need to cut back on alcohol !

Good luck! I empathize with the aggravation you are going through.

albireo13 said:
Thanks all for the advice. I've stopped cold turkey a few times in the past.
My drinking is definitely linked to family stress. A year ago I went on a 1 month detox nutrition program ... low carb, no caffeine, no alcohol, no dairy, no gluten, etc ....
I felt great after 30 days. I lost 17lbs of weight and have kept it off.

The stress of my parents has escalated over the last year (Mom calling me 14x a day at work, etc) and had triggered my excess drinking.

I am trying cold turkey. Two days so far and doing fine. AA is my fallback plan and I will try a session or two to check it out. The books look interesting as well.

Luckily, I do not have alcoholism in the family history. I will check in with updates.

Thx
Click to expand...
 
I tried moderation for many years without success. It was much easier for me to just go cold turkey. The AA approach was definitely not for me. I found a science based approach that clicked with me. The particular book I used was "Sex, Drugs, Gambling, and Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions". I basically just did the workbook and it really made sense to me. When I finally made the commitment, its amazing how easy it was and how little I miss it. Life is definitely better now. The hardest part for me was the fact that drinking was an integral part of every activity in my social circle. I have gradually gravitated towards new friends. Good luck, its worth it!
 
I'm an Eagles AND Joe Walsh fan. The first time I saw this, it made me cry - in a good way. All the best wishes for permanent sobriety.


Full disclosure: It made me cry again.
 
I drink 3-4 beers maybe twice a week. Sometimes I'll go a week without drinking, sometimes I'll have a night of 6+beers. Not exactly alcoholic levels of consumption, but I calculated I could lose 15 pounds in a year by changing nothing other than cutting out the alcohol. Deep down I want to toss my stash of beer and quit so bad, but after a few days I start to crave beer... Having to deal with a (very difficult) 11 year old and (very active) 1.5 year old toddler takes its toll.

When I started drinking 10+ years ago, 1 strong beer would be enough to give me an annoying headache for half the next day. Talk about a great deterrent...
 
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albireo13: Here is what I do.
1. Avoid stress/ignore problems
2. Tell yourself that all causes of stress are BS and not worth worrying
3. Get a dog or cat and observe how they deal with stress
4. Take Indica THC cannabis gummies (10 mg).
5. Sleep well. Be relaxed.
 
"I really need to cut back on drinking and need some inspiration.
Any good advice? ... success stories?"

I had been a drinker (and substance user) since around fourteen or so. I ran with the wrong crowd and barely graduated high school, mostly due to the generosity of the teachers at my school. At eighteen, I took a job with a large organization which had a "drinking culture," got drafted into the Army during Vietnam (another drinking culture) and after breaking up with my ex, retired and moved to a small rural state in the Northeast at age fifty. I was past the other substances by that time, but still drinking heavily and retirement only increased the drinking. And I knew it was doing me no good but didn't really care. I rationalized that as long as I was only hurting myself, well, then, that's up to me. Of course, I totally discounted the idea that I was hurting others and since I didn't drink every day, I pretended I had no problem. Over the next few years I saw my drinking steadily increasing and even though I could get up each day and accomplish my tasks (volunteering, attending college and working as a ski instructor), I knew I had to quit. So one summer day in August of 2006 after a particularly wild night (and rough next morning), at fifty-five years old, I quit, cold turkey. The first year was hard, so since I was a "lapsed" Roman Catholic, I decided to start attending Church again (which I hadn't gone to in decades) for the emotional support it provided, as well as because I could go to an evening Mass on Sunday after working the weekend as a ski instructor instead of "having a few" at home. I also was in college at the time getting my undergraduate in Psychology and I had learned of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), so I began to use it on myself. And I have never looked back. I'll be sixty-nine next month, sober since that day in August of 2006 and am a licensed clinical social worker specializing in CBT and substance use issues. I have a darling daughter who I adopted a few years ago and life continues to get better and richer each year. For me, the hardest part was realizing I needed to stop and then doing it. Good luck!
 
One of my self-imposed rules on this, especially after I ER'd, was that I would never drink alcohol alone.

I generally have opportunities, a couple of times a week, when out with family or friends so I have been able to comply with my restriction.

-gauss
 
I tend to drink with stress and boredom which has been worse recently with being newly retired and COVID restrictions to stay home.

I've seen my "happy hour creep", moving from wine with dinner, to late afternoon, to lunch etc... And I don't feel good the next day.

My ex had a problem with alcohol after his work day and it damaged our marriage.


So I had none today ! and will go dry for June.
 
One thing I never did is enjoy was drinking. I haven't had a beer or drink in years never took any liking for it.
 
I was never one to drink to excess; in fact, if I drink too much, I get sick. It has only happened about 5 times in my life, nausea, spinning rooms and dry heaves are not fun and are avoided at all costs. My mining certification required me to be of "good temperate habits" and was on 24 hour call, I do not go to bars, but will share a bottle of wine with DW if we go out to dinner, if there is something nice. Being an admitted wine snob and a LBYM person, I do not like paying $60 for a $20 bottle of corporate plonk, that costs $5 to make. DW and I love to cook, and it's much easier/safer/healthier/cheaper to enjoy my own wine and cooking. I enjoy making many different varieties and enjoy the daily pairing we do with our daily menu choice. I could never forgive myself if I was driving under the influence and involved in an accident. I have too much to lose because of stupidity. We have days where we don't drink a drop, like yesterday.
 
So, contrary to some of you my consumption has gone up. It's noon and I say "what the heck!" Have a number of buddies that say the same thing. Thanks for those who have taken it out of their regiment. I'm sure I'll tone it down eventually. I'm not a bad drunk so more just keeping an eye on it. Since I'm golfing more it has contributed to said habit.
 
Somehow I managed to get through a whole career without anyone expecting me to drink alcohol, except for one time. I turned down what would probably have been a career-enhancing job, after talking to the incumbent, who informed me that the customers I'd be working with came from a hard-drinking culture - and would expect me to entertain them in the manner to which they were accustomed, including drinking a lot, myself!

Since it wasn't uncommon, 20+ years ago, for certain men to try to discourage women from taking jobs with upward potential, I confirmed the hard-drinking-customer story with somebody whom I trusted. In fact he said the people who wanted to hire me, had been remiss in not telling me what was apparently a well-known fact in their office.

davebarnes said:
Many jobs are dependent on beer, wine, liquor consumption.
I am doing my best by spending more per unit.
Same units, more dollars.
Click to expand...
 
Lots of good advice in these threads, and lots of good stories.:cool:

My Dad was an alcoholic and Mom probably was too. I left home at 17, just one day out of high school. Home life was not a life. Dad died of alcohol poisoning at 60, but Mom lucked out because she had a stroke @63 and didn't drink after that. She died at 83 from kidney failure.

I ventured out on my own and ended up in the military during Vietnam. Then went to college on the GI Bill.

I was well on my way to follow in their footsteps and had two broken marriages early on. I quit drinking about 12 years ago but I never made the "Big Time" as a drinker. I was close, but no cigar. I had jobs in middle and senior management that led to client dinners, outings, etc so drinking was part of the game.

One day I just woke up and (in my earlry 60's) and felt bad from the night before and said "that's it"...no more wine or beer. I never was a big hard liquor fan.

I have not had a drop of anything with alcohol in it since that day. Lucky, I guess. And I am really lucky that I didn't do something stupid along the way due to the alcohol intake.
 
morriss003 said:
I drank heavily (whisky) for 10 years due to dystonia. I would knock off a liter of Jack Daniels in three nights, beginning on Thursday night. I managed to quit by switching to marijuana. After almost 30 years I began drinking again due to another condition, but now I alternate between wine and marijuana with an occasional small whisky.
Click to expand...
Sounds like me - I used weed to quit smoking in my 30's and then again to stop drinking in my early 50's. I didn't drink for again for about 15 years but started again recently (to celebrate my NHL remission). IMO, nothing like a JD and weed high. Just don't make it a habit.
 
Amethyst said:
Somehow I managed to get through a whole career without anyone expecting me to drink alcohol, except for one time. I turned down what would probably have been a career-enhancing job, after talking to the incumbent, who informed me that the customers I'd be working with came from a hard-drinking culture - and would expect me to entertain them in the manner to which they were accustomed, including drinking a lot, myself!

Since it wasn't uncommon, 20+ years ago, for certain men to try to discourage women from taking jobs with upward potential....
Click to expand...

shoot try 10 years ago, and probably still today in many fields... and yeah one of my last bosses I was the only girl, he had an all guy team and I was transferred over by his boss. he didn't know what to do with me since his "team builders" were all basically hang outs in his man cave downing tequila shots... nice guy but yeah....
 
My dad was an alcoholic and a big time smoker. He eventually quit drinking, but he didn’t quit smoking and it got him.

I used to drink 3-4 beers a day when I worked. Now without work stress, I hardly drink any alcohol. I sometimes now go several months without any alcohol. And I feel terrible the next day if I have a couple of beers the night before.
 
I like a good cold beer on a hot day, or a dry red wine with red meat, or an aged white cheese, but my main vice since 09 is marijuana. Not smoking it, mostly by eating edibles. When my state voted for medical marijuana and I qualified for it, my drinking went way down. So did my prescription medications now that I think about it.
 
I have a couple "pops" every day before supper. Latest fav, tequlia and clamato.
 
Much like our unique DNA/chemistry, our bodies react differently to alcohol. Douh!

From what I have witnessed and read over my many years: hard liquor can eventually corrode the gastro-intestinal lining for some folks, leading to a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis or just plain ulcers. Hard liquor can also lead to GI bleeding that kills some, like W.C. Fields and others ("massive gastric hemorrhage").

Some folks, like me, have somewhat of an allergy to beer. Looked it up on google to confirm. Brewers' yeast in particular, it said. I get a stuffy nose, sometimes cough, etc., after a couple of beers.

Others suffer the painful joint disease of gout--caused by too much uric acid in the body. And beer is a top culprit for that.

And we all shine on...
 
I founded www.latahrecoverycenter.org to help people dealing with this issue. If you were to walk into my center I'd suggest:
1. Check out AA or a similar support group.
2. Look into recovery coaching. These are trained and certified people with a lived addiction experience. They are there to provide coaching, commiseration, and motivation. They will help you identify your goals for your recovery, and make them into a Recovery Wellness Plan.
3. Participate in some sober social activities.

All of this is offered free. Perhaps you have something similar nearby.
 
I know this is an older thread, but when I read it last year, it inspired me to severely cut back on my drinking. I used to drink 6-10 beers a week (usually on the stronger side), and cut it down to 1-2 beers a week, sometimes less.

Lost 20lbs in a year with absolutely no other changes. Went from 205 to 185lbs - still a bit heavy at 5'10", so I've decided a few days ago to just quit, period, and start walking an hour a day. Trying to hit 170 by the end of the year :)

I can't believe how much my sleep improved and just how much better I feel in general. 10 beers a week (which averages out to 'only' 1.5 beers a day) could be 2500+ calories with craft beers... it's ridiculously hard to overcome that with exercise, and I didn't want to eliminate 2500 calories of quality food a week to accommodate alcohol calories. Sometimes I drank because of stress, but I realized that it was doing nothing. Not only would I still be stressed the next day, but I'd also have a headache and/or feel lousy after a poor night of sleep, which made the situation even worse. Plus I've saved some money which I put towards the kids' 529s.

So I want to thank everyone for sharing their stories here. :)
 
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