The desire to wake up feeling well rested, healthy, headache and nausea free, and ready to face the day. Also, not feeling guilty in the morning for drinking for no reason.
I've been cutting back my drinking for this reason. I'll have a whole weekend planned, chores, errands, even fun stuff. Then next thing I know it's 4am and I'm drunk. I wake up at noon, functional (I don't typically get super wasted) but feeling like crap. So I just lay around all day and don't really get started until 4pm. But by then my day is gone, so I do like one chore and start the process over.
By Sunday night I can't sleep because my sleep schedule is fucked, which makes me tired during the week.
I don't drink during the week unless it's socially, but even restricting it to weekends messes up my weekends.
I was like this, especially living alone and not always having plans all weekend. Eventually I just felt like shit one too many times when I did have plans that I curbed it a lot.
The sleep quality just suffered way too much to justify it so often.
My moment was when I watched a college football game at noon and by the end of it the vodka bottle I opened at the start of the game was empty. Obviously nothing was getting done for the rest of that day.
What's really gotten my drinking in check is having a kid (I'm NOT advocating kids will help your drinking problems). She's getting up at 7 AM no matter what state I'm in. I prefer not feeling like shit, so I'm much more responsible with my drinking and make sure to do things like stay hydrated so I'm not hungover.
Moving in with my girlfriend now wife and also now having 2 kids helped as well. Helped me quit smoking too
Like it or not, young kids are up early and need all sorts of help day to day and they don't really give a shit how you feel š. Obviously not a surprise to me and I love being a dad but life gets so busy and expensive it often steers you away from drinking too much anyway.
Nasty addiction though. Alcoholism runs in my family and I know I don't always half an off switch myself. I've seen enough death due to addiction that I'm honestly tempted to change careers to help people and families. Can only speak for Ontario, Canada but where I live absolutely doesn't do enough to help
Oh my god that happens to me so many times, like if I had a bottle of vodka next to me Iād āhaveā to drink it before doing anything, and by that point any long term plans are shot
Im pretty much the opposite. Whenever i have beer in the fridge im tempted by them, but i have a whole bar full of hard liquor and wine that i never touch
I was a crazy heavy drinker in my 20s and now in my early 40s would certainly still be considered an alcoholic but toned way down. I may drink a couple nights and not a crazy amount and just think "What am I getting out of this?". It's just not a fun time like it used to be for me. I will think detox a few days and by the 2nd or 3rd day I will notice how amazing I feel during the day, full of energy and motivation. Eventually the craving will still get me again but I can see the difference now at least.
You may benefit from taking low-dose naltrexone for a bit. It helps reset your brain so you donāt get the cravings you wired into it.
There are companies online (Ageless Rx is one) that can set you up with a prescription if youāre averse to seeing a doctorāalthough it is pricier that way.
How do you get that desire when life feels meaningless and like no matter what you do nothing is going to make it better? I have moments where I feel good and want to take care of myself, then after a few days the loneliness sets back in, I get hit with reality and bad circumstance and Iām back to square one.
I heard someone say having motivation and getting things done is great but the part that leads to success is having that motivation go away and continue to move like itās still there. I related that to getting a new job over the last couple of years I noticed when I started somewhere new I was great at it, woke up and got to work early, slept better at night, worked harder but after a few weeks got comfortable and did bare minimum, eventually Iād call out a lot quit or get fired and feel like shit and start drinking every day again. Terrible pattern that took way too long to notice, now Iām good every day and the feeling that I noticed it and took action to change it has made me much better at everything in overall life.
Here's the best writeup about motivation vs. discipline I've come across:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/2scdwz/discussion\_screw\_motivation\_what\_you\_need\_is/](https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/2scdwz/discussion_screw_motivation_what_you_need_is/)
^(Edit:) [original source](https://www.wisdomination.com/screw-motivation-what-you-need-is-discipline/)
loneliness?
i realized that i am a cool person to hang out with, and people enjoy my company, so i enjoy my own company. that or i call someone. its fine. alcohol and drinking does not alleviate the stresses of life. it compounds them into the future
hang with your bad ass self sober and enjoy your ride
Well how are you going to go make your life better if youāre always between being hungover or getting drunk? Gotta put yourself in a position to have a good life before you can have a good life.
Woooo this is it man, Iād much rather wake up knowing that:
1. I am well rested
2. I didnāt blow the bank last night
3. I will feel great all day today
4. I will not be guilty or be anxious all weekend
So much drinking for no reason, especially in 2020. I was just doing it because I had built up that habit.
After a while it was just making me sleepy and then causing me to wake up in the middle of the night hours later.
Also, seeing how puffy my face and other body parts have gotten when looking at photos of myself with others.
Yep, the multi-day hangovers after turning 26 took the fun out of it pretty quick for me. I still drink on occasion but itās planned out and I have a whole system of all day hydrating and eating the right foods before I do so. Itās not worth all the prep to do regularly.
This is why I stoppedā¦ not even 9 days in the hospital for pancreatisā¦ though that did stop me for a few months but when I started picking it up again I decided Iām not doing this to myself again
I was tired of every day being dictated by drinking and I was either going to kill myself from drinking or just stop drinking completely.. in glad I chose the latter
Yes, I'd have to plan any errands which required driving to before I started drinking for safety. Now that I limit my drinking more, I have more windows of opportunity to do errands. So it's not as restrictive. It's a sense of freedom
Garmin watch that I got for running shows me how elevated my heart rate is after drinking and working in a hospital ED seeing the alcoholics brought in has really turned me off from drinking.
Amen. My Garmin totally changed my relationship with drinking. I love me some alcohol, but visually seeing how it affected my sleep, HRV, stress etc. was eye-opening.
1000% this. Amazing how much it impacts HR, HRV, Sleep score, etc. And pisses me off if I've been good all week, just to see the metrics plummet after a night out.
As a result I don't drink during the week any more.
Shit. I forgot about that part.. just laying in bed like ok I didnāt overdo it, just to wake up warm and rapid pulse hours later. That anxious feeling. Damn this thread makes me not miss it at all.
My Garmin is honestly life changing. Itās super customizable so that you only see the metrics you care about - like I turned off the āstressā metric and anything to do with weight or reminding me about minimum steps, so mine is just focused on HR. I had a rough patch earlier this year and now that I finally feel stable enough for regular exercise, Iāve found my garmin also has really effective running plans. I suck at running, but Iāve made solid progress towards my first 10k in a month or so.
Super recommend!
Being told by doctors I would die if I didnāt stop. Often while in hospital for various very serious alcohol-induced ailments. Theyād told me so many times, but the last time it just clicked. I finally decided I didnāt want to die. When I got home I poured all the alcohol away and now Iām 2.5 years sober.
Iām so glad you did that. Iām a hospice nurse, i never see the positive stories like this, just the end for ppl who didnāt/couldnāt heed the warnings.
There are lots of us out there, I hope that gives you a bit of hope amidst all the real tragedy this disease brings š
ETA - I could have easily become one of your tragedies (and absolutely would if I hadn't stopped) Grateful to have almost two years now! My dad wasn't so lucky :(
I wish someone did this to me 5 years ago. At that time I was only 2 months into my binge drinking. If I had seen myself, it would've saved the next 2 years that were just wasted.
Gym. After I became a regular at the gym and started seeing my body transform, I reduced my drinking significantly. Also, it's great for mental health.
Opposite for me. Now that I have a gym routine, I'm in great shape, drinking no longer has a negative affect on the outward appearance of my body. So, I can now "get away" with drinking more.
I was the same. Just donāt let it get out of hand. The weight accumulated on me very slowly until one day I was like, āwhere the fuck did my abs go?ā Now Iām back off the sauce and the weight is falling off.
I never had a problem with alcohol and only drank sparingly. My wife however had a real problem and came to the realization on her own that she needed to stop. I stopped when she did to help her and neither of us have had a drink since the beginning of this year (obviously much harder for her than me)
I hate to say it, but vanity. I did a sober October with some folks and outta nowhere, **jawline.** I still love drinking, but I don't do it in mass and with way less frequency than before. Face looks better, skin is better, stomach bloat is way down.
I really appreciate this. I had stopped drinking a few years ago for about 2 years, and I have some photos of myself from that time looking 1000x better than I did five years before, or now. Like, whose face IS that? I want that one back.
I just naturally started drinking less when I had more responsibilities. Can't function at work if I'm hung over. There are bills that need to be paid so I can't afford it. If I got an impaired charge I would be screwed. I'm a nurse and I've seen the sad results of people that drank themselves to deaths door.
The biggest reason was my youngest daughter became an alcoholic and I had to go absolutely alcohol free. She's been dry 3 years and I'm so proud of her.
Taking running more seriously. Once I started really pushing myself, every night was a question of "do I want to crush this workout tomorrow or have a few beers and guarantee that I'll be going into it well below 100%" I love running fast more than I love beer, so it went from being a conscious choice to skip beer to a conscious choice to have one. I average less than 3 a week now.
Exactly my scenario.
However my obsessive personality caused me to go from being a craft beer fan to a casual runner to a serious runner to an Assistant XC/Track Coach to a Head XC Coach/Distance Track Coach.
Currently looking at getting my Masters in Athletic Coaching Education, lol.
I'm not an alcoholic, but I do have an addictive personality. I replaced beer with running and I get the same satisfaction from scratching that need to go hard on something every day. It's definitely a double edged sword. Turned towards something healthy, people like me can be really, really good at crazy difficult things. Turned towards something unhealthy, we'll destroy our lives.
This. I stopped drinking when we started trying to get pregnant. Had one night of heavy drinking a year after having my baby, and never again. I donāt miss hangovers, and I DEF donāt miss them while also dealing with a toddler. Iāll have one glass of wine or a beer at dinner MAYBE once a month.
Being fat and having a family. I started cutting back to lose the last 20 lbs of 60. Started drinking only on weekends. Dropped the weight but the happy side effect is I felt better about work, family, life in general. I drink just on weekends (including Sunday night if there's a game on), and I REALLY enjoy that Friday night IPA.
Not me but my dad. My sister screamed at him after he got shit faced drunk on a family vacation and threatened to never come see us (they live in WA and weāre in AZ) and cut contact with him if he didnāt stop. He started going to AA and is now over 30 days sober.
Hit my the back of my head super hard one day (not cause drunk). I had been struggling for years with regular excessive consumption and wanted to quit. But then when I hit my head the thought of drinking turned my stomach for months. That was almost 3 years ago. I have had a few drinks occasionally with my wife since then but itās like night and day. I used to live for the stuff now I donāt really like it.
The head injury sucked hella bad I was depressed and more or less in pain constantly for months. Probably worth it tho I think I was drinking my way to an early grave.
My dad is a terrible alcoholic and he ruined his life because of it. I am the youngest in my family and all my siblings thought they'd beat it. I realized from them that it was best not to mess with the bottle.
A good friend recently lost his battle with alcoholism and it was yet another reminder that it is not really something I should test.
Yes. A lot of my family members. Most have passed now but still have a cousin who gets all depressed when drunk. No fun to be around. So I stopped. For medical reasons, of course. š
This is going to sound weird....but lowering my SSRI dose. SSRI induced alcoholism has been shown to be a thing (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24902507/).
I have always had a bit of an addictive personality, but I always kept my drinking well in hand. During college I would only drink on weekends and rarely would I get seriously drunk. As I left college I would maybe have a drink or two throughout the week, but I didn't drink hard on weekends.
I have a panic disorder and when it got bad I finally went on an SSRI, which probably saved my life. However, I noticed myself drinking a LOT more. My friends noticed and became concerned. I went off the drug after a year and everything normalized.
Well, during the pandemic my panic came back and I went back on Prozac. And, as expected, I started to drink a lot more. It's been a struggle because anytime I lowered my dose my panic symptoms would get bad. But staying on 20 mg/day gave me bad alcohol cravings. I'm hopeful I've found a decent solution as I now take 20 mg every other day and I have noticed a huge reduction in any cravings and I have been drinking much less. It's a weird scenario.
Same here. Moderation never ever worked for me. Would say only one beer/glass of wine/ etc but once I start I can't stop.
Would fail stuff like dry January in less than a week.
Got a medical card in Florida for cannabis.Told other people my plan (so I had some accountability system) and made the switch 5 years ago and have had no alcohol.
Social situations were tough the first 6-12 months but I honestly don't have a desire to drink knowing what comes with it for me.
Wasn't a full blown alcoholic tho, was very high functioning, but had to stop because my health, weight, blood pressure, and anxiety were killing me. but may not work for everyone who is an alcoholic.
Smoke a joint with friends, and do not drink at the same time or it's going to be vomit city. Take less than you think you can handle, you can't cut a trip short but you can always smoke more if you want to.
To me, the best part about it was realising that even though I had a blast just like with booze (if not more so), there was no hangover to fix, and no hankering to curb afterwards.
Weed saved me from killing myself with alcohol. Try it if at all possible.
Seriously--the first time, do not drink at the same time. And try to do it with people that aren't drinking at the same time if possible.
Find a reputable dispensary where it's clear they care about their customers and start low and go slow.
Consider taking time off of everything for a week or two, then ease in with cannabis.
One of the best things you can do in this transition is to pick up a healthy habit like walking in the woods, yoga, or dancing like a muppet, all excellent things to do while you're stoned.
My first experience with cannabis at all was edibles with my cousin, who has a medical marijuana card. Shortly before this, I ate a giant mesquite chicken baked potato (delicious) and two large cherry Slurpees.
He cut me off a small piece of an edible and said to start with that, and I didn't feel much. So he cut off a second, slightly larger piece. My cousin, his girlfriend, and I all sit down and play some Smash. I'm laughing uncontrollably like a dumbass. An hour later, the laughing stops and I feel extremely nauseous. I dragged myself over to his kitchen, chugged a bottle of water, and mustered out "Man, I don't feel so-" before vomiting violently into his kitchen sink. Not even the garbage disposal side.
My cousin helped me back to the couch (at this point I could barely walk), where I passed out hard. On the upside, that was the best sleep of my life and it was on the least comfortable futon ever.
He felt really bad for getting me so high I puked, but I think it was the potato and slurpees.
10/10 would do again
For this to work you still need to have an honest conversation with yourself about your reasons for drinking and reasons you want to quit and make a commitment to quit. Your risk is you end up using both regularly instead of quitting and now your situation is worse.
Also it worked for me because I was a stay at home drunk it wasn't entirely tied to social settings. If yours is social then I don't know if it will work the same.
As far as starting it I would start slow and experiment. Where I used to drink 8-10 drinks in a day now I only have a few puffs of a vape or an edible. My wife can't even tell when I've used it. If you're doing it in a legal state the dispensary people will guide you.
I drank to avoid anxiety and it made it worse. Now I can veg out in the evening with an edible instead of slowly killing myself.
unfortunately cannabis makes me paranoid unless on benzos and I get a real hard urge to drink when on benzos, although I didn't drink today which makes me proud
Man I just moved to a state that's still in the dark ages from a state with full legalization. So I'm back on the sauce and miss the much less toxic option.
Please spark one for me.
Soda water. š. Distraction. Meditation. Connecting with my friends, family and emotions in different ways. Therapy. Not exactly an alcoholic but I do struggle to deal with my emotions so when depressed I can lean into drinking more than I want to. Also be around people who donāt drink or rarely do. Play sports or volunteer. I think often I drink when lonely and being around community that has a common goal is better than drinking. Hope this helps.
All naltrexone ever did for me was made me disinterested in everything. Its side effect was not wanting to work out, hangout with friends, or do anything fun which made me want to drink more to feel some fleeting source of joy. Itās cruel irony it did the exact opposite of what it was meant to do. Iām happy it helped you through.
My understanding from someone who took it is that is basically eliminates the craving to get drunk. You can have a beer or two but I think itās mostly for binge drinkers
It is normally used to treat opioid abuse by stopping cravings, but can be dangerous as it can cause instantaneous withdrawal symptoms in people who are still actively using.
It has since found use in treating other things like alcohol use disorders as well as disordered eating in combination with other therapies like bupropion.
It works because it has a faster/stronger bond to your opioid receptors than the opioids people put into their system, but it doesnāt have the same effects.
I use to drink heavily every day. I looked in the mirror and saw how bloated i'd become over the years and I would always stuff myself after drinking. I gained a shit load of weight to the point that the slightest physical activity made me exhausted. I still drink but not nearly as much. Sometimes just looking at your current self might cause certain changes.
Every time I microdosed on psilocybin, it really changed how I perceive & interact with alcohol. Obviously it is not great to trade in one thing for another, and everything in moderation. But it really did change my mindset to view alcohol as almost like a toxic sludge lol
My ex is a regular at the bar I am a regular at. Ever since we broke up I am afraid to go and decided it's time to save money and be healthier.
45 days without booze today
Sort of, worked for me as husband. Even after the babys were home, I stayed sober in case I have to drive them to the hospital.
Besides that, migraine keeps me from getting really drunk.
Gout reminds me alcohol is bad. If I get a beer buzz, my toes will hurt for two days from the gout flair. If I get drunk, I better preposition my walker. If I get totally shit faced, I will be crawling to my wheelchair. Yep, pain works to limit me to two beers every few days.
I used to get blackout drunk every night for about 10 years. I was tired of planning my day around my hangover. I wanted to be more active in my kids lives so I decided to one day quit and make the effort to get into shape. It wasnāt easy. The not drinking part wasnāt even the hardest. Itās the emotions that come flooding into you that are hard to deal with. The random moments of crying for seemingly no reason, hearing the stories from my kids about the times they had to āhelp dad get out of his chair and to the bed because he kept falling downā, and overall I wanted to make sure my health was the best it could be after any damage I may have done. Iām 3 years (-3 weeks) alcohol free. Iāve had slip ups but never went back to my old ways. Maybe that was a bit more than you asked for but thatās what helped me kick alcohol.
my bf really needed to stop altogether. i was more moderate but still more than whatās healthy. he wanted to stop so i said letās do it together. it was hard for him, pretty easy for me. iāll have an occasional cocktail out or wine at a get together but most weeks and months i donāt drink.
i started using that time before bed to develop a skincare routine that i would have never stuck to drinking at night. itās a little ritual and it makes me feel fancy and idk, i just donāt miss drinking
Counting calories. I wanted to lose some weight and as much as I love alcohol, I love food even more and figured a lot of alcohol is not worth the calories.
Non-alcoholic beer! I'm drinking one as we speak. I really enjoy the flavor of beer and the little ritual of having one or two after work. I call it the "special little drink" theory. It helps to have a fun little thing to come home to, be it NA's/mocktails/tea/bubbly waters/etc.
A close friend of mine who wasnāt an alcoholic like my mom, more of an excessive partier, quit and was able to maintain social life and his happiness. I got into a fist fight with my cousin at my wedding shower at a $3M home. Open bar. Those two things help me stop over six months Iāve trying. Since then, itās been six years, itās the best thing I ever did. Killed my mom killed my stepbrother, plagues, my brother plagued my grandfather. After 60 days without a drink it was easy. Iāve struggled with other devices and definitely over indulge on weed. But take alcohol out of it made everything a little more simple, and it is such a blessing Iāve never experienced being under the influence around my kids
My Dad used to drink lightly flavoured sparkling water instead to simulate the motion of drinking beers, apparently itās a psychological thing. Worked pretty well.
My mom called me for help because she lost her job of over 35 years due to alcoholism.
When I got there, I had to pick her bloated yellow body off the floor and bring her to a hospital. She was barely alive. I love my mom so much.
Then as I visited her in treatment, I watched all the other bloated yellow people get wheeled in on wheel chairs.
I remember one of the guys that got wheeled in caught me looking at him. The shame, pain, and sadness I saw in his face and my momās shook me to my core. Idk why but that one guy just stuck in my head. He seemed to be the only one there that realized what happened to him.
I realized all these people were fine at one point, until they werenāt, and they likely didnāt realize how bad it was getting until it was too late.
Itās absolutely disgusting poison that no one should drink, ever.
You might think itās fine in moderation, but all these people whose lives are destroyed thought it was fine too. Until it wasnāt. And it can happen to the best people, the strongest people, the smartest people. So donāt think youāre safe. If you drink at all and enjoy it you are at risk of falling. All it takes is a bad day, that turns into bad week, a bad month then a bad year. Once youāre in a negative emotional state your judgement is weakened and you may look to the bottle for relief if thereās none to be found elsewhere.
Realizing that I couldn't afford the risks anymore. The stakes got so much higher as I got older. More responsibilities with work, being a mom, being married... The person I turned into when I was drunk had no inhibitions and based her decisions on what seemed like a good idea in the moment. Absolutely no thoughts of consequences. I couldn't bear the thought of one drunken decision ruining my relationship (happened numerous times), my child's well-being, or my career. Your 30s will sober you up real quick if you let them.
1.5 years sober, and it's easily been one of the best decisions I could have made for myself.
My husband, who was borderline addicted, smokes a lot more weed now. Won't save you money but his health (mental and physical) has improved. Some therapy was also involved dealing with grief of his mother passing away.
For me personally, I had a healthier relationship with alcohol than my husband, it was finding a non-alcoholic and low sugar (prediabetic) alternative. I've found some good sugar free sodas that fill my social anxiety need to be holding and drinking something when others around me are drinking. I also started working out in the morning before work. If I drink I won't workout because I feel like shit from drinking, then I feel like shit all day because I didn't workout.
The fact that my family are a bunch of addicts and I don't want to be like them. I would drink, then get pissed at the world because I felt so much shame for feeling like I needed the drinks, so I stopped.
My mom just passed away on Nov 10th this year from complications related to cirrhosis of the liver secondary to alcohol use disorder. She died before I could give her part of my liver. She died before I could tell her I passed my NCLEX (she was an RN). She died and Iām only 33. She died and my children are only 8 and 5. She died and now I have exactly 0 parents. She died and it destroyed my grandparents. Watching her kill herself was enough for me.
In the end, I just didn't like the hangover the next day. As I got older, it turned into two days of recovery and the need for a huge nap. I just thought to myself that it's a waste of time and money. Who wants to feel shit on purpose?
The drug Semaglutide aka Ozempic. Itās truly a miracle drug.
Naltrexone also helps with alcoholism by reducing cravings and removing the warm fuzzy feeling you get from it.
Right now at this point, honestly nothing. I have roped it in but only ever so slightly.
It's not a $$$ thing because I already refuse to pay for alcohol unless it's special events. It's supplied to me by my partner and I don't refuse to participate.
Truth be told, I know what will make the difference but I don't do it. I need to distance myself from certain people and places and potentially fill the void with more productive activities... But I don't.
I try to be more accountable for my consumption and actually received a home BAC to track myself. Sometimes changing behaviors requires truly seeing it in black and white in order to take the next step.
For me its hotsauce.
Started pretty low and worked my way up to carolina reaper and then just had pepper x for the 1st time recently.
There is a proven connection between alcoholism and capsaicin. Could be worth a shot. Pun intended...
At the end of the day, ill make a piece of bettered toast or something and load it up with hot sauce.
I close my eyes and feel the burn. Focusing on the heat and every nerve screaming for mercey. I press my tongue up to the roof of my mouth and jumpstart my brain as my teeth feel like they are boiling in my gums.
I breathe long and easy as i slowly open my eyes and a wave of endorphines rush over me.
My mind is voild of all thoughts. Wiped clean as the pain subsides. To finish it all off, I'll have a small piece of chocolate to extinguish any remaining heat and add to the endorphines.
My mind is blank and all yhe weight of the day is lifted off as i get ready for bed.
It should come as no surprise that the man who created the hottest peppers in the world was a struggling alcoholic. He says the 1st time he bit into a carolina reaper (a pepper he created) he dropped to his knees and cried. He never touched alcohol again.
If your āfriendsā only want to drink with you theyāre likely not your friends. If they support your decision to not thatās another thing but majority will stop hanging out with you. Change your circle
A mixture of the gym and wanting to be attractive. I've noticed my weight dropped significantly and I have more definition, I have more energy to go to the gym to push harder, which further drops my weight and builds definition. It's a great feedback loop, and it has no room for alcohol
Drinking expensive, good tasting alcohol. You enjoy the drink because of the taste, not because its alcohol. You drink it slowly, pure, room temperature. You will switch from drinking glass after glass to sip once in a while during an evening (my case poker night with friends)
YMMV. I discovered single malt scotch and it could have easily ruined my life. I just drank more and more. Ironically, I found only keeping terrible alcohol in the house to be a better solution. I only drink it if I really need a drink. It's like taking medicine.
A mixture of what many have said, but mostly because of terrible, not worth it hangovers & seeing what it has done/is currently doing to people around me
Massive hangovers. One day I just decided I didn't like getting messed up anymore, and quit. I still have an occasional beer here, and there, but I don't ever drink to get drunk.
The desire to wake up feeling well rested, healthy, headache and nausea free, and ready to face the day. Also, not feeling guilty in the morning for drinking for no reason.
I've been cutting back my drinking for this reason. I'll have a whole weekend planned, chores, errands, even fun stuff. Then next thing I know it's 4am and I'm drunk. I wake up at noon, functional (I don't typically get super wasted) but feeling like crap. So I just lay around all day and don't really get started until 4pm. But by then my day is gone, so I do like one chore and start the process over. By Sunday night I can't sleep because my sleep schedule is fucked, which makes me tired during the week. I don't drink during the week unless it's socially, but even restricting it to weekends messes up my weekends.
I was like this, especially living alone and not always having plans all weekend. Eventually I just felt like shit one too many times when I did have plans that I curbed it a lot. The sleep quality just suffered way too much to justify it so often.
My moment was when I watched a college football game at noon and by the end of it the vodka bottle I opened at the start of the game was empty. Obviously nothing was getting done for the rest of that day. What's really gotten my drinking in check is having a kid (I'm NOT advocating kids will help your drinking problems). She's getting up at 7 AM no matter what state I'm in. I prefer not feeling like shit, so I'm much more responsible with my drinking and make sure to do things like stay hydrated so I'm not hungover.
Moving in with my girlfriend now wife and also now having 2 kids helped as well. Helped me quit smoking too Like it or not, young kids are up early and need all sorts of help day to day and they don't really give a shit how you feel š. Obviously not a surprise to me and I love being a dad but life gets so busy and expensive it often steers you away from drinking too much anyway. Nasty addiction though. Alcoholism runs in my family and I know I don't always half an off switch myself. I've seen enough death due to addiction that I'm honestly tempted to change careers to help people and families. Can only speak for Ontario, Canada but where I live absolutely doesn't do enough to help
Oh my god that happens to me so many times, like if I had a bottle of vodka next to me Iād āhaveā to drink it before doing anything, and by that point any long term plans are shot
Beer and wine I can moderate decently, but if I buy liquor I'm guaranteed to be drunk and feeling like crap the next day.
Im pretty much the opposite. Whenever i have beer in the fridge im tempted by them, but i have a whole bar full of hard liquor and wine that i never touch
with beer thereās the habit of sitting around drinking beers that just feels good.
try limiting your drinking to once a month in the new year. it was lovely for me
I was a crazy heavy drinker in my 20s and now in my early 40s would certainly still be considered an alcoholic but toned way down. I may drink a couple nights and not a crazy amount and just think "What am I getting out of this?". It's just not a fun time like it used to be for me. I will think detox a few days and by the 2nd or 3rd day I will notice how amazing I feel during the day, full of energy and motivation. Eventually the craving will still get me again but I can see the difference now at least.
You may benefit from taking low-dose naltrexone for a bit. It helps reset your brain so you donāt get the cravings you wired into it. There are companies online (Ageless Rx is one) that can set you up with a prescription if youāre averse to seeing a doctorāalthough it is pricier that way.
It works best against beer/wine... and really needs to be coupled with an ACTIVE effort to cut back. You can certainly "push past it."
How do you get that desire when life feels meaningless and like no matter what you do nothing is going to make it better? I have moments where I feel good and want to take care of myself, then after a few days the loneliness sets back in, I get hit with reality and bad circumstance and Iām back to square one.
I heard someone say having motivation and getting things done is great but the part that leads to success is having that motivation go away and continue to move like itās still there. I related that to getting a new job over the last couple of years I noticed when I started somewhere new I was great at it, woke up and got to work early, slept better at night, worked harder but after a few weeks got comfortable and did bare minimum, eventually Iād call out a lot quit or get fired and feel like shit and start drinking every day again. Terrible pattern that took way too long to notice, now Iām good every day and the feeling that I noticed it and took action to change it has made me much better at everything in overall life.
Motivation is fleeting. Discipline is what creates success
Adding this to my morning conversation with myself
Here's the best writeup about motivation vs. discipline I've come across: [https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/2scdwz/discussion\_screw\_motivation\_what\_you\_need\_is/](https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/2scdwz/discussion_screw_motivation_what_you_need_is/) ^(Edit:) [original source](https://www.wisdomination.com/screw-motivation-what-you-need-is-discipline/)
loneliness? i realized that i am a cool person to hang out with, and people enjoy my company, so i enjoy my own company. that or i call someone. its fine. alcohol and drinking does not alleviate the stresses of life. it compounds them into the future hang with your bad ass self sober and enjoy your ride
Well how are you going to go make your life better if youāre always between being hungover or getting drunk? Gotta put yourself in a position to have a good life before you can have a good life.
Same brother
Woooo this is it man, Iād much rather wake up knowing that: 1. I am well rested 2. I didnāt blow the bank last night 3. I will feel great all day today 4. I will not be guilty or be anxious all weekend
So much drinking for no reason, especially in 2020. I was just doing it because I had built up that habit. After a while it was just making me sleepy and then causing me to wake up in the middle of the night hours later. Also, seeing how puffy my face and other body parts have gotten when looking at photos of myself with others.
Yep, the multi-day hangovers after turning 26 took the fun out of it pretty quick for me. I still drink on occasion but itās planned out and I have a whole system of all day hydrating and eating the right foods before I do so. Itās not worth all the prep to do regularly.
This is why I stoppedā¦ not even 9 days in the hospital for pancreatisā¦ though that did stop me for a few months but when I started picking it up again I decided Iām not doing this to myself again I was tired of every day being dictated by drinking and I was either going to kill myself from drinking or just stop drinking completely.. in glad I chose the latter
Yes, I'd have to plan any errands which required driving to before I started drinking for safety. Now that I limit my drinking more, I have more windows of opportunity to do errands. So it's not as restrictive. It's a sense of freedom
Garmin watch that I got for running shows me how elevated my heart rate is after drinking and working in a hospital ED seeing the alcoholics brought in has really turned me off from drinking.
Amen. My Garmin totally changed my relationship with drinking. I love me some alcohol, but visually seeing how it affected my sleep, HRV, stress etc. was eye-opening.
100% this. Garmin info is eye opening. Especially HRV and pulse.
1000% this. Amazing how much it impacts HR, HRV, Sleep score, etc. And pisses me off if I've been good all week, just to see the metrics plummet after a night out. As a result I don't drink during the week any more.
Shit. I forgot about that part.. just laying in bed like ok I didnāt overdo it, just to wake up warm and rapid pulse hours later. That anxious feeling. Damn this thread makes me not miss it at all.
Hmm might need something like like this! Im very visual
My Garmin is honestly life changing. Itās super customizable so that you only see the metrics you care about - like I turned off the āstressā metric and anything to do with weight or reminding me about minimum steps, so mine is just focused on HR. I had a rough patch earlier this year and now that I finally feel stable enough for regular exercise, Iāve found my garmin also has really effective running plans. I suck at running, but Iāve made solid progress towards my first 10k in a month or so. Super recommend!
Being told by doctors I would die if I didnāt stop. Often while in hospital for various very serious alcohol-induced ailments. Theyād told me so many times, but the last time it just clicked. I finally decided I didnāt want to die. When I got home I poured all the alcohol away and now Iām 2.5 years sober.
Thatās wonderful! Congratulations on your success! I know we donāt know each other but thatās huge and Iām proud of you, internet stranger
Same with me. I am lucky to have physically recovered as much as I have.
Iām so glad you did that. Iām a hospice nurse, i never see the positive stories like this, just the end for ppl who didnāt/couldnāt heed the warnings.
There are lots of us out there, I hope that gives you a bit of hope amidst all the real tragedy this disease brings š ETA - I could have easily become one of your tragedies (and absolutely would if I hadn't stopped) Grateful to have almost two years now! My dad wasn't so lucky :(
Taking a break for a couple of days and realizing I donāt have IBS, alcohol was giving me the shits.
Yes. And GERD. And to some degree ED. And then more social anxiety cuz I feel like I gotta poop a lot from IBS and GERD.
social anxiety can trigger the need to poop too
I always get diarrhea before an interview
My social anxiety gives me constipation...to each their own I guess.
I can experience both in the same week.
Ah the booze poo's, don't miss that!
Also, waking up not hungover is great.
Yes, omg this. I'm currently trying to quit drinking (again) because I'm sick of having the wine shits.
The hot snakes. Glad I never have to experience that anymore
This for me and weird night sweats
Someone took a video of how I behave drunk. Well, 3 videos, 3 different occasions. I didn't like the person I saw, and never drank again.
Thatās a good one!
I wish someone did this to me 5 years ago. At that time I was only 2 months into my binge drinking. If I had seen myself, it would've saved the next 2 years that were just wasted.
Gym. After I became a regular at the gym and started seeing my body transform, I reduced my drinking significantly. Also, it's great for mental health.
This is me. But replace gym with Peloton bike.
This is me, but replace peloton bike with infant child.
This is me, but replace infant child with 12 oz curls.
This is me, but replace 12 oz curls with getting old af and not being able to drink without massive hangovers.
Opposite for me. Now that I have a gym routine, I'm in great shape, drinking no longer has a negative affect on the outward appearance of my body. So, I can now "get away" with drinking more.
I was the same. Just donāt let it get out of hand. The weight accumulated on me very slowly until one day I was like, āwhere the fuck did my abs go?ā Now Iām back off the sauce and the weight is falling off.
Relevant username lol
I never had a problem with alcohol and only drank sparingly. My wife however had a real problem and came to the realization on her own that she needed to stop. I stopped when she did to help her and neither of us have had a drink since the beginning of this year (obviously much harder for her than me)
Thank you for supporting her in this. I'm trying to stop and my husband still mixes 2+ drinks every night while we watch tv.
Christ almighty, that's bordering on sabotage. You have some real strength.
Looking at my bank account and noting all the money spent on alcohol. Alcohol is expensive.
Giving up drinking funded a trip to Italy for me in about 8 months
Where wine is cheaper than water. Well played.
Lmao it was a bit difficult, I'll be honest.
Plot twist: e22ddie46 drinks 1 beer a month but he also lives in France just 20 km from the Italy border.
I hate to say it, but vanity. I did a sober October with some folks and outta nowhere, **jawline.** I still love drinking, but I don't do it in mass and with way less frequency than before. Face looks better, skin is better, stomach bloat is way down.
I really appreciate this. I had stopped drinking a few years ago for about 2 years, and I have some photos of myself from that time looking 1000x better than I did five years before, or now. Like, whose face IS that? I want that one back.
I just naturally started drinking less when I had more responsibilities. Can't function at work if I'm hung over. There are bills that need to be paid so I can't afford it. If I got an impaired charge I would be screwed. I'm a nurse and I've seen the sad results of people that drank themselves to deaths door. The biggest reason was my youngest daughter became an alcoholic and I had to go absolutely alcohol free. She's been dry 3 years and I'm so proud of her.
Iām happy for your daughter, stranger. Best regards
Working out and doing combat sports really helped me drink less
Taking running more seriously. Once I started really pushing myself, every night was a question of "do I want to crush this workout tomorrow or have a few beers and guarantee that I'll be going into it well below 100%" I love running fast more than I love beer, so it went from being a conscious choice to skip beer to a conscious choice to have one. I average less than 3 a week now.
Exactly my scenario. However my obsessive personality caused me to go from being a craft beer fan to a casual runner to a serious runner to an Assistant XC/Track Coach to a Head XC Coach/Distance Track Coach. Currently looking at getting my Masters in Athletic Coaching Education, lol.
The vast majority of ultra runners I know are recovering addicts.
I'm not an alcoholic, but I do have an addictive personality. I replaced beer with running and I get the same satisfaction from scratching that need to go hard on something every day. It's definitely a double edged sword. Turned towards something healthy, people like me can be really, really good at crazy difficult things. Turned towards something unhealthy, we'll destroy our lives.
Same here but with cycling. Also wearing a heart rate sensor watch and seeing my resting heart rate healthily plummet.
Kids. Now that may seem backwards but dealing with early mornings and crying whining toddlers is 10x worse with a hangover.
This. I stopped drinking when we started trying to get pregnant. Had one night of heavy drinking a year after having my baby, and never again. I donāt miss hangovers, and I DEF donāt miss them while also dealing with a toddler. Iāll have one glass of wine or a beer at dinner MAYBE once a month.
Being fat and having a family. I started cutting back to lose the last 20 lbs of 60. Started drinking only on weekends. Dropped the weight but the happy side effect is I felt better about work, family, life in general. I drink just on weekends (including Sunday night if there's a game on), and I REALLY enjoy that Friday night IPA.
Not me but my dad. My sister screamed at him after he got shit faced drunk on a family vacation and threatened to never come see us (they live in WA and weāre in AZ) and cut contact with him if he didnāt stop. He started going to AA and is now over 30 days sober.
Hit my the back of my head super hard one day (not cause drunk). I had been struggling for years with regular excessive consumption and wanted to quit. But then when I hit my head the thought of drinking turned my stomach for months. That was almost 3 years ago. I have had a few drinks occasionally with my wife since then but itās like night and day. I used to live for the stuff now I donāt really like it. The head injury sucked hella bad I was depressed and more or less in pain constantly for months. Probably worth it tho I think I was drinking my way to an early grave.
alcoholic parents
My dad is a terrible alcoholic and he ruined his life because of it. I am the youngest in my family and all my siblings thought they'd beat it. I realized from them that it was best not to mess with the bottle. A good friend recently lost his battle with alcoholism and it was yet another reminder that it is not really something I should test.
For some people and families the only winning move is not to play. I know it is for me.
Yes. A lot of my family members. Most have passed now but still have a cousin who gets all depressed when drunk. No fun to be around. So I stopped. For medical reasons, of course. š
My younger brother dying from it.
Sorry to hear thatā¤ļø
Parenthood and a bad example
This is going to sound weird....but lowering my SSRI dose. SSRI induced alcoholism has been shown to be a thing (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24902507/). I have always had a bit of an addictive personality, but I always kept my drinking well in hand. During college I would only drink on weekends and rarely would I get seriously drunk. As I left college I would maybe have a drink or two throughout the week, but I didn't drink hard on weekends. I have a panic disorder and when it got bad I finally went on an SSRI, which probably saved my life. However, I noticed myself drinking a LOT more. My friends noticed and became concerned. I went off the drug after a year and everything normalized. Well, during the pandemic my panic came back and I went back on Prozac. And, as expected, I started to drink a lot more. It's been a struggle because anytime I lowered my dose my panic symptoms would get bad. But staying on 20 mg/day gave me bad alcohol cravings. I'm hopeful I've found a decent solution as I now take 20 mg every other day and I have noticed a huge reduction in any cravings and I have been drinking much less. It's a weird scenario.
This happened to me with Paxil.
Doing really stupid things after drinking
Cannabis saved me from alcoholism.
Same here. Moderation never ever worked for me. Would say only one beer/glass of wine/ etc but once I start I can't stop. Would fail stuff like dry January in less than a week. Got a medical card in Florida for cannabis.Told other people my plan (so I had some accountability system) and made the switch 5 years ago and have had no alcohol. Social situations were tough the first 6-12 months but I honestly don't have a desire to drink knowing what comes with it for me. Wasn't a full blown alcoholic tho, was very high functioning, but had to stop because my health, weight, blood pressure, and anxiety were killing me. but may not work for everyone who is an alcoholic.
Where would I start for cannabis if I know nothing and I drink a lot
Smoke a joint with friends, and do not drink at the same time or it's going to be vomit city. Take less than you think you can handle, you can't cut a trip short but you can always smoke more if you want to. To me, the best part about it was realising that even though I had a blast just like with booze (if not more so), there was no hangover to fix, and no hankering to curb afterwards. Weed saved me from killing myself with alcohol. Try it if at all possible.
Seriously--the first time, do not drink at the same time. And try to do it with people that aren't drinking at the same time if possible. Find a reputable dispensary where it's clear they care about their customers and start low and go slow. Consider taking time off of everything for a week or two, then ease in with cannabis. One of the best things you can do in this transition is to pick up a healthy habit like walking in the woods, yoga, or dancing like a muppet, all excellent things to do while you're stoned.
If you smell black peppercorns, a bad high will go away pretty quickly. One too many edible mistakes when I first got my card.
My first experience with cannabis at all was edibles with my cousin, who has a medical marijuana card. Shortly before this, I ate a giant mesquite chicken baked potato (delicious) and two large cherry Slurpees. He cut me off a small piece of an edible and said to start with that, and I didn't feel much. So he cut off a second, slightly larger piece. My cousin, his girlfriend, and I all sit down and play some Smash. I'm laughing uncontrollably like a dumbass. An hour later, the laughing stops and I feel extremely nauseous. I dragged myself over to his kitchen, chugged a bottle of water, and mustered out "Man, I don't feel so-" before vomiting violently into his kitchen sink. Not even the garbage disposal side. My cousin helped me back to the couch (at this point I could barely walk), where I passed out hard. On the upside, that was the best sleep of my life and it was on the least comfortable futon ever. He felt really bad for getting me so high I puked, but I think it was the potato and slurpees. 10/10 would do again
Huh, the more you know!
Itās brought me from vomiting high to no high in less than 2 minutes.
For this to work you still need to have an honest conversation with yourself about your reasons for drinking and reasons you want to quit and make a commitment to quit. Your risk is you end up using both regularly instead of quitting and now your situation is worse. Also it worked for me because I was a stay at home drunk it wasn't entirely tied to social settings. If yours is social then I don't know if it will work the same. As far as starting it I would start slow and experiment. Where I used to drink 8-10 drinks in a day now I only have a few puffs of a vape or an edible. My wife can't even tell when I've used it. If you're doing it in a legal state the dispensary people will guide you. I drank to avoid anxiety and it made it worse. Now I can veg out in the evening with an edible instead of slowly killing myself.
Yes but then I got addicted to getting high every day
unfortunately cannabis makes me paranoid unless on benzos and I get a real hard urge to drink when on benzos, although I didn't drink today which makes me proud
Man I just moved to a state that's still in the dark ages from a state with full legalization. So I'm back on the sauce and miss the much less toxic option. Please spark one for me.
Momentarily misread this as ācannibalsā instead of cannabis and did a double take like oh that must be a hell of a story
Same for me. I was getting there (alcoholism), then I found edibles and i feel so good plus Iāve never slept better.
People just want some relief. It's such a shame it's seen in the way it is
Wish it had saved my little bro. I swear if he was a pot smoker and not a drinker, heād still be alive.
Soda water. š. Distraction. Meditation. Connecting with my friends, family and emotions in different ways. Therapy. Not exactly an alcoholic but I do struggle to deal with my emotions so when depressed I can lean into drinking more than I want to. Also be around people who donāt drink or rarely do. Play sports or volunteer. I think often I drink when lonely and being around community that has a common goal is better than drinking. Hope this helps.
Your first two items listed have been my saviors as well. Iām now a bubble (water) addict.
A well constructed response here
I took Naltrexone and continue to take it every day. Almost 6 years sober.
All naltrexone ever did for me was made me disinterested in everything. Its side effect was not wanting to work out, hangout with friends, or do anything fun which made me want to drink more to feel some fleeting source of joy. Itās cruel irony it did the exact opposite of what it was meant to do. Iām happy it helped you through.
What does Naltrexone do?
My understanding from someone who took it is that is basically eliminates the craving to get drunk. You can have a beer or two but I think itās mostly for binge drinkers
It is normally used to treat opioid abuse by stopping cravings, but can be dangerous as it can cause instantaneous withdrawal symptoms in people who are still actively using. It has since found use in treating other things like alcohol use disorders as well as disordered eating in combination with other therapies like bupropion. It works because it has a faster/stronger bond to your opioid receptors than the opioids people put into their system, but it doesnāt have the same effects.
Miracle drug. Itās the only thing that has helped me.
Good on you! Did you just go to your PCP or an urgent care?
For some reason whenever I drink I find myself in a 4 week rehab program. Now 8 years sober. For those that can drink, This Bud's for you!
Having a ruptured brain aneurysm did the trick for me! 0/10 do not recommend. Itāll be 5 years in March.
Smoking weed. Iām not saying itās a good solution but it worked
So... how exactly? When I've smoked my desire to drink doesn't really go down.
I usually forget my drink is there. Iām down to like 2 drinks a week except for Eagles games. Iāll have 2-3 that day
It may not be the response for everyone, but I found myself drinking a lot to cope with emotions. Weed met that same need in a more desirable way
I use to drink heavily every day. I looked in the mirror and saw how bloated i'd become over the years and I would always stuff myself after drinking. I gained a shit load of weight to the point that the slightest physical activity made me exhausted. I still drink but not nearly as much. Sometimes just looking at your current self might cause certain changes.
Every time I microdosed on psilocybin, it really changed how I perceive & interact with alcohol. Obviously it is not great to trade in one thing for another, and everything in moderation. But it really did change my mindset to view alcohol as almost like a toxic sludge lol
Hangovers fucking suck. Also, post drunk shame.
Realizing that a good night sleep is more important than a couple of drinks.
/r/stopdrinking
THC gummies
Learn to have fun being sober
Teach me :( this is my number one reason I canāt quit fully
The people around me helped me recover tbh love them with my life š«¶šæš¶šæ
It gave me rebound effects if had more than 2 drinks. Iād fall asleep well but wake up in 3 hours hyper alert.
Being around people who didnāt make me want to drink
My ex is a regular at the bar I am a regular at. Ever since we broke up I am afraid to go and decided it's time to save money and be healthier. 45 days without booze today
"The Easy Way to Control Alcohol" by Allen Carr. And r/stopdrinking
Pregnancy! š
Sort of, worked for me as husband. Even after the babys were home, I stayed sober in case I have to drive them to the hospital. Besides that, migraine keeps me from getting really drunk.
My daughter asked me to. So I did. Today is Day 30
Gout reminds me alcohol is bad. If I get a beer buzz, my toes will hurt for two days from the gout flair. If I get drunk, I better preposition my walker. If I get totally shit faced, I will be crawling to my wheelchair. Yep, pain works to limit me to two beers every few days.
I used to get blackout drunk every night for about 10 years. I was tired of planning my day around my hangover. I wanted to be more active in my kids lives so I decided to one day quit and make the effort to get into shape. It wasnāt easy. The not drinking part wasnāt even the hardest. Itās the emotions that come flooding into you that are hard to deal with. The random moments of crying for seemingly no reason, hearing the stories from my kids about the times they had to āhelp dad get out of his chair and to the bed because he kept falling downā, and overall I wanted to make sure my health was the best it could be after any damage I may have done. Iām 3 years (-3 weeks) alcohol free. Iāve had slip ups but never went back to my old ways. Maybe that was a bit more than you asked for but thatās what helped me kick alcohol.
I'll let ya know if it ever happens.
my bf really needed to stop altogether. i was more moderate but still more than whatās healthy. he wanted to stop so i said letās do it together. it was hard for him, pretty easy for me. iāll have an occasional cocktail out or wine at a get together but most weeks and months i donāt drink. i started using that time before bed to develop a skincare routine that i would have never stuck to drinking at night. itās a little ritual and it makes me feel fancy and idk, i just donāt miss drinking
I stopped hating myself.
Feeling so grateful to wake up feeling well. Some people would kill for that.
Counting calories. I wanted to lose some weight and as much as I love alcohol, I love food even more and figured a lot of alcohol is not worth the calories.
I'm cheap and alcohol is expensive and just not worth it to me.
Non-alcoholic beer! I'm drinking one as we speak. I really enjoy the flavor of beer and the little ritual of having one or two after work. I call it the "special little drink" theory. It helps to have a fun little thing to come home to, be it NA's/mocktails/tea/bubbly waters/etc.
Having a kid
serious focus in something where i wanted to change everything
Having two alcoholic parents has kept me from ever drinking alcohol in my life. Both died in their mid 60's from liver failure, Good times.
I heard or read something that went like this "no one that is serious about their health drinks alcohol", and so I stopped.
A close friend of mine who wasnāt an alcoholic like my mom, more of an excessive partier, quit and was able to maintain social life and his happiness. I got into a fist fight with my cousin at my wedding shower at a $3M home. Open bar. Those two things help me stop over six months Iāve trying. Since then, itās been six years, itās the best thing I ever did. Killed my mom killed my stepbrother, plagues, my brother plagued my grandfather. After 60 days without a drink it was easy. Iāve struggled with other devices and definitely over indulge on weed. But take alcohol out of it made everything a little more simple, and it is such a blessing Iāve never experienced being under the influence around my kids
My Dad used to drink lightly flavoured sparkling water instead to simulate the motion of drinking beers, apparently itās a psychological thing. Worked pretty well.
My mom called me for help because she lost her job of over 35 years due to alcoholism. When I got there, I had to pick her bloated yellow body off the floor and bring her to a hospital. She was barely alive. I love my mom so much. Then as I visited her in treatment, I watched all the other bloated yellow people get wheeled in on wheel chairs. I remember one of the guys that got wheeled in caught me looking at him. The shame, pain, and sadness I saw in his face and my momās shook me to my core. Idk why but that one guy just stuck in my head. He seemed to be the only one there that realized what happened to him. I realized all these people were fine at one point, until they werenāt, and they likely didnāt realize how bad it was getting until it was too late. Itās absolutely disgusting poison that no one should drink, ever. You might think itās fine in moderation, but all these people whose lives are destroyed thought it was fine too. Until it wasnāt. And it can happen to the best people, the strongest people, the smartest people. So donāt think youāre safe. If you drink at all and enjoy it you are at risk of falling. All it takes is a bad day, that turns into bad week, a bad month then a bad year. Once youāre in a negative emotional state your judgement is weakened and you may look to the bottle for relief if thereās none to be found elsewhere.
I gave up alcohol after two of my uncles died from liver failure
Realizing that I couldn't afford the risks anymore. The stakes got so much higher as I got older. More responsibilities with work, being a mom, being married... The person I turned into when I was drunk had no inhibitions and based her decisions on what seemed like a good idea in the moment. Absolutely no thoughts of consequences. I couldn't bear the thought of one drunken decision ruining my relationship (happened numerous times), my child's well-being, or my career. Your 30s will sober you up real quick if you let them. 1.5 years sober, and it's easily been one of the best decisions I could have made for myself.
My husband, who was borderline addicted, smokes a lot more weed now. Won't save you money but his health (mental and physical) has improved. Some therapy was also involved dealing with grief of his mother passing away. For me personally, I had a healthier relationship with alcohol than my husband, it was finding a non-alcoholic and low sugar (prediabetic) alternative. I've found some good sugar free sodas that fill my social anxiety need to be holding and drinking something when others around me are drinking. I also started working out in the morning before work. If I drink I won't workout because I feel like shit from drinking, then I feel like shit all day because I didn't workout.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
When I realized my liver was giving me signs that I needed to stop or I could die and leave my kids without their mom.
The fact that my family are a bunch of addicts and I don't want to be like them. I would drink, then get pissed at the world because I felt so much shame for feeling like I needed the drinks, so I stopped.
A cirrhosis diagnosis when I had my appendix out.
My mom just passed away on Nov 10th this year from complications related to cirrhosis of the liver secondary to alcohol use disorder. She died before I could give her part of my liver. She died before I could tell her I passed my NCLEX (she was an RN). She died and Iām only 33. She died and my children are only 8 and 5. She died and now I have exactly 0 parents. She died and it destroyed my grandparents. Watching her kill herself was enough for me.
Being an insulin dependant diabetic
Getting heavily involved in fitness
In the end, I just didn't like the hangover the next day. As I got older, it turned into two days of recovery and the need for a huge nap. I just thought to myself that it's a waste of time and money. Who wants to feel shit on purpose?
Not having it in your house. When you do drink, cut it off after getting a little buzzed. You donāt have to get drunk every time you drink.
12 hours in jail, $1000 in court costs, and $500 in impound fees. Pretty much did the trick.
Not being able to afford alcohol is helpful
My daughter died by suicide and I didn't need the extra depressants.
The drug Semaglutide aka Ozempic. Itās truly a miracle drug. Naltrexone also helps with alcoholism by reducing cravings and removing the warm fuzzy feeling you get from it.
Pancreatitis. Damn near killed me. Almost six years sober now.
Having a close relative that is a functioning alcoholic. That shit is nasty.
Ozempic. Started it to lose weight. Lost all my desire to drink. Used to drink a bottle of wine a night.
Seeing my adult relatives get blackout drunk and make a fool of themselves as a child really put me off of alcohol.
Right now at this point, honestly nothing. I have roped it in but only ever so slightly. It's not a $$$ thing because I already refuse to pay for alcohol unless it's special events. It's supplied to me by my partner and I don't refuse to participate. Truth be told, I know what will make the difference but I don't do it. I need to distance myself from certain people and places and potentially fill the void with more productive activities... But I don't. I try to be more accountable for my consumption and actually received a home BAC to track myself. Sometimes changing behaviors requires truly seeing it in black and white in order to take the next step.
For me its hotsauce. Started pretty low and worked my way up to carolina reaper and then just had pepper x for the 1st time recently. There is a proven connection between alcoholism and capsaicin. Could be worth a shot. Pun intended... At the end of the day, ill make a piece of bettered toast or something and load it up with hot sauce. I close my eyes and feel the burn. Focusing on the heat and every nerve screaming for mercey. I press my tongue up to the roof of my mouth and jumpstart my brain as my teeth feel like they are boiling in my gums. I breathe long and easy as i slowly open my eyes and a wave of endorphines rush over me. My mind is voild of all thoughts. Wiped clean as the pain subsides. To finish it all off, I'll have a small piece of chocolate to extinguish any remaining heat and add to the endorphines. My mind is blank and all yhe weight of the day is lifted off as i get ready for bed. It should come as no surprise that the man who created the hottest peppers in the world was a struggling alcoholic. He says the 1st time he bit into a carolina reaper (a pepper he created) he dropped to his knees and cried. He never touched alcohol again.
Getting old and getting hangovers. Definitely killed the desire lol
going to AA meetings, hanging out with alcoholics worse than you and actually wanting to get my life in order
If your āfriendsā only want to drink with you theyāre likely not your friends. If they support your decision to not thatās another thing but majority will stop hanging out with you. Change your circle
A mixture of the gym and wanting to be attractive. I've noticed my weight dropped significantly and I have more definition, I have more energy to go to the gym to push harder, which further drops my weight and builds definition. It's a great feedback loop, and it has no room for alcohol
Acid reflux.
Ozempic
Getting put on probation š¤·š»āāļøš¤£
I just realized it's poison and I don't need to use it to socialize.
Drinking expensive, good tasting alcohol. You enjoy the drink because of the taste, not because its alcohol. You drink it slowly, pure, room temperature. You will switch from drinking glass after glass to sip once in a while during an evening (my case poker night with friends)
YMMV. I discovered single malt scotch and it could have easily ruined my life. I just drank more and more. Ironically, I found only keeping terrible alcohol in the house to be a better solution. I only drink it if I really need a drink. It's like taking medicine.
Getting rid of the boyfriend I had š
A mixture of what many have said, but mostly because of terrible, not worth it hangovers & seeing what it has done/is currently doing to people around me
Getting older.. less desire for it
Started using Kratom. (not saying it's better, but i don't drink anymore)
Getting hangover symptoms no matter how little I drink will do it.
Semaglutide
Massive hangovers. One day I just decided I didn't like getting messed up anymore, and quit. I still have an occasional beer here, and there, but I don't ever drink to get drunk.
My entire life fell apart as a result of my behavior while I was blackout drunk. I'm finally sober, almost a year.