How to stop drinking alcohol
Are you trying to decide if you should stop drinking alcohol? Maybe you’ve already tried a few times to just cut down, and drink more sensibly like other people seem to.
Perhaps you’ve had limited success, you manage it for a week or so, but then you start drinking more again, then the blackouts and awful hangovers start, the guilt and the arguments with your partner. Do you finally decide its time to quit? It might be worth a try.
So how do you stop drinking? The first thing to look at is:
Consider your motivation for stopping
Why do you actually want to stop? What are the consequences of your alcohol consumption? Weigh up the pros and cons of your drinking, the costs versus the benefits (write them down here if you like).
- What are the good things about your drinking right now, what does it do for you? This is important to consider, because you need to find other ways to achieve this.
- Then what are the bad things about your drinking? Really dig deep with this – look at your relationships, your health, job, self-esteem, depression etc.
- Next what are the good things you expect to happen when you stop drinking, how will your life be better?
- Finally what are the negative aspects of quitting? What is putting you off the idea? Again, this is important because you will have to find some way to solve these concerns.
You need to be reminding yourself about this list of your motivations every time you think about having a drink. The next stage is to find out:
Are you physically dependent on alcohol?
For the sake of safety, if you are drinking all day from the moment you wake up in order to avoid your hangovers, then you will need some sort of medical supervision to help you through the detox. You might have experienced D.T.s before (the shakes, or Delirium Tremens to be precise), but full scale alcohol withdrawal can be an unpleasant business. Hallucinations, seizures, it can even be fatal. So you should see your doctor before you plan to stop drinking alcohol. They can help you with medication, or even a short stay in hospital to get you over the first week. If the thought of that scares you to death, then you MUST try and cut down a bit before you stop completely.
So you’ve worked out why you want to stop, and if you can stop safely. Now what? You need to:
Develop a plan for how you can avoid those urges to drink.
Read our earlier article on coping with alcohol cravings first. It will give you a few techniques to help you. One thing’s for sure, will-power alone is not enough to stop you from drinking.
You need to work out what are your ‘high-risk’ situations, what are your ‘triggers’ that make you want to drink? Some of these can be avoided, so make plans as to how you can avoid them. For those that clearly can’t be avoided, you have to start thinking about how you can deal with them differently. Make your own relapse prevention strategy.
Now sit back and wait for sobriety.
Ok, so it might not be as easy as all that (of course not), you may well slip and have a drink, you might even relapse in dramatic fashion and wake up in a ditch somewhere. Don’t laugh, it might be you. You haven’t failed, you just let that old habit sneak up and catch you unawares.
This obviously isn’t going to change over night. And realistically, this is where you might need the help of a professional. You will need to replace all that drinking with other activities, which means you need to set yourself some achievable goals.
The same goes for your feelings, learning how you can cope with difficult feelings without alcohol will take some time. Alcohol has been your way of dealing with everything difficult in your life, so you are going to have to find some other ways to cope, basically.
You should regularly review what is working and what’s not, what things are still tripping you up and most importantly, what benefits you are seeing. Remind yourself of your original reasons for wanting to stop drinking alcohol. And of course, if you find that you need some help, try a counselling session.
Today I’ve decided to end my excessive drinking. I work shift work (mainly night shift) so 8am in the morning is like other peoples 5pm. I find I drink heavily when I knock off work which then puts me to sleep, I wake up, cook tea for my partner then off to work to repeat the whole cycle. My days off are usually week days where everyone is at work so now I also drink by myself during the day out of boredom and loneliness. I have stacked on at least 35kgs in the past 6/7 years (combination of terrible diet, excessive drinking and messed up sleep pattern). I very rarely go out on the town preferring to sit around with my partner at home. I always feel guilty about how much I drink and it’s ALWAYS in the back of my head when I can have another. I always binge drink (unless I am out with friends – where I barely make a dent in a glass of wine). My body feels decades older than my age and I no longer take any pride in my appearance (compared to a few years ago where I was one of the best dressed amongst my friends). It’s going to be a hard road but I am 100% determined to end this sad, lonely and destroying habit. Good luck to everyone here – you’re stories make me feel much less alone.
Went 7 days and 2 parties before drinking tonight. To be honest I feel I have put a few demons to bed as I managed to go so long and withstand 2 parties. I am onto beer 6 now but will stop, I couldnt have stopped this time last week.
Feel much stronger now and in control.
Would still like to stop completely though.
my last post on here was about 2 weeks ago. and iv failed!!! i was doing so well and thort i could go out with my boyfreind and just have a few glasses of wine i dident stop at 2!!! them after that promised myself i wouldent drink alone BUT I DID!
i feel like shit again and its not good arrrrr!
We have all done it!!! Today is a new fresh day. I believe the time has to be completely right. Maybe you needed another blow out to annoy yourself into trying harder on your next go!? Get back on the horse a bit stronger next time! Good luck!!
Hey there – well, I have finally hit the realisation that I cannot be a person who drinks. I never wanted to admit that I have a problem, because of the fear that I would then never be able to drink again. But the truth is usually I drink everyday. When I do drink, I don’t realise that I am actually getting drunk anymore. I am finding that I have to drink more and more to actually feel drunk. And then I don’t realise what I am doing and wake up in the morning with no memory of the night before. I have stopped for a while before.. and feel great when I do – but then I ‘reward’ myself with alcohol again. it is time to exit this horrible substance from my world – for good.
Good luck. It sounds like you have a strong head about your decision to ‘be a non drinker’ just think about all the benefits and all the great things that you will now get/achieve. I have my mental list that i keep on reminding myself of – extra money, more holidays, no hang overs, no guilty feelings, no embarrassment, like yourself better. Get to know yourself sober and like it! Lose weight. i thought about alcohol all day yesterday. A rum and ice cold coke. But didn’t cave. I watched my husband drink 4 pints and a bottle of wine (still didn’t say anything) i am going to do this!!! I Will treat myself to an expensive holiday in the next 6 months With my savings. Good luck everyone. Hopefully the craving Will go soon. Stay strong.
Day 4 without alcohol. Went for dinner with an old friend last night – she turned up drunk!!! It actually was horrible to look at – i found it easy to have a lemonade and a chocolate milkshake!! On the walk home i couldn’t believe i was completely sober!!! I keep on realising that i felt really great. Had a health scare and really want to stop drinking in the week and weekend binges!! If i lose my driving licence i Will lose my job and i am risking it by driving the next day too many times!! I feel like death the next day and i feel depressed. There is nothing good in it. I don’t know why i do it. My partner drinks too much. We drink far too much. We get drunk together etc. He drank last night. I didn’t. I wonder if i cut down he Will too?!? I hope so!!
Day 4 and counting. Thanks for reading. S
Good for you, softdrink. I found the longer I went without, the easier it becomes. Cravings eventually ease up and believe or not there will come a day when alcohol will not be constantly on your mind. Keep up the good work and keep us posted on your recover.
Thanks Torrey!! Here comes Friday and Saturday with a visit to the in laws (groan) this Will be a good test. Feeling confident tho. Mum is going to detox with me now for 3 months (she wants to lose weight.) We can support each other – hopefully hubby Will cut down next…. He had 2 pints last night… Better than 4-6 but can’t quite stop completely. I haven’t said anything – we’ll just see. Good about your little glass of wine test. Glad it went well. Just be careful with how many tests you do it – my husband stopped smoking for 6 months did the ‘test’ with a cig – now he’s smoking 15 a day again!! Keep strong – you’ve done incredibly well. Thanks again
I won’t blame my alcohol problem on any event in my life. The plain truth is that alcohol is an addictive drug.
It’s such a waste, I think to myself…I have many ideas and schemes on how to become wealthy, and projects started but not completed, you can see my website (one of about 20 websites I own) to see I am not stupid.
What do I do, I buy a six-pack and curl up with a novel every night, drink, smoke and read, reading to escape into a fantasy life where my failure to beat back the daily beer craving becomes just background noise.
I am soooo lazy, I just drink instead of doing something constructive. Ideas, I get 100 a day. If I would just follow one of them for more than a few days, I could be a millionaire. The world’s full of infinite possibilities, and every one of us has an unlimited potential.
Maybe I will try this online therapy, wonder what it’s like. Since I’m American, it would be better to go to this “foreign” website, because I always get along better with “foreigners.” And Brits are different than Ami’s, LOL.
I found the first time of being somewhere and not drinking weird, but when everyones eyes started to glaze over I knew I was doing the right thing. When you see people looking the way we must look after a drink you realize how we must have looked to others.
Afternoon guys and gals, my problems have been around for 2 year, I work in a pub at weekends and have enjoyed free booze every weekend drinking up too 13 pints a night. (not Everynight), for the last 12 months i have been drinking wine in the week aswell 2 bottles every night with the odd day off. It is really getting my partner down, im devastated that i keep drinking and upsetting her as she is my world!! but it nevers seems enough to make me stop.. Some nights i just cant be bothered drinking but still do yet i have no physical addiction!! i did 3 days last week without touching a drop then along comes my weekend and were off again. I need help or a motivation to stop me as i dont want to lose my girl or die lol…. Time to Change…
Names have been changed to protect the innocent!!
Just keep trying mate.
I recently learned that emotional neglect that I suffered as a child, combined with serving as the family scapegoat, left me vulnerable to alcohol addiction. My drinking has escalated to drinking up to one bottle of red wine nearly every evening. At social events, I lose count of my drinks and over drink.
I have such an amazing spouse, supportive friends and potential for a great life. I hope to conquer this habit which causes me so much self loathing and lost days. things that give me strength are my spouse and friends, cuddling my dog, signing up for an education course that has homework every night, physical activity and mindless TV. I rarely used to watch TV but I now allow it as helpful to my recovery. I am working to identify those triggers (people, places and feelings) that inspire me to drink. Good luck everyone and thank heavens for this company and the confidential and easily accessible service they provide.
Great to read honest stories like mine – any sign of jCK out there?
Hi, Ive read all of your posts and can identify with every single one of you guys. I too am struggling with alchol. I lost the love of my life, my job, fallen out with my family and yet Im still drinking. I wake up thinking about drink, Im scared to death about giving it up. Ive been drinking for more years than I care to remember, I never drank to be social but only to get drunk. Ive been to counselling but to no avail. Im desperate, i want to stop so badly. I want to live a clean, sober, healthy life. Shot of ending it all, I really dont know what to do. If anyone could shed some light on this please do. Thank You and Good Luck with your sobrity.
How about “The easy Way to Stop Drinking” – Allen Carr. You can probably get it for $1 on Amazon. Good read.
Good luck to you too Catherine and well done on making the momentous decision to change your life. Let us know how you get on.
It’s so reassuring to find this site. I have been ‘functioning’ rather than fully ‘living’ for years. I have a low boredom threshold, and am actually quite shy (although I appear gregarious and confident). So I drink to ‘make up for’ these aspects of myself I’m embarrassed about. But now I’m sick of the headaches, the guilt, the saddle of tummy fat that never used to be there, the worry that made a prat of myself or been unkind ‘the night before.’ I wish everyone the very best of luck on their personal journeys.
I want to stop.
Thanks Torrey,
Today is the first time I have been on a site like this so I was a bit concerned as to how it would go when I pressed the submit button so thanks for your reply. Habit is a hard thing to break and thats what I have. That time in the evening after a days work. Most mornings i’m in my workshop just after 6am and it’s quite manic all day so it’s easy for me to justify a pint or two. If only I could stop at that. For a fifty year old I have always regarded myself as fairly fit and healthy but i’m sure I wont be doing my health any favours by shoving down all that lager. Sorry to read about your health scare and it’s a pity that thats what it takes to wake up and take control.
Tonights consumption was two pints and four pint tins which went down well but is probably way over the recommended limit so my plan is to keep that to a maximum for the next week and assess the situation.
I’ll be back on to let everyone know how I get on.
Hi, interesting reading. A lot of similarity’s with my own situation. I run my own business with five employee’s which can be really trying at times. Without fail around about the same time every day (5-6pm) the cravings start. I have a social pint in the pub which is fine just to chill with people outwith work and would be even better if it stopped at that but it does’nt. I always go out of my way to make sure I have a stash of lager for the evening. Anything from 4-12 tins every night. Never touch wine or spirits. I’ve been doing this every night thing for about the last 8 years and cant break the cycle. Most of the day I tell myself thats it, not tonight but late afternoon comes around and guess what, im going out of my way to make sure I have my stash. The biggest problem is that I know exactly what to do to get out of this but I cant. I enjoy the chill out feeling that I get with it. It was interesting reading about others which are in a similar situation and hopefully by commenting on this site it will help me to overcome my cravings.
Beano,
I noticed the same when I first visited the site.. That most have a ‘bewitching’ hour(s) that their drinking is a problem. It makes it harder to identify there is a problem when you function just fine up until that point. It took a physical health scare to make me stop and realize I want to live longer than my current path was taking me. Funny how as we get older we wake up and realize it’s been going on for 10, 20, and sometimes 30 or more years. We can’t get that time back but we certainly can make it stop. Hope you find your reason to quit, you’ve gotten to the first step by being here.
I’ve found it very reassuring to learn that other people have a “bewitching” time, mine’s from 5-7pm once i’ve got past the without a drink & had fruit juice & some tea,I ‘m OK. However, even with this knowledge, I’ve just ignored it & thought, sod it, I WANT a drink, so I’ll have one. However read loads on this website today, & am nearly at the end of DAY1 without a drink. It’s an inspirational community & I want to be part of it.
Hi All,
Thought I’d share with you a development in my recovery. First I’m going on 4 months since deciding alcohol was impacting my life and health negatively. It took two months for the cravings to subside. I was curious to know if alcohol still had a hold on me so last week I decided to have a glass of wine and stop at that. I went as far as to measure 5 oz and pour into a wine glass, then filled the rest up with ice. I took the smallest sip and nursed it for an hour. And I stopped. I didn’t get anything out of it. The recommended daily for women is 2 units, but I’m a fairly small woman, so decided 1 was my limit. The smell and taste were no longer appealing anymore. In fact the smell almost repulsed me. I also woke up with a fierce headache the next morning (whether or not it was associated with the glass of wine, I associated it). This experiment was reassuring to me and fullfilled my curiousity. What is ‘normal’ drinking, doesn’t do it for me. I’d rather not drink than have one. In the end it’s one less thing on my mind and feel stronger than ever.
Hi Torrey,
Good to hear from you. I have got to that stage when I find the smell really off putting, too. The stale smell on someone’s breath is horrible, too. Looking back I used to think I could cover up the smell when I had been drinking (I was even finishing off wine before work in my worse days) and convinced myself noone would notice. You can DEFINITELY smell it on people’s breath. How risky was I to put my job in danger?
I am about to start a new job and am feeling so positive. I love waking up feeling energised and refreshed. Looking back I was tired and sick all the time. I really am going to start a new, healthy chapter in my life. I was kidding myself wine was helping me chill out and deal with stress. But honestly it was making things 100 times worse. I can only really see that now I haven’t had a drink for these few months. Stress is actually SO MUCH easier to manage when you are feeling healthy and good about yourself!! Take care everyone. Keep posting Torrey. I am so proud of you and hope we can continue this journey together….
Torrie – great post – thanks for sharing that – I do rather dread that if I give up it will be an eternal struggle – it gives hope that it might become just unappealing and I can get on with the rest of my life instead!!
Thanks sal. Have not had a drink since Monday and i already feel a lot better! I am determined to never have another drink and hope i succeed.
Hi Jok, glad it’s going well for you. One thing I found along the way was never to say “never”. It was like a red rag to a bull. Instead I found “postponing” having a drink made it a lot easier to come to terms with. A simple change, but it works by removing the “forbidden fruit” element. Sal xx
Hi guys . i started drinking at the age of 13 mainly on occassions like christmas and now im 28 and i drink 3 to 4 times a week .. i want to quit for a number of reasons ; i need to lose weight that i have gained due to my drinking ; to save money and to take better care of myself and my relationships… i have lost a lot of good relationships due to my drinking; usually the guys would give me an ultimatum either i choose them or the bottle and my answer would be very simple i would always choose the bottle . i have tried to stop before and i was sober for ten days … but relapsed …. i just realised that i cant do this on my own i need people who are in the same situation as me to talk to and get help.. i have’nt had a drink in 3 days now and my body feels weird im craving a drink like hell !
Try and keep yourself occupied. Drink plenty of water or other soft drinks (preferably not sugar loaded ones) and eat little and often. The cravings will pass. Hang on and things will get a lot easier. Good luck.
Hello, I posted my story on this website about 3 months ago and still have not stopped drinking. I have decided to quit from today bcos it is seriously ruining my life. I hav 3 kids and a wonderful partner. I had this big fight with him yesterday and he told me the worst part of his life is having to live with me. I really want to stop and I could do with the support from you guys as you understand how it feels like. Thanks in advance! X
I started a fight with my partner last night after having drank a bottle of wine. He has told me to stop drinking as I clearly can’t handle it. It is frustrating and upsetting that I can’t be normal. My eldest child heard our row and was a little upset so I also feel like a completely useless mother. This doesn’t happen that often but I do feel that anytime I have behaved disgracefully, there is usually drink involved. I wish that I could drink sensibly but I know that it is in my nature to be all or nothing. So I am starting today with giving up. I have to cling on to the hope of bettering my relationship and improving my children’s lives through not drinking. Tough though as a lot of our social lives evolve around booze!
Guys I need help, I seem to be obsessed with being drunk, It has cost me my marriage and my home, I don’t have children thank god but my life is in ruins due to my constant need for booze. I find myself buying booze and sitting in my room drinking for no reason, I know it won’t make me happy but I still do it then beat myself up about how I am wasting my life. I am socially awkward so it has always been a reason to drink, but now I hardly go out and find reasons to be alone and get drunk. I know if I don’t change soon I will not last much longer, I have all the signs of Illness related to alcohol but I seem to just ignore them and carry on anyway.
I am sick of this life I have created and want to change but every healthcare professional I have dealt with just seems to not care as I am not part of their targets, I fear the worst, not sure how much longer I can go on!
Chris, I just found this site and read your post.
I want to stop too, its gonna be bloody hard I know, but its causing problems with my family and I get upset if I have to drive at weekends so I cant drink.
Maybe we could quit together?
I can easily drink 30-40 cans of lager in a weekend, I cant see me being able to stop, but i’m going to have a go.
Sean.
nealy two weeks and not a sniff of drink. had a bit of a bad week with emotions and stuff but still dident turn to the bottle! im starting to feel like my old self again xxx hope everyone else is doing ok? xx
I am not a 24/7 drinker, more like a binge drinker. it first started with a few drinks after work to help with my self-esteem issues, I always appeared ( in my head) to be the life of the party after a few drinks. Then I went through a really rough patch with my then boyfriend. It then became more about drinking to forget the issues I had with my boyfriend ( the issues we had were due to him being emotionally and rarely physically abusive) I then moved to a company that has a very prominent drinking culture…3 glasses of wine at lunch was acceptable. I have said and done so many things after a night out that I am ashamed of when I look back the following day (not to mention neglecting my looks and house when suffering from a hangover) On the night of 12/06/12 I decided enough was enough! I am an adult who should be able to control what goes on into my body….Day two….am hoping to start running again on Monday….wish me luck and thank you for your inspirational stories you guys….
The thing that really bugs me about my drinking is that at the time I’m drinking I think everything is just fine , then I get in to I’m car and drive home ! Dumb !!! I don’t drink every day two or three times a week and always to much , I don’t drink at home but out with friends , I feel bord with my life so I look forward to these times with friends? Started drinking at the bar virgin drinks, see how long I can make this work for me ? Will update my progress ! Maybe my wife will start liking me again ? 32 years together with two great kids !!
I shall start today guys. Just woke up feeling terrible after about 3/4 of a bottle of Vodka last night for no real reason. It’s slowly been getting worse and worse and I really need to stop. I might write a diary to track my progress and have a continual reminder of how much better it is going to feel and the positive impacts which it has on my life as well as the negatives which are avoided (hopefully!). I know it will be hard but you guys are doing fantastic and I want to do the same.
Thanks!
I’m going to try and stop my heavy drinking as well Lew as it’s affecting many aspects of my life. I lost a job a while ago and although my boss didn’t say that it was due to him smelling alcohol on me, he gave different reasons. I’ve suffered with depression for a considerable time now, and have use alcohol as a crutch, even knowing that it’s a depressant. It gives me a ‘quick fix’. But during the night I wake and feel extremely depressed. I really hope that I can beat this with help from you guys on here.
JCK, success story coming up as requested.
Quitting alcohol 19 months ago was the beginning of my life. Prior to that I was just existing and miserably at that. I didn’t drink 24/7, but binge drank and even during my sober spells, I still thought about drink and the next “session”. I used to even prepare for it by stocking up on supplies and getting boring things like bills paid and out of the way so I wouldn’t be disturbed while I drank myself into oblivion. Then I’d go through the agony of withdrawal, determined at the time that I was going to quit, and then relapse and start all over again, and again, and ….
I finally managed to overcome the hurdle of continually relapsing (very, very difficult after 30 years) and started to rebuild my life. I’m still learning on a daily basis. Socialising was very hard without my alcohol crutch and everything in general was difficult, but it gradually got a lot easier. I can now hold my head up and feel proud of myself rather than ashamed of being the pathetic drunk that I was.
My liver recovered fully after a few months and my general health and fitness are excellent now. I no longer suffer with constant colds, stomach problems, pasty skin, dull eyes and sleeplessness. I feel joyous every morning when I wake feeling bright and fresh (and look it too).
I feel thankful that I have been given this second chance and am determined not to throw it away in a moment of madness: i.e. thinking “just one drink won’t do any harm”. I know full well what one drink would do.
My sobriety is the most precious thing I have. I give thanks for it every single day. Sal xx
I’m not joking…. That almost brought a tear to my eye. Well done you. Really inspirational. X
It’s official… I relise I have a problem with my red wine… I went from never drinking to social drinking to drinking everynight for a few months. I know its going to be hard to undo what I have let myself become but I have too!
Hey, well done guys. That’s very inspiring reading. Sal xx
first full weekend in along time with no drink! and feeling great also lost 3lb in a week with not drinking. last night was a tester my new boyfreind came round to watch football and had a few ciders. and i was so proud of myself for saying no. wasent sure how he would react to me not having a drink with him but ha said good on you!!! i have soooo wanted a glass of wine over the weekend but i did it xxx
Brilliant – looks like we are all on a roll and we need to stick at it – together we can beat this !
Well done. I am like you. Feels great. Just keep strong! X
Ok. It’s day 4 and I’m still dry. I can’t tell you how much better I feel. The self loathing has quickly been replaced with calmness and confidance. I was scared that I couldn’t do it, that I wouldn’t be able to sleep, that would be bored and I would lose it with the kids. It hasn’t happened. I feel like a different person. In 4 DAYS!!!! I know that it’s early days. I mustn’t get over confident. I have wanted wine. But I distracted myself. Tonight I’ve watched TV!!! Sounds like joke but I was used to falling asleep (passing out) so early that I haven’t watched the box for years!!! I know that I was not drinking as much as some on here. I was functioning but it was a problem in my life. Falling out with people, driving when drunk, spending too much on wine, buying things online and not remembering the next day and I could see myself progressing. Used to have a few days off a week…. Then it was every night. Used to just have one or two glasses…. Then a bottle was not enough. Every evening was a washout.
This site has been the reason that I have been so strong up to this point. Going to stay strong and focused. Not going back.
I wish you all luck. I will update you.
Fantastic – well done – am proud of you – it really does feel great doesn’t it?!
I feel like a different person. Thanks for your support TA. Something also happened last night as a direct result of not drinking. I took control om bank account. Previously I had avoided looking at my balance and spent my drunken evenings spending money to try and cheer myself up. Last night I printed out my account and used software to see where all my money is going. If I continue not to drink until the end of the month I would have saved £130. Back in control. Thank god.
I love this site and it has been the reason I’ve had the strength to stop. However I would love to see an article that discussing all he positive aspects to not drinking. I read the negative lists and there are a lot of sad stories on here which break my heart.
What about success stories to inspire????? What about everyone telling how their lives have improved. It would be very inspirational for people. I think as you try and give up you need to know why you need to be strong…. What’s the goal?
I would like to read not the negative aspects of drinking but the positive list.
Just a thought. X
Day 2. Sober. Feel good again. Two days without a drink is the longest period without wine for years. I really wanted wine last night but started to read my self help books and made myself a non alcoholic cocktail. And it was Saturday night so feeling very pleased. To be honest after the danger time of 6pm -7pm I didn’t really miss it.
I have already had negative reactions from friends. It’s difficult because I don’t really want to reveal intimate details of why I’m stopping as I mainly drunk alone. Therefore they don’t understand.
There is a party next sat and I have volunteered to drive. Dreading going to a party where all my friends will be drunk.
But still very focused. And in these 2 days have saved probably £12. In 2 days!!!!! That’s a lot to us. Why have I been doing this to myself???
Well done JCK. I find with friends who are used to you drinking there are all sorts of reasons you can give, like trying to lose weight, on antibiotics or a good one, is that you realise that you don’t want or need to have a drink to have fun!!
I have realised that when I drink and I am speaking to people that it can be hard to keep focus on what I am saying and that makes me anxious – so being able to have a discussion with a clear head has been great.
I have been by no means perfect. I had been working hard for a contract for my business which has been really stressful but I have not resorted to drinking to relieve the stress and this has meant I have been able to do a much better job as I have been more alert and able to put this all together. We got the contract and I had two small glasses of bubbly to celebrate with my husband – and stopped there. I then had a weekend away but I knew I would have a drink with these friends and planned it – so I am not beating myself up about doing so as it was a decision I made. I had a good time, I did not totally go over the top but did have more than I have done for over three weeks and yesterday felt tired, lethargic, heady and I just thought I really really don’t want to feel like this anymore. I think my problem has been that I have always felt well all my life and it is now catching up with me and I really really hate being out of sorts. Believe me I am someone who has drank a bottle of wine (at least) every night for as long as I can remember and been a heavy drinker for 30 years – I never thought I could do what I have done – and seriously if I can do it anyone can. Let us all know how you are doing.
Just think – next Sunday morning you will be up bright and breezy seizing another day on planet earth – your friends will be groaning feeling sick, bad heads, worrying what on earth they did the night before and wasting a day on planet earth
Just a thought!
I am like you an evening drinker only and drink at least a bottle of wine each night. I have decided to stop from today. I can’t cut back so I know I have to stop completely. I really do want to stop and your post has got me feeling positive. Thanks
well done u JCK. me to no drink last night and felt great this morning. friday is always bad for me and sat and its gonna be a tester tonight my little girl is staying with he dad and his new girlfreind who i meet this morning. so im gonna work late tonight. the hopefully by the time i get home ill be ready for bed !! keep the good work up we can do it ! xx