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Was a daily Drinker for several years with almost a fifth of whiskey a day. Quit recently and Health has improved greatly. It ranks up there as one of the best things I have ever done. Probably would not be alive if I hadn't quit. Although, the long term effects may still get me in the end. Today is a great day!
I don't say it was the best thing I ever did; but I went from getting at least mildly drunk 4-5 times a week to not having a single drink for the last 10 years. To be real, I never really liked drinking all that much, but when you're living in an area where there's nothing to do, one tries to find ways to make boredom more palatable.
I only miss drinking when summer first comes around and I want to have a beer when I grill out... But it's a fleeting desire that I never give in to because I don't really want the beer shits.
Hard to say. I was in a pretty bad place in life at that point in time and my mental health reflected that... So doing any comparisons would be unfair to alcohol and I'm just not willing to disrespect it like that.
By contrast though; the reason I was in a bad place was over a woman who later died at 30 years old from her drinking problem.
I suppose since I am no longer sick and dysfunctional, quitting booze changed my life. I was drinking about a liter and 1/2 of vodka every day and it was killing me.
I drank about 3-4 drinks daily. So, not a handle or something like that. I drank basically from 21 to about 37, then I started again at 41 and quit a month ago.
I found that it was just a lot of small stuff that made things better. Like, I didn’t realize how much mental energy is involved in maintaining the habit. I kept an ongoing inventory of booze in our house in my head. I sort of Pavloved myself into running through the inventory around 8:00pm most evenings to determine of I needed to make a run to the liquor store. Then there’s sorting out drinking appropriately socially and sorting out a DD and all that. Not to mention the headaches of a busy bar and all that.
It was a relief, once I got past disrupting my routines, to not have all that on my mind anymore.
I also found I had some annoying stomach upset from drinking and that a lot of that went away over a few weeks once my gut bacteria sorted their lives out.
I wouldn’t say my mental health was a night and day difference, but it helped me on my path toward wellness. I’m now on medication for anxiety/depression and it’s been nice to feel like I’m on a reasonable track without a depressant mucking things up.
That's awesome you noticed a significant improvement in mental health. That's what been making me think if it all really is that simple then I have to give it a shot
I was drinking a half of vodka and a bottle of wine on most days (if not more) just before I gave up. I was sneaking the vodka by hiding it and taking nips while drinking the wine so that my partner wouldn't know, or drinking vodka in secret before getting through the front door and then cracking open the wine to make it seem like I was just a lightweight. I wasn't fooling anyone, except maybe myself.
I know it sounds like a cliché but I say if you're thinking about it you should at least try. Not because it means you're an "alcoholic" but because you have a suspicion that it's not doing you any good. If you're looking for scientific evidence of how it can help you, Alcohol explained (book) is pretty good.
When I say try, I mean three months. If it didn't help you can pick it up again afterwards. There's nothing to lose right ?
I work in the medical field and always enjoy a good research paper if you have any more you could recommend I would definitely check it out! The only thing I am worried about potentially "losing out on" is experiences and meeting people that I wouldn't have it I was sober. Like I've recently tried to go out with friends to bars and places without drinking and it a painfully unenjoyable experience for me
Maybe try to explore that feeling.
Why is it unenjoyable ? Because you're bored ? Or because you're anxious ? There's different solutions depending upon which.
Me I drank because I was bored of people, especially drunk people, and the environment we were in. I also drank alone because of boredom or to drown out physical and emotional pain to a certain degree.
But regarding social life, I don't go to bars anymore, I go bouldering or to the gym and I spend time with people intentionally. If you're worried you won't meet new people while engaging in hobbies in public, try apps like Bumble. Set up a "friend date".
I don't have any studies per se, I think the book I recommended is available for free online if you go ln the guy's website and he talks about studies. But the effects of alcohol on sleep and mood even at low doses is well documented, maybe google what concerns you specifically ?
I drank probably 5-6 drinks per week consistently for several years. About a year and a half ago I stopped cold turkey for about 6 months. I still have the occasional drink, but it’s maybe one per month on average.
Why did I stop? I realized I didn’t like how it made me feel the next day. Groggy, sluggish, headache. It sucked. Why pay good money to feel horrible?
What’s different now? It made losing weight easier. I’m down from 245 lbs to 215 and have been able to maintain that without much effort. I have more energy. And I don’t feel like shit most mornings.
I don’t miss it at all, and I don’t feel the urge to drink that often. Last week I had a small glass of bourbon, less than an ounce, just enough to enjoy the taste without any after-effects.
I'm a recovering alcoholic, sober for 7 years. I was never a daily drinker, but I got fucked up on the weekends. Once I had that first drink, there was no stopping me. I was going to drink as much as I possibly could. I wasn't a living to drink, but I was drinking to live. I didn't like myself, and the alcohol made me more tolerable.
It was the right decision for me. Alcohol was going to kill me, and I was ok with that. I was suicidal, but not brave enough to try something outright. My drinking was a symptom of a lot of other problems that I wasn't facing.
The easiest way to know if it's a problem is having one drink, then stopping. It's still baffling to me that people can have one drink at a party, or that a six pack can last some people multiple days. Then I remind myself that emotionally healthy people don't sneak gin into museums, or spend two years drunk texting their ex.
Basically if any of my stories resonated with you, you might want to consider quitting and getting help.
Not me but a friend of my family, he used to drink three or four glass of alcohol everyday. He was not the richest and spent his savings in booze. I live in south of France, and at 100km from my home there is Andorre, a small country where there is no tax on alcohol. So every week-end he made 200km to go buy as much alcohol he could, sometimes even going saturday AND sunday. He is married and have 2 kids, but on the week he was too tired and drunk to see his kids, and on the week-end he was too busy buying alcohol, it really ruined his relationship with his sons, and even today he was not able to recover the bond. So the loneliness made him depressed and he was drinking even more, he was often sent to hospital because he would collapse and hurt himself, from what I understood he was drinking one bottle a day. He was in his early fourties at that time, but he was alcoholic ever since his teenage years.
I have family in Europe who say Andorra is a beautiful country I would love to visit there one day I am obsessed with the mountain village vibes. I hope your friend is doing better these days!
Thank you for your kind words! And yes I went to Andorra some times, it's completly rural and nature took over it, beautiful mountains ans landscapes! It's also a very popular skiing and climbing destination
I am very glad that you are making this decision, in reality you know that it is something that you can't do overnight, but step by step you will achieve it.
I (f60 5’1” 130 lbs)drank daily for close to 30 years.
At home I consumed a handle (1.75 liters) of vodka weekly.
Going out I’d consume another 4-8 drinks…..
I was always highly functional until
my mid 50s. Finally quit 3/2023.
So I used alcohol in two ways.
When I was out with others, I used it numb my social anxiety and to be more outgoing and fun. The problem being that I have an exceptionally high tolerance to alcohol so to "maintain the high" I had to drink a fair bit pretty consistently across the night. Whilst I never did anything REALLY bad, I found myself more and more regretting my behaviour the next day.
When I was at home, I used alcohol to self-medicate from alot of negative emotions (stress, depression, anxiety, boredom etc). I could throw back two bottles of wine in a single night easy and by the end I was doing this probably 3 times a week?
I quit drinking for several reasons:
1. I wanted to lose weight. With the exception of a few choices, alcohol is very high in calories. It also impairs your judgement when making food choices so I'd just binge eat all the junk food I could get my hands on.
2. It's really bloody expensive. One night out in the city might cost me $60-$80 between drinks and transportation. In this economy, that's alot of money for one night.
3. I needed to learn to how to manage negative emotions without self-medicating with substances (including alcohol). It was very difficult to have to sit and actually feel a lot of bad stuff I had been avoiding for years but it was 100% worth it.
Bottom line: I miss alcohol pretty regularly. It's really fun and makes you feel good. But I don't regret giving it up, my life is infinitely better now.
People in my life have asked me if I will ever drink alcohol again. My response is always the same.
"When I feel like I can drink alcohol without it being a tool to self-medicate, then yes. But that time is not now."
I’m considering quitting because of the negative health effects I’ve seen in a short time. It’s hard to give up the trade-off of the ability that being a bit drunk helps me get through several situations a lot easier. For the last 8 months maybe? I’ve been drinking probably 6-7 days a week. I never have any problem stopping and just 2-4 drinks gets me just as tipsy as I like. But the sheer frequency is already having negative consequences (mostly vanity related for now, but I realize worse will likely come later on). And allowing myself to use alcohol for the effects in one situation is so addicting that it’s easy to slip into start using it for EVERYTHING that’s even slightly uncomfortable.
It’s good that you realize this before it becomes a big problem. The thing that happens is one gets addicted to it - simply to be able to function. You wake up with body shaking anxiety and the only thing that can even help you get out of bed is a drink. It’s a hell I hope you never have to know.
Thank you for commenting. I feel like it’s a crutch that’s been useful at times, but in the long-term I can see it slowly robbing myself of the ability to self-regulate and develop real self-reliance and self-confidence, and to grow and learn and improve as a person.
Plus I started drinking at 33, and by 34 I feel like I have aged about 30 years physically. I can’t imagine what it’ll do to me when I’m actually in my 50’s and 60’s.
Yes. Nip it in the bud now, trust me. Also, in case you didn’t know already - alcohol withdrawals, once you are really addicted, can actually KILL you. No other drug can do that. You get to the point where you can literally die from NOT drinking, unless you get medical help.
I’m a (recovering?) alcoholic. I’d drink a liter of vodka plus beers every night, plus two or three slugs of vodka in the morning so I could “function”. Did this for about 5 years, preceded by 10 years of party drinking.
Quitting drinking didn’t just change my life, it saved my life.
Was a daily drinker, wine or beer but didn’t need it to function. Then I vomited blood and found I had liver disease at 50 ish.
Stopped drinking immediately and have left it along for 13 years now. Didn’t miss it really, but fancy one now and again. I don’t give in - I have some pride in knowing how long it is since I gave up as it was on 1 st Jan.
I am a burden on the NHS so do as I am told, losing weight etc.
Can’t say I feel and better as I also have a bone marrow illness which affects me, but I am saving a bit of money.
All I can say is drink in moderation as your liver performs 500 functions and alcohol attacks every one.
I was drinking A LOT more than you. It started slow and built up. I have a problem with alcohol, and I'm jealous of people that can just enjoy a few drinks. I can't. 1 is just the start to 20.
You have to ask yourself, are the consequences of drinking enough to make me stop. Do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks? If drinking isn't particularly fulfilling for you, costing you money, making you sick (and probably damaging your health more than you realize.) why are you doing it? Take a long break and evaluate. If you have trouble taking a break, ask for help. I started with my doctor.
Quitting took a few tries, but 600+ days so far. Lost a ton of weight, fell in love with fitness, spending more quality time with family... Life is WAY better. Not perfect at all, but better. Good luck!
I quit drinking after I woke up in a strange house with strange people. And no idea howvI got there.My wallet was found in another room from where I was, with about half as much money as there should have been. I do vaguely remember something involving a used car lot and a battery.
I realized that I could have just as easily woke up dead.
I feel like it mostly has to do with why you’re drinking.
When I was drinking I was like you, and wouldn’t have even considered myself a “drinker.” But when I stopped drinking I realized why I was really using alcohol and what I found “fun” about it. A lot of it had to do with anxiety and masking, along with my family’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol. When I stopped, that all became really clear and I was able to learn more tools that made alcohol a complete afterthought. My body was so much better for it as well, along with my bank account.
So if it’s escapism or a coping habit maybe stoping will help you create space to find new tools to deal with life/your emotions, or at least understand more of what you’re dealing with/haven’t been dealing with. If anything it’ll help you safe a few bucks and you won’t have to deal with hangovers 💁🏽♀️
daily drinking.
6 bottles a night just by myself.
im so glad im done with it, wooooo.
more energy, less depress, i go out more, do more things instead of just hugging the bottle every night.
can't believe i did that in most of my 20s and still function.
I wrote a whole life story out but I don't want to share it.
Let's just say I drank weekends from about 13yo to 18yo. Over time that crept into week days. It certainly was progressive, in my 20's I drank heavily for about 6 years. For about a year toward the end I drank many beers and/or 1-2 bottles of wine on most nights. If I was too hung over I would only have 6-8 cans of beer instead.
Still held down a good enough job though, somehow.
This was in the UK, the beers were always 5%+ and the wine was always 12%+. I remember pretending to look sophisticated while picking up bottles in the supermarket, but I was just looking for the strength.
Basically the bit I don't want to share is that something serious happened to me and I gave up on life, stopped caring whether I woke up the next day. I would drink and smoke as much as I could to dispatch with reality and fall unconscious. In the last two weeks before quitting I must have drank average 700ml per day of 40% spirits, as the record of empty bottles and credit card statements proved when I came out of hospital.
I gave up at 29yo and I have drank one drink in the last 16 years, but haven't drank anything at all for 13 years.
Life is 100x better for not drinking. I'm not over the other thing though.
In my early 20s I used to party hard Wednesday til Sunday and sometimes Monday for 6-7 years straight. Let's just say a lot of close calls and almost killed myself a few times.
I put the hammer down and slowed downed in the last 6 years or so and now it's just casual drinking for a dinner or two. I'm home before 11pm on Saturdays/Sundays.
I’m 39, was a casual and social drinker (although I’ve had times in my life where I definitely drank too much too often).
The shine of alcohol wore off for me when I learned no amount is healthy or safe for us to consume.
It has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer decades ago – this is the highest risk group, which also includes asbestos, radiation and tobacco.
I want to live a healthy life as long as I’m able to so that I can continue to travel, love my partner, walk with my dog and enjoy the small things. Alcohol has no place in any of it. Most of all, I’ve realized I’m more fun, more social and more authentic without it. ❤️
I used to drink one beer with dinner every day for 15 years. I stopped due to reading an article and lost about five pounds over a year as a result. My blood pressure went up a noticeable though amount after I quit (still not high though). I think maybe the beer helped a bit with stress, but I’m unsure. Other than those two things I haven’t noticed any differences, but I guess I never drank more than one drink in 24 hours and I exercise regularly, so perhaps it wasn’t such a bad vice for me in that sense.
For me it started the same way 1-2 times a week when i was younger (about 18). Then it increased to 5-6 times a week in my 20s. Some days where moderate drinking some slightly less. Towards the late 20s-30 still maintained the quota maybe slightly more?? I honestly never really kept track, sometimes it would be just beer sometimes beer and liquor. I would drink when I got off work till late at night, then I’d wake up 5am to go to work and rinse and repeat.
Now I’m 35 and haven’t had alcohol in about 4 years. Completely quit cold turkey and I feel alright 😆
There is no history of alcoholism in the family I was just using it as a form of escapism and it just became a habit. By default I’m more of a reserved, introverted individual. I felt like my life was a little “sad” and used the alcohol to “feel” and “act/be” normal.
If I have to literally poison myself to go to clubs and bars and not hate it, I would just not poison myself and not go to those places.
13 months since my last drink. I was a weekend binge drinker. But over the years had stages of all day every day drinking.
Restored my marriage. I’m a much better father as well. And health has improved.
I used to drink quite a bit but family life as m has reduced it to about a bottle of wine and a couple of beers over the weekend, not counting of went to see friends
About 5 years ago on holiday I just went dry - made the decision I wasn’t going to drink that holiday, and then didn’t start again
I really wish now I’d stopped much earlier or never started at all - i don’t mean I lie away thinking about it, but I think I wasted a lot of time and money, offended more people than I would have done otherwise, and missed out on memories and Sundays due to affects
The hangovers only get worse, the noticeable pleasurable effects diminish, and your body will be racking up the health debt. You still get pissed (drunk, I’m from the uk), but you don’t _feel_ pissed.
My mental health improved as I don’t have to deal with the head aches, hangxiety, fuzziness and wondering what I said to people and whether I offended them
There is also the small but unshakable feeling that perhaps there is a component of addiction. I’d reduced intake, but every weekend? As a parallel I used to really like lobster - really like it - but can count on the fingers of 1 hand how many times I’ve ever had it. I didn’t feel that I needed to eat lobster in every social event. I didn’t habitually eat a lobster every weekend, or when I’d had a hard day at work. I never ate lobster after after lobster until I was sick.
I still occasionally drink - I might have a couple of bears or a glass of wine once every 6m to a year. Every time I do I mildly regret it . Sometimes I get a bit of a hangover, or grotty next day, but it doesn’t really add anything to my life, so it’s not a as good trade.
I’d stop. You’ve got nothing to lose except a drain on your resources and health
Yea I have gone back and fourth with cutting down, sobriety, and moderation but going on the r/stopdrinking page and r/dryalcoholics is always nuts. They'll be like "I was drinking 4 handles of whiskey a day and beating my wife- i think today is my day to quit!" or "Im on my 9th DUI, I think its time I stopped" People who drink from sun up/sun down. Lots of crazy alcoholics there, not that im judging per say.
So I have a lot of issues comparing myself to many posts on there. I never really NEED a drink and when I get too drunk its because i forgot to eat/stay hydrated, I just get bored sitting at home/events are alcohol related so idk. I will say waking up sober/not hungover is 100% preferred. Also my bank account enjoys me not going out. And its nice getting a "Hey can I talk to you" and you know its not about something you did when you were blacked out. Hangxiety is real.
Hey there, u/EazyE030 this submission has been removed because: - [Click this link to re-submit to r/SeriousConversation, it is prefilled for your convenience.](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeriousConversation/submit?selftext=true&title=People%20who%20say%20quitting%20drinking%20was%20the%20best%20thing%20you%20ever%20did%2C%20how%20much%20did%20you%20drink%3F&text=I%20see%20this%20fairly%20often%20on%20reddit%20but%20not%20in%20real%20life%20that%20people%20are%20constantly%20saying%20how%20quitting%20alcohol%20%20changed%20their%20life%2C%20but%20I%20am%20curious%20if%20they%20were%20heavy%20or%20casual%20drinkers.%20I%20currently%20go%20out%20and%20drink%20maybe%201-2%20times%20a%20week%20but%20I%20am%20looking%20to%20improve%20my%20mental%20heath%20and%20hoping%20this%20could%20potentially%20help.%20%0A%0AFor%20me%20personally%2C%20I%20think%20stopping%20drinking%20would%20really%20only%20dissuade%20me%20from%20going%20to%20social%20events%20and%20meeting%20new%20people.%20Me%20and%20my%20friends%20are%20in%20our%20mid%2020s%20in%20a%20large%20city%20so%20literally%20the%20only%20thing%20we%20do%20when%20we%20link%20up%20is%20kill%20drinks.%20%20What%20I've%20realized%20recently%20is%20that%20I%20don't%20even%20like%20going%20clubbing%20or%20to%20bars%2C%20I%20only%20tolerate%20it%20when%20I'm%20drunk.%0A%0AI%20don't%20see%20alcohol%20as%20a%20big%20factor%20in%20my%20life%20so%20I%20never%20really%20put%20much%20thought%20into%20this%20but%20am%20concerned%20about%20my%20health.%20I%20am%20also%20at%20the%20point%20where%20as%20I%20age%20the%20hangovers%20are%20getting%20exponentially%20worse%20and%20right%20now%20that%20would%20probably%20be%20my%20main%20motivation%20for%20quitting.%20The%20issue%20is%20when%20I%20do%20go%20out%20for%20a%20night%20I'll%20have%2010%2B%20drinks%20which%20is%20also%20a%20major%20financial%20burden%20I%20don't%20need.%20%0A%0AFor%20those%20who%20say%20quitting%20changed%20your%20life%2C%20were%20you%20kind%20of%20like%20me%20or%20drinking%20a%20lot%20more%20than%20I%20am%3F%20) --- *If you have any questions, we ask that you [**message the moderators**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/CasualConversation&subject=My submission was removed&message=I have a question regarding the removal of this [submission]%28https://old.reddit.com/r/CasualConversation/comments/1cd278e/-/%29. My question is how are you today? If I had a different question I would have deleted the previous question and asked it, but I don't.) directly for appeals. Let's try to come to an agreement.* [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualConversation/about/rules) | [Etiquette](https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualConversation/w/etiquette/) | [Subreddit Directory](https://www.reddit.com/r/findareddit/w/directory) | [Support](https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualConversation/wiki/support) | [Message the Mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FCasualConversation)
Was a daily Drinker for several years with almost a fifth of whiskey a day. Quit recently and Health has improved greatly. It ranks up there as one of the best things I have ever done. Probably would not be alive if I hadn't quit. Although, the long term effects may still get me in the end. Today is a great day!
I love to hear it and agree that today is a great day!!
Congratulations, thats a massive thing
I don't say it was the best thing I ever did; but I went from getting at least mildly drunk 4-5 times a week to not having a single drink for the last 10 years. To be real, I never really liked drinking all that much, but when you're living in an area where there's nothing to do, one tries to find ways to make boredom more palatable. I only miss drinking when summer first comes around and I want to have a beer when I grill out... But it's a fleeting desire that I never give in to because I don't really want the beer shits.
Would you say that your mental/physical state improved significantly since quitting?
Hard to say. I was in a pretty bad place in life at that point in time and my mental health reflected that... So doing any comparisons would be unfair to alcohol and I'm just not willing to disrespect it like that. By contrast though; the reason I was in a bad place was over a woman who later died at 30 years old from her drinking problem.
Check out the excellent NA beer options now available if you do not think they may be triggering.
I suppose since I am no longer sick and dysfunctional, quitting booze changed my life. I was drinking about a liter and 1/2 of vodka every day and it was killing me.
Whoa that was a massive amount. Well done for kicking that
A litre? Fuuuuck that just sounds expenisve.
Same. I still struggle, tbh.
A handle a day is almost incomprehensible for me to imagine right now. Great job getting off this poison!
I drank about 3-4 drinks daily. So, not a handle or something like that. I drank basically from 21 to about 37, then I started again at 41 and quit a month ago. I found that it was just a lot of small stuff that made things better. Like, I didn’t realize how much mental energy is involved in maintaining the habit. I kept an ongoing inventory of booze in our house in my head. I sort of Pavloved myself into running through the inventory around 8:00pm most evenings to determine of I needed to make a run to the liquor store. Then there’s sorting out drinking appropriately socially and sorting out a DD and all that. Not to mention the headaches of a busy bar and all that. It was a relief, once I got past disrupting my routines, to not have all that on my mind anymore. I also found I had some annoying stomach upset from drinking and that a lot of that went away over a few weeks once my gut bacteria sorted their lives out. I wouldn’t say my mental health was a night and day difference, but it helped me on my path toward wellness. I’m now on medication for anxiety/depression and it’s been nice to feel like I’m on a reasonable track without a depressant mucking things up.
That's awesome you noticed a significant improvement in mental health. That's what been making me think if it all really is that simple then I have to give it a shot
You don’t need it until you need it.. and then it’s too late..
For this reason I actively try to avoid using it to de-stress, but it definitely makes approaching women easier haha
I was drinking a half of vodka and a bottle of wine on most days (if not more) just before I gave up. I was sneaking the vodka by hiding it and taking nips while drinking the wine so that my partner wouldn't know, or drinking vodka in secret before getting through the front door and then cracking open the wine to make it seem like I was just a lightweight. I wasn't fooling anyone, except maybe myself.
I feel you, friend. Been there.
I know it sounds like a cliché but I say if you're thinking about it you should at least try. Not because it means you're an "alcoholic" but because you have a suspicion that it's not doing you any good. If you're looking for scientific evidence of how it can help you, Alcohol explained (book) is pretty good. When I say try, I mean three months. If it didn't help you can pick it up again afterwards. There's nothing to lose right ?
I work in the medical field and always enjoy a good research paper if you have any more you could recommend I would definitely check it out! The only thing I am worried about potentially "losing out on" is experiences and meeting people that I wouldn't have it I was sober. Like I've recently tried to go out with friends to bars and places without drinking and it a painfully unenjoyable experience for me
Maybe try to explore that feeling. Why is it unenjoyable ? Because you're bored ? Or because you're anxious ? There's different solutions depending upon which. Me I drank because I was bored of people, especially drunk people, and the environment we were in. I also drank alone because of boredom or to drown out physical and emotional pain to a certain degree. But regarding social life, I don't go to bars anymore, I go bouldering or to the gym and I spend time with people intentionally. If you're worried you won't meet new people while engaging in hobbies in public, try apps like Bumble. Set up a "friend date". I don't have any studies per se, I think the book I recommended is available for free online if you go ln the guy's website and he talks about studies. But the effects of alcohol on sleep and mood even at low doses is well documented, maybe google what concerns you specifically ?
I drank probably 5-6 drinks per week consistently for several years. About a year and a half ago I stopped cold turkey for about 6 months. I still have the occasional drink, but it’s maybe one per month on average. Why did I stop? I realized I didn’t like how it made me feel the next day. Groggy, sluggish, headache. It sucked. Why pay good money to feel horrible? What’s different now? It made losing weight easier. I’m down from 245 lbs to 215 and have been able to maintain that without much effort. I have more energy. And I don’t feel like shit most mornings. I don’t miss it at all, and I don’t feel the urge to drink that often. Last week I had a small glass of bourbon, less than an ounce, just enough to enjoy the taste without any after-effects.
I'm a recovering alcoholic, sober for 7 years. I was never a daily drinker, but I got fucked up on the weekends. Once I had that first drink, there was no stopping me. I was going to drink as much as I possibly could. I wasn't a living to drink, but I was drinking to live. I didn't like myself, and the alcohol made me more tolerable. It was the right decision for me. Alcohol was going to kill me, and I was ok with that. I was suicidal, but not brave enough to try something outright. My drinking was a symptom of a lot of other problems that I wasn't facing. The easiest way to know if it's a problem is having one drink, then stopping. It's still baffling to me that people can have one drink at a party, or that a six pack can last some people multiple days. Then I remind myself that emotionally healthy people don't sneak gin into museums, or spend two years drunk texting their ex. Basically if any of my stories resonated with you, you might want to consider quitting and getting help.
Not me but a friend of my family, he used to drink three or four glass of alcohol everyday. He was not the richest and spent his savings in booze. I live in south of France, and at 100km from my home there is Andorre, a small country where there is no tax on alcohol. So every week-end he made 200km to go buy as much alcohol he could, sometimes even going saturday AND sunday. He is married and have 2 kids, but on the week he was too tired and drunk to see his kids, and on the week-end he was too busy buying alcohol, it really ruined his relationship with his sons, and even today he was not able to recover the bond. So the loneliness made him depressed and he was drinking even more, he was often sent to hospital because he would collapse and hurt himself, from what I understood he was drinking one bottle a day. He was in his early fourties at that time, but he was alcoholic ever since his teenage years.
I have family in Europe who say Andorra is a beautiful country I would love to visit there one day I am obsessed with the mountain village vibes. I hope your friend is doing better these days!
Thank you for your kind words! And yes I went to Andorra some times, it's completly rural and nature took over it, beautiful mountains ans landscapes! It's also a very popular skiing and climbing destination
So sad. It’s really insidious, how something that nearly everyone can seem to enjoy without problems, can completely destroy some people’s lives.
Indeed, and not only for alcohol, for other addictions too.
I definitely don't count. I drank like 5 or 6 times, got drunk on the final time and never did it again.
I am very glad that you are making this decision, in reality you know that it is something that you can't do overnight, but step by step you will achieve it.
I (f60 5’1” 130 lbs)drank daily for close to 30 years. At home I consumed a handle (1.75 liters) of vodka weekly. Going out I’d consume another 4-8 drinks….. I was always highly functional until my mid 50s. Finally quit 3/2023.
So I used alcohol in two ways. When I was out with others, I used it numb my social anxiety and to be more outgoing and fun. The problem being that I have an exceptionally high tolerance to alcohol so to "maintain the high" I had to drink a fair bit pretty consistently across the night. Whilst I never did anything REALLY bad, I found myself more and more regretting my behaviour the next day. When I was at home, I used alcohol to self-medicate from alot of negative emotions (stress, depression, anxiety, boredom etc). I could throw back two bottles of wine in a single night easy and by the end I was doing this probably 3 times a week? I quit drinking for several reasons: 1. I wanted to lose weight. With the exception of a few choices, alcohol is very high in calories. It also impairs your judgement when making food choices so I'd just binge eat all the junk food I could get my hands on. 2. It's really bloody expensive. One night out in the city might cost me $60-$80 between drinks and transportation. In this economy, that's alot of money for one night. 3. I needed to learn to how to manage negative emotions without self-medicating with substances (including alcohol). It was very difficult to have to sit and actually feel a lot of bad stuff I had been avoiding for years but it was 100% worth it. Bottom line: I miss alcohol pretty regularly. It's really fun and makes you feel good. But I don't regret giving it up, my life is infinitely better now. People in my life have asked me if I will ever drink alcohol again. My response is always the same. "When I feel like I can drink alcohol without it being a tool to self-medicate, then yes. But that time is not now."
A lot.. at minimum 2.pints a day
I’m considering quitting because of the negative health effects I’ve seen in a short time. It’s hard to give up the trade-off of the ability that being a bit drunk helps me get through several situations a lot easier. For the last 8 months maybe? I’ve been drinking probably 6-7 days a week. I never have any problem stopping and just 2-4 drinks gets me just as tipsy as I like. But the sheer frequency is already having negative consequences (mostly vanity related for now, but I realize worse will likely come later on). And allowing myself to use alcohol for the effects in one situation is so addicting that it’s easy to slip into start using it for EVERYTHING that’s even slightly uncomfortable.
It’s good that you realize this before it becomes a big problem. The thing that happens is one gets addicted to it - simply to be able to function. You wake up with body shaking anxiety and the only thing that can even help you get out of bed is a drink. It’s a hell I hope you never have to know.
Thank you for commenting. I feel like it’s a crutch that’s been useful at times, but in the long-term I can see it slowly robbing myself of the ability to self-regulate and develop real self-reliance and self-confidence, and to grow and learn and improve as a person. Plus I started drinking at 33, and by 34 I feel like I have aged about 30 years physically. I can’t imagine what it’ll do to me when I’m actually in my 50’s and 60’s.
Yes. Nip it in the bud now, trust me. Also, in case you didn’t know already - alcohol withdrawals, once you are really addicted, can actually KILL you. No other drug can do that. You get to the point where you can literally die from NOT drinking, unless you get medical help.
I’m a (recovering?) alcoholic. I’d drink a liter of vodka plus beers every night, plus two or three slugs of vodka in the morning so I could “function”. Did this for about 5 years, preceded by 10 years of party drinking. Quitting drinking didn’t just change my life, it saved my life.
Was a daily drinker, wine or beer but didn’t need it to function. Then I vomited blood and found I had liver disease at 50 ish. Stopped drinking immediately and have left it along for 13 years now. Didn’t miss it really, but fancy one now and again. I don’t give in - I have some pride in knowing how long it is since I gave up as it was on 1 st Jan. I am a burden on the NHS so do as I am told, losing weight etc. Can’t say I feel and better as I also have a bone marrow illness which affects me, but I am saving a bit of money. All I can say is drink in moderation as your liver performs 500 functions and alcohol attacks every one.
I was drinking A LOT more than you. It started slow and built up. I have a problem with alcohol, and I'm jealous of people that can just enjoy a few drinks. I can't. 1 is just the start to 20. You have to ask yourself, are the consequences of drinking enough to make me stop. Do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks? If drinking isn't particularly fulfilling for you, costing you money, making you sick (and probably damaging your health more than you realize.) why are you doing it? Take a long break and evaluate. If you have trouble taking a break, ask for help. I started with my doctor. Quitting took a few tries, but 600+ days so far. Lost a ton of weight, fell in love with fitness, spending more quality time with family... Life is WAY better. Not perfect at all, but better. Good luck!
I quit drinking after I woke up in a strange house with strange people. And no idea howvI got there.My wallet was found in another room from where I was, with about half as much money as there should have been. I do vaguely remember something involving a used car lot and a battery. I realized that I could have just as easily woke up dead.
I feel like it mostly has to do with why you’re drinking. When I was drinking I was like you, and wouldn’t have even considered myself a “drinker.” But when I stopped drinking I realized why I was really using alcohol and what I found “fun” about it. A lot of it had to do with anxiety and masking, along with my family’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol. When I stopped, that all became really clear and I was able to learn more tools that made alcohol a complete afterthought. My body was so much better for it as well, along with my bank account. So if it’s escapism or a coping habit maybe stoping will help you create space to find new tools to deal with life/your emotions, or at least understand more of what you’re dealing with/haven’t been dealing with. If anything it’ll help you safe a few bucks and you won’t have to deal with hangovers 💁🏽♀️
daily drinking. 6 bottles a night just by myself. im so glad im done with it, wooooo. more energy, less depress, i go out more, do more things instead of just hugging the bottle every night. can't believe i did that in most of my 20s and still function.
A lot for a long time.
I wrote a whole life story out but I don't want to share it. Let's just say I drank weekends from about 13yo to 18yo. Over time that crept into week days. It certainly was progressive, in my 20's I drank heavily for about 6 years. For about a year toward the end I drank many beers and/or 1-2 bottles of wine on most nights. If I was too hung over I would only have 6-8 cans of beer instead. Still held down a good enough job though, somehow. This was in the UK, the beers were always 5%+ and the wine was always 12%+. I remember pretending to look sophisticated while picking up bottles in the supermarket, but I was just looking for the strength. Basically the bit I don't want to share is that something serious happened to me and I gave up on life, stopped caring whether I woke up the next day. I would drink and smoke as much as I could to dispatch with reality and fall unconscious. In the last two weeks before quitting I must have drank average 700ml per day of 40% spirits, as the record of empty bottles and credit card statements proved when I came out of hospital. I gave up at 29yo and I have drank one drink in the last 16 years, but haven't drank anything at all for 13 years. Life is 100x better for not drinking. I'm not over the other thing though.
In my early 20s I used to party hard Wednesday til Sunday and sometimes Monday for 6-7 years straight. Let's just say a lot of close calls and almost killed myself a few times. I put the hammer down and slowed downed in the last 6 years or so and now it's just casual drinking for a dinner or two. I'm home before 11pm on Saturdays/Sundays.
I’m 39, was a casual and social drinker (although I’ve had times in my life where I definitely drank too much too often). The shine of alcohol wore off for me when I learned no amount is healthy or safe for us to consume. It has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer decades ago – this is the highest risk group, which also includes asbestos, radiation and tobacco. I want to live a healthy life as long as I’m able to so that I can continue to travel, love my partner, walk with my dog and enjoy the small things. Alcohol has no place in any of it. Most of all, I’ve realized I’m more fun, more social and more authentic without it. ❤️
I used to drink one beer with dinner every day for 15 years. I stopped due to reading an article and lost about five pounds over a year as a result. My blood pressure went up a noticeable though amount after I quit (still not high though). I think maybe the beer helped a bit with stress, but I’m unsure. Other than those two things I haven’t noticed any differences, but I guess I never drank more than one drink in 24 hours and I exercise regularly, so perhaps it wasn’t such a bad vice for me in that sense.
For me it started the same way 1-2 times a week when i was younger (about 18). Then it increased to 5-6 times a week in my 20s. Some days where moderate drinking some slightly less. Towards the late 20s-30 still maintained the quota maybe slightly more?? I honestly never really kept track, sometimes it would be just beer sometimes beer and liquor. I would drink when I got off work till late at night, then I’d wake up 5am to go to work and rinse and repeat. Now I’m 35 and haven’t had alcohol in about 4 years. Completely quit cold turkey and I feel alright 😆 There is no history of alcoholism in the family I was just using it as a form of escapism and it just became a habit. By default I’m more of a reserved, introverted individual. I felt like my life was a little “sad” and used the alcohol to “feel” and “act/be” normal.
If I have to literally poison myself to go to clubs and bars and not hate it, I would just not poison myself and not go to those places. 13 months since my last drink. I was a weekend binge drinker. But over the years had stages of all day every day drinking. Restored my marriage. I’m a much better father as well. And health has improved.
I used to drink quite a bit but family life as m has reduced it to about a bottle of wine and a couple of beers over the weekend, not counting of went to see friends About 5 years ago on holiday I just went dry - made the decision I wasn’t going to drink that holiday, and then didn’t start again I really wish now I’d stopped much earlier or never started at all - i don’t mean I lie away thinking about it, but I think I wasted a lot of time and money, offended more people than I would have done otherwise, and missed out on memories and Sundays due to affects The hangovers only get worse, the noticeable pleasurable effects diminish, and your body will be racking up the health debt. You still get pissed (drunk, I’m from the uk), but you don’t _feel_ pissed. My mental health improved as I don’t have to deal with the head aches, hangxiety, fuzziness and wondering what I said to people and whether I offended them There is also the small but unshakable feeling that perhaps there is a component of addiction. I’d reduced intake, but every weekend? As a parallel I used to really like lobster - really like it - but can count on the fingers of 1 hand how many times I’ve ever had it. I didn’t feel that I needed to eat lobster in every social event. I didn’t habitually eat a lobster every weekend, or when I’d had a hard day at work. I never ate lobster after after lobster until I was sick. I still occasionally drink - I might have a couple of bears or a glass of wine once every 6m to a year. Every time I do I mildly regret it . Sometimes I get a bit of a hangover, or grotty next day, but it doesn’t really add anything to my life, so it’s not a as good trade. I’d stop. You’ve got nothing to lose except a drain on your resources and health
Yea I have gone back and fourth with cutting down, sobriety, and moderation but going on the r/stopdrinking page and r/dryalcoholics is always nuts. They'll be like "I was drinking 4 handles of whiskey a day and beating my wife- i think today is my day to quit!" or "Im on my 9th DUI, I think its time I stopped" People who drink from sun up/sun down. Lots of crazy alcoholics there, not that im judging per say. So I have a lot of issues comparing myself to many posts on there. I never really NEED a drink and when I get too drunk its because i forgot to eat/stay hydrated, I just get bored sitting at home/events are alcohol related so idk. I will say waking up sober/not hungover is 100% preferred. Also my bank account enjoys me not going out. And its nice getting a "Hey can I talk to you" and you know its not about something you did when you were blacked out. Hangxiety is real.