Alcohol. How can you resist?!

hey, friend. you are obviously a drinker. whether or not you are an alcoholic is your business. your candor is appreciated even though it is obviously stirring up over-the-top responses from people (especially those whose parents were alcoholics). here are some ideas if you want to continue to drink on a semi-regular basis but are seeking ways to improve your situation (some similar to those mentioned before but hopefully they will balance out the puritans.

1. fun, bad-*kitten* exercise. you probably just haven't found the right kind for yourself. it took me almost 40 years to discover mountain biking and it is now my biggest positive addiction.

2. try low-cal beers. at first they will seem weak and pointless but you'll get used to them. i think they're great. esp. bud select 55 and miller 64.

3. don't start drinking until the evening. it is easy to get started around noon on the weekends but there is almost no good reason to be pounding beer after beer for 10 hours. you won't even truly enjoy them after awhile. you'll just be doing it compulsively. think about happy hour. even people who live to drink often do something stimulating during the day and don't drink 'til the evening.

4. try smaller portions. can't really do that with beers but if you are a booze drinker, pour yourself half a shot instead of the whole deal. your brain will be just as satisfied. a shot and a brew is still a shot and a brew for your habitual brain, even if they're smaller and lower cal.

5. start really savoring and enjoying and paying attention to what you drink. hold it up to the light and see its color. smell it. get a mouthfeel. all those things they teach you at breweries and wineries. meditate your beer. you'll start to realize when you are really enjoying it and when it is just something to do that isn't even really doing it for you. you'll be surprised how much more enjoyable drinks are when you are having them in moderation than when you're just doing it compulsively.

6. get clear about what you are gaining by drinking and what you are losing. how is affecting your relationships? your motivation? your budget? that stuff is damn expensive! cutting down (at least) is advisable for almost every drinker.

7. are you an artist who is afraid of actually creating? many people are who don't even consider themselves artistic. i think that a ton of unhappiness in this world is people who have a calling to express themselves creatively but are too afraid to act on it. so many artists over-rely on drink and there is no way to completely elimate suffering from your artistic journey but actually working on something, actually creating (even if it woodwork or needlepoint or something others might not really consider 'artistic') is the best cure for most of what ails you.

8. you could try legalized marijuana if that is an option but marijuana (while it seems to be a lot healthier and cheaper than booze) probably won't help much since it makes most beer drinkers want to drink

9. meditate. a tough practice at first but I find that meditation (closing your eyes and learning little-by-little to clear your mind) is a great way to learn that boredom is just an excuse. if experienced meditators can be happy with an hour or more of doing absolutely nothing, then anything can be stimulating and enjoyable, as long as it is not something that is actually killing our spirit, like hours on end of TV we don't even care about.

i have a friend who is totally sober after years of drinking and he once told me that if i really love drinking then, if possible, i should be careful and responsible wth it so i don't have to get to the place of never being able to have a drink again. time will tell if this is possible or if i am just delaying the inevitable but when i think "moderate drinking or none at all?" the choice is easy for me.

hope that is helpful, my man.

mm

Why exactly do you need a "buzz"? You seem very concerned with getting some sort of stimulant other than just living life. Are you keeping yourself truly occupied, mentally and physically? If not, find some hobbies that don't include stopping to get a drink. You're so used to drinking that you're revolving your life around the unnatural buzz it gives. Most people around the world don't get this buzz every day, and you too can live like this. You don't seem to WANT to drink as much as you do. It seems to preoccupy your mind a lot. You plan your day around it. Think of all the things you could be doing instead. Think about how much better with yourself you'll feel if you drink less.

To drink less, you'll have to learn self control. You have to say no when someone wants to stick a drink in your hand, and when you want to reward yourself with a beer for doing something you'll have to teach yourself to refrain instead. It's going to be a learning curve, and it might be hard while you adjust. But if you keep yourself occupied, it should go easier.

Maybe you don't want to eat because your body and mindis so used to doing things this way. You have to re-teach your body. You can do it.

Replacing one drug (alcohol) with another, doesn't solve your problem, by the way. It wont change things or make you happier. It's just replacing one bad for another, different bad. You need to learn to live without this buzz you keep seeking, not to replace it with some other unnatural high. Otherwise nothing will change.