Cutting Down Alcohol Thread

loveasale

My decision is easy , at the moment I’m not drinking,,, like you I think well I can’t do the week so I may as well have a drink and as always I don’t stop at one !
I too long to go to India and Vietnam,,, my man doesn’t fancy them, but I’m working on him !

Honey_Bear

Getting a GP appointment at our surgery hasn’t been as straightforward as it used to be for over 10 years. They went over to telephone consults at least 10 years ago, and now in first instance we’re initially seen by a health care professional instead. There are over 30 GP vacancies in Plymouth and surgeries are closing as a result, so the way I see it is – just because we used to do things a certain way doesn’t mean we will be any more. Over the past year I’ve been seen by a paramedic and a nurse and to be honest I was very happy with both outcomes. A bubble bath to celebrate 11 years of the Giving Up/Cutting Down thread is now out of the question for me because for the first time in my life I have eczema, apparently, so it’s going to have to be those chocolates. Such a shame.

chucknorris wrote: »

Has anyone ever managed to successfully cut down for a very long time? I know that I drink too much (about 80 units a week), but I don't want to totally abstain. I have in the past cut down to 21 units for about 18 months, and 14 units for about 8 months, but as I'm sure everyone on here knows, the battle is never won. It isn't particularly adversely effecting my life, but I know that I'm courting health disaster in the long term if I continue.

So I'm trying again, I even went to an AA meeting (I say 'even' because their goal is abstaining). I thought that the experience might help me, but I don't think that it was for me.

Chuck Norris, AA most certainly wouldn’t be for me, but good on you for giving it a shot. Yes, people do cut down for a very long time – Maman has on this thread, Shaggy seems to be doing so right now, and my OH has. He didn’t talk about it, I don’t know if he planned it, he just did when I stopped completely. Not having a drinking buddy at home always willing to open another bottle, buying 30 litre wine boxes by the dozen when we go to France, boozy rituals – it all came to an end. It’s been four and a half years, so I think that’s a fairly long time. He very, very occasionally goes on a bender, by which I mean five pints, but whereas that was once a week, it’s now once every two or three months I think.

No-one ever wants to give up completely. I knew I had to, it was a straight choice between booze and the most important relationship of my life. I simply couldn’t make myself stop once I’d started on a regular enough basis and I was a horrible person when I’d had too much to drink sometimes. I’d also fallen over and broken my wrist, and had blackouts regularly. I knew I was heading for a disaster and once I’d accepted it was one or the other the choice was very straightforward. If someone doesn’t have enough motivation to tackle it straight on, I honestly don’t know how anyone could do it because for the first couple of months it is tough to stick to it, but the fantastic news is it really does get easier after that – if it didn’t I would have gone back to drinking. I was so, so lucky I got out when I did because another couple of years and I don’t think I could have, but you may be one of the people like my OH who can do the cutting down thing and stay that way. Good luck with it.

Love a Sale, I’m with you completely on the gratitude to everyone on this thread. Without it I wouldn’t have been able to stop. I don’t want to go back to being the person I was after a few and like you I’m greedy when it comes to red wine.

Woo hoo! Brilliant going, Shaggy. Well done.

Good luck with outcome of the interview in Vietnam, Annie G. It must have been such a relief being back where you obviously want to be from your previous posts.

India sounds fab, Maman; I hope you had a wonderful time. OH loved it when he went a few years ago and would probably like to go back but I think I’m kind of done with travelling. I did a huge amount when I was younger, living and working abroad, ocean sailing etc, amazing journeys, but now the wonderlust well and truly feels done. OH and I finally had a conversation about it all a few days ago; we’re planning a couple of mini-breaks in March for very specific reasons and I’m thoroughly looking forward to both of them but that’ll do me for quite a long time. Funny how what was fantastically important thing to me when I was younger (travel) just isn’t any more; we both feel so interested in what we’re doing at home the attraction just isn’t there any more.

rosy10 wrote: »

bestlifenow - I decided to stop drinking at home as I knew this would make the most difference to why/when/how much etc I drink. It's a hard and fast rule for me at the moment so the decision on a daily basis is easy.

I think that’s the answer to this booze lark, to be honest. It’s not what the decision is, per se, that’s significant – it’s making one decision. I don’t drink at all, Rosy doesn’t drink at home. Love a Sale is taking it one day at a time, and today is not a drinking day. What’s so painfully difficult is, ‘Shall I, shan’t I?’ every single day, and sometimes, several times over the course of one evening. That’s much, much harder.

22/28 please, Shaggy.

cathybird

Morning all, 14/17 for me please

maman

Honey_Bear wrote: »

A bubble bath to celebrate 11 years of the Giving Up/Cutting Down thread is now out of the question for me because for the first time in my life I have eczema, apparently, so it’s going to have to be those chocolates. Such a shame.

Enjoy!
:rotfl:


DH and I have travelled widely over the years, mainly in Europe. I'd say the closest I've ever experienced to India was probably Cairo and parts of Turkey. There are beautiful, iconic sights but around that there's also a lot of mess and poverty yet people have a smile on their faces. We went on an organised tour so we were cocooned from real life in our upmarket hotels but the Indians welcomed us as tourism is an important part of the economy.


I've been a cutter down for many years chucknorris. I respect those who've decided to give up but it wasn't for me. I just knew that daily drinking ( a bottle+ of wine every day) had to stop. For me it was more a bad habit ( a lifestyle I'd got into) than an addiction so while I'm not saying it was easy at first, I've got used to it. I set myself some parameters: to confine drinking to weekends and special occasions and so (unless I'm eating out or similar midweek or on holiday) the plan is to not drink Monday to Thursday. Over time, my tolerance has dropped too so I almost never drink more than a bottle on my drinking nights. I never drink enough to be hung over or behave badly, both of which I did in the past. Unless I'm on holiday I have a regular target of 10 AF days a month and aim to meet it and beat it. Hope that helps. It can be done. This thread is massively helpful for me as it seems to have an inbuilt accountability alongside support .:)


I didn't feel like a drink last night in the end so that's one more in the bag. I won't reach my target this month because of being away but they all count.


4 AFDs please Shaggy.

PaulW1965

chucknorris wrote: »

Has anyone ever managed to successfully cut down for a very long time? I know that I drink too much (about 80 units a week), but I don't want to totally abstain. I have in the past cut down to 21 units for about 18 months, and 14 units for about 8 months, but as I'm sure everyone on here knows, the battle is never won. It isn't particularly adversely effecting my life, but I know that I'm courting health disaster in the long term if I continue.

So I'm trying again, I even went to an AA meeting (I say 'even' because their goal is abstaining). I thought that the experience might help me, but I don't think that it was for me.

If it's worrying you - you may as well quit? Why wait until you have health problems? Before I quit I'd started to have dizzy spells, sweats, sleep problems, weight gain and money issues. I was regularly drinking about 35 to 60 units a week and I was having about 2 days a week without drinking. When I tried to give up I had anxiety attacks and palpatations (these are alcohol withdrawal symptoms). I managed to push through. As the Americans say I managed to "lean in".



Quit and count your lucky stars that you got out alive. Best thing I ever did.

PriceySOS

17 please, Shaggy, ta

maryfink

my father had problems with alcohol and it was bad times for our family and when he finally stopped drinkig alcohol i was really happy

cathybird

I've cut down, chucknorris, and did it almost entirely through the help of this thread and being accountable to it every day. Also for me the real breakthrough was going from 15 alcohol-free days a month to about 25 - I only drink now on about five days a month and that feels about right, and I'm totally out of the habit of drinking at home - but back in the day I would have said that was impossible.

loveasale

I’m going to the shops after work and going to get some B Blue for tonight ,,,, and watch rubbish tv , feel like I’m drinking but wake up clear headed ,, love it !
22/28 & 5/5 x

shaggydoo

Glenda 4/5
LoveASale 5/5

Maggie /5
Shaggy 5/5

Tammy /4