I need help NOT drinking! Need ACCOUNTABILITY friends!

IronDogJourney

So I've read all of the stuff I could find online about alcohol and its effects on your work out progress. I started drinking a lot more after an injury a year plus ago and basically have a few vodka drinks every night. Its helped me stop working out, get lazy, gain weight and feel like I failed.

I want to stop drinking all together because it doesn't serve me. Every time I do, I find an excuse to have another. I want to challenge myself, but I need some accountability.

I started going to the gym again this last Monday and have been every day except today, but I have been drinking still and it seem so counter productive. I really want to get back on top.

Feel free to share info, stories of overcoming, or just just join me on this personal challenge!

Dazzler21

https://breakingmuscle.com/healthy-eating/alcohol-impairs-hypertrophy-and-messes-with-your-hormones

jcstevens86

Dude just quit....stop makin excuses....if i could quit any1 can

boehle

I allow myself one day. I drank a lot after a breakup and it caused fighting with my son and almost destroying another relationship. I now am back in the gym several days a week and allow Saturday to have a few drinks and thats it. Baby steps is what I suggest.

cassirae03

I got rid of the alcohol in my house and removed myself from social settings where I might be tempted for awhile. After 2 or 3 weeks, my desire to have a drink seemed to dwindle and I had more restraint once I saw and felt the benefits of quitting. It's hard, but worth it.

boehle

PS. Read your on profile:

About Me:
I like people with a sense of humor and I hate excuses.

Focus on what you hate

JennyRATL

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610475/less-alcohol-nov-2017-one-day-at-a-time/p1

Thread for accountability and support! Come join us!
Some of us moderate our intake, some abstain altogether.

tuddy315

^^^ Agree. Re-read your inspirations. You can do this!

jcstevens86

cassirae03 wrote: »

I got rid of the alcohol in my house and removed myself from social settings where I might be tempted for awhile. After 2 or 3 weeks, my desire to have a drink seemed to dwindle and I had more restraint once I saw and felt the benefits of quitting. It's hard, but worth it.

Great advice

mysteps2beauty

The first day is hard. But if you can just focus on just one day, don't worry about the next one. Just do it today. You will wake up feeling a little like your old self, and that may inspire you to try to do it one more day. Change whatever routine it is that allows you to drink alcohol. Can you drink at work? Probably not. Do you drink at home? Probably so. Find a way to keep yourself busy before you come home. Don't have liquor in the house. That way it won't be easy to grab a drink. I stock fizzy drinks like flavored soda water to delight the senses in my mouth. Also, myself, if I can't get to sleep, I take melatonin (a naturally occurring hormone in your body). I also read, journal, and do a few chores to keep my mind busy.

Just do it one day at a time.

msheatherb23

Some friends and I are doing a NoDrinkNovember! You could do it with us. I plan on keeping it going after November, mostly because there’s so much sugar in alcohol and I feel more productive when I don’t drink. I’ll hold you accountable if you need it!

Scarlettknits

I am struggling with the same thing- get stressed/have a drink. I do best if I have nothing in the house. If I am going out (which I do a couple times a month) I allow myself a drink or two so I don't feel completely deprived. Tracking each and every ounce of alcohol helps too. It's a good motivator to stop when you're hungry at the end of the day because you've drank your calories.

WickAndArtoo

You can do this if you put your mind to it! I haven’t had a drink in one year and four month and I have loved every sober minute of it! Make a list of reasons why it doesn’t align with your goals and who you want to be as a person. For me after reading research that showed that even as little as one beverage a day is shown to increase risk of cancer I quit cold turkey. If I think smoking cigarettes is socially and healthfully unacceptable then why show alcohol be too? Good luck in your journey!

WickAndArtoo

Oh and I forgot to mention! At first it’s awkward and hard to say no at social events or be sober, but after a little time all of that goes away, I still have just as much fun as everyone else, plus I get make sure my loved ones get home safe by being a designated driver. I do get tired earlier than those that are drinking, it’s the only real difference I have noticed as far as enjoyment goes

StatsGuy99

If stress is a factor in your drinking, finding an alternative way to relieve stress can greatly help with reducing your alcohol intake. I used to drink quite a bit to cope with stress (though I was also attempting to perfect the old-fashioned). In my case, punching something for half an hour straight turned out to be a great stress reliever.

IronDogJourney

I really appreciate all of the feedback! Feel free to add me as a friend anyone who likes.

Iamnotasenior

I quit back in March of this year when I found out that my drinking was starting to damage the muscles in my heart. I too, would come home from a stressful commute and a stressful job and "relax" every night with a few glasses of wine. Even with the diagnosis from my doctor, it was still hard to deal with the cravings at night because it had become such a habit. An accountability partner helps, but what also helped was to have a talk with myself about the fact that I was hurting myself by drinking and if I continued to drink, knowing that I was harming myself, then I had a drinking problem. I quit cold turkey and got on MFP and started logging all of my calories. Since March, I have lost 38 pounds and my heart function has improved back into the normal range. Even then, I am tortured by the random thought that I could "just have one drink" or "it's a special occasion", etc. and I tell myself "Is one drink worth heart damage?" You'd have to ask yourself if that drink is worth completely derailing all of the work you did in the gym that day.

I have developed some strategies to combat the cravings and they are much reduced over time. I have a tart, fizzy drink with a twist of lime in the evenings and when I go out for the evening with friends, I'll have tonic water with a twist or sparkling water or if I really feel like a treat, I'll have the bartender make me a "virgin" frozen daiquiri or Bloody Mary. I feel so much better now and yes, sometimes it sucks to be sitting there with my sparkling water while my husband has a beer with his lunch or my friends are toasting each other with cocktails, but I have reached my lifetime limit of alcohol and I have to deal with that and be accountable to myself. I'll be retired soon and I don't want to be pushing a walker with an oxygen tank strapped to it when I finally get to stop working and have time to travel. Set a long-term goal for yourself and stop with the excuses. There is always an excuse to drink and if there isn't one, you can make one up. Understand that and reject the excuses and you will be successful.

IronDogJourney

I've had 1 heart surgery and am going to have one in less than a year. I guess I should take it seriously.

Jackie9003

I've stopped buying it so I can't be tempted, and I feel much better, I get around the social element by driving everywhere - nobody questions you if you're the nominated driver.

goldentamarin

Hi, this has been my struggle too. Alcohol is a slippery slope for me and it always messes up my fitness goals because I tend to eat a lot when inebriated. Horrible combo. I'm 12 days sober and have a mini-goal of going the rest of the year without a drink. I've found this site incredibly helpful. I read the posts there daily. It's worth a browse

https://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking/

donna_77

On the same track as you. It's so hard! I'm a massive binge drinker and at 40, I think its time to grow up. It's messing with the hard work I put in at Crossfit. Will add you as a friend if you like and we can be accountable