[Closed] alcohol and cutting down. Feck.

Drinking every day seems excessive to me. But I suppose thats what personal choice is about?

I drink on average about 3x a month...

I have still not had anything since September time. I found stopping altogether (due admittedly to mediocation) much easier than just cutting down a bit. 🙂

Just post all of your bottles of wine to friends and family that live some distance from you, then you won't have any booze to drink!

Problem solved, and I won't charge you for that.

I was thinking of only having a drink the after a ride/that night as like a treat otherwise abstain

Don't buy any or cut back slowly to reduce withdrawl.

I haven't touched a pint since 1995.

Ok I've had the rare conference red wine.

1 glass and I was laughing all night.

Just have a goal to work towards.

Similar situation some years ago
You need to get rid of all the booze out of the house to start with

I now drink once a week - Saturday, so I guess I'm a binge drinker now

What's Binge like? I've never tried it. It looks awful, I have to say; that bright blue colour is not natural.

zaskar, Im not going to abstain completely. I need some sort of a vice otherwise it'll have to be prozzers/ciggies and marching powder! 😉

I guess just either two nights at the weekend with nothing on schoolnights.

What's Binge like?

One of the beers last week could easily be described as bilge

I'm a student and found myself drinking a little too much each week so I've cut down to Wednesdays (when all the sports societies go out) and a couple on Saturdays. Generally, I try to plan rides on Thursdays and Sundays as I really, really hate riding hungover (and quite often have to drive to where we're riding so can't be over the limit anyway) and that deters me from drinking much on either night.

I cut out drinking on school nights since a couple of years ago. Much easier to get up in the mornings and more energy. I think you will find it is more about breaking routine and habit than an addiction.

chvck- thats what prompted me. Sick of trying to ride with a thumping headache, sometimes dicky ass and lack of concentration etc.

ditto, i've been drinking pretty much every night since last year. i don't feel ill, but need to cut back. Just moved to north east london and spotted some local races on offer so will use that as goal. let me know how you get on.

Well if you need any further reason, yesterday in the supermarket and old boy in front at checkout didn't have enough money for what he was buying, so put back milk instead of his bottle of whiskey. bit sobering to see.

cragrat73 I should be alot fitter than I am at the moment- plus my concentration isnt what it should be. I've done abit of research and I think I am (possibly) suffering from iron overload ontop of a sluggish liver not being able to store glycogen effectively ready for rides.

I'd recommend doing the same- **** its difficult though. As motivation for you, just think how ridiculous it is being dependent on booze to get by.

Alcoholism is a nightmare mate. Get a grip before it grips you. Some tips to pick and choose from:

1) confine drinking to a set session or pattern e.g. just beer Friday night, or just post ride or 1 small wine with dinner, occasional whisky with a mate
2) restrict sessions to shorter periods e.g. 2 hours or less, and then you wont have time to slip into binging sessions
3) avoid keeping booze in the house.
4) dont drink alone
5) avoid mixing with bingers
6) NEVER drink if feeling stressed, lonely or depressed because it becomes a medication and habitual.

Good luck

Gave up alcohol 20 years ago had to find another vice so canabis was my drug of choice. Caned that for about 12 years and realised I had to stop. Physicaly and mentaly impairing, just quit overnight didn't sleep for a week but then the craving went away. If you are feeling dodgy from headaches and the like then just quit completley. The cutting down never works you just fall back into the same way of doing things. You may need to change your lifestyle a bit. Come over to the self righteous nominated driver side. 😉

Everything in moderation-you'll be fine.

Just don't over do it until your liver says "Help me help me!"

You recognised you're feeling off from over doing it, you've taken action-sorted!

Mmm beer...

Oh and I never drank heavily before just woke up in bed with the brother in law! 😈 I had my underwear still on but what happened? what happened!!!

yep, around christmas-time (well, new year's eve to be precise) i took a sabbatical from drinking alcohol and to this day i've not touched a drop.

new year's eve 1988, i should add...

[i]Mmm beer...[/i]

Stop it. Im going to the gym tonight to get rid of this excess frustration energy 😐

I stopped drinking for 6 days once. At no time did I wake up feeling any fresher or with more energy and what I had always assumed was a hangover was just what I am like in the morning.

Sounds like a warning shot.

I have been sober for years, one thing about being an alcoholic is that really only you can make that judgement although others will most likely have already decided if you are. An easy test is whether anyone close to you has had any reason to question your excess drinking, if they have it's a clear signal you need to make better choices.

Everyone is different, you might well be able to cut back and be OK. If you find that once you start drinking, there is no easy point to stop then you have to look at whether you should quit for good. Although it is difficult to think of not drinking at all, you might be a lot happier sober.

I should add that AA can be daunting and there are other alternatives to AA which might help, some are on-line based (google brighteye for example). I have issues with the religous side of AA so although I support the work and have attended meetings, I am more comfortable with secular support.

Spot on Hora, i'm not as fit as i was ( once a top 20 national sport cat finisher ) and my mental ability is definately not as sharp as it has been, but i just put that down to being a bit of a dullard.
I agree a change of lifestyle is needed, i now it won't be easy, but hell we all ride bikes up steep hills for fun!

Don't struggle to give up drinking, just make yourself really busy in the evenings instead. Like some people mentioned it's all about changing your habits and routines. I used to drink at least half a bottle of wine everyday, go out once or twice in the week and really go for it from friday through to sunday morning. Just trying to not do it anymore never worked.

At the moment I work til 6, walk home for an hour, go to the gym, have a shower, spend time cooking and eating decent food, chuck a film on and then its bed time. Sometimes now I even buy beers on the way home and then forget about them before getting round to drinking them.

steve-g spot on. I'd have half a bottle of wine and end up doing **** all in the evening.

cragrat73- exactly. Come on. Do it. My best rides have been when I didnt drink the night or a couple of nights before as well. It isnt even rocket science ffs! Liver tired, overworked and trying to work under stress etc...derr 😆 🙄

Right.

Im not going to abstain completely. I need some sort of a vice otherwise it'll have to be prozzers/ciggies and marching powder!

if you have to have some kind of vice, maybe you should investigate this 'need' first/concurrently.

steve-g - Member
Don't struggle to give up drinking, just make yourself really busy in the evenings instead. Like some people mentioned it's all about changing your habits and routines. I used to drink at least half a bottle of wine everyday

Have a cup of tea instead of alcohol. Sounds a bit daft and gay but it does work (I've found). Everything sorted.

Of course, you become completely addicted to tea which gives you kidney stones.

MrOvershoot thats too much and this is coming from someone who can also cane a bottle of red and a couple of beers. Its not logically common-sense or wise.

I'm going through this at the moment. Whilst I've never considered myself anything nearing an alcoholic, I was finding myself drinking a couple of pints a night (with perhaps 1 night off a week), rising to 7 or 8 on Friday and Saturday nights. I am trying to cut back to allow myself a couple of beers one midweek night, drinnk what I want on Fri / Sat nights and no booze on sunday.

I must admit, i am finding it a bit hard, but I think the best idea is to replace 'not drinking' with something, because there are lot's of things which you can do when you have not had a drink, which you can't when you have.

I'm still miserable as shit though 😉

I found it quite easy to take a sabbatical from drinking, even when still going out to pubs with the mates. The hardest part is the conversation about not drinking that comes up every time. In terms of weight loss, you just have to stop substituting the beer for soft drinks as the sugar in these is almost as bad for weight!

Picked up the new car yet FG?

True, Ive had apple crumble two nights this week already!

Nope not yet - I'll pick it up in an hour or so!

Hora, been through the same thing as you, but probably not drinking quite to the same level. Found it was really difficult not to have at least a couple of glasses of wine every night. I would suggest that unless you are craving a drink at lunchtimes or cannot function without a drink it is probably, like most people, ingrained habit rather than addiction.

For me giving up is simply not an option as I just enjoy the taste of wine and beer too much. Our local night ride is Thursday, so am limiting myself to drinking Thursday through to Sunday. Max 3 pints on Thursday, max half bottle for other three nights. This just about hits the guidelines or a bit over. Not easy but get through to about 8:00pm without a drink and for me the craving goes.

Another point if drinking wine. I am buying more expensive wine and learning to appreciate it more by actually tasting each mouthful. Sounds silly, but I do drink noticably slower now

There's varying types of alcoholism.

Some people find they cant unwind after a day without alcohol, obviously the more extreem you take this the worse it gets, untill you can get ut of bed without a pick me up.

Others habitualy binge drink, cant go out into town without gettign off thier tits.

First sign is trying to prove to yourself that your not dependant on the alcohol. Do not say "i'm not drinking fo a week/month/year" ether quit entirley, or work out what your going to do to moderate it properly (and stick to it!).

Me, no drinking on week nights, and on nights ou i make a concious decision a the start if its going to be a heavy one or not, and stick to it!

My armpits turned yellow the other day, scared me shitless for a few hours, then went back to normal overnight. hopefully it was just a combination of change in diet, heavy saturday night and just getting out the pool form a heavy training session.

5) avoid mixing with binners

I'd say that's half the problem. He bullies you, encourages/coerces you to drink more than you really want to, and lowers your self-esteem, which makes you depressed, and you end up drinking more.

You need to find a way to gain more confidence, so you can stand up to him.

Next time he gives it the biggun, smack him in the mouth, give him a Chinese Burn, and say 'who's the daddy now, slaag???'

Trust me; he's probbly soft as shite really. All mouth. I bet he won't even try to fight back; he'll probbly be crying like a little girl, and peeing his pants.

I'm currently taking bookings for my Anger Management class. Sign up now, while there are still places!

did three months alco free, I'd recommend Henney's vintage 07 still cider now. 😉

i rad somethink that said alcoholics can stop completly but they can't limit themselves to 1 or two drinks then leave it. see if you can cut back to a one.

it's a habit for you, if you've been drinking every night, you need to break the habit.
As already mentioned, there are different types of alcoholics, not all of them are constantly pissed.
It's not just your liver you need to worry about hora, don't forget your pancreas. You can be very sick with alcoholic pancreatitis (try sedated/ventilated on intensive care needing regular operations to remove bits of dead pancreas). I work in a liver transplant theatre and see LOTS of alcohol related disease, if that isn't enough to make you drink less/responsibly then you've no chance.

DON'T drink in the house.
ONLY drink if you're planning a night out (and don't go out every night either!)
DON'T drink on your own.

Remember, alcoholics didn't become an alcoholic overnight, these things creep up on you, then you need it.

(I was in a similar position, relationship problems, regular drinking. Now I only drink if we go out, and NEVER in the house)

Good idea. This way I'll actually start enjoying going out to a pub again rather than seeing it as a 'chore'/something to almost endure.

I see good and bad and me in all of these comments, so probably not good really. But then again gotta live life!

i stopped on 28th dec 08. lost 2 stone now and have had a couple of beers in the past week.
feeling like my old self again.still going to loose more too 🙂

it's a drug and ur getting high from it. drinking every day is fcuced up.....

Another night free of booze! riding tomorrow- drink tomorrow night, ride Sunday, drink Sunday evening. Sorted 🙂

I never could see the attraction of drinking. Getting pissed, doing stupid stuff vomiting.
Thank you very much but no thank you

Your French Juan. The English tend to do everything totally; War, exploring and conquering other nations.
...I now sound like Al Murray (keeping the pub-theme) 🙄

I have seen people getting pissed in France too. Less pissed though as the ****s tend to drive back home after.

[i]"I've done abit of research and I think I am (possibly) suffering from iron overload ontop of a sluggish liver not being able to store glycogen effectively ready for rides."[/i]

Nope - you are hung over. If you take alcohol out of the equation and you get the same symptoms, then there might be something to look at. However, hanging out of your hoop more often that not is more the problem. Change your routine and alter the bits that were for drinking.

The English tend to do everything totally; War, exploring and conquering other nations.

you missed out "saying really fatuous things" but gave an example...

what puzzles me is that the use of alcohol is widely condoned while other less harmful drugs (to others) are prohibited so counterproductively 🙁

TooTall (I can only apply common sense rather than any personal medical knowledge). If you are drinking all the time and not giving your liver or digestive system a break then surely its common sense to assume its having an impact on your ability to exercise and utilise energy and efficiency of the body 100%? Same if you have a cold and exercise?

There are a lot of people "limiting" themselves or "allowing" themselves a certain amount. Also some advice not to have drink in the house. The implication of all this is that you are not in control of yourself really, either you have to physically remove the alcohol from your house or you are placing a lower limit than you naturally would prefer.

This attitude places more strain than necessary on other people for what is your problem. I am an alcoholic but my wife isn't. We have the odd crate of wine delivered as my wife is in a wine club and therefore we have plenty of alcohol in the house. I have no problem with this as I don't drink. I don't want my alcoholism to have any more impact on my wife or friends by imposing my addiction on them.

Ultimately, you need to be in control. Either give up or be comfortable with a lower amount without feeling you have missed out. I no longer feel I miss out by not having wine with a meal and I am happy to be at the table with others drinking (sometimes to excess).

you missed out "saying really fatuous things" but gave an example...

ah socially accepted DRUG's - dont you just love them!

a short but sweet crack habit should get you off & over the boozing

Good luck!

I no longer feel I miss out by not having wine with a meal and I am happy to be at the table with others drinking (sometimes to excess).

great attitude [b]Count[/b]! I feel much the same though I'm not alcoholic. I prefer to get my enjoyment from activity and socialising rather than recreational drugs.

i just prefer to get off my tits and piss off the locals, but maybe thats just me 🙂

no drink in the house
set yourself a goal (like do a 100 miler) so you have to train for it
get yourself some nightlights so you can ride at night instead of going to the pub
If you do go out and drink, cut back, and put that extra money in a glass jar (so you can see it)
when you enough money, treat yourself to a new wheelset or something nice then you can see how much money your saving by reducing.

End of the day, you'll be fitter and have a nice new set of wheels for that 100 miler race 😮

juan - Member
I never could see the attraction of drinking. Getting pissed, doing stupid stuff vomiting.
Thank you very much but no thank you

I never understand this attitude. Maybe some people drink because they like the taste of it, the fact that it's alcoholic can be a side issue? It's like that for me, I don't really like the feeling of being pissed (well, not very often anyway) 😉

I drink a glass or two of wine most nights, although I am trying to have 2 or 3 dry nights a week. I've also gone back to buying good bottles of beer and cider, and limiting myself to just one bottle a night through the week (admittedly, M&S's organic cider is about 7%)...

I find it dead easy not to drink if I'm having boring food (jacket potato with something or other), but if I've cooked something interesting, which is most nights, I like a glass of wine or cider to go with it.

I could give it up, but I don't want to. I do like to keep my units to under 15 a week though - no science, it just feels right...

It must be partly a taste thing. I quite enjoy the odd 0.0% lager, the ability to make a decent alcohol-free lager seems to have improved and they are now free rather than just very low so OK for me (I won't even have cough mixture which can be like 5%, or a sauce at a restaurant with wine).

I have really forgotten what lager tastes like now but the alcohol-free stuff is fine for me so might be an idea if you still enjoy the habit but want to lose the units.

what puzzles me is that the use of alcohol is widely condoned while other less harmful drugs (to others) are prohibited so counterproductively

Perhaps because alcohol has been used/abused for 1000s of years? Most other drugs have a very recent history compared to beer for instance.

There was a suggestion in a book I read recently that agriculture was taken up by hunter/gatherers because they could make alcohol, rather than because of the food aspect. To a point it makes sense to me - a loaf of bread or a few pints of beer with your haunch of venison? (Or both, with a nice cheese course afterwards........)

The Jar idea is a brilliant idea. I reckon Ive saved c.£5, £8, £10, £6 so far this week = £29 x 4 x 52 = Over a grand for a new frame EVERY year.

Right, buying a big jar this weekend from one of those bargain home shops.

The Jar idea is a brilliant idea. I reckon Ive saved c.£5, £8, £10, £6 so far this week = £29 x 4 x 52 = Over a grand for a new frame EVERY year.

I think the booze has impacted your maths skills 😆

Hora try using Kudzu from health food shops. Worked for me

whiskey and heroin followed by seven hours of lairy downhill is the future! 😆

Hora I really don't think you should worry about having a glass or two of an evening- everything in moderation. OK maybe if you're combining that with a session at the weekend then cutting back might be wise starting with not getting blitzed at the weekend which probably does more damage.

Well done Hora. I think i'm going have a big jar too. Been ten years since a new bike so what better way to justify it. I too have been booze free, maybe some over weekend then back to week nights off and been running twice in last two days. My legs feel like they're hit with sticks, but boy it feels good 🙂

Just to mention that if you are a daily heavy drinker that it can be quite dangerous to stop drinking suddenly. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms range from the unpleasant; feeling rubbish, sweats, mild tremour all the way upto err seizures/dying.
If you do experience withdrawal symptoms then it's sensible to cut back quantities/strength before stopping alltogether or if you have a history of unpleasant withdrawals arranging a detox through GP.