Has anyone else quit drinking alcohol completely?
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Thank you so much for this post. I am only one week sober and it is tough. I quit for a year prior to getting married. I then quit for two years (two pregnancies and nursing)...but got right back on the bottle. My 3 yr old was starting to act different when mommy and daddy would have their "coffee". I have also ALWAYS fought the beer belly, so I thought VIOLA, vodka. Well, here we are...I have flipped flopped 5 pounds for the last three weeks only to realize (I really knew all along just in denial) that the booze was packing on the weight. Just in one week off booze, I have lost the stubborn booze 5 pounds and TWO more!!!! If my kids were not motivation enough, the weight loss certainly is.
It is an incredibly hard path...as an alcoholic, I know. I have been to AA and Alanon but the demon wins everytime. I do not want my kids to be raised in the same manner I was (with alcoholic parents) and I really want to FEEL better!
Taking this plunge with ya sista!!!!
Great job on the sobriety and weight loss! I'm glad that others are posting here - wasn't sure with my first post a little while ago. I started tapering my consumption (which I know you really shouldn't do but seems to be working for me) last Wednesday. My goal is to have my very last drink tomorrow which is the same day I will finish Allen Carr's book. Alcohol has not only impacted my weight but more importantly, my health. I guess I thought I was invincible but over the last few years, my blood pressure, pulse rate, cholesterol, etc., numbers have all gone up quite a bit. I look puffy and swollen all the time and didn't realize till yesterday I was in a constant state of brain fog. Since I started the tapering process, my BP and pulse have gone back to normal ranges - I didn't think that was possible over only 5 or 6 days but it happened and that is such great motivation for me.
I started drinking more often 2 years ago and then it suddenly turned in to drinking every day, which turned in to earlier and earlier in the day. When I finally noticed at each doctor's visit (I go to the doctor quite often because I'm disabled but that's a totally different story
) that my stats were going up and up and up. I woke up when I started reading Allen Carr's book last week and I know what I HAVE to do.
Thanks in advance to anyone that will help keep me motivated and on the right path.0 -
Been sober since 1997. Hardest thing I've ever done and a constant struggle.0
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Hardest thing I've ever done
There is much truth in this. I can say it's one of the hardest things I've ever done as well.0 -
I can't give it up on the weekends but I'm really trying. I'm a weekend drinker and its damaging all my hard work.0
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Saturday was the last night for me. My drinking was getting out of hand.. I really hope that I can stop on my own.0
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Hi everyone - I sure do hope this group is still active. I noticed there hasn't been a post for a couple of weeks. Staceyann, I am reading Allen Carr's book right now and it seems to be working. I was so skeptical when I bought the book but I'm totally sold on it now.
Please let me know if there is another group or if this one is stil lactive - I would love some support and motivation as I go through the process of becoming a non-drinker.
Thanks!
Hi there! I just accepted your friend request! This isn't a formal group although I have to say I am blown away by the support I've found through this post and by how many of us are in the same boat. It really helps to know you aren't alone and to have others with you. And yes...starting out reading the book I wasn't sold but by the end I sure was. I don't know how he does it but he really changes your thinking.
Maybe we should start an actual group since there is so much interest. I'm not sure how to do that but I could probably figure it out if there is enough interest.0 -
I thought the Allen Carr book was fascinating. I got way more out of the drinking book than I did from the eating one even though food is my issue, not alcohol. I didn't drink for a period of 9 months and because I'm not a big drinker anyway I didn't miss it much. Friends and family had more of an issue with me not drinking than I did. I found that surprising - why should it bother them if I choose not to drink? I suppose it's a bit like being on a diet - it makes them question their decisions/habits.
I totally agree...I read the eating one after the drinking one and hated it. Some stuff he said made sense but a lot of it was the drinking book rehashed and didn't ring true to me when applied to food. Especially the meat part...I love meat. 0 -
I have. I also read the same book... and probably 10 more! Lol! I quit November last year. I recently had a slip. No big deal. Just getting right back on the horse. I think people quit when they are truly ready to quit. I know that sounds easier said than done... but there's a lot of "preparation" work involved in quitting a habit/addiction. It can take years sometimes. Good luck! And stick with it.... that's the most important thing.
I can recommend the following I've read: Changing For Good by Prochaska, Turnabout by Jean Kirkpatrick, Sober for Good by Anne Fletcher, Staying Sober by Gorski & Miller, and Rational Recovery by Trimpey. Another good read is Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp.
Also highly recommended: http://womenforsobriety.org/beta2/
Thank you so much for the book recommendations and the website. I'll definitely check them out. I actually read Drinking a love story many years back and LOVED it. Great book. It didn't make me stop drinking at that time but it definitely is powerful.0 -
I also recently quit drinking. I drank for almost 20 years, starting at 14. The only other times I quit were with my three pregnancies. It's been six weeks for me now, the longest I've ever gone! It is a struggle for me, especially since I manage a bar, but every day I just remind myself how much better I feel when I'm not drinking. Feel free to friend request me! Good luck with your sober journey.0
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Saturday was the last night for me. My drinking was getting out of hand.. I really hope that I can stop on my own.
Good luck to you!! Feel free to add me as a friend if you want some support!0 -
As for my own progress....I just need to keep reading the book. I have slipped a couple times (weekends get me) but each time I did I enjoyed it less while I was doing it and was angrier at myself the next day. I haven't had anything since Sunday and I'm hopefull I can continue on from here and stay on the right path.
What is going to help is that my husband is now on board and wants us to start doing Insanity at night together after the kids go to bed (this was normally our drinking time). I resisted the idea at first but now I'm excited and I think it can only help. Day one begins tonight!0 -
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I was sober 10 years on August 28. Best decision I ever made, but still miss a glass of wine with dinner occasionally. Friend me if you need support. I work in our Drug Court and share my story regularly with clients who are struggling.0
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I quit a long time ago when my young daughter started asking questions about it. I realized it was not something I wanted her to experience so I just stopped. I was not a heavy drinker but had a few beers with mexican food once in a while. There are way too many negative effects of drinking, and the benefits of quitting far outweigh the negs. God bless you, and if not for yourself, do it for your childrens sake.
Exactly what are the negative effects of having 1-3 drinks (i.e. a few) "once in a while?" Can you point me to research showing the detrimental effects of this type of drinking?
Edited to say: I'm not advocating heavy drinking, nor am I saying everyone should drink, but the sort of blanket statement this commenter made quite frankly makes no sense. If anything there is research showing that modest alcohol consumption has neutral or even positive effects (depending on what you're drinking).0 -
I have a glass of red wine most evenings, but that's it. One glass. An occasional beer. The more miles I run, the less I want the alcohol.0
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Just posting this because an allen Carr book really helped me quit something- not drinking but smoking. I had quit before and gone back to it, but I read the book (my flatmate had been given it and t was lying around). That was over 10 years now.
what helped me was realising that by taking this thing out of my life, my life was going to be easier, not harder and I think that positive mental attitude was the thing that helped the most. So focussing on the ways on which your life will be easier, maybe even making a list of them and pinning it up somewhere you can see it, would be a really helpful thing.
Like:
1. It's easier not to have to go to the shop to get the booze. Bottles can be pretty heavy.
2. It's easier and cheaper getting home when you haven't been drinking
3. It' easier not to have to worry about your drink being spiked
4. It's easier not to have to work off those calories
5. It's easier not to get drunken blood sugar crashes and cravings and eat something really unsuitable late at night (and then work off those calories)
6. It's a lot cheaper not to drink.
7. It's a lot easier to be able to wake up and not worry about what you said and did the night before, because you can remember what you said and did.
And I really noticed a difference in two ways- my yoga practice got almost instantly better having plateaued for a bit and I felt the impact in my wallet pretty quick too. So look out for an increased wellness/fitness and a financial benefit with quitting drinking too and then ask yourself if you want to give those up.
Hope that helps.0 -
Nope.0
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This post was far more interesting and eye opening than I expected - Thanks everyone for the honesty and experience
I like a weekend drink but am also the regular designated driver.....
Several times I have has soft drinks in a wine glass on nights out - soda and lime/water ect, it just feels more like a "social event drink" and I've never missed not drinking...sometimes its mind over matter - I do tend to find "bad" weeks involce alcohol ect but I enjoy a drink and at the moment am happy doing so
full support to people cutting it out 0 -
Nope.0
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I stopped drinking when i started my weight loss/health makeover a month ago. i also am a mother who had been drinking pretty much non stop since i was 15 (i'm 24, so 10 years almost), besides during my pregnancy. I would drink every night. it is something i would always look forward to during my day. It was hard and still is. i have had one glass of wine since i stopped and honestly it wasn't even worth it. it made me feel guilty and sick. I also quit smoking with this alcohol stop. I did notice weight come off. I think the majority of the 20lbs in 5 weeks i've lost is because of alcohol stopping. I gave myself a bed time and started to wake up early and stay up during the day (no naps) so i wouldn't be sitting at home alone thinking about drinking late at night. I had a real dependency on drinking. and i work in a wine store which does not help! but honestly its been my favorite part of my health make over along with quitting smoking! goodluck! i will friend you so we can talk more if youd like. i totally related to what you were saying and i think we are in a similar situation. 0
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Never really quit drinking...it just sort of tapered off over the years and I'm now at the point of having maybe a few drinks a year and almost never 2 in the same night.
I just don't have the time or energy to give to alcohol. My body and mind are both better off.0 -
Is this even a serious question? Has to be a troll post. I work hard to earn those drinking calories. i think it makes the booze taste better when it's earned!0
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Just wanted to say to those of you making flippant remarks in this thread and not taking this OP seriously... Go F@#% yourselves! How disgusting to come into a thread like this where people are writing about battling problem drinking & even alcoholism. Makes me insanely livid!!0
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Same to the AA is the only way posters. How condescending to other more intelligent human brains.0
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Just endorsing the Allen Carr way (helped me with the smokes).
Good luck to anyone who needs help quitting what isn't good for them, whatever it is.0 -
Good luck to anyone who needs help quitting what isn't good for them, whatever it is.
And the key there is: "what isn't good for them"
Anybody coming in here to throw around your immature, careless and thoughtless remarks... think twice. People die every day because of alcoholism. You never know who is struggling. Some of the people posting here are probably not even admitting the extent of their own problem. My mom DIED because of alcoholism. Don't you dare come in here tossing around your flippant comments at people in the face of their addictions.0 -
I congratulate you on your decision to stop drinking.
I was a problem drinker (so bad I was blacking out every night for about 5 years) in my early 30s. I stopped 3 1/2 years ago and I am so glad I did. It was a start at a new life for me. I started walking every day (maybe 2 miles) and lost 20 pounds over a couple of months. I have not read the book you mentioned but I joined AA instead. For me, AA has been a great deal of help and support. AA is not for everyone. I take the parts that work for me and leave the rest. I have made many wonderful friends in AA and have come to realize that the drinking was just a symptom of many larger issues, which I won't get into here.
Send me a friend request if you would like to discuss. I congratulate you on your decision to stop drinking. Use whatever method you feel works best for you.0 -
Anybody coming in here to throw around your immature, careless and thoughtless remarks... think twice. People die every day because of alcoholism. You never know who is struggling. Some of the people posting here are probably not even admitting the extent of their own problem. My mom DIED because of alcoholism. Don't you dare come in here tossing around your flippant comments at people in the face of their addictions.
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right on sister!! :flowerforyou:0 -
@Staceyann... I am not a mom or a drinker, but I am the daughter of an alcoholic (two, actually). I am sincerely glad that you are quitting before it become a big problem in your family dynamic. I know you don't want to let alcohol destroy your life and that's why you're taking control. So happy about that!
If you (or any parent reading this) ever struggle with wanting to go back to bad habits in the future that could lead to worse habits, think about this: Think about the possibity of you accidentally losing control and spiraling down to rock bottom. Imagine the impact that will have on your kids. How much that would hurt them. How it would hurt your family and friends. And how it would hurt you. Ask yourself if you want your kids to see you experience any of the following:
-glazed eyes
-slurred speech
-stumbling and falling down, in home and in public
-intense mood swings
-abuse (verbal, emotional, physical)
-incontinence
-passing out on the couch
-body odor
-rotting teeth
-sour breath
-broken promises over and over again
-legal problems related to your alcoholism, including rehab, probation, and prison
-hallucinations and violent sickness due to withdrawals and delirium tremens (these are particularly awful to watch your mom go through)
-poor memory
-loss of cognitive skills even when sober
-force your kids into taking on adult responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, shopping, caring for the younger siblings, etc.
Nobody ever wants to let things get that far out of control, but when you're giving up your senses and body and mind to alcohol, you ARE giving up control, whether you realize it or not or want to admit it or not. Alcohol not only affects the drinker, it affects the whole family.
My mom never meant for her life to get out of control, but in the 17 years after she started drinking after her kids went to bed, she's experienced all of the above herself and more and I have watched her go through all of it. I lost my real mom when I was only 9 or 10 years old, and thereafter, she was the alcohol. She wasn't a bad person before she became an alcoholic. She's still not a bad person...she's just made some really awful decisions. She was a responsible mother before the drinking got out of control. I don't know what made her turn to alcohol. She's sober now, supposedly (I live 12 hours away from any of my family now, mainly to get away from the dysfunction). I know the guilt for what she put us through for the past 17 years eats at her every single day. She told me it does. And I think that guilt is what made it so hard for her to quit so many times...she just didn't want to come back to the surface to face what she did. At this point, I hope for the best but always expect the worst. Do you ever want your kids to have this attitude towards you? Do you want your kids to be in therapy every week as adults trying to figure out how to cope and figure out how live like a functional adult because the example you set for them only taught them how to be dysfunctional? In some ways, I still feel like a scared 10 year old who only wants her mom to sing her to sleep on her lap. You know, for things to just be okay. Like I said, she's sober now, but our relationship is very weak and I often find myself wishing I had a mom, because she sure doesn't feel like my mom. I've taken care of her more than she has of me.
I know this cautionary tale is a scare tactic. But I do wish some other kids used this on my mom before she started drinking out of control. I guess I'm posting this for your kids.
I do wish you the best of luck and hope that you and any other parent or person struggling with alcohol reading this can seek help to get better, whether they are a full blown alcoholic or just realizing that they drink too much. Just because you drink doesn't mean things will get as bad as it got for my family, but are you willing to risk it?
Best wishes!!!!!!!!!
This!!!! Unfortunately, I was the parent in this scenerio. It's almost been a year since I've had a drink and IT IS hard facing reality every day with no crutch of escape. But escaping doesn't help me LIVE my life. Guess what I'm doing?!?!?!? I'm running, I've taken the obsession from drinking to living healthy. Life doesn't become amazing because I stopped drinking, but at least now I can remember it. Oh and I don't eat as much either because of the drunken munchies... Trying to keep this fitness related.
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