giving up alcohol

gazzala85

hi ive gone nesrly two weeks without alcohol, i normally drink once a week but binge drink and pay for it for days on end and my fitness and eating go out the window!!!
my family and friends are always drinking at social events or on weekend
has anyone else given up alchol? was it hard

please share your experiences with me thank you

kellehbeans

I found cutting out my alcohol really helped. I was never really a binge drinker, just frequent. But those frequent drinks were very high-calorie slow cocktails!

I don't actually like the feeling of being drunk, so it was easy for me. I enjoy a cheeky cider now and then, maybe a JD and diet coke or two, but I never overdrink. I will have one at least once a week, if I'm lucky. But since I have cut down alcohol (let's face it, I was drinking for no apparent reason), I have lots of weight and I am happy with soft drinks if I go out. Unless of course the alcohol is free, then that's a different story!!

I used to go out down town 3 consecutive days a week, but if I do have other social events, as I've said before - I'm happy with a soft drink (don't get me wrong, I will have one or two alcoholic beverages!). I like to remember my evening!

amosc82

I actually drank daily. Not getting smashed, but anytime i was off duty and the evening came around I'd pop a few. I'm on my 3rd day of not drinking. It's an odd feeling since I'm used to having a beer casually, after practice, or just to chill. Well maybe a few beers. being I'm a big boy I can kill a six pack and have a good buzz but not drunk. This site actually helps me stay motivated to not. The amount of calories that I put into my body Even if just on a weekend day is astonishing. As I'm cutting a 1000 cals off my diet, and I train hard, and strength train, my body is starting to crave calories that i need in food not beer. Are you currently doing any fitness plans or workout regimines?

PS I have quit drinking completely before and lost approximately 20 lbs in a month. This happened twice. It's amazing how much you lose.

kuntry_navy

I can't say I gave it up. Just longer breaks in between, Saturday is my 4 week mark

yaseyuku

I also was a big drinker. I still drink so I haven't given it up completely, but I try to opt for lower calorie options (or one regular one), fit it as close to my daily calorie intake as possible (if it goes slightly over and I planned for it, fine, but not over by too much - hopefully not at all), and so on.

I still drink. Just not as much and not as often.

rotill

I have cut down to social drinking 2-3 times a month. After those days I always see very clearly how bloated I am, and I feel sluggish and tired. The good thing is that it clears out pretty quickly, when I avoid alcohol. This makes it very easy to not drink unless I have a good reason!

PattyReid92

Just finished three years of uni, so was binge drinking around twice a week (at least).
Only drinking at big social events now (weddings etc), if I know I have something coming up, I cut calories even more leading up to it (and then just cut loose on the night, some people talk about 'cheat diet days' and foods they just can't live without, a big night partying is my weak spot).

lambchoplewis

i gave it up 90% of the time during my weight loss. When I reached my goal and was in maintenance, I started having a glass of wine here and there. It turned right back into the everyday drinking. I gained 5 lbs right away and now I have stopped drinking. I drink then i eat and voila - weight gain. I also felt so much better not drinking. I would wake up with pep in my step. A proud feeling and did not mind getting on scale. Then the evil drink came back. I think I could be an alcoholic as once I start, I cannot stop. I need to Just Say NO!!! I need motivational help and any tips.

SimplyDenyse

I drink socially on the weekends (wine and vodka mixes mostly) and I always feel horrible the next few days. Bloated, belly aches, headaches.. I keep telling myself I should just give up drinking all together.

FlippinNora

I've just posted a friend request in 'Introductions' for this very reason OP (and it looks like I'll have to shameless bump it later). I would say I am probably alcohol dependent. Addiction is such a subjective thing but, I don't have to drink first thing, I don't get withdrawals, I'm not hiding it etc. But, I DO drink too much when I do drink. I can go a week without fine but, then I'll have a bottle of red one evening, which then leads to a bottle and a half the next evening and the same for the consecutive two or three days and then I stop again for a while.

I'm 4' 10" and can down two bottles of red and not get 'drunk' and suffer no hangover. That's probably not good. Thing is, although I don't get hungover, I am more lethargic, less motivated, lower in mood etc on the day after I have had alcohol. On the flip side, the longer I stay alcohol free the higher my mood, motivation and energy levels get.

It's become a bit of a 'no brainer' really. I am stopping for a while, as of today and I am determined to go as long as I can without. For the sake of my 'beer' belly.

lambchoplewis

I've just posted a friend request in 'Introductions' for this very reason OP (and it looks like I'll have to shameless bump it later). I would say I am probably alcohol dependent. Addiction is such a subjective thing but, I don't have to drink first thing, I don't get withdrawals, I'm not hiding it etc. But, I DO drink too much when I do drink. I can go a week without fine but, then I'll have a bottle of red one evening, which then leads to a bottle and a half the next evening and the same for the consecutive two or three days and then I stop again for a while.

I'm 4' 10" and can down two bottles of red and not get 'drunk' and suffer no hangover. That's probably not good. Thing is, although I don't get hungover, I am more lethargic, less motivated, lower in mood etc on the day after I have had alcohol. On the flip side, the longer I stay alcohol free the higher my mood, motivation and energy levels get.

It's become a bit of a 'no brainer' really. I am stopping for a while, as of today and I am determined to go as long as I can without. For the sake of my 'beer' belly.

OMG - this is ME!! I am 100 lbs, 5'2" and can down a bottle of wine in an evening. I do feel a little bad in morning but not really a hangover either!!! But, I drink and then binge eat. Stuffing junk food down my throat. I hate this!!

Today I am with you on NO drinking.

Dragonflag07

Hey

I'm the same. I found it interfered with my training and my diet. I was trying to cut down, from once a week, to once a fortnight to once a month but I'd still have about 3 crappy days afterwards with food choices - min - and it is hard to get back on track once your discipline has slipped and mentally too. A lot of folks who I thought are 'normal' drinkers - it kinda adds up and I'm not sure I want to stick to something that has to be controlled - actually observing them when they are out and the frequency adds up. If anyone said, 'I can take or leave bananas, just once or twice a week' - you would probably think they might just have a problem lol. Not wanting to upset anyone here or be controversial either. I have found it much easier to remove the little dark clouds of worry by making the decision to just stop there and then.

I've now not had a drink for 15 weeks or so. I feel much better, look better and am more confident. It's easy to go out and be sociable - i did stay in an train the first month when I was more likely to be talked into it - and boy, it took my friends or work colleagues a while to quit asking. It also feels much better to wake up bright and breezy on a Sat / Sunday morning and I have a lot more money to play with. I also know that I'm not diluting my results. Good luck. Feel free to add if you have more questions or want an accountability partner.

missybct

Honestly? I don't want to preach, but giving up alcohol was the best decision I ever made, and also the hardest.

My story may differ slightly in that I was addicted to alcohol - I never suffered any particular health ramifications other than weight gain, hangovers etc - my liver is fine thank god. For ten years, I drank weekly, mostly daily, and exceeded 20 units a week every week pretty much (in most cases, it was more than 20). I would buy three bottles of wine a week, more if I had the opportunity and I got to the stage where one bottle of wine barely even touched the sides. I would constantly seek people to go to the pub with and no meal was complete without a glass or three of wine.

Weight loss, as you can imagine was pretty slow - I did lose weight whilst drinking alcohol, but I cut right back three years ago. Then for whatever reason, I started to allow it back into my life. It came back stronger and harder and I was funding my habit by getting into debt.

Finally, over Christmas 2012 I switched medication after a breakdown and the tablets reacted so strongly with alcohol that I slowly stopped drinking...one week without...two weeks without and so forth. I turned 28 in January and was taken out to a restaurant with my Father and his alcohol dependent wife and ended up drinking a bottle of wine and felt so horrific the next day I resolved to cut it out.

I'm not a teetotal. I would never put that pressure on myself, but I genuinely believe I can contain it. Do I fancy a drink? Sometimes, especially if I'm with the friends who drink regularly or used to drink loads. I'm fortunate in that my family are not drinkers, and my boyfriend doesn't really care for it. Sometimes I think "God, I'd love a glass of wine" and I take ten minutes out and think how I'd feel if I drank one; pointless, waste of calories, waste of sugar, just a waste really. I also couldn't promise that I wouldn't spiral again because I have an addictive nature.

Health benefits? Well, I've lost weight. I probably could have done it with drinking alcohol, but it may have been slower/harder. No hangovers. More alert. More money! My liver functions fine - I have no idea how. I feel in control and I feel like alcohol is a thing of the past. I can walk past an aisle in the shop and think "No point" - it's mental AND physical.

The hardest part? Detoxing. Realising that the root of my mental issues were being hidden by the perpetuating cycle of consistent drinking. I never got completely off my head because I have to be in control (I've only ever vomited 4 times through drinking in 15 years) but I'd get so drunk I'd do the stupidest of things and wake up the next morning feeling like crap. The alcohol only masked my problems. For a long time, I thought alcohol was the only thing that could make me real and functioning - now I realise it had the opposite effect.

Sorry if this is too long, and preachy - whatever. It helps me to get it down and if I help another person, that's even better.

x

LisaInUP

I never really drank much but I drink much less now. I tend to stick to unusual beers because I enjoy them and one is enough. I like saving my calories for other things like pizza :laugh:

carmencc26

I've cut back from 3-4 times a week to once a week and slowly I'm craving it less. I only do it socially now instead of by myself at home. Exersise has pretty much taken over the drinking and I feel so much better.

bearkisses

I am giving it up too! At least for a few weeks before my Jack and Jill, and then again until my wedding!

Add me if you need support!

lisamarie1780

No, I just factor it in to my calorie intake... sometimes it brings me over if I'm going out or have friends round but considering most other days I am a little under it all evens itself out nicely. I don't really go with the cutting out things entirely school of thought.... cut down yeah but don't cut out....

I think alcohol is more of an issue for people who drink most days. I drink once or twice a week and will continue to do so... it's non-negotiable for me and it doesn't affect my weight loss but I guess everyone is different. It may be harder for people who live on pizza and burgers and do minimal exercise to drink as well but overall I eat a healthy diet and I exercise so I don't really see the need to cut out things in their entirety

lambchoplewis

Bearkisses - I am doing this also as I went for 6 months w/only a drink every now and then. The last two weeks I went back to my old drinking habits!!! AARRGGHH.. One day at a time. My worst hours are between 4-7PM so I am planning on doing anything to NOT drink

Runhard13

I would think what you choose to drink is just as important as how much and how often you drink. Socially should be fine but choose low calorie alternatives ..diet soda and tonic mixers. Its also good to stick to more happy hour like events since you'll turn into bed earlier. The later your out the more you'll drink and in turn crave garbage foods. While its easy to blame the alcohol for weight gain or trouble losing weight those pub menu items are doing no favors either.

Happy2Shop21

Hello,
I haven’t given up drinking alcohol completely, however I find adding it into MFP makes me think twice about having the extra calories. I’ve also tried switching what I drink. For example I’ve tried the Skinny Girl Margarita in place of a regular Margarita. I find the substitute doesn’t taste as good so I drink less of it, but I still get my fix.

ShoshanahM

Bearkisses - I am doing this also as I went for 6 months w/only a drink every now and then. The last two weeks I went back to my old drinking habits!!! AARRGGHH.. One day at a time. My worst hours are between 4-7PM so I am planning on doing anything to NOT drink

I cannot assume I know anything about your life, but I have struggled with alcohol misuse before. It sounds like you could possibly benefit from a support group of people who have or are trying to quit drinking. If you are genetically predisposed to alcoholism, it can be very hard to stop once you start. Going through a period of time when you are problem drinking doesn't necessarily mean you are an alcoholic, but you may want to evaluate your relationship with alcohol and the stress it causes you. (And I'm only saying all of this because I see in your posts what I have seen in myself.)

Mmmmona

I gave up my two bottles of wine a week. It wasn't really hard.

PlayerHatinDogooder

Give it up?

Hell, I'm drunk right now.

medic2038

I've been at both ends of the spectrum.
When I lived in my fraternity house I was probably annihilated about 6 days per week.
I've gone months without drinking.

Right now I'm not really drinking because i'm being rather strict with my diet. I never found that I "needed" to drink.
Usually when I go out it's couple jack+diets. After a close call with a DUI a few years ago on NYE I'm deathly afraid of getting one.

Here's a conversation I had with a woman at a bar:

She was talking about how she was a nurse in the liver transplant unit.
Me: Well you're working your way onto the list!
Her: I'm not an alcoholic.
Me: You know denial is the first stage.
Her: Yeah that's what they told me at AA. Now the ironic part is she was 100% serious, she spent the next 5 minutes telling me about AA.

AJinBirmingham

I've been watching my weight since I was 8 years old and never got too big . . . until I moved to the UK. If something good happens, everyone goes to the pub. If something bad happens, everyone goes to the pub. If nothing's happening, everyone goes to the pub. If something's going to happen, then everyone goes to the pub first . . . I got fat. I didn't realize until I started tracking it how much I was drinking!

Now I'm back in the US where I have to drive everywhere, so I usually don't drink at all and if I do, only one or two. I'm a size 4 again and I feel a lot better too.

TedStout

Oh no. No way. To me its part of life and I just deal with it. I watch the calories and its no different than anything else. M-O-D-E-R-A-T-I-O-N. But its your choice. If you like to drink, then I wouldn't try to give it up. If its no big deal to you, then quit. I have lost weight while drinking, but I am a pretty moderate drinker. Your call.

BJMcCray

- My husband and I are very social and our circle of friends party pretty hard. Of course, we're all always talking about our diet needs, losing weight, and getting healthier. ;o) We've cut back a lot, for financial and health reasons, tho. We drink moderately to heavy 2-3 times a month, but like you - all of our progress from good eating and working out goes down the toilette for the next day or three following a night of partying. What I've done to cut back on the other affects I get from drinking (bloat, water retention, cravings for carbs, etc) is change what I drink. Tom (hubby) likes to drink Crown and Coke Zero or Sprite Zero. I drink Pinot Grigio wine over ice, cut with lime seltzer water or Sprite zero and a squeeze of lime. It keeps me hydrated, produces a slow and steady buzz, I never get 'drunk', but still enjoy the affects of a cocktail. I've turned some of my friends onto it, too. Sometimes I make it in big batches and put it in a drink dispenser. ) If I stick with this, i'm rarely if ever bloated in the AM, am never hung-over, and don't crave as many sweet and salty carbs the next day. If you're drinking 'out', this may be more difficult. I sometimes have they bring me 'set ups - a glass of Sprite (they rarely have diet sprite or sprite zero), a glass of white wine, and a big glass of nothing but ice. Then I mix it myself. I never drink beer, margaritas, sweet drinks like Colorado Bulldogs (unless I'm on vacation) anymore. Those are the kiss of death for me and any weightloss issues...

eep223

For me, it was completely normal to have 3 or so beers/ glasses of wine per night as a wind down after work. I've turned exercise after work into my "wind down" period, and alcohol has become a separate treat. I enjoy 1-2 drinks maybe twice a week now. I feel so much better! It was difficult at first, because I felt like I needed something to turn my brain off after a rough day at the office, or to fill up the time between dinner and bed. I've switched to tea or kombucha, and it's really working for me. Good luck!

I've also really noticed that the days that I drink turn into the days that I snack and go over on my calories. When I'm not drinking, I don't find it hard at all to stay within my calories. I'm sure it's what's gotten me into this situation I'm in now (overweight). Food for thought.

lisamarie1780

I've been watching my weight since I was 8 years old and never got too big . . . until I moved to the UK. If something good happens, everyone goes to the pub. If something bad happens, everyone goes to the pub. If nothing's happening, everyone goes to the pub. If something's going to happen, then everyone goes to the pub first . . . I got fat. I didn't realize until I started tracking it how much I was drinking!

Now I'm back in the US where I have to drive everywhere, so I usually don't drink at all and if I do, only one or two. I'm a size 4 again and I feel a lot better too.

yeah the US is known for it's handle on obesity....

Metallux

I gave up alcohol 5 months ago after 15 years of regular drinking. Its still messing with my weight loss and health. I initially lost a few pounds after changing diet and cutting it out, but I think it did something to my metabolism and I'm finding weight loss very difficult. I'm trying to kick it into high gear with Jilian Michael's 30 Day Shred just to push through.


I personally believe you can give it up the entire month and still allow some drinks on rare occasions. I had to go through some recovery programs to get to the point I could put it down. Drinking for me is very subtle and deceptively casual, and can turn into a hefty daily habit.

Besides, drinking halts the entire fat burning process because its so toxic on your body. It takes like 4 hours to clear out the toxic effect from one drink.

UrnAsh

I drank a TON. That's where my weight gain came from. Now I can't even finish half of a beer. Since I haven't been drinking and changed my diet I've been able to lose weight. (I also have two kids under two..)