Stop drinking alcohol success stories

bezza666

It's been 3 and a half months now since I had a alcoholic drink. Anyone else a non drinker. I don't get any anxiety anymore!!! But I eat a whole lot more!!

minijoanna

I was a daily beer drinker for many years. At least 4 or 5 on a regular night and sometimes close to 10 or 12 on a weekend. I stopped drinking in Sept 2012 and also counted calories and charted exercise and lost nearly 30 lbs in 6 months. I often believe it was the omission of drinking that caused most of the weight loss. I've had a few drinks here and there since then but it's rare and I definitely feel like a different person because of it. I never realized how many calories I was consuming each day from beer alone! And, I also never realized how good it could feel to NOT drink. Something just clicked in me and I don't want to go back. I wish you the best of luck in your journey and don't look back!

jmgj27

I was a 6/7 nights per week drinker, polishing off 1-2 bottles of wine in a sitting. Stopped drinking completely on 4th Jan and haven't had one since. 32lbs down which is partly due to not drinking huge amounts of empty calories and largely due to actually having the motivation to exercise and do stuff now I'm not drinking. I don't intend to stop drinking for ever but I'm going to limit it to special occasions from now on (and, no, Wednesday is not a special occasion for me anymore!)

briscogun

I was a beer and bourbon guy for a while there. Pretty much every night for maybe a year or two? Stopped when I started to try and lose weight. I have a beer now and again, usually just on Saturday nights (I'll have a Miller 64 to keep my calories in check because when I looked at the calories in my old beers... DAMN!). I'm not a "no-beer-no-drinks-no-way-never-ever" guy, just reasonable about it.

Down almost 40 pounds and the alcohol is a huge part of it I'm sure!

erockem

Bro-in-law gave me the nickname Siphon one Christmas Eve due to the amount of beer I could suck down. No one would order pitchers with me because they would get 2 glasses if they were lucky. Then, about 6 years ago when I started this life style, I cut liquid calories cold turkey. The only thing I miss is the smell of an ice cold beer. Everyone in Wisconsin drinks, but these days, no one says anything anymore at parties when all you have is water.

kshama2001

Back in the 90's, I used the cognitive behavioral tips I learned from going to a few Smart Recovery and Rational Recovery meetings to stop abusing alcohol. (I don't think RR has live meetings anymore.)

I developed a sweet tooth when I quit, but lost weight as overall I was taking in less calories due to the absence of booze calories and not having the drinking munchies.

D_squareG

This is very motivational. I struggle with drinking my calories.

Heirgreat

Very inspirational I appreciate this post

vingogly

I drank heavily for 20+ years, and most of it was drinking to medicate anxiety and stress. What I didn't know was there's a rebound effect: after the alcohol wears off you rebound to a higher level of anxiety. Instant panic attack for me. Alcohol also didn't help with my weight, or with eating sensibly.

I quit drinking 24+ years ago because it was slowly killing me. For a year or so, I ate more and had an especial craving for ice cream: I'd polish off a pint a day, every day. That eventually went away, and now it's all good. I still like ice cream but don't feel a compulsion to eat it. Although I have no problems with cooking with alcohol, I don't drink at all these days because I've grown to know myself: I can't trust 100% that I'll stop at the one drink or two, and not end up where I was 24+ years ago. Yeah, I'd get away with it for a while ... but for how long?

Here, by the way, is an article explaining why RR did away with meetings:

http://www.rational.org/index.php?id=51

lisaisso

I'm sober and active in recovery. Often times one get replaced with another. Here's to getting healthy in all ways

Sweet_Heresy

7 months sober here.

I used alcohol to cope with anxiety and depression. I'd always been a heavy drinker, but then I hit an exceptionally rough patch...got to the point where if I wasn't at work, I was drunk. Had a breakdown, ended up in the hospital, and that was the point where I realized I couldn't live my life like that any more.

After that I was sober for 4 months and figured that, since I quit, I'd be okay to drink in moderation. I wasn't. So I've accepted I just need to quit it for good.

pootle1972

Mid teens early 20's i Drank a lot....was hitting the shorts after work and one day thought to myself your the daughter of a dead alcoholic....wtf are you doing. I Don't drink at all now

KombuchaKat

I haven't had a drink in about a month. I'm a weekend warrior type drinker, all or nothing. I can easily go weeks without drinking but once I start it's not over until I've closed the bar down. It has definitely stood in the way of my weight loss and overall health (I also struggle with anxiety and would love to get off some low dose medication I can't seem to break with). The thought of quitting has sort of danced in and out of my mind for quite a while, but I kept putting it off. Over the last several months with a very stressful move things kind of started going out of control. It has become apparent that I need to let go of alcohol to attain my goals and live the life I want to live. There are more and more people realizing that our Western drinking culture is not what should be considered normal. In just this short amount of time I feel a million times better. Congrats on 3 months, and I love reading all the other stories on this thread as well. You are all amazing!

RoseTheWarrior

My DH stopped drinking all alcohol about 3 years ago because it caused him all sorts of stomach issues (he had colon cancer at 35 so has stomach issues at the best of times). We were drinking quite heavily on weekends - we could go through a good size bottle of rum or vodka every week. After he stopped, I kept drinking red wine, but finally on Sep 1/15 I stopped buying it for home. I do still have a glass maybe once a month if we go out, but that's it; and only if it fits into my calories for the day. We don't buy any, we don't offer any when people come over. And we've found most of the people we know either are also non-drinkers, or don't mind at all if they have to bring their own booze. Honestly I don't miss it 99% of the time. I like feeling in control of myself, and I like saving the money we used to throw away on booze.

Congrats to everyone who stopped drinking. My dad was a severe alcoholic, which really affected my childhood. You do yourself and your family a great favor by taking control of your life and quitting drinking. Kudos

GoJohnGo71

Good stories here. I started a weight loss contest January 4 and lost 22 pounds as of Friday. Won the contest too. I cut out drinking 100% -- didn't touch it once during competition time. I felt good, dropped weight, won money and saved money. I let loose on Saturday and got to that feeling super great and awesome stage. In the past I saved it for weekends and holidays. But now, after recent months, I am thinking maybe to scale it back to a few times a year.

Vanessalookingood

I gave up alcohol almost 4 years ago, and I have never looked back. I feel so much more in control of my life and it feels absolutely wonderful!

HStheBusyBee

I gave up alcohol 3 years ago this May and have never regretted the decision. I like knowing that I'm completely in control of what I do and what I say, I was not fun to be around when I'd had a drink

Rebeck1983

After a good number of years of way too much fun, I finally completely quit drinking this past August. It had gotten to the point where I was drinking regularly, had become riddled with anxiety and was not keeping up with my day to day life. My choice to quit drinking has improved every aspect of my life. No more anxiety, no more terrible sleeps! No more waking up in the morning, wondering what crappy things I may have said or done the night before. I have a clear head and WAY more energy and motivation to work towards my fitness goals. Also, the empty calories from wine and beer and poor 2am boozy-pants food choices now go into much tastier, nourishing foods that make me feel well.
Congrats on making this choice! It's not easy in this society, but the payoff is so worth it!

nycoleyrides

I have enjoyed reading everyone's stories. Very inspiring.

I fell off the MFP wagon hard in May 2015, after pulling my hamstring in March, and then losing by bestfriend, and nextdoor neighbor to a heart attack on an already crappy 30th birthday. (yes, it as day of my birthday and I still look at his empty drive way every day, he was 50). Anyways - I spent the summer drinking heavy strong beers to make myself feel the same dopamine high I would get from his delicious meals and hilarious jokes, and overall company. Beer and my dog became my bestfriend. But I realized I was only ignoring what I should be doing - exercising.

After I think about 20lbs crept on my 5'4" frame and pain set in worse then ever I finally made the choice I WILL NOT drink like I used to. That was last Monday. I had half a beer on Saturday night. Most afternoons I want to drink. Most of the day I still want to drink. But I am feeling better, inflammation is decreasing and the drinking fog is starting to clear. I am lucky I have a close friend (drinking buddy) who stopped drinking 6 weeks ago it helps to have people to encourage you against the drink. If anyone is looking for friends and support on here let me know

I am looking forward to reading more stories on this thread.

nowine4me

I can't say I'm a non-drinker, but I can say that not drinking is super helpful when you are serious about losing weight. But when I do, I log it.

bezza666

I think the norm is to drink but I just keep imagining a life for my kids without alcohol. That's my dream for them to enjoy life without the need.