I need to stop drinking

[Idrinktoomuchireallydo]

I was not sure where to post this but I guess it is about a relationship - my relationship with alcohol.

I drink far too much and I hate how it makes me feel. My DH and I were at a function last night and we are both hungover and still in bed. We both want to change this.

We tend to drink most nights and maybe only have one alcohol free night a week. The amounts vary from half a bottle of wine to a bottle and a half of wine at the weekends. I never go to work hungover but I am tired a lot and I could do with losing weight. I also sleep badly. My DH is the same.

All our social events revolve around alcohol so stopping won't be easy. We have our DD's graduation next week and a lovely meal booked. The assumption will be that we will have champagne and wine there Theron we are going out with relatives at night.

I could try to limit myself but after the first glass I throw caution to the wind and that is it.

I am looking for some ideas on how to tackle this. I have started worrying that I am going to die too young and it makes me panic. But so far not enough to stop me from drinking. I am 51 and these drinking habits are very much entrenched.

Can anyone give me any words of wisdom? Thank you.

Could you take a month of drinking any alcohol at all, and then reappraise how you feel?

It takes a bit of effort. Would you DH do it with you.

Incidentally, don't view any occasion as simply having to celebrate with champagne/alcohol. You can celebrate, toast with fizzy water just as easily. (But you have to want to abstain, otherwise you will give in if most around you are drinking)

Good for you for recognising that you're unhappy with your drinking. I've been in the same boat. I hot so sick of it that I just stopped for a month. It was very freeing having a clear head every morning, feeling less anxious, sleeping much better. Skin looked brighter and my face lost its bloated look. I enjoy drinking iced fizzy water and herbal teas so I made sure I had loads of those in

After a month, I went back to drinking slowly but I felt that I was much more in control of it. I absolutely loathe and resent hangovers now because they interfere with my plans for the next day so I've got pretty good at knowing my limits. I drink a lot less than I used to and feel really good about that.

You can do this OP. How would you feel about knocking it on the head for a while?

I did suggest to DH we try a dry July. I stopped for 2 weeks last August. On my birthday actually as we had overindulged the night before. I felt so good but then I started drinking again. It just makes me feel rubbish.

I'm similar. I'm going to build up my time off. So I managed one night off this week so far, am aiming for two next week etc. I'm going to accept I'll drink on occasions, but will plan my drinks and not get too hammered. From stopping smoking, I realised that saying I was going to stop for a month was too big a target to start with, and I felt I had failed if I had one. Instead I took it one day at a time and have now been stopped for seven years! I very occasionally have a fag(like two a year) but I don't beat mysf up about it. Good luck.

I would take a solid month off. This doesn't mean 'I will never drink again', but it does mean you will have a good chance to:

• see how your sleep improves without alcohol
• see how your mood improves without it
• identify your trigger points and think about strategies to deal with them.

It needs to be a fairly long period to get the initial benefit, a week is too short.

You will have to do normal things without booze - a restaurant meal is one of my most difficult but of course it can be done perfectly well. If you add up how many units you're drinking you know you need to find a good strategy to reinvent your relationship with alcohol.

You need to make sure you don't have booze in the house, think about alternative tipples (ginger beer is good, not too sweet) and take the plunge. Lots of people do a detox for health reasons so I don't think anyone will think it's you outing yourself as having a booze problem.

How are you feeling tonight OP?