Quitting Drinking?

I don't think the label is really important at all.

If you feel alcohol is a problem, the solution is to stop.

Stopping completely is so much easier than attempting to have one "now and then" if you've already established a problematic relationship with alcohol.

(ask me how I know)


There are lots of online resources, from the AA site and its literature to podcasts, other forums, etc.

I've never regretted NOT drinking. Three years sober this time around, about 20 years sober total.

I will share my story, you can ignore it if you like. I hope there is something of value for you in there.

I had a very unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

When I was in college, there was a joke that was common at our school (and there was quite a bit of truth to this joke among the students). What's the difference between a drunk and an alcoholic? Alcoholics have to go to those damn meetings every week.

I was a drunk. At my worst, when i was on the road, I was drinking a half of a 1/5th of rum every day in my hotel room after work, plus what I drank in the bar, plus what I drank with meals, plus what I drank in hotel happy hour.

I knew I had a problem and I knew I was waist deep in the problem. At the time, i traveled. Alcohol was just what we did. It was our mechanism we socially bonded. It was the mechanism we celebrated. It was the mechanism we drowned our sorrows in. Our travel group was fairly close. We celebrated our good moments together and we were there for one another's sorrows.

After about 5 years of that lifestyle, I began to look at what I became. I was a drunk. We worked hard and we played harder, but I was still a drunk. I made excellent money and it looked like I had my life together, but alcohol was still a huge part of my life.

I have never been to a meeting or received help in conquering my drinking. I happened to find my savior. I found an angel, my guardian angel. Given the events going on in my life about that time, I believe God put her on earth to find me and save me. Why would God waste their time with me? I'm not sure yet.

About a year into my professional career, I met this lovely young brunette. Fairly shortly after meeting her. I had the feeling that she was different than the other woman that have came and went in my life.

When i was on the road (which was probably 50% of the time or so, give or take), I was this raging party animal. I drank too much, I smoked, I had a great time, at least I thought I was having a great time. When I would come home to my girlfriend, none of that mattered. Don't get me wrong, she and I drank and smoked, but as time went on, it was less and less. When I would go back on the road, I would become this rampart drunkard again.

Being as dense as I can be sometimes, I began to realize the highlight of my day is the 30 min or hour that I would set aside everyday when I was overseas to talk to her. The best 5 minutes of my life was when I driving to her house from the airport and knew that I would be able to feel her arms around me again and smell her hair as she put her head on my shoulder.

I realized (again slowly because I am not always smart) that alcohol was my self medication. It was what I was using to try and replace a missing piece of my life. That missing piece was my girlfriend, now wife.

I quit traveling as the lifestyle was not a healthy one and I wanted to be with my gf/wife. Alcohol quickly faded into the background.

I virtually gave up alcohol for about 7 years. In that 7 years, I think I had 5 or 6 beers to test the waters so to speak to see if I could stop at just one. Each beer I had was a carefully calculated decision on my part. I chose the time and the place to ensure I stopped at 1.

I started traveling about 20 years ago and I met my wife about 19 years ago. Do I drink now? Yes, I do. Do I drink a lot? I might binge drink on a Friday night with friends, but I rarely drink at home and if I gave up alcohol tomorrow forever, I would not be sad about it.

When I was a drunk, the scariest thing to me was thinking about life without alcohol. The idea of not having alcohol was scarier than the idea of being an alcoholic. A number of years after I got control of my drinking, I had the opportunity to review a book entitled "Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget". It was like reading an autobiography.

Every addict has to find their own reason to stop unhealthy behavior. It has to be a reason that they believe in above all else. Not everyone can gain control of alcohol on their own like I did. I would venture that most can't (I'm not saying I'm special, I just happened to be lucky I think). If you want to give up drinking, find your reasons why you are drinking and why you want to stop. Once I figured those out, stopping was easy.

Sorry for the long post Anyone who knows me knows I tell too many stories and talk too much. I hope you find something useful in my tale.