Well not quite.

I used to only drink on a Saturday night but that’s now increased to every Friday and Saturday night where I drink about 10 to 12 pints a night and also now during the week maybe twice where I will get through 6 odd beers.

Try as I may to resist I always give in.

I then suffer from the worlds worst hangovers which stops me doing all the things I enjoy like riding and running.

So does anyone have any advice or tips to stop that urge for that first beer? I did think about going the bitter shandy route and then faze it out.

Its not like I want to go teetotal this is different. Its not a “I’m never drinking again” I’ve just realised that I’ve got to and want to stop.

Cheers 🙂

So does anyone have any advice or tips to stop that urge for that first beer?

stops me doing all the things I enjoy like riding and running.

That’ll be £150 consultation fee.

Waking up ‘clean’ feels very gratifying. It’s a habit to get into.

Sat I drink whatever I like. Sunday is a bit in moderation. Mon to Fri rarely touch a drop.

That’s just under £5000 per year on booze . . . or a decent Bike or two! 😯

So does anyone have any advice or tips to stop that urge for that first beer?

Have 3 kids.

Hangovers are much less tolerable when you’re getting poked in the eye at 6:30 because an insistent toddler wants to eat toast and jam whilst watching Spongebob Squarepants.

Alone or with mates?
How do you afford it?

Take yourself out of the social situations that involve alcohol, replace the alcohol habit with a herb tea habit and enjoy your running & riding.

In the (not exact) words of a very wise man, you could have therapy or counselling and see a doctor or someone else very expensive.. but instead, just don’t do it anymore…

I’ve got one two year old and another on the way. Its not fair on the family the way I have been recently. Need to step up.

I’m tired all the time, become lazy too.

sounds like your half way there. As qwerty said , take yourself out of the social situations that allow you to drink as you have been

I drink alone at home. Mrs falls asleep early. I just sit and watch a couple of films and drink.

I used to smoke and I think the boozing has become a type of reward like smoking was. I no longer smoke.

Wanted to try and give up myself where I can and deal with it. Didnt know if anyone else had been successful in a similar position to I am.

Had a chat with my Mum about it. She reckoned I should just but four beers to start so I cant drink anymore and go from there cutting it out. I think cold turkey might be the way to go.

I drink alone at home. Mrs falls asleep early. I just sit and watch a couple of films and drink.

I used to smoke and I think the boozing has become a type of reward like smoking was. I no longer smoke.

Wanted to try and give up myself where I can and deal with it. Didnt know if anyone else had been successful in a similar position to I am.

Had a chat with my Mum about it. She reckoned I should just but four beers to start so I cant drink anymore and go from there cutting it out. I think cold turkey might be the way to go.

You are basically me 2 years ago. I predict you’ll quit the booze, but replace that with chocolate biscuits, and end up actually putting on weight despite knocking the drink on the head.

FWIW, I went cold turkey when I realised how much booze I was getting through just sitting on the sofa watching telly, as well as how I was starting to drink earlier and earlier. It really can creep up on you. I spotted the signs, and bailed in time. I wasn’t an alcoholic, but it wasn’t the best use of my time.

Don’t have it in the house.

Initially, I would say this ^^^. Now I can have booze in the house and not be bothered.

I’ve got one two year old and another on the way.

You really need to MTFU and stop.

Its not like I want to go teetotal this is different. Its not a “I’m never drinking again” I’ve just realised that I’ve got to and want to stop.

Might be worth considering just stopping for a while.

I drink alone at home. Mrs falls asleep early. I just sit and watch a couple of films and drink.

Don’t have it in the house.

(I use to drink a lot. Beer. Spirits. Socially. At home. On my own. Now I don’t. I have a wife, two kids, self employed, I had to just stop.)

PSA for the OP. It’s Tuesday. 😀

Occupy yourself with something else – couple of clubs, spin session or rides during the week, evening activities at weekends which don’t have the opportunity for drinking. If it’s a circle of mates thing, you need to draw back from them for a while.

Oh, and tot up how much those beers are costing you, then express it in terms of a new bike in a few months time.

Don’t have it in the house.

Oh yes, and this. Draw out cash to do the weekly shop, enough cash for essentials only and not 20 beers as well.

I used to only drink on a Saturday night but that’s now increased to every Friday and Saturday night where I drink about 10 to 12 pints a night and also now during the week maybe twice where I will get through 6 odd beers.

Yikes, I thought I had a big night on saturday with 3 bottles of beer, a glass of champagne and just over half a bottle of red wine!

Do you drink on your own? With friends? Family? At home? At the pub? How long does it take? So are you escaping to the pub three or four times a week for 6 hours at a time?

edit: you’ve already answered that.

One trick is to leave the empties next to you as you drink, that way you can see how much you are drinking. Replace the first drink with a pint of water. Replace every other drink with a non-alcoholic drink, although watch out for the calories in soft drinks.

However you have done the first step – realising that you need to cut down.

Plan what bike you are going to buy and put the ‘savings for each drink not drunk’ into an account and watch it grow. Initially it will seem quite small, but as it grows you will want to make it grow faster by giving up more.

Lastly rather than sitting on the sofa, go out for a ride. Even if it is only a short ride, removing yourself from the drinking position may stop you wanting to drink.

Thanks guys. Turboing might not be a bad plan actually. Probably less like to want to drink when I feel like puking my guts up after a hard session.

Been getting the beers in earlier and earlier like you say bongohoohaa.

I can see it and it already is to some extent going the wrong way. Daft thing is life at the moment is pretty damn sweet. So im not drowning my sorrows or anything like that.

I eat really healthily during the week and then get smashed in the evenings four times a week.

Think I will try the turbo one night and then go for a run the next see how that goes. I dont really see any of my old friends as at 38 they are still heavily into clubbing and things a bit harder than booze which I cant stand.

The good thing is that this thread will be here for you to report back your beerlessness.

I hope so. Might keep it updated. It’ll give me something to focus on with a goal to update.

Thanks Martinhutch that’s a brilliant idea to help me keep on the straight and narrow. I doubt anyone will be bothered but if it helps me it helps me 🙂

Beerlessness. Got a good ring to it.

…and on the plus side, you wont be waking up naked and skint in Worthing any time soon.

I doubt anyone will be bothered but if it helps me it helps me

Treat it like a fitness diary. Might keep you off the biscuits, too.

Always the other day I am saying that I will no longer drinking.

My condolences. You have failed the Turing test.

drink non alcoholic beer.. give it a go and find one you like and alternate every other beer to try and reduce your intake gradually.

Ride first then drink

rather than on the sofa, do something bike related (even if not get out – sort inner tubes, check and clean chain, that sort of thing). anything to take you off the sofa, TV, beer triangle. but yes with 1.5 kids, you’ll need to alter behaviour soon, for you and family. are you feeling a bit isolated perhaps? that’s what did it for me in the past..

I drink alone at home. Mrs falls asleep early. I just sit and watch a couple of films and drink.

I used to smoke and I think the boozing has become a type of reward like smoking was. I no longer smoke.

Wanted to try and give up myself where I can and deal with it. Didnt know if anyone else had been successful in a similar position to I am.

Had a chat with my Mum about it. She reckoned I should just but four beers to start so I cant drink anymore and go from there cutting it out. I think cold turkey might be the way to go.

Spooked, in the nicest possible way – your’e either a classic alcoholic or you’re depressed/anxious and drowning those thoughts at night. See your GP for some help buddy.

Going to see how I get on. If not it’ll be a trip to the Docs.

Ahhhh Worthing. Now that was a night many years ago to forget. Another reason why I dont really socialise with my old friends.

Always scares me when the boss works out how many calories/cash blown on the evening tipple a week, a very easy habit to get into but bloody difficult to get out of.

Dunno about stopping the urge for the first beer, but you are getting through 20-24 beers at the weekend while at home, so you must have those beers in the house already….? And then another 12 in the week also at home?

Why not buy less beer – buy your quantity for the week – say 12 in total (3 beers a night over the 4 nights you reckon you drink) and it’s up to you how & when you drink them, but that’s your lot for the week.

It’s the kind of thing I used to do, but on a smaller scale. I’d buy 4 ales on a Friday night to last me the weekend & when I had them was up to me. Normally I’d have 2 Fri night & 2 on Sat.
Then we’d share a bottle of wine on a Wed, but we wouldn’t buy it until Wednesday to save ‘treating’ ourselves on Monday & buying another bottle on Wed….

Doesn’t sound very rock n roll though, does it!!??

Occupy yourself with something else – couple of clubs, spin session or rides during the week, evening activities at weekends which don’t have the opportunity for drinking

With a two year old and another on the way maybe doing more with and for the family would be a better idea.

You can wean yourself off the beer with those patches.

Stick one over each eye and you can’t find the fridge.

I would say I’m in a fairly similar situation but to a lesser degree. Virtually every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I’ll get through a bottle of 14% wine and maybe a beer or two whilst sat on the sofa on my own.

I also have a 2 yr old and a new born. It’s not great.

For me I think it probably stems from a strong historical association between alcohol and relaxation. I used to watch my dad sit down every night with 4 cans (of special brew). Sorry, I’m probably not helping loads but just wanted you to know it’s not that unusual. My first step is cutting the drinking nights down to 2 from the usual 3 or 4. It may sound ridiculous but last night I found fizzy water was quite good at making me feel like I was drinking something rather than sat twiddling my thumbs… A new born is also quite an effective distraction technique – hard to imagine you’ll have much peaceful time for boozy sofa slob time 😀

Thanks Martinhutch that’s a brilliant idea to help me keep on the straight and narrow. I doubt anyone will be bothered but if it helps me it helps me

Oh yes we are! We’ll be checking. All turbo’d up and booze free tonight I hope.

Well I’ve written off another day today due to getting totally drunk at the pub and being hungover in bed all day. I had 5 pints one more than I usually would, then the landlord asked me if I wanted one on the house, which led to 5 G&T’s on the house. Not good. I’m disappointed with myself at 45 years of age I can completely lose all common sense and control like this. It must be the third or fourth time this year I’ve done it, it’s got to stop. I’ve got a lot on my plate at the minute with some stress and worry too deal with, drinking isn’t the answer.
Sorry for the ramblings of which I have no point to make.

Sorry for the ramblings of which I have no point to make.

I wouldn’t worry. Sometimes just getting it out helps.

Thanks for the help guys. No booze last night and no problem not having any.

Im not a lazy layabout. My current week consists of working full time. Get home, cook dinner, play with the little one, bath and then bedtime. At 7:30pm I then go and work on a property I have bought which will be a family home. I then graft until about 11:30 then go home, bath and then bed.

I had been having a beer whilst I worked during the week and then Friday and Saturday nights.

I work hard at not being a lousy father. Although I might be dying inside I put aside that to play and have fun with my little girl. Other parents are often suprised that Im hungover as Im the one in the ball pit being ambushed by a load of toddlers.

Really appreciate the comments and advice. It will work. It has to.

Recognising the issue is the hardest and most important thing. Keep reporting progress – people here are great at listening and support (Well, some of them!

It’s Tuesday, come over to Worthing for a 7:30pm bike ride tonight, you can get free medical advice. It will be awful but you get what you pay for.

Also, you can introduce me to your Worthing friends, I need a big night out…

As said above, don’t keep booze in the house. If you do want a beer on a Saturday night, buy a 4 pack that afternoon.

I’m fine avoiding booze, until somebody say’s “We’ve got to stop” and goes on and on about giving it up, just makes me want it more.

First thing I did when I needed to stop drinking was vow to stop drinking at home..

That meant that I was still in the boozer with my mates most evenings, but I did the bitter shandy thing so that I could still drink and enjoy the banter..

The funny thing with that is, when you’re only half as pissed as the rest of your crew you start to realise that the hilarious drunken banter is actually just really boring, mildly offensive nonsense at the start of the evening.. Descending into incomprehensible gibberish, sad macho posturing and repetitive petty arguments later in the night

It soon got unbearable and I found that that I had better things to do