Alcohol free?

Hi there, well I'm not totally alcohol free I'd say I ve had 2 glasses of wine in about a month and a half, the choice is down to losing weight, alcohol is purely empty calories. But the benefits I've seen are more energy, better sleep, clearer skin (as I drink loads of water), other things like not feeling crap the next morning and wasting the day lazing around the house and eating crap food to feel better. I get to go home to my bed every night as I often drive, save a fortune on taxi fares, let alone money saved on not buying the drink in the first place. I fell into the Aussie lifestyle and would drink at least 2 glasses of wine a night or bottles of beer in the summer, so I went from a lot to practically nothing at all. It's so worth it, I've chosen to do this so I can eat more but it has to be a personal choice or you'll never stick to it! Good luck to your family members...,

I drink maybe 4 times a year .... not because of any reason other than I don't like to not be in control of myself...

and when I DO drink I have one beer or one or two glasses of wine... I just don't tolerate alcohol well

I'm only 18 (almost 19), but at college, there's a ton of pressure to drink. It's just that kind of culture.
But I don't drink. It's illegal for me, first of all, but I also watched my dad drink excessively all through my childhood. My brother drinks heavily still, and we have a neighbor that's an alcoholic. I also have a friend who became so invested in drugs and alcohol that it ruined his life and, ultimately, he killed himself.
So no, I don't drink. I most likely never will (at least not in excess). I'm at a predisposition for abuse, and I don't want things to take that turn.

I am & have been for 2 years now. Before that I was an alcoholic. I became one after my mother died. I would take days off work in order to drink. One day I just stopped drinking & have not had a drink since. My husband asked me not to drink so I stopped right then & poured the rest out.

It's can only be done if the person truly wants to stop, otherwise it's not going to last long.

I'm a teatotaler. I don't drink at all because I'm a Christian. If I weren't a Christian, I'd probably drink occasionally but I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. I never drank much before I became a Christian anyway.

Why does being Christian mean you have to be teetotal? After all, Jesus used WINE at the Last Supper and also changed water into wine. Also, is it not St Paul who says "Drink a little wine for thy stomach's sake"? I too am Christian but being so does not make me a teetotaller.

I only drink the odd glass of wine or cider at the weekends, and when I have them I thoroughly enjoy them. I've only been drunk once in my life and that was on my 18th birthday when lots of people bought me drinks and I somehow couldn't say"no". I've learned since that having the odd drink is very enjoyable but I also like to KNOW that I have had a nice drink. Alcohol is empty calories but "everything in moderation" (St Paul again!) is fine by me!

My heart goes out to those whose lives have been destroyed by alcohol and yet still cannot admit it. I used to do bereavement counselling and had a few clients who mourned the loss of alcoholic relatives; those left behind usually still loved the dead person, despite their alcoholism and associated behaviour. Some of the stories about their lives with the alcoholic would make your hair stand on end and it certainly made me see my own life in a different perspective.

I think a lot of it is not only down to your self-control but also how you have been brought up around the whole subject of alcohol. In our house, we have not stopped our children (who are now 32 and 29) from having a drink at 18 (the legal age in the UK) or a weak drink with a meal from 14 (again, legal in the UK but it must be with a meal). Neither of them have been drunk, nor do they drink to excess now - maybe they picked up that sort of thing from my husband and I, maybe not, I don't know.

All I know is "everything in moderation" - just wish i was like that about food!!!

If you read all the latest research alcohol in moderation - especially a glass or two of red wine most days - is 'good for you'. People who drink in moderation live longer than those who don't drink at all.

Of course, people who drink in moderation also live longer than those who are total lushes.

Many in my family suffer from alcohol dependency, and unfortunately, won't admit it to themselves. Trying to see if I can find a way to open their eyes...

Just wondering if you any of you are alcohol free? Why? Why not?

I am booze free and have been for 20 years. Not because I was an alcholic but because my ex was. I left him because of booze and drugs.

Being the partner of someone booze dependant is no fun. Everyone thinks its just dealing with the drunk person, but there is whole other raft of issues that go with it.

My ex got so drunk every week that he would piss the bed, crap his pants, spew all over the floor, forget he had kids and a partner. It was no fun waking up in a puddle, or having to clean up his mess...and then he couldnt remember it. He would lose days at a time. He also couldnt remember who he screwed while he was drunk, I could tho cause I frequently got the blow by blow story while he was pissed.

It was no fun either trying to justify to him why he couldn't have my last $20 for booze......when I needed formula or nappies for one of the kids.I resorted to stashing money outside my house where he wouldnt look. I lost count how many times I hosed out my laundry or toilet (thank god my laundry and toilet were seperate to the house). How many times did I sleep on the couch cause he was so drunk I culdn't stand the stench in the bedroom.

Yes dealing with the drunk person was enough to make me never want another drink even socially. Drunks cannot be told. Since leaving my ex 16 years ago he has not seen his kids..well he did see them twice...when I took them there in the first few months...but he refused to travel to them....now he's in a half way house for drugs and booze dependancy.

If you are dealing with drunks you need to walk away, because untill they are ready to admit they have an issue you're talking to a dead horse.

Alcoholism runs in my family: maternal grandfather and uncle.
Growing up as a child, I always turned my nose up at having a sip of something to try it, I just didn't like the smell of it. When I hit 14, I had my first drink at a high school friend's birthday. It was okay, nothing special.
Drinking was just never my thing. Until about 3 months before I left my husband. We had been together since I was 16 years old. We married 8 years later. It had always been a tumultuous relationship, but for whatever reason/s, I still married him. Coming home to him every night after work was awful once married, not because I wanted to be out socialising with friends, but because he set limits to me. So I would knock back a few drinks each night. It got to the stage where I'd had enough, so I left.
The ensuing 4 months seem like they were one big bender. Partying on work nights; going to work still drunk (a big no no where I worked); trying to find someone to love me and take care of me; regressing. One particular night, works mates and I started drinking before heading out. I had my wits about me, especially after the 3km walk from her house to the city, so by the time we reached the club I was fairly sober. I ordered my usual vodka, lemon, lime and bitters - they were going down a treat. One after the other, and so forth. Then I lost my phone. I had no money to take a cab home, and at 2am in the morning, there was only two people I could possibly call: my best mate or my ex-husband. My best mate had his phone on silent and was asleep. My ex was a night shift worker. I knew he would be able to come and get me. I remember every little detail up until I got in the car with him. The following day, he assured me nothing happened (ie. he did not take advantage of me), and I believe him, however he said I was saying that I still loved him etc.*
Shortly after this time, I started hanging out with someone I went to high school with who didn't drive, so I had to curb my drinking. I would still enjoy my drinks, but not to the extent I was previously. Once during this time I completely wrote myself off - I passed out before half time of the 2009 AFL Grand Final. I woke up just as the final siren went (so around 2 1/2 hours).
There was also an extremely boozy night for my going away to London bash - people were lining up the drinks and I kept drinking them. Hello, 3 day hangover.

I moved away from my hometown to Melbourne in March 2010. I was living with two great guys.
We had a bit of a gathering for Good Friday - friends, a boozy day that began at 12, and not a lot of food. In the space of 9 hours, I consumed a bottle of wine (when the bottle-o opened for the day, I bought a case of wine as I was having a glass most nights after dinner) AND a bottle of vodka. I took myself to bed with a bucket at 9pm. I woke 11-12 hours later. All day hangover.

Since that last session, I can almost recall every drop of alcohol I have had. Why? Because I refuse to lose control of myself and fall victim to this disease that hurts so many (and I'm not just talking about myself).

Our house is not an alcohol-free zone, but my partner and I make the simple choice not to drink. On the odd occasion I will have a glass of wine, but as my drinks are few and far between these days, I can feel the effects after that one glass. I do not tempt myself with vodka or tequila as these beverages were two I could not limit myself with.
This choice is for our piece of mind, for our health, and for our future.

* - several weeks later, this nightclub was raided by Victoria Police and the other relevant authorities. The vodka I had consumed, along with many other unsuspecting patrons, was actually a home-brewed vodka, labelled as Smirnoff. Read the 2010 media report on the court case here: http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2010/03/24/157511_news.html