The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

Different_Corner

I knew this was going to happen, yesterday was a poignant date for me, a very sad one, and I went with it. Been building up to it all week and knew I was going to do it, purposefully jumped of the wagon and bought four Budweisers.

I know the alcohol didn't make the sadness go away, that wasn't my intention anyway, it didn't make it any worse though.

So it's done now, no point giving myself a hard time or try to justify it, done my selfish bit, back on track.

biscotte

Hi, back after a week's holiday and I and DH were very 'dry'. I think we had a bottle of wine all week and agreed it would be good not to drink anyway because it's always good to have a break. Mind you, we did both fancy some but the shops were shut (and we were in the mountains so no off licences!).

For Andy (BHB), don't think that you can never have alcohol again - just say to yourself that you are choosing not to have alcohol just for today (or the next hour or 5 minutes, whatever). tomorrow you may choose to drink but that's in the future - just take it step by step. that's how I quit smoking - by taking every 10 minutes (literally) as a little step when I was choosing not to smoke. It took all those little steps all added together but 4 years on I've not had a single puff of a ciggie. I think that we need to look at alcohol in the same way - it's a choice, always our own choice, and we are all moving slowly but surely towards making those choices we make the best ones for us.

Sianne, FWIW I'm with Bismark and Eselt - OH sounds like a complete 'osser, don't stand for that sort of treatment. Completely Spent hits the nail on the head - just move on and grow.

Different_Corner

biscotte wrote: »

For Andy (BHB), don't think that you can never have alcohol again - just say to yourself that you are choosing not to have alcohol just for today (or the next hour or 5 minutes, whatever). tomorrow you may choose to drink but that's in the future - just take it step by step. that's how I quit smoking - by taking every 10 minutes (literally) as a little step when I was choosing not to smoke. It took all those little steps all added together but 4 years on I've not had a single puff of a ciggie. I think that we need to look at alcohol in the same way - it's a choice, always our own choice, and we are all moving slowly but surely towards making those choices we make the best ones for us.

Biscotte - that sounds like Gillian Rileys method, it all makes sense to me but putting it in to practice with the ciggarettes is my downfall.

polaroid

hey guys, hope everyone has had a lovely weekend. dont know about everyone else but the weather up here was so lovely, i was sat outside with my little girl until 7, it was lovely.
i ve decided that i am not going to give too much thought to the distant future, i have no idea what it hold and i can only control it to a certain extent. so, instead of thinking what if i can never drink again, what about christmas, weddings, funerals, this that and the other, I am just going to take each day as it comes.
take care everyone xx

Bismarck

polaroid wrote: »

hey guys, hope everyone has had a lovely weekend. dont know about everyone else but the weather up here was so lovely, i was sat outside with my little girl until 7, it was lovely.
i ve decided that i am not going to give too much thought to the distant future, i have no idea what it hold and i can only control it to a certain extent. so, instead of thinking what if i can never drink again, what about christmas, weddings, funerals, this that and the other, I am just going to take each day as it comes.
take care everyone xx

good for you - keep it simple. when you let it get complicated, things get messy!

SiannieLaz

Morning All,
Cheers for all the support guys, and you are all right, OH is a tw*t!!! Had a good weekend tho', didn't have a beer and felt extremely superior to him! Your comments are right - I suspect he is feeling insecure as i've stopped drinking, but if he's going to be an idiot, so be it. I've got enough going on at the moment to keep me busy without worrying about his attitude. :rolleyes:
Onwards and upwards:D

barshamhillbilly

biscotte wrote: »

For Andy (BHB), don't think that you can never have alcohol again - just say to yourself that you are choosing not to have alcohol just for today (or the next hour or 5 minutes, whatever). tomorrow you may choose to drink but that's in the future - just take it step by step. that's how I quit smoking - by taking every 10 minutes (literally) as a little step when I was choosing not to smoke. It took all those little steps all added together but 4 years on I've not had a single puff of a ciggie. I think that we need to look at alcohol in the same way - it's a choice, always our own choice, and we are all moving slowly but surely towards making those choices we make the best ones for us.

Thanks biscotte,

It went OK and the A&D Centre on thursday last week.
Next week I start on a reduction program. This week I just have to monitor what I have and keep a diary.

I did have a couple of rubbish days, thursday and friday when Mrs BHB and I had a falling out. But we seem to be over it now. It is stressful household thats for sure....... Anyway what is a 'normal household?

Our youngest has ADHD and my counsellor thinks that I may have had it when I was at school (had loadsa trouble)and its still with me now .... Its funny how things fall into place when someone completely seperate looks at it. Its by no means proven but she is suggesting that I might like to go back to my GP to see if I can get it confirmed. I have a sneaky suspicion I could be slightly dyslexic too..... not that this would have anything to do with the problem now, but may well have done when I was at school.

My appointment this week is Wednesday so should be interesting.

Hope everyone is OK

Best wishes
BHB

Bismarck

so...how are we all today?

had some funny pink lemonade just now and got a flashback of pink champagne and a real kick.....really odd!

saw loads of ads in the weekend papers about the qualities of wine and wondered how popular the wines would be if they were non-alcoholic....is it really the taste that people go for or is it the effect and the palate/taste/whatever you want to call it is just a smokescreen?

think I know my answer :rolleyes:

Different_Corner

Bis
In my flat share teenage years, late 80's we used to drink gallons of leibfraumilch or hock, i guess it was do to with the cost, certainly not the taste. I've never been a serious wine drinker since, I honestly don't like the stuff.
Years ago when alcopops hit the shelves I recalling getting extremely ill on Breezers, have avoided them ever since, as a result I've never trusted myself with cider either, they are all rather too pleasant to drink !
Lagers have been my tipple for years, thinking about it with a clear head this morning even they don't have particularly sweet taste, but a very 'beery' smell.
I am sleeping like a log atm, in fact I look forward to my bed now. This is day 2 this week, and am feeling good.

biscotte

Bismarck wrote: »

so...how are we all today?


saw loads of ads in the weekend papers about the qualities of wine and wondered how popular the wines would be if they were non-alcoholic....is it really the taste that people go for or is it the effect and the palate/taste/whatever you want to call it is just a smokescreen?

think I know my answer :rolleyes:

interesting question. i've drunk a lot of wine in my time and most of it was really for the alcohol.

However I've been lucky enough to have drunk (in the vaste pool of slops) some really top quality wines and there is a huge difference - the flavours are very complex and interesting and they are often lower in ABV than the cheaper stuff. these wines were also drunk in the knowledge and anticipation of them being top notch so I am sure that influenced the appreciation of the wine. Perhaps real ale buffs would say the same for their top beers.

We lived a while in France and there is of course a whole industry and tradition around food and wine so I hope I learned to really respect good quality when i got it, even though the vaste majority of my intake was pretty mediocre!

Hock doesn't even exist a a wine type in Germany - it's a 'pretend' name that was used to market dire wine to young Brits - Different Corner, i also sank a fair amount of this gut rot as a student -- my constitution must have been a lot stronger than it is now!