight too and I think giving up drinking does have to be the case if you're dieting. So I may join you next week!