Stopping Drinking Alcohol, any advice??

bitemebankers

Good for you, masonsmum. I'm sure you'll feel so much better for it. I'm not tee-total myself but I drink very little these days, mainly due to interaction with my medication. I'm generally much healthier as a result, and better off financially too.

By far the hardest thing is dealing with pressure from friends and family to "just have one". Having medication to "blame" it on is very handy but even then some people won't take no for an answer. Best of luck!

shiny76

The_Black_Sheep wrote: »

I think you're beating yourself up over nothing. Everyone has got too drunk and lost a day to a hangover a couple of times in their life.

Personally I'd say you're making too big a deal of this one-off occasion.

Indeed. I once spent 3 days (2 of those in bed with hangover) thinking I had been arrested and finger prints taken. Finally bumped into someone who knew what happened that night and it was pretty innocuous.

VestanPance

It's easy not to drink, just don't. You will get some boring idiots that can't understand how you can enjoy life without alcohol, but they eventually get tired of trying to force you to drink.

Gloomendoom

VestanPance wrote: »

It's easy not to drink, just don't. You will get some boring idiots that can't understand how you can enjoy life without alcohol, but they eventually get tired of trying to force you to drink.

I used to spend a lot of time in a part of the country known for its hard drinking. There was considerable peer pressure to drink to excess and (despite the stereotype) a lot of generosity where alcohol was concerned. I found it far easier just to say "I don't drink" than "I don't drink much". With the former, it was accepted but, with the latter, it seemed to be regarded as a challenge to prove me wrong.

I do like a drink, and occasionally will drink far too much. It's just that I don't like doing it every day.

spaghetti_monster

When I was in my mid to late 20's for some reason I suddenly couldn't drink as much as when I was younger - had some horrific hangovers before I learned I had to take it much easier. 3 beers (bottles), or 3 glasses of wine is my absolute limit - and there has to be food involved as well to soak it up.
Over the years I've learned to make a drink last a while, and can have say one glass of wine whilst others will get through 2 or 3.

One of the problems with weddings is that there's usually a big gap between ceremony and dinner when a lot of drinking goes on. Often the ceremony starts early afternoon, so lunch was small and early, or just skipped. I find it's good to take it easy earlier in the celebrations and drink a glass or 2 with the food. After that I usually feel too full to drink much more.

Sometimes I find myself saying - oh I'm really thirsty so I'll start with water/OJ/etc. Not even really an excuse, just reality really! I guess it also helps that I also don't care at all what anyone thinks. I used to go to a pub full of heavy drinkers that would try and put the pressure on, but the memory of a whole day lost to a hangover, massive splitting headache, sickness, etc was enough to keep me on track.

Also, I've been pregnant/breastfeeding for the last couple of years and find that some brands of alcohol-free beer taste great (bavaria is my favourite, also the white beer version). I know it's not the real thing, but it definitely gives me that nice-cold-beer feeling!

Tish_P

Good friends will not pressure you unduly! But if need be you can lie and say you're on some medication that doesn't mix with booze. Of course if you are of reproductive age everyone will immediately assume you're pregnant.

Becks Blue is OK as nonalcoholic drinks go.

lostinrates

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Fresh orange juice and lemonade in a highball looks like a cocktail, and in a darkened room such as a disco, water in a wineglass is a wonderful thing.

Stops people badgering you about "having a drink".

HBS x

I just have spayklong water......looks like g&t.

floss2

Why not drink lime & soda with ice & a slice (G&T-a-like)?

When at home with friends or at a friends/family home take white or red grape juice - if drunk from a wine glass, no-one will tell the difference until they fall over & you don't

Idiophreak

Can't believe so many of you "camouflage" your drinks like this...seriously, just have what you want! If someone ever seriously tried hassling me about not drinking, it would be quite a short conversation...

VestanPance

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I used to spend a lot of time in a part of the country known for its hard drinking. There was considerable peer pressure to drink to excess and (despite the stereotype) a lot of generosity where alcohol was concerned. I found it far easier just to say "I don't drink" than "I don't drink much". With the former, it was accepted but, with the latter, it seemed to be regarded as a challenge to prove me wrong.

I do like a drink, and occasionally will drink far too much. It's just that I don't like doing it every day.

Living in the west coast of Scotland I've had that at times. The insinuation that if you don't drink when you could be that there must be something wrong with you. The 'go on, have a drink'.

I found the more times I was out and not drinking then people started to accept it, even if they do still think there's something wrong with me for not drinking. That and I give off a pretty good 'get out my face' vibe when people annoy me.