anyone trying to take control over beer?

Mar_11

Don't judge if you haven't been in this position please!

I need friends who have been there, done that or are in the process of kicking beer to the curb!

I drink beer daily. Am I an alcoholic? Oh probably by someones definition but I don't feel that my life revolves around it. It doesn't affect my job and I have never missed work because I was too hung over to go to work.

I love my beer after a hard day at the office. However, I have been cutting daily calorie intake to be able to fit the beer in. I know my nutrition is suffering due to that. I'm looking for peer support of those that have kicked the daily beer habit or are in the process of it.

ettaterrell

Well beer isn't my vice but vodka is. lol I just fit it in my calories, if it's a day I'm drinking, I plan what I will eat AFTER I drink, then I know what I can have and I prove to myself I can do it or the next day I feel bad for going over and I blame the booze. So really trying to hold myself accountable if I cant control what I eat on the days I drink then I don't need to drink. (3 to 4 days a week) I will change it to just one day a week the more I loose.

blakedebo

I'm not much of a beer drinker, but I have cut back my wine drinking. I found that I increasing becoming a nightly drinker and not that I was necessarily "concerned" I was dependent on it, I just felt I would enjoy it more if I kept to drinking on the weekends or going out to dinner. I now enjoy my extra calories by eating them, and I go over less frequently as well.

Alehmer

Enjoying a nice beer/cocktail or two because you enjoy the taste does not make an alcoholic.

Drinking any amount of alcohol because you need the chemical to cope with your life is where the real issue begins.

v1cky0115

im kind of going through the same thing. i dont see my self as a alcoholic but i like to unwind when the kids are in bed. i dont drink beer mainly cider or wine but i can easily get through 3/4 drinks a night when its been a bad day. i can go without it, i feel alot better when i do actually but i use it to get rid of stress. ive realised how much it effects my weightloss so am trying to go at least a few days a week without. i havnt been on here for a couple of weeks and havnt been counting calories but before that i could do great with food and then blow it on alcohol. add me as a friend if you want to support each other.

Alatariel75

I'm right there with you, if I'm honest with myself, the reason that I've not lost any weight recently, and put almost 20kg back has a lot to do with beer. Like you, I drink pretty much daily and while it does not affect my work, I find it does affect my food choices, motivation to cook/exercise and I believe my general health. Currently recommitting to my health and weight loss overall, and part of that it cutting out drinking on work nights. I lost a lot of weight a couple years back while still drinking a lot on Friday and Saturday night, having a relaxed food day on Saturday, but not drinking Sunday through Thurs. I'm hoping it will work again.

Also about this time last year my husband and I stopped drinking altogether for about 6 weeks, and I felt great. Slept so well, was productive...

I'm actually thinking of doing a Dry July type thing, get an external reason to not drink that goes beyond relying on my own will power

Beckilovespizza

My boyfriend is trying to cut down on the beer as he enjoys the taste. I bought him so low sugar premixed shandy. He enjoys it and its zero alcohol but all the taste. I personally do not drink much (apart from last weekend) but I have found Barcardi and diet coke to be a nice low calorie option.

thintami2

I can relate. It's a lot easier to keep food under control when alcohol isn't in the equation.

jennehughes

I'm a binge drinker (vodka) and am trying to cut down my drinking because it makes me so ill (I'm not even supposed to drink on my meds so my insides are suffering even more than they should be). Some things I do to reduce what I'm drinking is to drink a glass of water every other alcoholic drink, only take a certain amount of cash out (when drinking at pubs etc, so once you've run out of money you can't drink anymore), and to stop keeping alcohol in your house (only buying the amount you plan to drink that session).

My better advice actually comes from my experiences with my other half who's an alcoholic. Some things that have helped him reduce his drinking include switching to a lower percentage drink (he went from tennents super 9% to cider 4.3%). He also reduced the amount he drank at once by pouring a couple of fingers less alcohol into the glass each time (which adds up over the days, weeks and so on). He's also recently been asked to complete an alcohol diary. His has spaces for recording the time, alcohol drank and amount for each day. I'd recommend keeping one a bit more detailed than simply what you drink and when though- adding in why you're drinking and how you feel before and after. I know you said you don't think you're an alcoholic, this exercise isn't just for alcoholics.. it's more so about being conscious and mindful of what you're drinking so that you can hopefully set goals to reduce it as you wish.

eta: oh, I also tried to get him to supplement his cider with other drinks (he literally drinks cider all day- no water, squash or pop or anything). I know I said alternating water earlier but it might be a good idea to find a drink you like that feels indulgent. I usually just put a fruity drink in a proper glass with icecubes, lemon and a straw and it makes me feel like I'm not missing out as much..

Hope some of this is at least somewhat useful, feel free to add me

JBfoodforlife

Sounds more like a "routine" than an addiction... It is your way of telling your mind its time to unwind... Not an easy fix, but certainly doable... All you need to do is find another way of telling your mind its unwinding time.... Perhaps a long hot shower... A stop on the way home for a short walk... Some place quiet where you can clear your head... You can also help this along by not buying beer... If you dont have it in the house, its not as easy to pick one up... In any respect, best of luck!!

SezxyStef

I am not much of a beer drinker unless it's a hot summer day...

For me the unwind comes from my exercise...I lift heavy things to get rid of stress.

Tylerhaar

I was drinking a lot 6 min a week ya... Lots of stress and unwinding and I have other fiends as well ,rum ,rye,vodka,wine .i just took two weeks off to see if I could lose weight and I feel great . And once you start putting in nutrient rich foods you feel even better. Just give it a whirl. Beer are empty calories which you just can't afford on this journey. It's not something that sinks in when people are telling you this though you have o find out for yourself.

justal313

I enjoy beer as a complement to many foods. If my calorie budget after exercise allows for a beer, I'll have one, very rarely two. If it's more than two then I'm drinking, not having it with food, and I don't drink often.

I don't sacrifice food for beer, I do sacrifice the extra time I need to exercise for the calories if that's my choice...

jennehughes

also meant to say something about finding alternative ways to reduce stress and to relax without the alcohol. Someone mentioned exercise, it could be a foot massage or a hot bath or just watching your favourite tv programme when you get home. Whatever works. The trick is to find something you enjoy more than drinking

auddii

Enjoying a nice beer/cocktail or two because you enjoy the taste does not make an alcoholic.

Drinking any amount of alcohol because you need the chemical to cope with your life is where the real issue begins.

This. I try to fit beer into my calories. Guinness is only 120 calories, although I tend towards IPAs and higher calorie beers (250ish). Because of that, I go out with friends for trivia once a week and try to limit my beer to that night. I usually eat around 1500 calories that day and then the beer. I'll usually be a little over for the day. The rest of the week, I try to really only have a beer if I have the calories left (and then it becomes a toss up with ice cream).

reddz12

I gave beer up for lent.. I was kinda grumpy about it at work... now, I did have a summer shandy last night and although it tasted amazing, it was a guilt ridden 130 calories. I try to put things into perspective, how much work do I have to do to make that 1 beer go away?? Good Luck dear.

JustinAnimal

Get ready for the hate...

I drink and brew delicious craft beer. Don't get me wrong. My recent, thorough broke-status has me not drinking anything. Bummer. But when I can afford it, I often go for Coors Light or even Michelob Ultra Light. Something about those beers on a hot summer day that refresh after mowing the lawn. Ahh...

Those are great for calories. Believe it or not, Guinness is actually a pretty low-cal beer, if you like it. I also do most liquors (vodka, whiskey [not bourbon], clear rum, clear tequila, etc.) with low cal or cal free mixers.

I also agree with some of the other posts. If my wife and I knew we were drinking, which was usually on the weekend, we'd just work out like *kitten* and earn the drinking calories. You can do it, especially just not drinking it (which is the best for weight loss... no alcohol), but get ready for some rough, dry nights. Hope I didn't just give away my own alcoholic status.

Galatea_Stone

I'm not willing to give up beer. I enjoy bitter, hoppy, strong IPAs in moderation. On days when I drink, I tend to aim for foods that are more nutrition dense and to get my protein in early in the day. Life is about balance. Balance doesn't mean giving up things you love; it means figuring out how to fit it in.

rbiss

Personally I am a wino. I used to have a glass of wine a night, but then it turned into a large glass of wine a night, then pasta with my large glass of wine a night. I am 90% sure most of my weight gain came from this.

I have been trying not to drink any wine at all, not even a measured 5 oz glass during the week. I find it's not the wine that's really the problem, but the entire bad habit. When I have a bad day at work, I pour some wine, eat some carb-tastic food, and then go to bed. Then I toss and turn most of the night which sets me up for failure the next day. I find that not having that glass of wine makes me far more productive during the week, but it was sure hard to break the habit. I've been working out like crazy, and have been looking at the food and how much calories I have left. At the end of the day, I like to eat those calories, and not drink them because I am hungry and my body needs that food because I am at a very large deficit. I know if I allow even that one glass right now, it will slow down my loss which is my #1 priority.

I know it won't always be like this, but for right now, it is what works best for me. The alcohol has empty calories, and even though I miss the habit, I am trying my best to make better habits. Now this weekend I worked my butt off so I could drink some beer and eat out and just feel "normal" for a day. I think that was enough to get me through for awhile. There needs to be some flexibility.

I am not sure how much of a deficit you're at or how much you exercise, but one small beer a day won't kill you. If you find your sacrificing your nutrition though for the beer, you should evaluate your goals.

ironrat79

Feel free to add me, I quit over 3 months ago. I'm also a state certified CDCA (Chemical Dependency Counseling Assistant) and entering my senior year at a legitimate university majoring in Substance Abuse Counseling, just got awarded 2 scholarships for outstanding academic achievement last week and was invited to join faculty and grad students as part of the university research team less than a month ago. I could get a C in every class next year and still graduate with honors. I can offer dual advice, personal and professional. Everyone else is welcome to add me too