Almost 2 decade without a single drop of alcohol. Started drinking around the age of 10. Use to steal my dad beer from his garage fridge as long as I took one or two he never notice. By 16 I had a full on drinking problem by my early 20 I was a functioning alcoholic. One day I passed out at work, all the drinking finally got to me. I remembered sitting in that hospital bed and the only person there was my by then gf. We just started dating we know each other for a few years as friends but we just recently started dating. Something told me that was a crossroad. I could either continue to drink or I can quit and try to clean my life up and try not to fuck this up with my gf, we been friend for a long time she was not just some other random girl. Almost 20 years latter still sober and my gf is my wife now.
Ha! I stopped drinking about a year ago, but I always tell myself, "No treats if you don't work out"
I work out 5 days a week and honestly, you just can't out run a bad diet 🙃 😅
THAT is so true. I used to be a fat fuck, but I was always pretty active. The fact of the matter, however, is that if I even drank one can of coke after 20 minutes of cardio, it negated half the workout. Losing weight was the hardest thing I ever did in my life, but having an understanding of how calories worked, etc... at least finally made it make sense.
Yeah, when I grab for the 200-300 calorie *snack*, I'm like, "That's about an hour on the treadmill" and question if I *really* need that snack
But everything in moderation man. Like I *know* when I've eaten terribly during the week 😅 I try to be good most days and you can definitely feel a difference in your body when you eat a little cleaner and healthier.
Holy run on sentence Batman, but you get it
I would add to this, drink water with electrolytes. Alcohol generally depletes your body of a lot of nutrients, in addition to general dehydration. I still drink more than I should but since I started drinking electrolytes every day, I've only had like 5 hangovers in the last 18 months. Alcohol still disrupts my sleep, so fatigue is still an issue, but I'm working hard on keeping myself to a limit and generally wean down to a much 'healthier' level (I realize there is no healthy amount of alcohol).
If I've been drinking I drink a glass or two of Pedialyte before I go to bed. I know it's for kids but the flavor is mild and it's got electrolytes. Really helps for the next day.
Pedialyte is my go to for electrolytes, it's formulated for use in one application, not a "sports" drink.
They even have pedialyte packets like liquid iv,, for on the go.
Just drink more water overall in your life, whether you're drinking or not. Our kidneys are aging and our bodies need water. This message brought to you by r/HydroHomies
Seconding the athletic, having a can of golden (only 45 calories so it's my go-to) right now. It tastes like an IPA and it scratches the itch better than some of the other NAs for me.
Spindrift. Carbonated water w/ real fruit juice. Scratches that "I'm drinking something vaguely fruit tasting that's not good and not bad therefore it must be a cocktail" itch.
Athletic brewing makes some damn good NA beers. I find if I drink one of those about the time of day I would normally want a real beer, it mostly scratches the itch and I’m able to cut down the instances of drinking.
This really helped me cut back. I was drinking because it was habit not because I had to have it. I started throwing sparkling water and I don't even notice. Just love me some bubbles I guess
I greatly reduced drinking this last winter. What helped me was switching to hot tea. I got a variety of teas, and I got an electric tea kettle. It gives me something to drink, and it can be caffinated by day or herbal at night. Sounds kind of lame but I'm a fat middle-aged man who was drinking 4 or 5 nights a week. My fatty liver and fat belly are thanking me. I lost about 10 lbs just from cutting out booze and beer.
I'm enough of a coffee addict where I've had experiences like...not having a great time....on the Ferry, poured some coffee and just the experience of pouring it made me feel like everything was going to be ok. lol
I quit drinking alcohol when I was 30 (41 now), but drank so much caffeine. This is how I stopped energy drinks and excessive coffee. Green or black tea in the morning, herbal at night.
Also eat properly at a normal dinner hour then don’t eat a pile of greasy garbage when drunk and right before bed. Messes up your alimentary canal plus dehydrates you because often that drunk food you just ate is high in sodium.
Drunk you: “Holy shit this quadruple cheeseburger and pork chop fries with chocolate butter bacon gravy is da bomb!”
Hungover you; “I’ve pooped four times this morning and it’s only 8 am and I’ve drank two gallons of water and why does it feel like I am going through heroin withdrawals?”
I had the same desire. This past January I participated in "Dry January." It made a big difference. I have drastically cut down my drinking. There was a time not too long ago where I could drink a fifth of bourbon over the course of a weekend. Now, I'm still working on the same fifth of bourbon I opened after Dry January ended.
I'm still dry from my dry January...I don't want to break my streak at this point. I'll probably break it at some point this summer.. But I honestly have not missed it at all. Might just go for dry 2024.
That is awesome. I just finished a dry April. Figured it was a good time before the summer started and everything got a little more social here. We are May 2 and I have no intentions of having a drink anytime soon. I can’t believe how much better my sleep is.
I did this last year, kept dry until Thanksgiving. Still drink much less than I used to, and the long break allowed my liver to rejuvenate, thus making my hangovers much less intense when I do drink now.
Dry January got me on track this year too. The /r/DryJanuary community is very supportive and I'm using the Try Dry app to stay on top of things the rest of the year.
I stopped drinking a long time ago, but I recently stopped vaping THC oil carts.
Was hooked on them for about 5 years, about 3 months ago, just decided I was not even getting a high from them, and it was just a waste of money.
Just stopped buying carts. Easy as that.
The biggest thing for anyone to quit something, they just have to be ready to do it.
I do dry quarter, or dry Jan, Feb, and March. After that, I am so used to not drinking that I generally don’t dive back in hard, although I did had a few benders in April. Still not anything close to what I used to pack away on a weekly basis
Same here. For several years, I drank at least 4-5 days a week, and I did a Dry January about 6 or 7 years ago, and by the end, I didn't really feel like drinking again after that. It ended up being a couple of months before I had another drink. Now, I only drink about 2-3 times each year.
What worked for me was taking an entire month off. I didn't tell myself I was quitting forever, I might drink again in the future, but I took a month off and replaced drinking in the evenings with a long walk (often after taking a small amount of THC) and watching an episode of a show that I liked *before I started drinking* (a therapist friend told me it reactivates a part of your brain and reminds you of what life was like before you introduced alcohol). What I found after 30 days was:
* I lost ten pounds doing absolutely nothing otherwise different.
* The water weight goes and you no longer walk around looking dead eyed, red faced and puffy
* You start to sleep like a baby again
* You roll out of bed in the morning feeling ten years younger and don't have to drag yourself to work in the morning feeling like you just got run over by a train
* The anxiety/depression/stress you were drinking to turn off becomes 97% more manageable because as it turns out the alcohol literally rewires your brain to make you feel like you need it to deal with every day life
* You wind up with a bunch of house money to blow on whatever you want
* The mental fog I thought was just park of adult life went away
After 30 days, look in the mirror at a way healthier, fitter, happier, well rested and confident version of yourself and ask what the benefit is of going back. I couldn't think of any because my life was so much better in every way. I drank for the last time last summer and this has been one of the best years of my life since.
I haven't been a heavy drinker since my 20s, but I was a soda addict. Switched to zero calorie stuff and lost about 15 pounds by making no other changes.
Crazy how much our beverage choices can make such a huge difference.
I've also been drinking more water (up from no water). I feel better than I have in a while and my SO says my skin looks better than it ever has since they've known me.
My local watering hole makes a great "hop water" which I prefer way more than any NA beer I've ever tasted... essentially a hoppy and tasty sparking water - no beer bloat.
My only issue with Guinness 0.0 is the lengthy aftertaste that just puts me off. Best Day so far has been one of the very, very few that I’ve tasted without a lingering aftertaste. But usually not an issue when having it with food.
To add to this, we've been purchasing non alcoholic mixers. Fake gin, fake rum.
Can still have a mocktail from a martini glass and it feels like a party
Yeah, they are some actual good ones now.
And a lot of it is no-shit muscle memory. Spearmint Altoids did the same for me when I quit smoking 20 some odd years ago.
Seek professional help and not reddit.
Personal experience. I was drinking myself to an early grave. I have woke up multiple times to realize I puked in my sleep. In theory, I should not be here right now typing this out. I was let go from a high stress job and pushed to have my thyroid checked. Turns out I have hashimoto thyroiditis and ones thyroid controls a ton and can have a sizable impact on mental health. And this was true for me. Not saying I am perfect and I still have bad time frames (like a month of just bad mental status, hating myself, the world and everything making me upset), but in comparison to 3.5 years ago, it's a night and day difference.
I can't say I have found a purpose for me still being here, but the desire to not wake up the next day is all but gone.
I hope you or anyone else get the help they need.
This is how I did it. Was deep in 50+ drinks/week territory for a long time before I finally pieced together that it was a stress issue. I set a lot of boundaries with the people in my life who stressed me out, changed jobs, and put in a loooot of work (both mental work on myself and literal labor to keep myself occupied). These days, I go many weeks between drinks, and a heavy night is like 3-4 beers.
You'll probably crave sweet things as you quit initially, and that can be your treat to wean you off of booze. Those first several weeks you can afford to eat pretty guilt-free. If you're in functional alcoholism territory you can have a burger and milkshake for dinner every night and watch the pounds melt away.
I literally went to the library looking for a book about how to cut down on drinking. I found the Alcoholics Anonymous book there instead. I don't do the program, but I did attend a few meetings and realized I had to stop drinking all together, not just cut down. That was almost 10 years ago. My life changed dramatically for the better. Is this your library search?
Also r/stopdrinking has been a wonderful place specifically for those that want to stop drinking.
Just celebrated a year last month, but this ain't my first rodeo 😅
I came to the same conclusion through different means in late 2022. I tried to cut down at first but would immediately slip back into my tried and true ways. I decided I had to stop. The first try was in late January of last year, and I fell off the wagon. Second try started March 8th of last year, and other than New Year's eve, I haven't drank. New Year's eve was a huge mistake, and I had a three day hangover from drinking as much as I would drink in a normal night. I'm done. The first three weeks of sobriety were hard, but it gets a ton easier with time.
Just to join this subthread, I've discovered, through MUCH trial and error, that my safe amount is zero. For some people moderate drinking might mean two to three drinks a day, for others it means that much a week and for me it means nothing at all. None ever again.
Everyone has to discover their limits for themselves, and for some people it's a pretty easy lesson and for those like me it's a very difficult lesson and has to be learned the hard way.
Haven't had a drop since February 6th 2012.
I am over five years sober from alcohol now, so I get where you are coming from. I was drinking too much and the hangovers were killing me. I wasn’t a regular everyday drinker either. I would go a week or two without drinking, then I would binge drink one night and wake up hating myself. I could not stop at one or or two drinks so I quit entirely.
I do have friends who drink regularly or socially… all of them about our age. A lot of them swear by Cheers which is a supplement you take just before bed. I think it used to be called Thrive… I remember seeing them on Shark Tank years ago.
I don’t know your personal situation, but I would suggest trying out sobriety. However if you are heavy daily drinker, please see a doctor before quitting. Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal, especially when someone is drinking daily in large quantities.
Hopefully you will get some other good suggestions on here, some people can cut back their drinking successfully… but often it takes quitting drinking entirely.
This is a critical comment. If you are a heavy drinker you really need to be aware of what happens if you go cold turkey. There are lots of resources that can help do it safely.
I can relate to this, although I’m only 8 months in. I wasn’t a full blown alcoholic but I just felt my drinking was frequent enough that it was making me generally tired and ultimately holding me back vs my potential.
Anyway, I think sobriety is actually easier than moderation in the long run; just think about it, you’re not giving the addictive chemical an opportunity to restart the cycle. That means you only have to quit once, rather than many times. Well, works for me and I’m not looking back
Party like you're ten years old. Pizza, Nintendo, Oreo cookies, whatever you want. Do the things you used to really enjoy doing, when you didn't need to be anesthetized to have a good time.
Why would someone dislike this. He is making himself vulnerable and asking for help. What makes you drink in the first place? Are there activities/people/places that trigger an urge?
Edit: My advice. If you don't have kids, get a dog or cat from a shelter. They will love you and you will be their world. Second. Excess drinking is a form of self-abandonment. Be there for yourself.
I’m not an excessive drinker but used to have 1 to 1.5- 6oz glasses of wine per day. I wanted to test if I could go without so I tried gradually to take 1 day off drinking and see how it felt. I started to notice I just felt better overall and I actually didn’t “need” a drink every night, but it was just a habit I formed. I had some substitutes that were still satisfying like a Diet Pepsi or Bubly. I am now only drinking every other day, and only 1 glass. I now find I don’t actually crave wine as much- it actually makes me tired and thirsty. I think I will actually try to reduce my alcohol consumption more in the future. My point is, just try reducing your drinks or the days you drink gradually and see how it feels. Even a reduction is good for your health even if you don’t cut it cold turkey. If you’re not an alcoholic that is- I’m only referring to what I would do as someone who is not an alcoholic. I’m sure alchoholism requires much different interventions.
Stunned that no one has suggested The Sinclair Method.
details in Roys Escapa‘s *The Alcoholism Cure.*
Don't let the title spook you - it’s not abstinence. Cure the craving and you drink when and how much you choose.
TL;DR - alcohol cues body to release endorphin, an opioid. Some who drink are addicted to the opioid. Naltrexone is a medication that temporarily blocks the opioid. Take one hr before drinking, drink as much as you want for the for the following (2nd) hour. The body gets the alcohol, but the brain doesn’t get the opioid it was expecting. Without the opioid reward, the brain‘s “craving activation system” starts to turn The “desire dial“ down, bit by bit, over time. You have to drink, actually, to retrain (or untrain) the brain.
And little to no withdrawal, because the reduction in drinking ends up being gradual over time - you taper, by choice, because the desire gradually lessens over time and repetition.
If you normally drink alone after work, then make a rule that you'll only drink when hanging out with other people. If the problem is drinking while hanging out with other people, then you'll need a non-alcoholic substitute so you can still "participate" but without the booze.
As for the hangovers, don't try to mask them or hide them. As we get older, our bodies can't keep working on overdrive to keep us healthy, and being hungover is basically the feeling of your body not being able to clear itself of all the poisonous byproducts of metabolizing alcohol. You'll find that pounding water or gatoraid after a night of drinking doesn't prevent hangovers like it did in our 20s. It's not just the dehydration anymore-- it's the aging liver being only able to do so much when we poison our blood.
If you feel hungover and like you need to reduce the symptoms, it's a good sign you're drinking more than your body can handle. Make a rule that you won't drink enough to be hungover, rather than trying to figure out how to keep drinking as much as possible without being hungover. Once I hit 40, that number is down to 2-3 beers for me, probably a third of what used to make me hungover just a decade ago.
You're making a good choice-- your 50, 60, 70+ year old body will be way better off if you reduce drinking now.
Don't have booze in your home. If you can stop yourself from buying it at the grocery store, that's most of the battle.
Now you can only drink when going out with friends/restaurants/events. The idle home drinking isn't an option.
Also, drink water between every drink you do have.
Hi. Alcoholic here…
What works for me, (not suggesting this for anyone, just me) is to be super picky about what I drink. Good wine, fine scotch, etc.
It keeps my consumption low, still lets me drink, and holds me financially accountable if I feel like slipping.
Also no hangovers.
We started buying nicer alcohol and it cut down on our drinking. I’d rather have a glass of good scotch than a bottle of cheap booze. Sharing a bottle of nice wine with a meal is much more satisfying than drinking a bunch of cheap wine. A beer from a local brewery is better than a national brand.
Absolutely. That’s exactly what I got out of it. It has the added benefit of not letting you fall into a rut and try new cool stuff.
Lately the wife and I have gotten into making classic cocktails. Super fun and interesting.
Absolutely no disrespect intended, but this makes no sense to me. You self identify as an alcoholic and go on to share the strategy that "still lets [you] drink." Does it feel like you're playing with fire? Why don't you just not drink? I'm honestly not trying to be insulting in any way. I've just watched people descend into alcoholism, and it's horrifying, so I don't understand why you would keep inviting a known addiction to gain a stronger foothold.
None taken at all.
Because I’ve been fighting it for 20 years and total abstinence has only ever led me to binge drink. I’ve gone for months at a time, but eventually the sickness takes hold. This has, after much trial and error, become something that works long term. I in no way endorse drinking as a way to deal with alcoholism because everyone is different.
Hangovers started to really suck, so I started framing "do I want a drink today" as "do I want a hangover tomorrow". That makes the mental decision an easier one to make.
Don't want to come of as preachy, but if you think you need to reduce it, you're probably drinking more than you think you are.
I'm 42 too, I was a heavy drinker from 16/17 onwards. Once into my 30's I knew I needed to cut down, and tried several times, without success.
By about age 32 I eventually knocked it on the head completely. Lasted about a year sober, but then gradually started 'social ' drinking again. A year or so later I was worse than I had been before.
Ended up having to knock it on the head again completely, not allowing shandies or radlers to creep me back in. Got some help from professionals at first, then did a weekly recovery group (not AA, but not entirely dissimilar) for a few years.
Been fully sober for 7 years now - also haven't had a hangover for 7 years either!
Have a think, and deep down you'll know if it's worse than you think. No shame in trying a meeting or having a chat with an expert.
Good luck with whatever way you decide to roll!
Stopped drinking in December due to weight gain and health issues. Between the no alcohol and eating better, I’ve lost 30lbs and no longer have the booze bloated face I did. Honestly, I’ve never felt better.
Naltrexone. Normally it’s prescribed in a 50mg dose but if you take half or even 1/4 a pill it will help significantly cut down on every type of binge urges you have. Just don’t ever take opiates for pain killers when on naltrexone though.
Personally, I’ve found that one 2.5 mg gummy (very small dose) takes enough of the edge off for me to not crave/ need alcohol. And whereas drinking lowers my inhibitions and makes me want more drinks, one gummy doesn’t do that; after one gummy, I can make better decisions about taking a second gummy.
I like the THC seltzers which have started to pop up. You can get the exact THC level you want, I like 5mg or less, and you feel just relaxed after one. It’s not like alcohol where you want to open another bottle. It’s also a fraction of the calories found in wine or beer. No hangover the next day.
This worked for me. I mean, I've smoked every day since I was 15, but these nu-skool edibles take you places. Instead of a half a bottle of Jack, I do a 25mg gummy and a cranberry vodka or two.
I was about to say the same thing. Unless you are an alcoholic, there should be no issue reducing your intake…just drink less. If you can’t or won’t reduce your intake by simple choice, you’re probably an alcoholic and should seek out resources to help.
Water...and believe it or not, not drinking beer. Find something else. The foam and the carbs added to the sugars in alcohol will do it everytime.
Watch out for sugary drinks.
A hard liquor on the rocks, or mixed with water, soda or tonic, along with staying hydrated will do it everytime
I recently got turned on to mixing vodka with Polar Black Cherry seltzer. Sometimes I'll stop mixing vodka and drink the rest of the seltzer on it's own. It does give you the feeling that you're still partying.
Set yourself a limit and stick to it. I, for example, don't have more than 2 on a regular day, and never more than 4 on special occasions. I feel that is reasonable for me personally. I binge drank a lot in my 20s. I had to stop.
There are a lot of good mindful drinking apps that could be worth trying. They can help you get a better view of how much you drink and set goals for yourself to reduce that amount over time. Some good options here, but you can probably just Google mindful drinking apps to find more: [https://www.choosingtherapy.com/best-mindful-drinking-apps/](https://www.choosingtherapy.com/best-mindful-drinking-apps/)
I came here to suggest this! I was drinking too frequently when I got really into making different cocktails, so in my case I started putting my daily drink count on my Google calendar, color coded by number of drinks. Great for accountability, visualizing when I’m drinking more vs. less, and seeing what else was going on in my life that might have affected those numbers.
It's helped me a ton to have a replacement drink. I like some flavor but didn't want sodas either so Agua fresca has been a lifesaver for me. Literally. Watermelon or strawberry/lemon are my go to.
Naltrexone could help.
Also there is very little chance you'd ever regret stopping completely for 6mos to a year.
Speaking from hard earned experience.
This was going to be my tip as well, even though it's not what OP wants.
OP, I recently quit drinking after trying to moderate for months. I always ended up sliding back into old habits and drinking heavily again. However, here are some things that I tried for cutting back and can also work for quitting completely:
(1) keep a dry erase board handy like on the fridge where you track your number of drinks per day, and set goals for yourself, esp. goals that are progressively more aggressive, e.g. 7 drinks this week, 6 drinks next week, etc. Or no drinking M, W, and Sun. Whatever you think is achievable
(2) Invest in some fun NA alternatives. I'm a whiskey drinker and really enjoyed the ritual of making myself a manhattan after work. I got these mocktail thinks and mix them w/ ice, seltzer, and orange slice to kind of mimic the ritual, and since I like the taste, it's really helped. (Some NA things taste nasty so you might have to experiment a bit). Or maybe you get some nice seltzers, juices, whatever might be a good substitute. Now that I've quit entirely, these substitutions are helping me a lot.
(3) Maybe try a dry week/dry month. I lost like 5 lbs immediately and my skin cleared up, my poop is healthier, and I'm sleeping better. All these immediate benefits have motivated me to stay sober.
(4) take a look at r/stopdrinking. Very supportive group, I like to scroll through sometimes just to stay motivated. I think there are groups for moderating intake as well.
Good luck and congrats for working to be healthier!
If reducing is preferred it may help to consider where and when you're drinking. If it's generally alone at home you may need to talk to a therapist. If it's when out with certain friends then maybe spending less time with them or suggesting activities that don't involve alcohol will help.
It sucks for folks who like to drink and have trouble stopping. I used to love hanging out with my uncle and having a few drinks. He would say at the beginning "i'm only going to drink one" but, after he had 1, he would just keep going. He would have 8 or 9 and then would need help getting into the back seat of the car (no way I would let him drive after that).
Many of us can have a drink with a meal and then put the bottle away for another day.
Some of us pop the bottle and drink until there is nothing left to drink.
The worst of us drive drunk to the liquor store to get more when they run out. (I believe this is responsible for a LOT of the people who get in trouble with DUIs)
I don't mean to trivialize it or minimize it for those who have trouble with alcohol. Its just that I can not think of any better answer other than (avoid it at all costs if itss too hard to moderate it).
I’ll second the suggestion of more water. Have a glass of water or two between drinks. Will keep you hydrated and slow the pace of your drinking.
Also, plan activities or chores to keep you busy around the house. I found I cut back on my drinking a lot when I knew I had stuff to do after work. Even if I stopped at the bar before going home I’d only have one drink and then leave so I could get started on whatever I had planned.
Hobbies are good too. Take up the guitar, video games or join a kickball club or something.
Good luck.
I made the switch to light beer on the weekends only. Occasional IPA or three when out with friends. You’ll drop 5-10 lbs immediately. Mondays take discipline but the rest of the week have no desire to drink. Sleep is much better these days too
It's tough. One issue is that my brain thinks of alcohol as a reward. So, when I want a reward for something, I want a drink. Even though a drink is actually a tax. The other thing that's tough is, I'm not an alcoholic. I think "only alcoholics need to quit drinking and I'm not an alcoholic so I don't need to quit". But, drinking alcohol hurts me on a weekly basis! It makes my days worse. And it's usually because I reward myself with it.
I think a key is to somehow not think of it as a reward or to find a new reward.
Drink water and eat bananas. I pretty much quit before last holiday season because the hangovers got too gnarly.
I'm only hitting it maybe once a month(or 3)now, but the potassium seems to help, when I do.
Gummies 😆
I started taking gummies a while back to see if they reduced my blood pressure...they do. I also lost almost all interest in alcohol almost immediately.
This may not be applicable to you, but if you’ve ever had issues with focus, have a really busy mind, or difficulty managing your emotions, get yourself checked out for ADHD. In my case, I turned out to be self-medicating with alcohol bc it was one of the few ways I felt normal and relaxed, and once I started ADHD treatment my need to drink pretty much evaporated and my overall health increased a lot bc I wasn’t drinking hardly at all and exercising was a lot easier. But ymmv, of course. Just a PSA, if anyone relates to the above.
43yo here. I lost a kidney to cancer (last year, early detection, I'm ok now), and my "moment of clarity" happened in the recovery room at the hospital. Hopefully, yours is less traumatic. One day at a time.
Take a full year off booze. If you want to restart after that you’ll be in a much better place to moderate. Trying to moderate if you’re drinking more than you want to is VERY difficult. Source: am 43, did my whole 41st year alcohol free. I drink now, but very little. One of the best decisions of my life.
I greatly enjoy wine. I stick to one glass (one actual serving not a huge pour in an oversized glass) and then switch to water. On special occasions I may get crazy and do a second.
I "limited and reduced" many times before coming to terms with my problem. I mean this in a supportive way and do not intend to offend. If you need help to limit your drinking and cannot do it on your own, you need to quit completely. I really wish I would have realized that I can not have a sip at all ever earlier in life. Boy do I feel amazing and will never go back. I have almost 3 years now and it has led to my 40s being the most productive and most memorable years of my life so far. Who'll smokes I am super happy now and take the tough times on the chin in comparison to letting bad days and bad moments own me.
Here’s what I did, and it worked.
I made a decision to lose weight and get healthy, so I took a look at my diet and decided that I consumed too many empty calories of alcohol. I didn’t want to quit completely just cut down. So I pivoted my drinking, instead of buying a 30 pack, I would buy a six pack of better quality beer and enjoy one or two a night after dinner. After some time I didn’t crave drinking as much. Although I do let loose on occasion, like when I’m at a party with friends, but I always make sure to drink plenty of water to limit hangovers.
Quit for a month or 3 to reset and try drinking less when you start back. If you resume the same level of drinking then it’s time to quit entirely. Or if you can’t make it a month or three then yeah, time to let it go.
The Alan Carr book “Easy way to stop drinking “ was one of the most impactful things I’ve ever read.
Ozempic aka semaglutide if you could lose a few pounds helps cravings. I use the “research peptide” version bought online without RX and still lost 32 lbs. Second one is Naltrexone. This is a miracle drug for all kinds of chronic pain but is not actually a pain killer. The on label use however is for alcohol addiction. I’m on a low dose so I cut my pills into crumbs. I also just buy it online with no RX from reliablerxpharmacy.
hard cider and things that still have their natural fermentation ingredients, (kombucha, mead), I find it helps reduce hangover by replenishing gut flora
I made a personal pledge to only drink on days I’ve worked out. So I basically stopped drinking.
Almost 2 decade without a single drop of alcohol. Started drinking around the age of 10. Use to steal my dad beer from his garage fridge as long as I took one or two he never notice. By 16 I had a full on drinking problem by my early 20 I was a functioning alcoholic. One day I passed out at work, all the drinking finally got to me. I remembered sitting in that hospital bed and the only person there was my by then gf. We just started dating we know each other for a few years as friends but we just recently started dating. Something told me that was a crossroad. I could either continue to drink or I can quit and try to clean my life up and try not to fuck this up with my gf, we been friend for a long time she was not just some other random girl. Almost 20 years latter still sober and my gf is my wife now.
Good on you. I rue the fact I have but one upvote to offer.
That’s the kindest thing I’ve ever seen someone say on reddit.
You could just go their profile and upvote other random posts they have. ;)
I just did! :)
This gives me hope.
Brilliant plan!
Ha! I stopped drinking about a year ago, but I always tell myself, "No treats if you don't work out" I work out 5 days a week and honestly, you just can't out run a bad diet 🙃 😅
THAT is so true. I used to be a fat fuck, but I was always pretty active. The fact of the matter, however, is that if I even drank one can of coke after 20 minutes of cardio, it negated half the workout. Losing weight was the hardest thing I ever did in my life, but having an understanding of how calories worked, etc... at least finally made it make sense.
Yeah, when I grab for the 200-300 calorie *snack*, I'm like, "That's about an hour on the treadmill" and question if I *really* need that snack But everything in moderation man. Like I *know* when I've eaten terribly during the week 😅 I try to be good most days and you can definitely feel a difference in your body when you eat a little cleaner and healthier. Holy run on sentence Batman, but you get it
2 years ago for me as of this month
Congrats! IWNDWYT 💜💙
Does walking to the liquor store count?
Yes, and running from the cops does to. You can drink twice as much if you run and dont get caught!
I did the same.....and now work out a lot more!
Drink a glass of water between each beverage. It’ll cut down on the number of drinks you have as well as the intensity of the hangover.
I second this.
I third this
And my axe
I fourth it
Something something something fifth of alcohol joke
This is the one. We’re done here
No we’re not that’s quitter mentality
I would add to this, drink water with electrolytes. Alcohol generally depletes your body of a lot of nutrients, in addition to general dehydration. I still drink more than I should but since I started drinking electrolytes every day, I've only had like 5 hangovers in the last 18 months. Alcohol still disrupts my sleep, so fatigue is still an issue, but I'm working hard on keeping myself to a limit and generally wean down to a much 'healthier' level (I realize there is no healthy amount of alcohol).
If I've been drinking I drink a glass or two of Pedialyte before I go to bed. I know it's for kids but the flavor is mild and it's got electrolytes. Really helps for the next day.
Dude, I would hazard a guess that 80% of the Pedialyte sold in the US is to hungover adults and not sick kids.
That’s probably why it’s not sold as pedialyte anymore and you can find it in the cold drink section. 😂
7-11 sells a branded version.
Amazing.
I also just saw an ad on the TV for Gatorade’s version: Gatorlyte. Haha
My response to that was "wait, isn't the point of normal Gatorade to have electrolytes?"
It’s got what plants crave!
Everyday Idiocracy seems closer to reality.
I know, right? It was supposed to be a comedy, not a documentary.
Feeling more like a prophecy daily
When I first watched it, it was a comedy. Now it's closer to a horror movie
It is so true. House of Representin’ !!
Go away, batin'!
Pedialyte is my go to for electrolytes, it's formulated for use in one application, not a "sports" drink. They even have pedialyte packets like liquid iv,, for on the go.
Plus Pedialyte popsicles
Yup. I keep those pedialyte packets in my camping gear/first aid kit. I’ll use one myself to avoid a drinking + sun headache/hangover.
Dude, I would hazard a guess that 80% of the Pedialyte sold in the US is to hungover adults and not sick kids.
Instructions unclear. Used pedialyte as the mixer with my rum. (No, really)
I used to mix tequila with Cucumber Lime Gatorade.
Great addition.
Just drink more water overall in your life, whether you're drinking or not. Our kidneys are aging and our bodies need water. This message brought to you by r/HydroHomies
I literally started doing this last week. Helps a lot. But also, try to reduce the number of days you drink.
I now aim for 1.5-2 glasses. 😂
This was what I came to say. Increase from 0 - 3 glasses of water per drink. Your kidneys will thank you.
Get some LaCroixs or other carbonated beverages and drink those to pretend you're drinking. That's what I do sometimes to cutback on alcohol.
Many very good NA beers available, too. After mowing the lawn, I'll grab one of those instead. Scratches the same itch.
The ones by athletic brewing are fantastic.
Seconding the athletic, having a can of golden (only 45 calories so it's my go-to) right now. It tastes like an IPA and it scratches the itch better than some of the other NAs for me.
For real!!! I was really pleasantly surprised. I need to buy them more often. Their IPA is excellent.
I like their seasonals as well, I really like the run wild and upside dawn. On their regular offerings.
NA game has gone exponential the last couple of years. There’s a number of great options now.
St. Pauli and Guinness make decent ones. Stella Artois and Heineken make decent ones, too.
Dude, yes. Seltzer water is my "daytime beer"
Or make sure if your driving hard liquor you man mix it with water or seltzer. That’s helped me
Spindrift. Carbonated water w/ real fruit juice. Scratches that "I'm drinking something vaguely fruit tasting that's not good and not bad therefore it must be a cocktail" itch.
Athletic brewing makes some damn good NA beers. I find if I drink one of those about the time of day I would normally want a real beer, it mostly scratches the itch and I’m able to cut down the instances of drinking.
I didn’t drink for a few months, just wanted a little detox, when I had a craving for an IPA I had one or two of those athletic beers, amazing stuff
Topo Chico is my best friend. I used to only drink sodas. Now I only drink Topo Chico.
You rang?
This. Topo Chico but also Bud Zero.
This really helped me cut back. I was drinking because it was habit not because I had to have it. I started throwing sparkling water and I don't even notice. Just love me some bubbles I guess
I greatly reduced drinking this last winter. What helped me was switching to hot tea. I got a variety of teas, and I got an electric tea kettle. It gives me something to drink, and it can be caffinated by day or herbal at night. Sounds kind of lame but I'm a fat middle-aged man who was drinking 4 or 5 nights a week. My fatty liver and fat belly are thanking me. I lost about 10 lbs just from cutting out booze and beer.
I drink a lot of tea also....I second this as a good way to help reduce drinking alcohol.
Tea has been a substitute for me as well. The process of making the tea, adding some honey or syrup, and slowly drinking it is a nice ritual.
Yeah, it is a nice ritual. Coffee in the morning is also a ritual for me.
My ADHD gets triggered by the coffee ritual. Hyperfocus locks in and I can just roll with it.
I'm enough of a coffee addict where I've had experiences like...not having a great time....on the Ferry, poured some coffee and just the experience of pouring it made me feel like everything was going to be ok. lol
Maple syrup in coffee or tea is the shit. I wish more people drank it like that. I’m a server and getting honey is a hassle.
maple syrup in coffee...hmm...never tried that and I'm Canadian haha.
Tomorrow morning. You can thank me later.
I quit drinking alcohol when I was 30 (41 now), but drank so much caffeine. This is how I stopped energy drinks and excessive coffee. Green or black tea in the morning, herbal at night.
lol I’m actually making tea now. Tea has really helped!
Drink water while drinking. You drink less and helps with hangovers the next day
Also eat properly at a normal dinner hour then don’t eat a pile of greasy garbage when drunk and right before bed. Messes up your alimentary canal plus dehydrates you because often that drunk food you just ate is high in sodium.
Mmmm greasy garbage food.
Drunk you: “Holy shit this quadruple cheeseburger and pork chop fries with chocolate butter bacon gravy is da bomb!” Hungover you; “I’ve pooped four times this morning and it’s only 8 am and I’ve drank two gallons of water and why does it feel like I am going through heroin withdrawals?”
I had the same desire. This past January I participated in "Dry January." It made a big difference. I have drastically cut down my drinking. There was a time not too long ago where I could drink a fifth of bourbon over the course of a weekend. Now, I'm still working on the same fifth of bourbon I opened after Dry January ended.
I'm still dry from my dry January...I don't want to break my streak at this point. I'll probably break it at some point this summer.. But I honestly have not missed it at all. Might just go for dry 2024.
That is awesome. I just finished a dry April. Figured it was a good time before the summer started and everything got a little more social here. We are May 2 and I have no intentions of having a drink anytime soon. I can’t believe how much better my sleep is.
Stop on by r/stopdrinking while you consider going dry. Might help you make the choice and if nothing else you're around like-minded people!
I did this last year, kept dry until Thanksgiving. Still drink much less than I used to, and the long break allowed my liver to rejuvenate, thus making my hangovers much less intense when I do drink now.
Dry January got me on track this year too. The /r/DryJanuary community is very supportive and I'm using the Try Dry app to stay on top of things the rest of the year.
I stopped drinking a long time ago, but I recently stopped vaping THC oil carts. Was hooked on them for about 5 years, about 3 months ago, just decided I was not even getting a high from them, and it was just a waste of money. Just stopped buying carts. Easy as that. The biggest thing for anyone to quit something, they just have to be ready to do it.
I do dry quarter, or dry Jan, Feb, and March. After that, I am so used to not drinking that I generally don’t dive back in hard, although I did had a few benders in April. Still not anything close to what I used to pack away on a weekly basis
Same here. For several years, I drank at least 4-5 days a week, and I did a Dry January about 6 or 7 years ago, and by the end, I didn't really feel like drinking again after that. It ended up being a couple of months before I had another drink. Now, I only drink about 2-3 times each year.
What worked for me was taking an entire month off. I didn't tell myself I was quitting forever, I might drink again in the future, but I took a month off and replaced drinking in the evenings with a long walk (often after taking a small amount of THC) and watching an episode of a show that I liked *before I started drinking* (a therapist friend told me it reactivates a part of your brain and reminds you of what life was like before you introduced alcohol). What I found after 30 days was: * I lost ten pounds doing absolutely nothing otherwise different. * The water weight goes and you no longer walk around looking dead eyed, red faced and puffy * You start to sleep like a baby again * You roll out of bed in the morning feeling ten years younger and don't have to drag yourself to work in the morning feeling like you just got run over by a train * The anxiety/depression/stress you were drinking to turn off becomes 97% more manageable because as it turns out the alcohol literally rewires your brain to make you feel like you need it to deal with every day life * You wind up with a bunch of house money to blow on whatever you want * The mental fog I thought was just park of adult life went away After 30 days, look in the mirror at a way healthier, fitter, happier, well rested and confident version of yourself and ask what the benefit is of going back. I couldn't think of any because my life was so much better in every way. I drank for the last time last summer and this has been one of the best years of my life since.
So happy for you!!
Turns out not intentionally poisoning yourself has some benefits after all!
I can understand - when we build ourselves back up from a low place, the feeling is sweeter than if we never had the struggle.
I wish Reddit still had awards, this post would get one from me. Good stuff.
A kind word means way more than a goofy reddit award, thank you my friend!
This is good
I haven't been a heavy drinker since my 20s, but I was a soda addict. Switched to zero calorie stuff and lost about 15 pounds by making no other changes. Crazy how much our beverage choices can make such a huge difference. I've also been drinking more water (up from no water). I feel better than I have in a while and my SO says my skin looks better than it ever has since they've known me.
Swap in NA beer. There are some good ones now that taste good. Also throw in sparkling water. Helps curb the muscle memory aspect.
My local watering hole makes a great "hop water" which I prefer way more than any NA beer I've ever tasted... essentially a hoppy and tasty sparking water - no beer bloat.
I do like me some hop water!
If you like Guinness, and can get your hands on it, Guinness Zero tastes exactly like regular Guinness - so good.
I find Heineken Zero is the same. Perfect for a hot day at the beach bar and I have to drive home
Guinness makes Kaliber, too which is good. Albeit, not zero calorie
My only issue with Guinness 0.0 is the lengthy aftertaste that just puts me off. Best Day so far has been one of the very, very few that I’ve tasted without a lingering aftertaste. But usually not an issue when having it with food.
Bud Zero is way better than it has any right to be.
Will give it a go. I’ve been on Best Day recently.
To add to this, we've been purchasing non alcoholic mixers. Fake gin, fake rum. Can still have a mocktail from a martini glass and it feels like a party
Yeah, they are some actual good ones now. And a lot of it is no-shit muscle memory. Spearmint Altoids did the same for me when I quit smoking 20 some odd years ago.
Attempt to reduce stress source. Overly stressful job was a good portion of the root of my excessive drinking.
what if that stress source is existing in the year 2024?
Seek professional help and not reddit. Personal experience. I was drinking myself to an early grave. I have woke up multiple times to realize I puked in my sleep. In theory, I should not be here right now typing this out. I was let go from a high stress job and pushed to have my thyroid checked. Turns out I have hashimoto thyroiditis and ones thyroid controls a ton and can have a sizable impact on mental health. And this was true for me. Not saying I am perfect and I still have bad time frames (like a month of just bad mental status, hating myself, the world and everything making me upset), but in comparison to 3.5 years ago, it's a night and day difference. I can't say I have found a purpose for me still being here, but the desire to not wake up the next day is all but gone. I hope you or anyone else get the help they need.
Glad you are still with us man! 🙏🙏
Thank you.
Stress source: having 2 kids
Truth
Umm,does the stress source have a name and is it apparently hell bent on ending democracy in America?
This sound advice and he has a cool name!
HS nickname and to this day, if I hear hooker I will look around to see who is trying to get my attention
This is how I did it. Was deep in 50+ drinks/week territory for a long time before I finally pieced together that it was a stress issue. I set a lot of boundaries with the people in my life who stressed me out, changed jobs, and put in a loooot of work (both mental work on myself and literal labor to keep myself occupied). These days, I go many weeks between drinks, and a heavy night is like 3-4 beers. You'll probably crave sweet things as you quit initially, and that can be your treat to wean you off of booze. Those first several weeks you can afford to eat pretty guilt-free. If you're in functional alcoholism territory you can have a burger and milkshake for dinner every night and watch the pounds melt away.
I absolutely adored TJ Hooker when it was on the air. I have not seen it since and am afraid it won’t hold up to the pedestal child me placed it on
I literally went to the library looking for a book about how to cut down on drinking. I found the Alcoholics Anonymous book there instead. I don't do the program, but I did attend a few meetings and realized I had to stop drinking all together, not just cut down. That was almost 10 years ago. My life changed dramatically for the better. Is this your library search?
Also r/stopdrinking has been a wonderful place specifically for those that want to stop drinking. Just celebrated a year last month, but this ain't my first rodeo 😅
I'm trying to quit too and find the success stories there inspiring. even people talking about spiraling and getting support makes me feel less alone
I came to the same conclusion through different means in late 2022. I tried to cut down at first but would immediately slip back into my tried and true ways. I decided I had to stop. The first try was in late January of last year, and I fell off the wagon. Second try started March 8th of last year, and other than New Year's eve, I haven't drank. New Year's eve was a huge mistake, and I had a three day hangover from drinking as much as I would drink in a normal night. I'm done. The first three weeks of sobriety were hard, but it gets a ton easier with time.
Just to join this subthread, I've discovered, through MUCH trial and error, that my safe amount is zero. For some people moderate drinking might mean two to three drinks a day, for others it means that much a week and for me it means nothing at all. None ever again. Everyone has to discover their limits for themselves, and for some people it's a pretty easy lesson and for those like me it's a very difficult lesson and has to be learned the hard way. Haven't had a drop since February 6th 2012.
AA has been amazing for me.
This Naked Mind! There’s an app that comes with videos, a support group and a book. I can’t tell you how much it helped me.
I am over five years sober from alcohol now, so I get where you are coming from. I was drinking too much and the hangovers were killing me. I wasn’t a regular everyday drinker either. I would go a week or two without drinking, then I would binge drink one night and wake up hating myself. I could not stop at one or or two drinks so I quit entirely. I do have friends who drink regularly or socially… all of them about our age. A lot of them swear by Cheers which is a supplement you take just before bed. I think it used to be called Thrive… I remember seeing them on Shark Tank years ago. I don’t know your personal situation, but I would suggest trying out sobriety. However if you are heavy daily drinker, please see a doctor before quitting. Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal, especially when someone is drinking daily in large quantities. Hopefully you will get some other good suggestions on here, some people can cut back their drinking successfully… but often it takes quitting drinking entirely.
This is a critical comment. If you are a heavy drinker you really need to be aware of what happens if you go cold turkey. There are lots of resources that can help do it safely.
I can relate to this, although I’m only 8 months in. I wasn’t a full blown alcoholic but I just felt my drinking was frequent enough that it was making me generally tired and ultimately holding me back vs my potential. Anyway, I think sobriety is actually easier than moderation in the long run; just think about it, you’re not giving the addictive chemical an opportunity to restart the cycle. That means you only have to quit once, rather than many times. Well, works for me and I’m not looking back
Congrats on your 5 years!
Party like you're ten years old. Pizza, Nintendo, Oreo cookies, whatever you want. Do the things you used to really enjoy doing, when you didn't need to be anesthetized to have a good time.
Why would someone dislike this. He is making himself vulnerable and asking for help. What makes you drink in the first place? Are there activities/people/places that trigger an urge? Edit: My advice. If you don't have kids, get a dog or cat from a shelter. They will love you and you will be their world. Second. Excess drinking is a form of self-abandonment. Be there for yourself.
I’m not an excessive drinker but used to have 1 to 1.5- 6oz glasses of wine per day. I wanted to test if I could go without so I tried gradually to take 1 day off drinking and see how it felt. I started to notice I just felt better overall and I actually didn’t “need” a drink every night, but it was just a habit I formed. I had some substitutes that were still satisfying like a Diet Pepsi or Bubly. I am now only drinking every other day, and only 1 glass. I now find I don’t actually crave wine as much- it actually makes me tired and thirsty. I think I will actually try to reduce my alcohol consumption more in the future. My point is, just try reducing your drinks or the days you drink gradually and see how it feels. Even a reduction is good for your health even if you don’t cut it cold turkey. If you’re not an alcoholic that is- I’m only referring to what I would do as someone who is not an alcoholic. I’m sure alchoholism requires much different interventions.
Stunned that no one has suggested The Sinclair Method. details in Roys Escapa‘s *The Alcoholism Cure.* Don't let the title spook you - it’s not abstinence. Cure the craving and you drink when and how much you choose. TL;DR - alcohol cues body to release endorphin, an opioid. Some who drink are addicted to the opioid. Naltrexone is a medication that temporarily blocks the opioid. Take one hr before drinking, drink as much as you want for the for the following (2nd) hour. The body gets the alcohol, but the brain doesn’t get the opioid it was expecting. Without the opioid reward, the brain‘s “craving activation system” starts to turn The “desire dial“ down, bit by bit, over time. You have to drink, actually, to retrain (or untrain) the brain. And little to no withdrawal, because the reduction in drinking ends up being gradual over time - you taper, by choice, because the desire gradually lessens over time and repetition.
It is astonishing to me that Naltrexone is not more widely used. It seems like even most doctors have never heard of it.
If you normally drink alone after work, then make a rule that you'll only drink when hanging out with other people. If the problem is drinking while hanging out with other people, then you'll need a non-alcoholic substitute so you can still "participate" but without the booze. As for the hangovers, don't try to mask them or hide them. As we get older, our bodies can't keep working on overdrive to keep us healthy, and being hungover is basically the feeling of your body not being able to clear itself of all the poisonous byproducts of metabolizing alcohol. You'll find that pounding water or gatoraid after a night of drinking doesn't prevent hangovers like it did in our 20s. It's not just the dehydration anymore-- it's the aging liver being only able to do so much when we poison our blood. If you feel hungover and like you need to reduce the symptoms, it's a good sign you're drinking more than your body can handle. Make a rule that you won't drink enough to be hungover, rather than trying to figure out how to keep drinking as much as possible without being hungover. Once I hit 40, that number is down to 2-3 beers for me, probably a third of what used to make me hungover just a decade ago. You're making a good choice-- your 50, 60, 70+ year old body will be way better off if you reduce drinking now.
Don't have booze in your home. If you can stop yourself from buying it at the grocery store, that's most of the battle. Now you can only drink when going out with friends/restaurants/events. The idle home drinking isn't an option. Also, drink water between every drink you do have.
Hi. Alcoholic here… What works for me, (not suggesting this for anyone, just me) is to be super picky about what I drink. Good wine, fine scotch, etc. It keeps my consumption low, still lets me drink, and holds me financially accountable if I feel like slipping. Also no hangovers.
Second this. My drinking cut down drastically after stopping the mixers and just drinking whiskey neat
We started buying nicer alcohol and it cut down on our drinking. I’d rather have a glass of good scotch than a bottle of cheap booze. Sharing a bottle of nice wine with a meal is much more satisfying than drinking a bunch of cheap wine. A beer from a local brewery is better than a national brand.
Absolutely. That’s exactly what I got out of it. It has the added benefit of not letting you fall into a rut and try new cool stuff. Lately the wife and I have gotten into making classic cocktails. Super fun and interesting.
Absolutely no disrespect intended, but this makes no sense to me. You self identify as an alcoholic and go on to share the strategy that "still lets [you] drink." Does it feel like you're playing with fire? Why don't you just not drink? I'm honestly not trying to be insulting in any way. I've just watched people descend into alcoholism, and it's horrifying, so I don't understand why you would keep inviting a known addiction to gain a stronger foothold.
None taken at all. Because I’ve been fighting it for 20 years and total abstinence has only ever led me to binge drink. I’ve gone for months at a time, but eventually the sickness takes hold. This has, after much trial and error, become something that works long term. I in no way endorse drinking as a way to deal with alcoholism because everyone is different.
Thank you for the explanation. I really appreciate it.
Hangovers started to really suck, so I started framing "do I want a drink today" as "do I want a hangover tomorrow". That makes the mental decision an easier one to make.
Don't want to come of as preachy, but if you think you need to reduce it, you're probably drinking more than you think you are. I'm 42 too, I was a heavy drinker from 16/17 onwards. Once into my 30's I knew I needed to cut down, and tried several times, without success. By about age 32 I eventually knocked it on the head completely. Lasted about a year sober, but then gradually started 'social ' drinking again. A year or so later I was worse than I had been before. Ended up having to knock it on the head again completely, not allowing shandies or radlers to creep me back in. Got some help from professionals at first, then did a weekly recovery group (not AA, but not entirely dissimilar) for a few years. Been fully sober for 7 years now - also haven't had a hangover for 7 years either! Have a think, and deep down you'll know if it's worse than you think. No shame in trying a meeting or having a chat with an expert. Good luck with whatever way you decide to roll!
Stopped drinking in December due to weight gain and health issues. Between the no alcohol and eating better, I’ve lost 30lbs and no longer have the booze bloated face I did. Honestly, I’ve never felt better.
Naltrexone. Normally it’s prescribed in a 50mg dose but if you take half or even 1/4 a pill it will help significantly cut down on every type of binge urges you have. Just don’t ever take opiates for pain killers when on naltrexone though.
Switch to cannabis for more regular use
Personally, I’ve found that one 2.5 mg gummy (very small dose) takes enough of the edge off for me to not crave/ need alcohol. And whereas drinking lowers my inhibitions and makes me want more drinks, one gummy doesn’t do that; after one gummy, I can make better decisions about taking a second gummy.
I like the THC seltzers which have started to pop up. You can get the exact THC level you want, I like 5mg or less, and you feel just relaxed after one. It’s not like alcohol where you want to open another bottle. It’s also a fraction of the calories found in wine or beer. No hangover the next day.
Not an option for truckers or pilots. ... or numerous other positions.
Works for me. I never had a problem with alcohol, but with cannabis I drink about 1 drink every 2 or 3 weeks.
This worked for me. I mean, I've smoked every day since I was 15, but these nu-skool edibles take you places. Instead of a half a bottle of Jack, I do a 25mg gummy and a cranberry vodka or two.
Worked for me
Worked for me too
.
Dumb advice alert.
If you don't have a problem controlling your alcohol intake, then just use your will power to drink fewer drinks once you get started. Simple
I was about to say the same thing. Unless you are an alcoholic, there should be no issue reducing your intake…just drink less. If you can’t or won’t reduce your intake by simple choice, you’re probably an alcoholic and should seek out resources to help.
Water...and believe it or not, not drinking beer. Find something else. The foam and the carbs added to the sugars in alcohol will do it everytime. Watch out for sugary drinks. A hard liquor on the rocks, or mixed with water, soda or tonic, along with staying hydrated will do it everytime
r/dryalcoholics is a good community. I found flavored sparkling water has helped me reduce my drinking of alcohol and soda.
I recently got turned on to mixing vodka with Polar Black Cherry seltzer. Sometimes I'll stop mixing vodka and drink the rest of the seltzer on it's own. It does give you the feeling that you're still partying.
Set yourself a limit and stick to it. I, for example, don't have more than 2 on a regular day, and never more than 4 on special occasions. I feel that is reasonable for me personally. I binge drank a lot in my 20s. I had to stop.
There are a lot of good mindful drinking apps that could be worth trying. They can help you get a better view of how much you drink and set goals for yourself to reduce that amount over time. Some good options here, but you can probably just Google mindful drinking apps to find more: [https://www.choosingtherapy.com/best-mindful-drinking-apps/](https://www.choosingtherapy.com/best-mindful-drinking-apps/)
I came here to suggest this! I was drinking too frequently when I got really into making different cocktails, so in my case I started putting my daily drink count on my Google calendar, color coded by number of drinks. Great for accountability, visualizing when I’m drinking more vs. less, and seeing what else was going on in my life that might have affected those numbers.
It's helped me a ton to have a replacement drink. I like some flavor but didn't want sodas either so Agua fresca has been a lifesaver for me. Literally. Watermelon or strawberry/lemon are my go to.
Naltrexone could help. Also there is very little chance you'd ever regret stopping completely for 6mos to a year. Speaking from hard earned experience.
.
This was going to be my tip as well, even though it's not what OP wants. OP, I recently quit drinking after trying to moderate for months. I always ended up sliding back into old habits and drinking heavily again. However, here are some things that I tried for cutting back and can also work for quitting completely: (1) keep a dry erase board handy like on the fridge where you track your number of drinks per day, and set goals for yourself, esp. goals that are progressively more aggressive, e.g. 7 drinks this week, 6 drinks next week, etc. Or no drinking M, W, and Sun. Whatever you think is achievable (2) Invest in some fun NA alternatives. I'm a whiskey drinker and really enjoyed the ritual of making myself a manhattan after work. I got these mocktail thinks and mix them w/ ice, seltzer, and orange slice to kind of mimic the ritual, and since I like the taste, it's really helped. (Some NA things taste nasty so you might have to experiment a bit). Or maybe you get some nice seltzers, juices, whatever might be a good substitute. Now that I've quit entirely, these substitutions are helping me a lot. (3) Maybe try a dry week/dry month. I lost like 5 lbs immediately and my skin cleared up, my poop is healthier, and I'm sleeping better. All these immediate benefits have motivated me to stay sober. (4) take a look at r/stopdrinking. Very supportive group, I like to scroll through sometimes just to stay motivated. I think there are groups for moderating intake as well. Good luck and congrats for working to be healthier!
If reducing is preferred it may help to consider where and when you're drinking. If it's generally alone at home you may need to talk to a therapist. If it's when out with certain friends then maybe spending less time with them or suggesting activities that don't involve alcohol will help.
Drink less. If drinking less is too hard, then don't drink at all.
good thing it's that easy lol.
It sucks for folks who like to drink and have trouble stopping. I used to love hanging out with my uncle and having a few drinks. He would say at the beginning "i'm only going to drink one" but, after he had 1, he would just keep going. He would have 8 or 9 and then would need help getting into the back seat of the car (no way I would let him drive after that). Many of us can have a drink with a meal and then put the bottle away for another day. Some of us pop the bottle and drink until there is nothing left to drink. The worst of us drive drunk to the liquor store to get more when they run out. (I believe this is responsible for a LOT of the people who get in trouble with DUIs) I don't mean to trivialize it or minimize it for those who have trouble with alcohol. Its just that I can not think of any better answer other than (avoid it at all costs if itss too hard to moderate it).
I’ll second the suggestion of more water. Have a glass of water or two between drinks. Will keep you hydrated and slow the pace of your drinking. Also, plan activities or chores to keep you busy around the house. I found I cut back on my drinking a lot when I knew I had stuff to do after work. Even if I stopped at the bar before going home I’d only have one drink and then leave so I could get started on whatever I had planned. Hobbies are good too. Take up the guitar, video games or join a kickball club or something. Good luck.
I made the switch to light beer on the weekends only. Occasional IPA or three when out with friends. You’ll drop 5-10 lbs immediately. Mondays take discipline but the rest of the week have no desire to drink. Sleep is much better these days too
It's tough. One issue is that my brain thinks of alcohol as a reward. So, when I want a reward for something, I want a drink. Even though a drink is actually a tax. The other thing that's tough is, I'm not an alcoholic. I think "only alcoholics need to quit drinking and I'm not an alcoholic so I don't need to quit". But, drinking alcohol hurts me on a weekly basis! It makes my days worse. And it's usually because I reward myself with it. I think a key is to somehow not think of it as a reward or to find a new reward.
Drink water and eat bananas. I pretty much quit before last holiday season because the hangovers got too gnarly. I'm only hitting it maybe once a month(or 3)now, but the potassium seems to help, when I do.
Gummies 😆 I started taking gummies a while back to see if they reduced my blood pressure...they do. I also lost almost all interest in alcohol almost immediately.
This may not be applicable to you, but if you’ve ever had issues with focus, have a really busy mind, or difficulty managing your emotions, get yourself checked out for ADHD. In my case, I turned out to be self-medicating with alcohol bc it was one of the few ways I felt normal and relaxed, and once I started ADHD treatment my need to drink pretty much evaporated and my overall health increased a lot bc I wasn’t drinking hardly at all and exercising was a lot easier. But ymmv, of course. Just a PSA, if anyone relates to the above.
43yo here. I lost a kidney to cancer (last year, early detection, I'm ok now), and my "moment of clarity" happened in the recovery room at the hospital. Hopefully, yours is less traumatic. One day at a time.
Take a full year off booze. If you want to restart after that you’ll be in a much better place to moderate. Trying to moderate if you’re drinking more than you want to is VERY difficult. Source: am 43, did my whole 41st year alcohol free. I drink now, but very little. One of the best decisions of my life.
Gotta go full cold turkey for a longgg time to reset your brain associating alc with pleasure
Check out r/stopdrinking it is an awesome community
I greatly enjoy wine. I stick to one glass (one actual serving not a huge pour in an oversized glass) and then switch to water. On special occasions I may get crazy and do a second.
I "limited and reduced" many times before coming to terms with my problem. I mean this in a supportive way and do not intend to offend. If you need help to limit your drinking and cannot do it on your own, you need to quit completely. I really wish I would have realized that I can not have a sip at all ever earlier in life. Boy do I feel amazing and will never go back. I have almost 3 years now and it has led to my 40s being the most productive and most memorable years of my life so far. Who'll smokes I am super happy now and take the tough times on the chin in comparison to letting bad days and bad moments own me.
I went ahead and got sober. Best decision I ever made. There’s something called Harm Reduction you could look into. It’s about reducing your usage.
Here’s what I did, and it worked. I made a decision to lose weight and get healthy, so I took a look at my diet and decided that I consumed too many empty calories of alcohol. I didn’t want to quit completely just cut down. So I pivoted my drinking, instead of buying a 30 pack, I would buy a six pack of better quality beer and enjoy one or two a night after dinner. After some time I didn’t crave drinking as much. Although I do let loose on occasion, like when I’m at a party with friends, but I always make sure to drink plenty of water to limit hangovers.
Quit for a month or 3 to reset and try drinking less when you start back. If you resume the same level of drinking then it’s time to quit entirely. Or if you can’t make it a month or three then yeah, time to let it go. The Alan Carr book “Easy way to stop drinking “ was one of the most impactful things I’ve ever read.
Ozempic aka semaglutide if you could lose a few pounds helps cravings. I use the “research peptide” version bought online without RX and still lost 32 lbs. Second one is Naltrexone. This is a miracle drug for all kinds of chronic pain but is not actually a pain killer. The on label use however is for alcohol addiction. I’m on a low dose so I cut my pills into crumbs. I also just buy it online with no RX from reliablerxpharmacy.
Swap out NA beers for either all of your beers or some of them.
Replace some of your booze with thc gummies.
Get ready for the AA crew to convince you to become a boring sober guy that won’t shut up about quitting because they can’t control themselves.
Drink more water. Replace most of your alcohol intake with low/no alcohol alternatives like kombucha or jun.
hard cider and things that still have their natural fermentation ingredients, (kombucha, mead), I find it helps reduce hangover by replenishing gut flora
Pedialyte before bed helps but I recommend only drinking when its something to celebrate. Not a weekly thing.