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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Giving up alcohol

2 replies

Lemonthyme · 25/03/2026 11:12

This is curiosity and sharing my story no judgement.

I gave up drinking 7 months ago after a slightly dysfunctional relationship with alcohol for years. First I tapered to only 2 nights a week, then 1 then recovering from that 1 was really obviously not helpful to my health which made quitting easier.

It's weird though because now I don't drink and am rarely tempted to do so, it would be wrong to say I have no idea why I ever did because I know it shuts up my busy mind for a while. It just made it busier longer term. I can just see though the things it was messing up, like sleep, weight (albeit I only lost about 3-4lbs total by just giving up booze, it was empty calories).

The one thing I've really noticed though is sleep and stress. A "bad night" sleep for me now would be my watch telling me it was say, 60% quality and 5 hours. Sometimes I even sleep more than 8 hours nowadays and that used to be unheard of. Whereas before a sniff of the barmaid's apron and sleep quality and quantity plummeted.

I'm saving at least £50 a week, probably nearer £75 with recent inflation.

I have to admit I now find it strange that anyone would try to lose weight and continue to drink, albeit even 2 years ago I would have baulked at the idea. "I have to have some fun." Would have been my response.

Has it been the magic bullet to lose every lb I wanted to or improve my mental health marvellously? No and I think it's important to say that. I had really unrealistic expectations of how much it would help. But I think it's fair to say it has helped quite a lot and is worth thinking about especially if you've tried everything else.

If not, no skin off my nose. It's just astonishing how I see the world with new eyes now. How despite restrictions on promotion, you have so much booze in every supermarket. It's so available and a lot of what people base their social lives around (I still go to pubs, I just drink sparkling water instead). I cannot explain to you though just how mad that all seems when it's no longer working on you.

OP posts:
MyTrivia · 25/03/2026 11:18

I’m autistic and come from a family of mainly autistic people where a lot of them use or did use alcohol as a crutch to cope with life, so I grew up seeing this. My older family members all have / had professional jobs and it was a way to decompress for them I think. I go through phases of doing the same thing but my ‘poison’ is expensive wine and it pains me to waste money on it even though I like it. If I stop drinking altogether my anxiety is a lot better overall and I sleep better as you say…

Even holding a nice glass can be a habit.

Lemonthyme · 25/03/2026 12:11

MyTrivia · 25/03/2026 11:18

I’m autistic and come from a family of mainly autistic people where a lot of them use or did use alcohol as a crutch to cope with life, so I grew up seeing this. My older family members all have / had professional jobs and it was a way to decompress for them I think. I go through phases of doing the same thing but my ‘poison’ is expensive wine and it pains me to waste money on it even though I like it. If I stop drinking altogether my anxiety is a lot better overall and I sleep better as you say…

Even holding a nice glass can be a habit.

It's interesting you say that. When I was cutting down last summer, I bought myself an inexpensive but pretty glass jug from a charity shop. I then made myself a mix of sparkling water with ice and herbs like mint, lemon balm or pineapple sage (surprisingly delicious and actually smells like pineapple). I'd then put it on my desk with a glass and drink it through meetings. It felt "special" in a way that I think I was missing when I was avoiding opening a bottle later.

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