Giving up /reducing booze ....

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

I should add that I would NEVER have imagined I would get to 4 months and be thinking that's it forever ......if you'd have told me I'd have laughed 

It is possible for anyone to do but it's a trade off 

[Lowdesert]

19 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

I appreciate that mate - I  doloads already (always done gym, sport and kids sports teams etc)

It's not lack of stuff to do or challenge needed ....it's just that realization that I won't have that 'euphoria' of drinking again.....that sounds dramatic but it feels real 

It feels like everything is better with a drink

Someone said something weird when I first stopped like 'if it's not as fun without alcohol then it can't have been that much fun anyway '......I don't agree with that....e.g.  I watched the games yesterday and enjoyed them (especially the Saints loss) but it's not 'as' good 

Don't think there is an answer.....I guess it's a trade off....I feel maybe 25% better for 90% of the week now....but that other 10% (Saturdays and Sunday night)  is probably 75% less fun 

I guess not dying early of liver disease will be more fun than dying of liver disease 

 

Always made me smile in a gym.  Loads pumping away but the only goal they had was to do just that every day.  
It has to be part of the way to achieve something bigger and better.

I don’t speak about this lightly.  I lost a close friend to alcoholism at 52.  He had been ABA, NHBC champion and a successful pro boxer.  As soon as he jacked he didn’t have anything to achieve.  You have to find something.  You’re half way there voicing it on a public forum and admitting the risk.

Like I said, getting out of the door to do it is the first goal.

 

 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

9 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

Always made me smile in a gym.  Loads pumping away but the only goal they had was to do just that every day.  
It has to be part of the way to achieve something bigger and better.

I don’t speak about this lightly.  I lost a close friend to alcoholism at 52.  He had been ABA, NHBC champion and a successful pro boxer.  As soon as he jacked he didn’t have anything to achieve.  You have to find something.  You’re half way there voicing it on a public forum and admitting the risk.

Like I said, getting out of the door to do it is the first goal.

 

 

Sorry to hear about your friend

I've been a gym goer for 30 years ( 5 times a week) so probably won't stop! I get a lot of it socially too....nice to have a chat there often and the atmosphere is great ...that part of my life is decent but I get what you are saying with the goal 

Might have a look at some goals!

[Lowdesert]

27 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Sorry to hear about your friend

I've been a gym goer for 30 years ( 5 times a week) so probably won't stop! I get a lot of it socially too....nice to have a chat there often and the atmosphere is great ...that part of my life is decent but I get what you are saying with the goal 

Might have a look at some goals!

Objective: (Ickneild Way path)

Could do it for a charity ?

Goals: Able to walk 18 miles a day.

Carry a load (say 10kgs in ruck sack

Plan:   the route

Time:  start in 5 weeks

Would that be an achievement?  

 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

5 months plus and booze free life gets easier and easier 

Having to stay at a hotel for work tonight..having a bite to eat next to a group of people drunk at 7pm Monday (it isn't a holiday place!!).....they are playing awful music through their phone loudly and talking utter rubbish....really obnoxious and paying £6 a pint...probably had 4 each in the hour I have been here......extraordinary and is just one of many things that is cementing how ****e drinking is! 

 

Aiming for a year at least now! 

 

 

[17 stone giant]

33 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

5 months plus and booze free life gets easier and easier 

Having to stay at a hotel for work tonight..having a bite to eat next to a group of people drunk at 7pm Monday (it isn't a holiday place!!).....they are playing awful music through their phone loudly and talking utter rubbish....really obnoxious and paying £6 a pint...probably had 4 each in the hour I have been here......extraordinary and is just one of many things that is cementing how ****e drinking is!

But it's not compulsory to drink in that fashion. I just had a pint of Guinness at the local social club, sitting outside watching a juniors cricket 80 ball game. It was a splendid hour or so.

Everything in moderation, as they say. And I have to do it now because sadly the cricket season is almost done.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

50 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

But it's not compulsory to drink in that fashion. I just had a pint of Guinness at the local social club, sitting outside watching a juniors cricket 80 ball game. It was a splendid hour or so.

Everything in moderation, as they say. And I have to do it now because sadly the cricket season is almost done.

I'm one who can't do the moderation bit!.... Strongly suspect the clowns near me tonight can't either!!

[17 stone giant]

1 minute ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

I'm one who can't do the moderation bit!.... Strongly suspect the clowns near me tonight can't either!!

I can understand that. I'm exactly the same but with junk food and chocolate. Otherwise I'd be a 12 stone giant.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

29 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

I can understand that. I'm exactly the same but with junk food and chocolate. Otherwise I'd be a 12 stone giant.

Ha...all things that we enjoy are bad for us!....even TGG sometimes!

[JohnM]

Get your HbA1c level checked in a blood test . it measures your long-term 3 to 6 months blood sugar level. Above 42 and you are considered to be in danger of type 2 diabetes. Cutting out alcohol at that point is a good idea and the results provide the motivation

[Phil]

I posted on here a couple of years ago that I was drinking too much.

 I didn’t need to drink but when I did I’d have too much and sometimes make a fool of myself.

Anyway I still have a drink but I’ve cut right down and I’m definitely feeling better for it 

[Sports Prophet]

I stumbled over this thread again (not a drunk stumble I might add). I saw my last comment just over a year ago.

I have done a reasonable job of drinking less, but there have been at least four occasions where I have lost control by drinking spirits. Needing help getting home. Pretty embarrassing. 

Again leading me to question is it all worth it? Almost every social setting includes alcohol. Much like others have noted, I have a very addictive personality and the only way I really feel I can ever cease those embarrassing moments is simply to stop drinking altogether. 

In the meantime I have been fasting for 16 hours for a minimum of five days a week for almost a year. That means eating as late as 9pm, and then not again for another 16 hours from whenever I last ate. I have seen some great results, losing 17-19 kgs in about 10 months, which has encouraged me to drink less beer. My wine and spirit intake has increased though.

My body shape has given me more confidence like I knew it would. I still have a target of losing another 9kgs to get to 90. The one thing I do feel good about is that my kids don’t have a lumpy slouch around the house. I said after dropping below 100kg, I would take up running again which I actually really, really enjoy. It feels good to be back out hitting the pavement again.

Anyway, a lot of this was just for me to put some comments on paper. Try and hold myself more accountable. I want to ensure by Christmas, the scales don’t tip over 95 again on any given day. So that’s a big target for me. The other one I had running in my mind is how many days can I secretly go without drinking, so I will record a target of two weeks here and see how that goes.

 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I stumbled over this thread again (not a drunk stumble I might add). I saw my last comment just over a year ago.

I have done a reasonable job of drinking less, but there have been at least four occasions where I have lost control by drinking spirits. Needing help getting home. Pretty embarrassing. 

Again leading me to question is it all worth it? Almost every social setting includes alcohol. Much like others have noted, I have a very addictive personality and the only way I really feel I can ever cease those embarrassing moments is simply to stop drinking altogether. 

In the meantime I have been fasting for 16 hours for a minimum of five days a week for almost a year. That means eating as late as 9pm, and then not again for another 16 hours from whenever I last ate. I have seen some great results, losing 17-19 kgs in about 10 months, which has encouraged me to drink less beer. My wine and spirit intake has increased though.

My body shape has given me more confidence like I knew it would. I still have a target of losing another 9kgs to get to 90. The one thing I do feel good about is that my kids don’t have a lumpy slouch around the house. I said after dropping below 100kg, I would take up running again which I actually really, really enjoy. It feels good to be back out hitting the pavement again.

Anyway, a lot of this was just for me to put some comments on paper. Try and hold myself more accountable. I want to ensure by Christmas, the scales don’t tip over 95 again on any given day. So that’s a big target for me. The other one I had running in my mind is how many days can I secretly go without drinking, so I will record a target of two weeks here and see how that goes.

 

Spirits are an absolute killer....so moreish .,..and instantly reduces anxiety for me so it's really tempting .....the after effects short and long term though..

Well done on the weight loss mate.....I need to get a stone or so shifter but giving myself until Xmas of no booze first ( food is the new treat on old booze days)

[Sports Prophet]

5 hours ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Spirits are an absolute killer....so moreish .,..and instantly reduces anxiety for me so it's really tempting .....the after effects short and long term though..

Well done on the weight loss mate.....I need to get a stone or so shifter but giving myself until Xmas of no booze first ( food is the new treat on old booze days)

Good luck with that mate. Maybe try fasting for 12 hrs to start with on Monday - Friday only. If you work 9-5, I hear most people find this easily achievable.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

14 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Good luck with that mate. Maybe try fasting for 12 hrs to start with on Monday - Friday only. If you work 9-5, I hear most people find this easily achievable.

Yep I do the fasting sometimes and it works well for me....going to not start to worry with it until the booze is another few months gone from my thoughts / routine 

[Sports Prophet]

6 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Yep I do the fasting sometimes and it works well for me....going to not start to worry with it until the booze is another few months gone from my thoughts / routine 

Sounds like you’re doing very well mate and for the best part of it, you feel better. 

[JohnM]

Relevant in my view: it's all part of the same health regime. Diet, exercise, stress relief, sleep, etc .

The British Heart Foundation publishes a free downloadable booklet entitled "Eat Better" . Well worth taking notice of.

Then there is this: https://www.england.nhs.uk/diabetes/diabetes-prevention/

I've been on it and it's been excellent.

Edited September 6 by JohnM

[Maximus Decimus]

I've recently made the decision to really cut back my drinking. The main motivation is weight and health. I want to run a marathon in the next year or so, but only want to do so a lot slimmer.

I only usually drink a few beers at the weekend, but find alongside those extra calories all self-discipline goes out of the window, so I decided to knock that on the head. Also, as a teacher, I tend to be in a cycle of eating well during the term and then putting weight on in the holidays partly related to drinking. 

My first test of this came this week with a family wedding on Wednesday in the Lakes. Being in the middle of nowhere, we ended up staying about 25 mins away. I decided to use it as an excuse not to drink to start actually taking it seriously.

It had mixed results but more positive on the whole. I obviously didn't miss the sore head, and the beer fear. It was also an expensive venue, so I probably spent half of what I would have. I even had a bit of a dance, despite many times saying I'd never dance without a drink in me!

I found the day dragged more than usual, especially the bit between the meal and the party where there is usually a bit of a lull. I was sat there feeling tired and not particularly looking forward to the evening. Usually, you can drink through this bit.

My next test is the NFL in London next week. I'm driving there and back in a day, so obviously not drinking. This itself isn't a problem as I've never really drank at rugby games, but I'm with a crowd that will likely drink heavily so I'll see how that feels.

[Gerrumonside ref]

Guinness 0% been a really good substitute for me this year instead of weekend beers.

I still get the feeling of ceremony of cracking it open and trying to pour a decent head on it.

While drinking it I still feel that sense of relaxing and having something different to the usual tea, coffee or water.

Also finding that mixing 0% rounds with alcoholic rounds is helpful if I find myself in social situations while out.

I’m not in the process of trying to stop drinking but am enjoying the process of trying the new 0%/0.5% products generally.

[Maximus Decimus]

13 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Guinness 0% been a really good substitute for me this year instead of weekend beers.

I still get the feeling of ceremony of cracking it open and trying to pour a decent head on it.

While drinking it I still feel that sense of relaxing and having something different to the usual tea, coffee or water.

Also finding that mixing 0% rounds with alcoholic rounds is helpful if I find myself in social situations while out.

I’m not in the process of trying to stop drinking but am enjoying the process of trying the new 0%/0.5% products generally.

This is very much like me. I genuinely feel like I'd have lost something I enjoy if I stopped drinking permanently.

During the wedding, I was drinking 0.0% Peroni which was easily the best non-alcoholic beer I've had. I always say as someone who has brewed beer, it tastes a bit like wort.

It did feel better than say drinking Coke Zero but also had the added benefit of making it so most people didn't realise I wasn't drinking and I didn't face the usual complaints.

I do suspect there were some concerned words when I drove home though!

[Pie tries]

Had post gallbladder removal pancreatitis 5 years ago. Not pleasant, nearly died. Can’t drink now - bar odd small glass. I don’t miss the hangovers and feeling ######. Prior I was a pint a night and lots more at weekends.

im definitely better for it, and alive, but I still miss a proper pint of bitter. Everything in moderation…