Giving up alcohol for good- anyone on ATS managed it ?

I like a good glass of wine for dinner to much. can give up the wine when your a winemaker

I am practically non-drinker, but I don't think I could give up my pint of Newcastle (draft) with my fish & chips at Two Fools Tavern in Albuquerque. Best F&C in the state.

reply to post by doom27


I think what you have to ask yourself is what kind of trouble is drinking causing You right now , financially , physically , emotionally ? And if it gets worse how will you handle it then ? Perhaps take a weekend without alcohol , stay home and have a good friend stay with You in case things get too bad ! In my case I went to detox because I was dying , My liver was shutting down I had a yellow shade to my skin ( jaundiced) partial paralysis in my legs and arms , I had depression and was suicidal ! I was drinking approx. 24 beer a day ! It's been almost 4 years and my life has improved dramatically !

Originally posted by eyesdown
Just out of curiosity really. I have been looking up the benefits from stopping drinking altogether as I am not one of those people that does things in moderation although I have got better in recent years. Still, if I go out for one I am likely to be that person who convinces you to stay for five.

I know that people say everything is ok in moderation, but what benefits do you get from completely removing it from your life. And have any of you succesfully stopped drinking and why ?

Also here are some links I have been reading about
personal benefits


and some about health benefits

Also I would usually research this hungover but as I am not it might actually be that It is something I do want to stick to.

Alcohol is the only drug you can die from the withdrawal symptoms. If you are addicted to cocain, meth, or heroin, and you stop cold turkey, sure you'll get really sick but you will not die. If you stop alcohol cold turkey, that means altogether at once, then you can die. You must slowly wean yourself off a few drinks at a time so your body can adjust to dealing with the changes.

Also, the right amount of wine each day is good for you. Too much wine is bad for you, and also NO wine at all is worse for you than just the right amount, but not as bad as having too much. So you must find a moderate center if you wanna tap into the health benefits of wine, other than that, no alcoholic beverage really has any health benefits at all.

Lastly, you should read Aleister Crowley's "Diary of a Drug Fiend" Since in the book he tells of his adventures on heroin and coc aine and how he became severely addicted to them to the point of suicide. Yet the story ends with him overcoming his addiction by use of his will alone and the magical system of thelema. Since alcohol addiction is only really comparable to class IV drugs like heroin and coc aine addiction, you should read how he did it.

reply to post by eyesdown


i quit drinking about 2 years ago, and honestly i very rarely miss it. i'm pretty glad i did too bc i'm a child of an alcoholic who is the child of an alcoholic who is a child of an alcoholic and i started blacking out sometimes. it feels good to be a non-drinker.

Originally posted by N3k9Ni


If you want to quit, don't push yourself. Start out by picking one or two nights a week that you will do something else. Go bowling, watch a movie, whatever. Do that for a month or so. When you feel comfortable, add another night. Before long, you will have more nights not drinking that nights you do. Eventually, the urge will just go away.

Good luck.

Thank you for that.

That was a very thoughtful post. I've already had one beer today (it's 2:20PM here).

By the way that's cutting back for me. I am losing interest in it a little. I think I'm just getting old. But theres no need to rush it, and then rush right back in to drinking my days away.(I enjoy this a great deal) I am a very happy person if it doesn't sound like it, smiling as I type this...

just take it slow... I think I will watch a movie tonight with ma girl, and


...have a couple(read 4) beers as we watch... A nice quiet night.

I have used many substances and the only one I ever miss after a day is alcohol... It's so addictive. My parents both drink every night, and every night I have ever remembered to this very day. (I think... maybe I should call em hahaha)

Originally posted by Jack3182
reply to post by eyesdown

 

I gave up last March having been a big drinker for a few years, seriously it's the best thing I've ever done.

I have to agree.I gave it up completely in august 2010.I was a heavy drinker,meaning every night I was getting drunk.Until my ex threatened to not allow me to see my daughter.It woke me up,I went into rehab and haven't touched a drop since.I'm glad I did.Not only for my daughter,but for myself as well.I haven't felt this good in a LONG time.It's definately worth it.Of course i realize that I can't even have "just one".But I dont' care.

Originally posted by Whatsreal
reply to post by eyesdown

 

its easy to not drink.. just don't drink...

I like a good beer every now and then... but if i never had a drop of alcohol pass my lips ever again it wouldn't phase me one bit.


if you can go long enough without doing something, eventually you just don't want it anymore

when you get up to 15 beers a day for years and sometimes 20(saturdays, fridays) Then I might believe you... It's really not like that. I quit smoking cigs from 2 packs a day to zero and that was 2 years ago... I don't smoke.. Any other substance, and I forget about it in the next 2 days. Not the alcohol though.

I AM AN ALCOHOLIC... mmmmmm doesn't bother me to say that, I like the truth..

Originally posted by Dustytoad
I AM AN ALCOHOLIC... mmmmmm doesn't bother me to say that, I like the truth..

I love the truth too!

In the last years, I used to drink about 5-7 glasses a week, really not much. Even when I was working in bars, I managed to drink not more than 2-3 drinks a night. Cranberry water soda was my strait drink of choice.

Now, I drink about 1 beer per 3 months and I must say : I feel f***in great lol
I actually feel like my brain is slower 2-3 days after drinking one beer, maybe it's just in my head too.

I hope you can find the strength to give up, but I think that 95% of humans have one drug or another. Health wise, there are better alternatives than alcohol.
However. if ever you stop 3-4 months and see no improvement in your overall thinking speed and physical well being, maybe alcohol isn't THAT bad for you and won't ruin your health to drink moderately.

Alcohol got the best of me. I became dependent on it to the point that I would get sick if I didn't drink.

I had to pretty much choose between a life without alcohol or death, because that's where I felt I was headed.

I got sober with some help and 6 years later I'm still sober, happy, and overall doing well.

Good for you! If thoughts are going through your mind that it could be a problem then it probably is. Always trust your gut. I would suggest your local AA group. Even if you dont want to participate you can go and listen and learn. I wish you the best of luck!

Originally posted by AwakeinNM
I am practically non-drinker, but I don't think I could give up my pint of Newcastle (draft) with my fish & chips at Two Fools Tavern in Albuquerque. Best F&C in the state.

Fish & Chips? Newcastle (Brown Ale?)? Sounds to me like you have a little English blood/heritage. They have Fish & Chips in Albequerke? I can't even spell it

Originally posted by eyesdownI know that people say everything is ok in moderation, but what benefits do you get from completely removing it from your life. And have any of you succesfully stopped drinking and why ?

I turned into a pretty bad alcoholic, I was going through 60's in less than 2 days for a longg time (longgggg time). I let it completely take over my life and my wallet. I quit feb 2011. Quitting was the best thing I ever did, I quit cold turkey and really never looked back. I wish I had quit sooner, so my suggestion to you is to stop drinking now if you're actually considering it. You have to want to quit.

check out this link below. it talks about a lot of aspects you really wouldn't think of normally, but once you've been sober for a while you experience all of this. i suggest you read it.. but if I had read this on my own when I was an alcoholic I wouldn't have listened to it, or maybe I would have thought it was just that guy's take on it. oh man, it's not.
www.cracked.com...

I found that^ after I had been sober for maybe 6-7 months, and man.. it was scary reading it. minus the cravings and being a jackass part, it was all the same for me. it has humor in it, but it's still an informative read.

My main thing is once you've completely removed it for your life for a long time, you really, really see what it did to you, and what it does to other people. Not even just alcoholics, but anyone that drinks. It's different when you drink, because you accept it when everyone else you know drinks too, so it seems fine. After quitting, I look at drinking in a whole new light, and the same as I look at any other drug addiction.. it changes people. But you dont see it like this until you stop.

But don't ask me about smoking, I haven't figured that one out yet

reply to post by eyesdown


dude, you have presented your self with a CHALLENGE!!!! An opportunity to exercise your WILL. To not itch that itch. To, despite all the kicking and screaming of your psychological, physical bodies, be the master of your self. Even if the pros and cons are balanced....take that challenge. Own part of your self that lends itself so easily to giving in. This will only strengthen you in future endeavors. Visualize and commit. Therein lies the benefit, i feel. Not living without, but to live in knowing that you can CHOOSE to live without.

Become a Catholic and give it up for Lent.
Then you only have the other 325 days of the year to worry about it.

reply to post by eyesdown


I stopped November 29 2008.
I realize that if I kid myself into thinking I can drink alcohol in moderation I will be right back in the same out of control, self loathing, life I had when I decided to stop. I can never have alcohol.
I am an alcoholic. Today a grateful alcoholic. I enjoy my life and have the respect and love of my family and co-workers.
I am able to get on this forum and know that whatever foolish and idiotic thing I rattle off here is mine and from a clear and (somewhat) rational non alcohol controlled mind.
I thought I could not live without beer and bourbon in my life.
Now I know I can not live with it (sounds like a clique I know)
I honestly do not miss it.
and I am proud of myself.

But PLEASE don't take away my ice tea!!

Good luck with your life and your decision. Be honest with yourself and you will know the truth concerning your relationship with alcohol. Some people can have it in their lives, some of us are better with our drinking days behind us

One more thing.To the op,if you even have to ask yourself "Am I an alcoholic?: Or do I drink too much? Or should I cut back? If the answer to any of those is yes,then you do indeed have a problem.It may seem small now but it WILL get worse.Take it from those of us who have been there.Better to stop now before it gets to that point.Just some friendly advice.Good luck.

I am a 52 year old man, fully disabled with severe emphysema and one major heart attack. After being diagnosed with emphysema at age 45 due to smoking 3 packs a day for 35 years I, of course, knew I had to stop smoking. I have heard many stories of people that smoked 2 to 3 packs every day for many years and one day they just simply threw them away and never had any problem with it. Took me 2 years to ween myself off cigarettes and I find it difficult to believe anyone could smoke as much as I did, and for as long, and just simply quit without any problem. Funny thing is, I was drinking 6 to 18 beers every day for most of those smoking years. After I had quit the cigs, (approximately 2 years) and after the heart attack, I decided to stop drinking. Just walked away from it, no problems!! I had no withdrawal symptoms and no desire to drink again. It has only been about 4 years since my last beer, but there has never been a desire since. My point is, we are all different as individuals. Each of us react differently in similar situations. My doctor pointed out that I most likely didn't have any problem with alcohol withdrawal symptoms because my job required me to walk a minimum of 10 miles a day 6 days a week, thereby allowing my body to metabolize the alcohol. In my opinion, there are no benefits to drinking in excess. A little red wine is good for the heart, but sloppy drunk is bad for you and anyone around you. Again, we are all different and I am not giving medical advice here, but when an old man tells me he walked away from cigarettes after smoking 3 packs a day for 30 years, I now understand how it could be possible. My liver is fine, my lungs are shot, and my heart is weak from drinking and smoking. I am now free from those 2 bonds, but my quality of life is seriously limited. Best wishes on your journey!

reply to post by MurrayTORONTO
Hey, Me too. Your right It is a different world for you once your sober for a while. Keep it up! Your story is an inspiration and may help someone.

ugh, i wish i could drink all day.
since im not able to buy it yet, i have to stick to stealing it from parties or taking it from my parents.
helps me forget everything.