I’m having a ‘night off’ the beer, as I can’t remember the last time I did so, and I’m trying to make an effort to address my habitual drinking. The recent ‘how much booze do you drink’ thread made me sit down and consider just how much I actually do drink, over a week. I have cut down a fair bit, but I do want to cut down further. Down to the ‘recommended guidelines’ of 21 units a week, would be ideal.

Trouble is, I really like beer! It’s not so much the alcohol, as the taste. I’ve become so used to a couple of cans/bottles a night, I’ve forgotten what it’s like not to have one!

I don’t consider myself an alcoholic; I have a couple of bottles of wine in the cupboard, and don’t fancy drinking any. I only really drink wine with a meal. So it’s not the alcohol that I’m craving, it’s beer!

And no, alcohol-free beer is not the answer. Tried it, don’t like it.

A can or two has become part of my normal evening routine; end of the day chill out. In my schmoking days, I’d probbly be skinning up a joint.

I spose I need to break the ritual of having a beer in the evening. Purely psychological. Physically, I feel fine.

Anyone else have trouble trying to cut down? Any tips??

I feel it may be a little more difficult trying to sleep tonight…

I love beer, but when you have a job for 11 hours a day, a family and are halfway through demolishing a patio, there is no time for beer 🙁

So find some other distractions

This is going to sound really obvious (maybe not to you to sweetheart 😯 ) but in the lead up to a race, I just don’t have any in the house. If it’s there, I’ll drink it. It’s easier not to buy it in the first place rather than buy it and figure out how not to drink it. Nothing like a cold beer in the evenings though…go on, have another mate.

EDIT: Go on though…one for the road

Go to shorts 😕

when I was in the same state as you, I found a nice cup of tea did the job. Sounds a bit silly but it actually worked (for me anyway). As did filling a pint glass with water.

**** tea Ruud, have a beer instead. One more won’t do any harm at this stage of the evening.

You need a displacement activity, is that the right word?

Go do something else. Don’t just sit there thinking about beer

If its just a couple in the evening, nothing to be bothered about, go for it.

Mmmmm….beer…..

get some ginger beer in . . .

still beer and it’s a proper first quencher.

bet you can’t go without for a week. Doubt I could.

Does that help?

Doubt I could, cynic-al! I woon’t want to!

DD; Get thee behind me, Satan!

I’ve got through most of a carton of apple juice, but it’s not the same… 🙁

The hard bit is over; the offie has closed, and there’s nowhere for miles, that does sneaky after-hours cans. So I can’t actually get any, now.

I found replacing beer with wine was highly effective due to the anti oxidants in it,,,well thats the excuse….plus the new house had a wine cellar which begged to be filled so half with the bike building gear half with the vino

In smug reformed tone, it’s just will-power, I went from far too much alcohol to absolutely none whilst at uni’. Missed the how much booze thread, but was worked out to be a 3 figure weekly number by the doctor at uni’, so just decided to stop one day. It had to be all or nothing as I knew I was crap at saying no after a few.

The amount this then gave me to spend on biking was huuuge

TBH mate, you’ve always struck me as a bit of a loser – if you don’t mind me saying.

So why don’t you stop beating yourself up by placing the bar too high, and have a beer ?

RudeBoy, just decided to do the very same thing last week. I never drink much in one go, but usually one or two bottles per night to wind down, plus maybe 3-4 pints one weekend night in the pub. Combination of the calories (i am not a slim man by nature) and the realisation i was finding myself unable to miss a night withour beer meant some kind of action was required. Like you i really love beer, and dont ever want to stop completely.

So I am trying the following…

1. Dont keep any beer in the house, as deadly darcy says – if its there, i’ll drink it. I have no willpower.
2. Dont drink during week nights, monday-thursday are beer free, anything goes fri-sun
3. djglover is right – be busy with something else and avoid TV. A late night ride is good.
4. No laughing – I am trying herbal teas instead – like peppermint-its a distraction

So far its working ok for me, let us know how you get on.

I havent drunk in over a month!

Went from NEEDING a beer/Vodca/G&T/wine (or more likely several) to get over work to being quite happy not drinking. Took a couple of weeks to notice any difference, but i get a lot less headaches, and now my energy lasts untill bedtime, meaning I can do stuff in the evenings rather than slumping down with a beer.

Initialy I thought I’d do it for three months, but its actualy quite shocking how well its going, I might keep it up, and give up something else (im thinking chocolate first).

Yeah I know what you mean I have w@nk withdrawal symptoms 😉

Becks non-alcoholic stuff is surprisingly good, gets the beer taste, without the alcohol.

Try it.

Sometimes, depending on what you’ve already eaten/drunk, it can taste like mushy peas, but that’s no bad thing.

Drink cider instead. there are some very nice ones and it’s made from apples so can’t be bad for you and is part of your five a day.

Problem solved

i love real ale but have to be careful how much i drink as the hops make me have the hangover from hell..

ive cut down loads these days as the weight was piling on, just the odd bottle of vodka with the wife on weekends now, maybe 1 or two bottles of beer when watching the lions in the week nights..

my days of heavy drinking and all dayers are over!

spoon, it took two weeks for you to notice any difference ? Blimey I feel better just after two days without drinking. Although our beloved alcohol is a wonderful thing it really does screw up the body. Probably one of the worse things off the shelf which you could put in it Last week I drank from Tues through ’till Sunday, not much, just a 500ml bottle or two of cider on the school nights and usual 4-5 pints on Fri & Sat and come Monday I was dying from the incredible tiredness. Haven’t drank since and now I feel normal again…

Kev

Same boat here – at least four cans a night, or when finances allow, a bottle of red (or two if the wife’s having a glass….).

My mate’s dad who’s only 15 years older than me had a massive heart attack a month ago – his consumption was very similar to mine (both smokers too)and it really made me sit up and pay attention to my intake.

That lasted all of a week. Dagnabbit.

It’s actually surprisingly easy to knock it on the head – I didn’t have any bother sleeping and yes, I did feel instantly better. Note to self – follow your own advice.

ernie_lynch – Member

TBH mate, you’ve always struck me as a bit of a loser – if you don’t mind me saying.

(Sobs) 😥

Well, I made it through the night! Trying to get to sleep was a little difficult, as I usually just drift off, if I’ve had a couple of beers. was not as difficult as I’d imagined not drinking, though.

I din’t feel the craving as much as I have done in the past, when I’ve tried to have a night off beer. On other occasions, I’ve caved in, and gone down to get some in. I jolly well have not felt guilty or bad for doing so, mind.

A few months ago, coming home from the pub, I was contemplating riding me bike several miles to an all-night offie, such was my craving. Fortunately, the blokes in the offie were still about, and let me buy a couple of cans on the sly, or I wooduv been off up to Hackney.

Having already had a few, I was later quite angry that I’d craved beer so much. Felt like an alkie.

I think it’s more just the habitual nature of it now. I’m so used to having a beer or two, that not to have one feels weird.

I might try to abstain tonight as well (what, two nights in a row??). Going to a mate’s to watch footy and eat Chinese food. He’s a smoker, so depressant drugs won’t be the issue!

I have a feeling I will have beer, mind. The association of footy and beer may be too much. I mean, if the footy’s on, it’s ok, no?

SPAMtastic thread resurrection!

what withdrawal symptoms are you getting..?
hallucinations..? fits..? vomiting..? shakes..? sweats..? moodswings..?

Most importantly.. how many units are you consuming..?

it can be potentially lethal to withdrawal the body from a very serious physical alcohol addiction although I’d be very impressed if you’d gotten yourself into that much trouble without drinking spirits..

EDIT: oh.. I missed the spammy bit in my eagerness to doom-monger.. 🙁

Living proof if any were needed that I don’t bother reading other peoples posts before replying to them…

2. Dont drink during week nights, monday-thursday are beer free, anything goes fri-sun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NjTWvl8x-U&feature=related

Oh thats wonderful thebrick…bonbonbonbons

I suspect all this “it’s just for the taste” etc is kidding yourself that you do have a bit of a problem.

I got into a habit of having a couple of bottles of Stella with my dinner and while watching TV. I found the easiest way to break the habit was to stock up on nice mineral water.

Opening a bottle of San Pelegrino with a meal satisfies the need for the ‘ritual’ and you feel like you’re having a drink to complement the food rather than just a glass of tap.

Fred’s alcoholism probably goes a long way to explain his tendencies towards violence.

Booze is nasty stuff in the hands of the weak.

Get on some medication that doesn’t mix well with alcohol 🙂

Becks non-alcoholic stuff is surprisingly good, gets the beer taste, without the alcohol.

I’ve tried this while it doesn’t taste to bad I found after a couple I just didn’t want anymore whereas proper Becks I could easily drink one after the other.

Fred’s alcoholism probably goes a long way to explain his tendencies towards violence.

And yet I put his ‘goodbye hug’ at the BBB down to the fact that he was pissed as a fart.

I guess I was lucky he didn’t stab me 😯