Anyone Here Have Any Experience With Quitting Drinking?

well, I dont have any experience, but I have two thoughts.
1. you could just go cold turkey... I dont know how well this would work
2. just go easy on stuff. Instead of having the 6pack, only have 3 or maybe 4 if you're not driving/leaving.

I had to do the second one by doctor's orders, and its working out ok for me so far.... its been 2 years since I've gotten completely blackout drunk like that.... I go out and have a few drinks with my friends on occasion, but as soon as I get "buzzed" I make myself stop. Learning the self control might be tough, but it's worth it.

It just really depends on how attatched you are to alcohol. I wish you luck with it though.

 

It's all about knowing your limits and embracing moderation.

 

I gave it up for Lent. I pretty much just went cold turkey. It wasn't hard for me. Just substitute food when you have a craving to put something in your mouth.

 

Barney: What can I get for an AA chip?
Moe: Barney, this is a 15 minute chip...

 

If you really think you have a drinking problem then AA might be a good place for you. It is a great place to go for support and to build a network of peers that do not drink. General wisdom is that what distinguishes someone with a problem from others is that the problem drinker tends to be unable to stop drinking once they have started. if this is the case for you, I would highly suggest going to a few meetings.

If you decide to attend meetings, I would suggest going to at least 10 or 12 different meetings to get a feel for the groups that are right for you. In addition, find someone with some sobriety that you identify with at one of your early meetings and ask them to be your sponsor. Having a sponsor is one of the best ways to get yourself on the road to recovery.

I have a ton of experience in these matters and if I can do anything to help, please feel free to contact me any time.

andy@sexiestgeekalive.com or andyjmoon@hotmail.com

If you email the hotmail address, post in a thread I follow to let me know or your mail will end up in "Junk Mail" and eventually discarded.

Best of luck.

 

I've quit a couple times when I got serious with lifting.

Key to me was having other people on the wagon as well. It's not hard to not drink when you have a friend or two who aren't drinking either. Plus it's easier to get yourselves into non-drinking atmospheres (going to play cards at a friends house, working out, playign video games, etc)

But I don't have the will power to do it myself. I've tried a couple times to be the DD (just to do it) and I can't do it even for a night. I get bored and find myself drinking.

So my advice is find a buddy to quit with you or (which may be your case) hav e areal good reason to quit drinking.

 

Don't forget step 9. Most important step of them all.

 

Personally, I like 10-12, but maybe that is just because of my perspective.

 

Wow, ima_drummer. Obviously, that's not good.
I had to pretty much quit drinking (I can have a couple of glasses of wine, or a couple of beers or maybe one mixed drink) because the meds I'm taking for absurd lipid numbers react badly with it. If I have more than that, unless I don't take the meds for a couple of days ahead and "plan", the next day I have a bad hangover.

Frankly, I miss being able to get a buzz when I feel like it. My wife can and I end up driving, if we're out. Some people have a personality that lends itself to "all or nothing" when drinking or anything else. I don't know if that describes you or not. But if you decide you're going to drink on a given night (or day), just make sure your not driving.

Just an FYI. The actor, William Holden, died almost exactly like you described. He was alone at home, drunk, and stumbled getting out of, or just rolling off of his bed. He struck his head on the corner of a bedside table and bled to death.

 

Interesting combo.

 

ima,

Glad to hear that you are okay. I thought I remembered reading here that you had quit drinking some time ago.

You have been given some good advice here, but the first thing is that you have to admit that you have a problem, which you did.

AA might be good but do you drink every day or every weekend or when you are just around others in a social setting. If it is just in social settings, then unless you are getting smashed pretty good, I don't know if I would go to an AA meeting.

Fortunately, I never acquired a taste for alcohol and it will be 3 years this december that I last took a drink. And I don't plan on ever taking another one.

Chuckie had a good idea although he didn't mention it directly. Get involved in something that you know drinking would hurt you like working out. Not only does it make you healthy but it is a great way to relieve stress. I work out every day except Wednesdays and the weekends at our company gym around lunch time and I always feel better the rest of the day. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

RMT -
While this my be true for you and me, it is not a universal truth. For someone who is an alcoholic, one drink is too many and a thousand are not enough. Consequently, IMO i_d2k must answer the question of genetic tendency in advance of procededing further.

i_d2k -
If you believe you may be an alcoholic, recognize the fact and proceed accordingly. Admitting this to yourself is the first step.

However, if you do not have a genetic predisposition for alcohol dependence (as it appears to be the case for both RMT and me), then you must take steps to establish a different habit pattern that does not include the use of alcoholic beverages.

For example, at various times in my life I have really thrown myself into fitness...specifically lifting weights. It is not common knowledge, but the liver is instrumental in setting up body chemistry for muscle gain. It is also the organ that detoxes you from alcohol. You are asking it to perform double duty.

The other thing we have in common is that I am also a performing musician. During my lengthy times of abstinence, I am often amused at how stupid alcohol makes people in the clubs I play in. That's a positive reinforcement to establishing the abstinence habit!

BTW, I have heard recordings when drinking and when straight and I am much more accurate and creative when I wait until the end of the night for my one and only drink.

I hope this helps and good luck!!!

 

I had to quit drinking last fall for 3 months due to high liver enzyme counts. I still wents out to bars with my friends, but I just always drank water. It actually wasn't all that bad. I still had fun hanging out. I'm convinced you certainly don't need booze to have a good time. However, I now drink because that is enjoyable also. It's good to have a few beers by the pool or during a big game or on the weekend at a bar. It's good stress relief because it naturally relaxes you.

Drinking and driving can quickly end your life as you know it. Either through a wreck or getting thrown in prison for DUI. Even when I haven't been drinking, I'm scared as hell to drive late at night on the weekend due to all the drunks out there on the streets.

 

Cold turkey is the only sure-shot way to *QUIT* drinking. With addictions, slowing down isn't gonna help in the long run most times. If there's no real addiction, like you (meggo) for instance, what you did might work. But is there any way in hell you can say you *quit* drinking? Either way, you've never been a hardcore drinker so it wouldn't be hard for this to work in your case. ID2K I think is a bit different. You wouldn't prescribe everyday joint pain medication to give long-run help to somebody with JRA would you? Then don't do it here either.

Social settings are one of the strongest aspects of attending AA meetings. The best advice I can give is get the hell out of those social settings in which you drink. If all your friends are big drinkers and your band usually ends up getting drunk after shows, you will too. Willpower will only get you so far, in order to keep it going very long you'll have to deny these other people and start hanging out with people who don't drink. That's where AA/NA comes in handy. Everybody you meet there will be nice people and they will help you any time you need it, and none of them drink. Thus making it easier to not drink.

 

I'm not an expert on the situation but I don't think that is the right answer. I think having just "3 or 4" would lead to "5 or 6". After a few the alchohol will take over the decision making process.

Just stop drinking is the easy answer. How that is done is another matter.

 

you're a stronger man than me.

good luck.

 

I may not be the best guy for you to talk to so to speak. It sounds like you and I have some commonalities. I drink too much when I drink. its called binge drinking. and its not like you have a problem... I know you do. so do I but it is easy to say that drinking isnt a big deal, and to not drink and to just be chill. but then you are at the next party, or the next bar, and well the spirit of the moment moves you. wich it all too often does you end up wasted.

the first thing you need to do, and i know this is correct, is to never drive drunk again. if you go to a party and you know you are going to have even one drink... dont drive! or commit in your head, and yes i mean actually say to yourself that you will leave your car at the party and get a ride with a bud, or catch a cab.
I have had to many drunk nights that could have been bad, but i never drive drunk. I use a policy where i am guaranteeing I can only hurt myself. do this no matter what. do this because it is more important that fixing what ails you.
now back top the cutting back. I just kind of avoid those situations. I also dont pre-drink before hitting a bar any more.
I told my party friends. you know the ones. the shot takers. to please be aware that i am trying to cut back, and leave me out of shots.
that is a specific example of something for me. you may be doing something else that gets you in trouble, but I know its shots for me. I also know its my friend Sarah from Beaumont Texas that was my "worst influence". I asked her to try not to kill me anymore with her fun shot enthusiasum. she understood, but she will likely not stop. I am after all a hell of a lot of fun when drunk. so I just dont go out as much. I save about $150 a week too. I really started cutting back this time as of labor day weekend. and i thing i have had 4 beers in one night, but nothing like 8 shots and 8 beers or whatever. I never used to count either. dating back to something I heard at URI. "boys count men drink" well sure if you are 18 and pledging a fraternity that made sense. but at 28, it no longer does. I count now to know that I am not stepping close to any line i dont want to cross. swear off Liquor all together. that stuff is really just trouble. If you stick to beer it would require some dedication on your part to black out. and i hope you would realize what you are doing to yourself by the 3rd time you piss. with just rum it could all be over in 30 mins.

also make a habit of only bringing like 10 bucks to the bar. I bring 20 and that covers 3 beers and tip here. I imagine beer is cheaper in Tex, but the only way ui am getting drunk with 20 bucks is for alot of my friends to buy me alot of drinks. sure it happens, but not all that often. and they wont do it over and over. they will get sick of it. besides, you will refust the drink because you will say. " nah im good, im trying to cut back anyways."

wow I typed alot.
good luck, and stop driving

 

Not to be rude, but alot of this is really bad advice if you really have a "drinking problem". If that is the case then you really have a problem with moderation and can't be a part-time drinker. In this sort of a case you absolutely have to shut it off completely. How you do this is a complicated and personal problem, but trying to drink less won't get it done.