MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
apart from dont drink obviously?
fancy a month or too off, maybe more if I can, but friday/saturday (and often thursday/sunday) night beers in the house have become a bit of a habit.
beers for me, wine for the wife.
Need some tips on breaking the habit. My wife bought some non alcoholic beers, but I dont think that helps. Its the alcohol thats the problem, but drinking non alcoholic beers doesnt really break the habit, it just stops the getting pissed and eating crap food and the hangovers the next day.
Thinking I need to do something else on a friday/Saturday evening instead of sat in front of the telly. can only think of going to the cinema, but this could get expensive, and another reason we want to stop for a bit it so save some money. Also out local indy cinema is in a bar and they let you take drinks in too.
Trying for a kid at the moment too (IVF-self funded) so another incentive to stop, but both have stressful jobs and need to wind down on a weekend.
Anyone recently stopped and can offer some sensible tips in weening yourself off, or breaking the habit completely? Right now we have just said no more drinks in the house unless special occasion/people round etc. We havnt ruled out drinks out, but arent about to start going out more just to drink as we didnt go out much in the fist place.
exercise till your exhuasted
we had a kid and after work, cycling home, cooking, tidying etc im too tired to do any proper drinking
Give all your house booze to your mates
Only drink when out
Only go out once a week
Thinking I need to do something else on a friday/Saturday evening instead of sat in front of the telly
Spend time with friends and family. I find board games (the decent "German" ones, not Monopoly) and card-games a good format for sober socialising with friends.
It's obviously your decision, but if you're not drinking during the week what's wrong with a beer or two at the weekend?
Maybe get rid of the beer, just share a decent bottle of wine with the wife? That way you both cut down.
It doesn't sound like you are a raging alcoholic so just stopping doing it should be easy enough. I got into the habit of a beer after work, come in, cold beer out the fridge, flop on the sofa. It was nice, but easy to stop. Hopefully the wife will need to stop soon anyway for 9 months or so. If you need to do something, as we are on STW the obvious answer would be night ride. That'd be a nice habit to get into, night rides don't need to be long or tech to be fun.
Been 'dry' since March with only one Olympics slippage.
Subbed Cranberry juice for wine in a wine glass which weaned me off the feeling I needed it to relax, then just got bored with the juice.
Now drink more exotic teas - Chai, Lapsang etc and am currently exploring this in the way I used to do with real ales.
Changing behaviour and environment is the real key, I don't go near pubs now and if I do it's not for long. We use Tescos to deliver so removed any alcohol from the shopping list thingy. And at home in the evenings Mrs Cat has an everlasting list of small jobs for me to sort round the house which is cathartic after a day at work. Night rides will soon replace this. 😀
Good luck and keep us posted on what works.
Take up heroin; it really does take the edge of
I just "stopped" on September 1st. I have a reason - my wifes expecting and I'll need to drive her to the hospital anyday now.
However, I've decided to carry on until Christmas day.
One tip, making your goal public to family and friends is a good phsychology, as then having made your comittment, you feel you'd be letting them down if you break it.
My Christmas beer will be one to remember. 😉
Problem with sharing 1 bottle of wine is, it always turns into 2/3! I would rather not bother.
when I have dry periods I just choose an alternative drink. Normally fresh orange juice (which I drink a lot less of).
It's the evening glass of wine through the week that I miss. Not drinking at the weekend is easy as long as I have something to do.
I used to go the pub every night in the first month or so of quitting.. just to socialise.. chat with mates, bar staff, locals, strangers that wandered in off the street.. same as when I was drinking but with coffee and squash instead of ale and whisky..
If I fancy a drink during the week then I've tasking to drinking carbonated spring water, which I rather like.
Many years ago [30+] I had a bit of a drink problem and boozed 5 nights per week, tried so many times to stop or cut down but it never lasted.
I the end I simply thought "I don't drink on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, so just expand it"
I then stopped on Thursdays and when that had settled, Mondays. In the end I was just left with Saturday night, which is where I still am 30 years later
I got in to drinking industrial quantities of Gin and tonic recently, was surprisingly easy to just stop putting the Gin in it.
Beer is less easy, just be wary that if you sub in fruit juice or ribena or something of that ilk then there's a shed load of calories in every glass (and you'll drink more of it that you did beer)
Night rides will soon replace this.
I do more of that too, which beats sitting in front of the TV.
Don't have any drink in the house ,and get out and ride that CX bike more. 😉
I've been drinking wine every night for years and approaching 40 I know this has to stop; in the past I've never found an alternative drink that satisfied but recently 'discovered' sparking water- it was a revelation! Apart from a couple of 4% ales in the pub I've not drunk in the home for 2 weeks.
As has been said I think not drinking in the home is the key.
I love Stella. I will have 4 cans every other night. Unless it is a Friday, Saturday, where 4 becomes 6 becomes 8 (and Sunday if I am late in Monday) I even found a local shop that does the old 5.0% 500ml cans
This constant topping up means that you are always up for a mad one when the opportunity presents itself. I was at a wedding a few weeks ago and, as usual, got roasted and ended up making a **** out of myself in front of my Wife's family.
That was 3 weeks ago and I havn't had a drink since. For the last 20 years I have never been a day or two away from my last can . I am skint and was spending all my free Money on beer. Now I can buy the odd bike bit and be happy .
I have a "Bike Fund" tin. On the days where I would have had a beer, I am sticking a few quid in the tin. That works for me 🙂
right now I consider myself as someone who "doesn't drink" I dont want to go down the 'only on a Saturday' route as I am pretty sure that will get me back where I was.
willpower
give yourself a target and reward, say after a week, month, 3 months, etc.
Big bonus after the new year.
Tell your mates in advance that you are stop drinking and why, preferably when they are sober helps 😉
After 4 week I found it got much easier.
Xmas is hell, if you can get through that month, everything else is plain sailing.
You are also past the BBQ season, so good time to start 😉
Good luck
Problem with sharing 1 bottle of wine is, it always turns into 2/3! I would rather not bother.
Fair enough! Although if you make sure there's only the 1 bottle at home when you start, that's less of a problem.
Edit -
IVF-self funded
Great idea, its a real roller coaster of a ride mind, take everything one step at a time and take care of your other half, expect highs and lows, a journey that changed my life and opinion on a lot of things forever, good luck, again 😉