The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

winebox

jo1972 wrote: »

NT, thanks for posting your story....I've not got the guts to put mine on here yet (haven't even put it on paper for the counsellor tomorrow yet)

Hope you're on the way to doing it then? I can nag for England!

barshamhillbilly

Thats a hard one .....
It started for me as a thirst quencher after my Martial arts training I think. Absolutely stupid drinking a can or two after exercising I know. I also used to have a great deal of stress at work and with my first marriage generally so also used it as a wind down at the end of the day. Not much just a couple of cans of low strength 3% lager.

As time went on 2 cans of 3% didn't hit the spot, so it went up to 4%, then 5%.

It then tailed off a bit when I met Mrs BHB, but she was drinking a bottle a night herself when I met her. She slowed down when we met because we were both much happier in the new relationships than we were in our old ones. Come on everyone...... ahhhhhh!

Then came the smallholding, children second time round (We both have older children) and the little one who would be classed as having ADHD if we sent him to school. (We home educate the youngest two).

Also home brewing came hand in hand with the smallholding and the self sufficiency drive.... which of course made it cheaper and more easily accessible and at times limitless (unless you know anyone that can drink 40 pints a time as I used to make it in 40 pint batches)

We both increased our intake gradually, again as the effect of just the one, or just the two didn't quite hit the spot. All of this just turns into habit and then obviously before you know it addiction!

Hands up - we are both addicted!

There we go - not very profound and distinct but thats all I can see at the moment.... I guess the reasons may be deeper but not obvious to me.

BHB

barshamhillbilly

I've just tried some and its very nice! Also tried Bavaria 0% - 6 cans for £1.69 - OK when cold from the fridge, shocking when warm!

Must see what else there is to try....

BHB

beachbeth

So many of your reasons for drinking are the same as me, Nearly there. I don't think it matters whether someone drinks 20, 40 or 400 units a week, winebox. Why anyone would bother querying what you said doesn't help our discussions. If alcohol is a problem, then its a problem.

I started drinking as a teenager and thought "hey, this stuff is great!!!" Im the sort of person who laughs a lot and loves everyone when I have a drink luckily but I have known and still know people (including my own mum!) who get nasty when they've had a drink. Whatever the effect, its a drug that sucks you in more and more. The trouble is that you need more and more drink to get the same effect and you then get hooked and think you can't do without it.

I can relate to all of you on this thread and wish you all luck in cutting down/giving up. I feel like having a nice refreshing Malibu at the moment but Im not going to give in. Im having decaf coffee instead.

Bismarck

winebox wrote: »

What a great lot of posts, Jo yours is brill have skimmed thro it but will def read it again, more than once.
Mollypolly thanx, Bis & BHB as per good ones,shopa hol (for short?) - et al, sorry if I forgot someone how do you all do it, scribble notes?

Nearly-there, It was good to read your history, thank you, & I was kept awake last night mulling over mine - not pretty. Don't think I'll post it but was useful exercise, early days drinking such fun but later how I have "blamed" others (like they were holding my nose & pouring it down my throat).

Can I just say & i don't know why (well I do I was PM'd, it wasn't nasty at all just suggested doubt) - when i posted re the 140 units per week i would not blame a lot of you for thinking yeah right, who's she trying to impress, mass exaggeration, who could do that etc....all I can say is, why would I lie? It was hard for me to put that in to print, it was hard for me to realise how STUPID I am being & if i did post my history (I won't, honest!! mind you it beats Peyton Place "WOT? say the younger ones?) you would see the long history of huge excess, & I am very very lucky to be here. All I would say is pls don't doubt the veracity of what I'm saying in this thread i have huge respect for all of you & you are helping me lots xx

Can't elaborate more but I've no reason at all to doubt you hit 140 units/week. Your body kind of gets trained for it. I never actually monitored the units I'd crept up to but it wasn't pretty. Back for more later (chat that is!)

SamanthaA

Thats me that is!

Couldn`t agree more, if we`d written it together!

I am afraid mines gone by wayside today, supposed to be day 4/31, but am drinking.


3/31 dry days.

barshamhillbilly

3/4 is in the right direction SamanthaA


Its time for a BHB thought of the day :
[FONT=georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif]
"If drinking is interfering with your work, you're probably a heavy drinker. If work is interfering with your drinking, you're probably an alcoholic". ...... (Unknown).[/FONT]

Have a good one

BHB

shopaholictiedtheknot

Hi all, have to confess, had 5 glasses of hock last night, did some gardening before dinner then just fancied a drink and OH agreed so went to my local shop (end of my terraced row!) and it was all they had chilled - I havent had any of it for about 5 years and it totally brought back memories of my friend and I drinking it in her back garden!! I think looking back a lot of good memories i have include alcohol so maybe that's a factor in why I enjoy it so much too - I am such a sucker for nostalgia!!

TNG

Hi all :wave:

Just a quickie (Matron!!!)

Nothing since Sunday for me! :j :j

My cans used to say 2.3 units on them - x3x7= 48.3 and that's before weekend 'extras', 'odd' ones on the way home etc.........

hmmmmmm

Hope we're all well. Thanks again for my thanks :T :T (and the smackerooni, jo )

beachbeth

shopaholictiedtheknot wrote: »

Hi all, have to confess, had 5 glasses of hock last night, did some gardening before dinner then just fancied a drink and OH agreed so went to my local shop (end of my terraced row!) and it was all they had chilled - I havent had any of it for about 5 years and it totally brought back memories of my friend and I drinking it in her back garden!! I think looking back a lot of good memories i have include alcohol so maybe that's a factor in why I enjoy it so much too - I am such a sucker for nostalgia!!

This is what it does for me. I taste a glass of Malibu and lemonade and Im immediately transported back to many lovely mediterranean holidays! Tia Maria and advocaat make me feel as though its Christmas and wine is sort of weddings for me! I could easily have a glass of malibu now even though its 10.00 in the morning - not because I want to get tipsy but because of the lovely holidays it takes me back to.

I haven't had a drink since last Friday by the way!:T I will probably have some this Friday but not drinking during the week is something I couldn't manage before I read Allen Carr's book.

Hope everyone is feeling ok this morning. Don't let falling off the wagon depress you!