So at the age of 42 and with New Year coming up I have been giving this some though for 2020. I know this crops up a fair bit on here but I would like some useful tips/advice. I’m currently a pretty heavy Thursday to Sunday drinker, and want to get fit and kick the drinking for a significant period of time.

“Nobeer” and other have previously offered up some good advice….

why do you drink Thur to Sun?

Take up some form of exercise that means you have to be up early and fit to drive on a Saturday morning – that should keep you off the booze on a Friday at least.

Maybe also do something on a Thursday evening that is not drink related – maybe cinema?

That two days sorted 🙂

I think I drink too much (often sharing wine with my other half six evenings a week). Just need to keep yourself occupied with alternatives, in my view – which I have not been doing enough. I could take a leaf out of a more sensible person’s book, for sure. I am gong to watch this thread.

I wanted to do 1,000 miles on the mountain bike this year and have ended up at around 872. I have lost my mojo these last two months and filled the evening time with too much wine. Hoping to make sure I smash 1,000 next year though.

During Xmas Day late afternoon, from just before eating the big roast, I gradually drank a single glass of wine (proscecco??). I’d struggle to tell you the last time I drank this year, you could probably count the number of days I had a drink during any one year since ~2007 on one hand.

What stopped the routine of regular (almost daily) drinking for me in ~2007 was meds prescription, that stated don’t mix with alcohol.It broke the habit and it never came back.

Hangovers make me completely non-functional and these days, like on Wednesday, I can feel minor hangover effects even off about quarter of a glass of wine. Even without alcohol, I have plenty of days where I feel incapable of doing anything and hangovers increase that number of days for me. I hate feeling like I’ve wasted days, not doing anything, because I felt incapable of doing anything (today being a classic example, wanted to go for long ride but feeling mentally completely drained).

Given the Calories in booze, I dread to think how much heavier I would have become if I’d been drinking regularly between stopping the meds I was on for ~6 months and then trying to tackle my weight and lack of fitness from summer 2016.

Booze has never made me more lively, it’s always made me sleepy and even more reserved in company.

Alcohol was/is often like chocolate/sweets to me, if they’re in the house sometimes I simply cannot self-moderate. 20-odd years back I used to drink pints at the pub like I was drinking squash and ~1 hour later having drank 3+, I’d “suddenly” be legless.

It probably helps that my better half doesn’t drink alcohol due to meds. No temptation.

I was given a bottle of Irish Cream for Xmas, it will probably last a few months, hopefully just having the one shot in coffee per day every now and again.

I don’t have any answers, I think it’s one of those things you need to find your own reasons/motivation to make a change. These days, cycling helps me, there’s no way I could do Z4+ intervals if I felt hungover.

Appreciate the answer “n0b0dy0ftheg0at”, it’s a question I asked knowing the answers already really I guess. I’m looking for a few positive suggestions to help along the way, I’m very strong willed and normally stick to plan. I’m going to clear the house of booze and really focus on Saturday sports. I think a few people of here will read this thread with interest and some may be slightly jealous of those that have cut it out their lives completely (I certainly am).

I gave up drink for over two years in the mid 90s. I was only going to the pub once a month, but was trying to drink a month’s alcohol allowance in the one session. Not a pretty sight. So I gave up alcohol completely for about 2 and a half years. For me that meant staying away from the pub and the parties. After a while I began to feel that even though I wasn’t drinking at all, drink was still controlling my life so I began going to the pub again but found I was able to have a couple of drinks then leave. Been fine ever since.I drink either at home or friends houses occasionally,  I can’t afford to drink in the pub much now 😊

Not trying to sound flippant, but just stop doing it?

I’m the same age as your good self and ‘just stopped’ 6 years ago, no alcohol free nonsense, nothing. Just stopped.

Previously my life involved alot of smoking, drinking and copious amounts of narcotics…but ultimately I just got bored of it and moved on. I don’t know if that in itself is helpful in anyway but do what you want to do, or don’t.

I mean I’ve replaced addiction with cake and shiny bike toys..but such is the ebb and flow of life.

I stopped drinking in December last year. It helped my wife doesn’t and I have friends who don’t either.

The main thing is to avoid people who will try and pressure you into drinking – the words “I don’t drink” are surprisingly helpful. Bear in mind that’s not “I’ve stopped drinking” or “I’ve quit drinking”. Makes it a lot easier!

Hi OP

I gave up the booze nearly 2 years ago (then aged 46, now 48 and still dry). I did Dry January in 2018, tried drinking again in moderation before binning it off for good that Easter. I basically decided that it wasn’t doing me any good.

Like you, I used to drink mainly Thursday – Saturday but found that over the years it was stretching to Wednesday – Sunday. Not heavy drinking (probably in the 20-25 units per week range), but it was more the frequency that I was finding worried me. I’d often be thinking about drinking, and looking forward to cracking open a beer when I got home on Friday. My booze intake usually went up significantly on holiday, since I didn’t have to worry about getting up for work.

Benefits are now that I’ve got much more energy. Sunday morning rides are a doddle (apart from being older, which isn’t helping). On holidays I’ve managed much more exercise, which has helped me enjoy the time away much more.

The key for me was finding “placebo beer” to drink instead – I’m happy with the various German zero alcohol beers (eg Erdinger), they give me the hoppy taste I want, but it’s all a matter of personal preference. Becks Blue is pretty dire (only slightly better than Kaliber used to be), but unfortunately it’s what most pubs seem to stock (this is gradually improving). As you note, there have been several threads on the subject of good low-alcohol beers.

So, good luck, you’ll feel much better for giving up the demon drink!

I never thought I could ever give up the booze until I did, for three very enjoyable months. It’s surprisingly easy once you’ve decided that is definitely what you will be doing- it’s the lead up to making the decision with all the ‘will I, won’t I’, ‘what if I can’t do it’ type bullshit that you torture yourself with that is by far and away the hardest part.

Throw yourself into whatever you think you can’t enjoy without the booze- for me it was pub based socialising- and you’ll be surprised how enjoyable it is, and also how many other people are enjoying a booze free night out as well! How did I never notice them before!!! Lol

Grr, wrote long post but forum froze and lost it all.
Basically buy Allen Carr’s book off Amazon (Kindle?). Changes your perspective on drinking – you just realise there are no advantages to drinking alcohol. Like the taste, relaxes you etc etc he just busts the myths around it.
77 days alcohol free now and not missing it one bit, from someone who drank 6-8 cans 6 nights a week