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Stop drinking

#122
fhm555 said:
Having one or one hundred, the number you drink is not the real issue. The real issue is if alcohol is a problem in your life. Fighting with wifey over drinking, missing work because of drinking, money problems because you drank up the house note money, driving drunk, that kind of crap. Problem drinkers are not always the classic "gotta have it when I wake up and throughout the day to keep the shakes and DT's at bay" type drinker.

You have binge drinkers (guilty) who don't drink all the time, but when they start it's katie bar the door until they drink themselves into a stupor, blackout, or pass out. The idea of having a few and going home never crosses their mind after the first one.

There are also those who maintain a low level of intoxication constantly. They are the people you know who always have a beer/drink but you've never see them drunk. Actually, the reality is you've never seen them sober.

Individual tolerance and consumption levels are really not the metric used to decide if drinking is a problem. Problems associated with drinking is the one true defining characteristic of problem drinking.

Oh and one last thing, not all problem drinkers are alcoholics, but all alcoholics are problem drinkers. Problem drinkers are usually reacting to unusually stressful events and once the stressor is removed so is the problem drinking. Real alcoholics however, not the same at all. They may be sober for a long time, but all it takes is one drink to put them right back on the downbound train.
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What an excellent post.
:thumbsup:
 
#123
This is a good topic. I personally am 3+ weeks on the wagon from a major health scare while I was on tour in a foreign country. Nothing like being in a run-down hospital being hooked up to who knows what, while not being able to communicate with medical personnel... I'm one of those "all or nothing" types, so for me cold-turkey was the only way to stop. I was a heavy beer drinker only (No hard stuff), but that got me. If you don't pay attention to your body (bad diet, alcohol, stress, etc..), it will kick your a$$ up and down when it let's you know when you've been screwing up. I will be ok, but I can't go back to what I was doing.

I agree with the numbers on AA too. I went down the court-ordered route before and if you don't want to stop there is no meeting, group session, or "prayers" that can make you stop. Self confidence and will power are the only 2 things a person is in control of when it comes to stopping drinking. The other options are a bit more severe.
 
#124
why_would_i_want_to_go_to_aa_I_dont_even_own_a_car.png
 
#127
gustobassman said:
...Nothing like being in a run-down hospital being hooked up to who knows what, while not being able to communicate with medical personnel...
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Dang!! It wasn't the machine that goes BING! was it? :D

Kidding aside, if you think you need help, there are a lot worse places than AA to find it. I'm literal living proof their program works, if you work it. it may take you a minute to find the right group, but don't give up without at least trying a few if you don't find what you are looking for right off. Last of all, an excellent place to start is in the phone book, if such still exists. There should be a local contact number pretty much anywhere you are in the US and the people on the other end can be invaluable in getting you over the initial hump and into the right group.
 
#128
fhm555 said:
Dang!! It wasn't the machine that goes BING! was it? :D

Kidding aside, if you think you need help, there are a lot worse places than AA to find it. I'm literal living proof their program works, if you work it. it may take you a minute to find the right group, but don't give up without at least trying a few if you don't find what you are looking for right off. Last of all, an excellent place to start is in the phone book, if such still exists. There should be a local contact number pretty much anywhere you are in the US and the people on the other end can be invaluable in getting you over the initial hump and into the right group.
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Thanks man, I'm good. I appreciate it. I've got my head on straight. When that life changer hits you, it makes it a lot easier to pass on it!:thumbsup:
 
#131
SpanishDave said:
sorry no humour in this post, I've asked myself more than half a dozen times if I can stop drinking.

I can. But I dont. I look forward to it, a lot, I enjoy it.

Very occasionally, (maybe once a year) I have a blow out and get very messy.
But on the whole it's just that, when i could have one, I have four. It doesn't go past that weekly, monthly, daily, but i can't do one
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I have/had(?) a similar situation except for the blow out part because I don't know what you mean by that. I've never gotten in trouble and it's never caused problems. I have been drinking steadily since I turned 21. I'm 34 now.

Lately I've questioned if I could stop so I did...for three months. Recently, I was invited to a party so I started drinking again to get back into shape :) I'm pretty sure I'll stop again very soon because of some dental work I am getting done. And it's nice to wake up not feeling like you-know-what on my days off after drinking 6 or 8 Heinekens the night before. It's nice waking up not feeling like a skunk died in my mouth.

I think you should try to stop. It's interesting to see if it can be done. However, if it's not causing you any problems then you should be all right. Just watch your liver or something. Good luck.
 
#132
Wow, you take your eyes off TB for 2 minutes and it blows up!
What I was rushing to type on a bus, on an auto correcting iPhone after 5 beers was.............

I stopped on the way home for a beer after work with a mate and one beer turned into 4/5 which seems to invariable be the case when I do get to go out.
I'm not putting beer on my cornflakes or brushing my teeth with whiskey but thanks to all for your concern, interest, opinions.

Let me ask some different questions,

For those that don't drink, (or those that have an opinion), once you've stop drinking, how quickly/radically does your social group change?
How long do you continue with the same routine, minus your drinking, before you stop meeting the same friends?
Are your friends as much fun if you're the only one not drinking?
 
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#133
SpanishDave said:
For those that don't drink, (or those that have an opinion), once you've stop drinking, how quickly/radically does your social group change?
How long do you continue with the same routine, minus your drinking, before you stop meeting the same friends?
Are your friends as much fun if you're the only one not drinking?
Click to expand...

I recently did an experiment where I stopped drinking for a whole month for various reasons. I never saw drinking as a problem, as I kept it to a reasonable amount, but I was beginning to see how it could potentially become a problem if I didn't start changing my ways. My friends/work buddies were very supportive of me during this time, but, despite their support, it became obvious that I would have to start cutting these people out of my life. If I wasn't going to drink anymore then going out to a bar, with them, after work, made little sense, and it had even become hard to hang out with these guys on the weekends when it seemed like we couldn't do anything without alcohol getting involved.

It just became clear that my social circle really needed to change if I was serious about making some healthy life changes. I only just turned 25, but I'm very quickly realizing just how short life is, and I'd rather not waste it away in a bar looking for the bottom of a bottle. Maybe once or twice a year on vacation that could be fine, but week after week? Nah. I'd rather be doing much more productive and constructive things with my time, and the money, health, and time I save from avoiding the stuff is just an added bonus. Now will I ever completely stop drinking? No. I enjoy craft beers far too much, and sometimes nothing else is more relaxing on a hot summer day than having a cold beer while grilling out by the pool. But, as with everything in life, I'll keep it in moderation :)
 
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