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Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

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Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#271

Post by LouisSayers »

djtango wrote: post #30

The thing that I find holds me most accountable is exercise. If I'm preparing for something (a race or a bout) then drinking undoes all the hard training and it's evident in my performance. The longest I went was about a year. I still enjoy the odd drink and very occasionally might have a bigger night but I feel fairly well moderated. If you're really going for zero (or close to zero) then it's going to need a bigger…

Exercise can change habits for sure.

I used to do gym training (functional fitness followed by boxing class) Saturday mornings.

Because of this I had a reason not to drink Friday night - having an intense workout the next morning is not so fun, even after just a couple drinks...

If I ate or drank something bad the day before I could tell instantly what I did wrong.

So for the OP, I guess figure out what your reasons are and have some emotional buy-in if possible.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#272

Post by collyw »

marginalia_nu wrote: post #266
stinos wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alcohol promises a great time. Alcohol delivers a hangover and regrets Sure, but simply ignoring the time in between where alcohol effectively does deliver a great time, and which is for many people the addictive aspect of it, isn't exactly easy. Or at least not quite as easy as downplaying the hangover and regrets, as addicts often do. And since your core advice is basically not to misjudge, it's extra weird to me t…

Ultimately, pleasures and hardships fade, what remains at the end is what we accomplished and what we regret. That is, the very memories I'm suggesting you use to evaluate your habits. You had a good time at a party once. Great. Are you really still enjoying that good time? Not likely. You climbed a mountain another time. You were tired and it was very difficult. Are you still exhausted months later? Not likely. But…

I remember good nights out as well as sporting achievements in my life.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#273

Post by 1B05H1N »

It was a habit of mine for many years. I changed my environment and weened myself off over a period of 6 months. My health has improved and my life is overall better. Failure is apart of the process, so don't beat yourself up.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#274

Post by killerpopiller »

I switched to weed completely and minimized that. It helped that weed does not work with me when I had even a little alcohol.

I don't have the urge to drink at all anymore and avoid it completely. I also hate the feeling of an alcohol buzz, even after a beer. Completely deprogrammed :)

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#275

Post by globular-toast »

You're literally addicted to alcohol. Perhaps that realisation is enough to cause your brain to take it more seriously?

I was never really addicted but I used to drink a lot and have been teetotal now for 3 years. The best thing for me was to find alternatives. You have to consider it a lifestyle change. What can you do differently in the evening that won't make you want to drink? Consider non-alcoholic alternatives like tea/coffee (decaffeinated) or rooibos/infusions etc. and when you are out non-alcoholic drinks like mocktails, lime soda etc.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#276

Post by jimcsharp »

petesergeant wrote: post #136

I feel like the advice here is a little weirdly targeted given: > I don’t buy it for weeks at a time, then cave and have a 12 pack in a weekend and feel like garbage most of the time. Doesn't sound like you're at all dependent on alcohol, you just need something to get you over the "well, why not?" urge. Make a bet with a friend and agree you'll donate a meaningful/painful amount of money to a cause you absolutely ha…

The advice for quitting non-problematic drinking is "just stop", so at the point where someone is asking for help I think it's worth taking a bit more seriously.

I also interpreted his timeframe uncharitably closer to: "I haven't drank for two weeks, ignoring all previous data, therefore my pattern is 'i don't drink for weeks at a time'" because that's a trick I play on myself in many scenarios, and in certain states of mind I half believe myself no matter how ridiculous it is.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#277

Post by Octabrain »

Where I moved five years ago, drinking is the social activity by default. I had a lot of fun the first years in pubs and parties in general and it helped a lot for improving my language skills and social network (and gave me some embarrasing memories too. Cé la vie). At some point, I started to feel simply tired of the sensation of being drunk and the health problems it produces in all terms but I kept going. I stopped drinking that much naturally after finding a sport activity (climbing which I am devoted to now) that kept me grounded and motivated for taking care of my health in order to perform better. So, my advice is: Find some physical activity that motivates you and use as the reason for avoid drinking. If temptation arises, just think on the aweful training session you are gonna have due to the hungover and all that.

(My advice comes from the assumption that you don't have a serious pathologic adiction to alcohol. If that was the case, seek help from a profesional)

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#278

Post by xlii »

altairprime wrote: post #144

I turned out to be treating ADHD with alcohol, so when I started prescription medication for ADHD my interest in alcohol plummeted to zero. I was drinking to feel the buzz of reward/accomplishment.

Similar here. I was drinking in the evening to dial myself down though.

I hated being drunk or hangover, so I drank little but often (usually around 1 drink almost daily). Once I started with meds I figured out it was more of a habit so I switched to 0% beers and it worked like a charm.

It seems that I enjoy cool, slightly bitter carbonated drink more than alcohol content in it and alcohol was self-medication.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#279

Post by upcastben »

Octabrain wrote: post #277

Where I moved five years ago, drinking is the social activity by default. I had a lot of fun the first years in pubs and parties in general and it helped a lot for improving my language skills and social network (and gave me some embarrasing memories too. Cé la vie). At some point, I started to feel simply tired of the sensation of being drunk and the health problems it produces in all terms but I kept going. I stopp…

Belgium?

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#280

Post by toyg »

vestrigi wrote: post #264
Rygian wrote: post #219

Spaniard here. Social drinking is very much a thing in Spain. However, most social drinking is light or moderate: walk to a nearby bar, have two beers with the family or with close friends (with free tapas, which accounts for dinner), then walk back home. In rare occasions (at least in my personal experience) things degenerate and one goes out for "just one beer" and gets back home at 5am with a vague recollection of…

Are the prices higher for a drink in the free tapas bars? I mean, no such thing as a free lunch, but this article shows that a drink is like 5 euros and you get a little meal with that, which seems like a great deal. In Germany I'd have to pay at least 5 euros per 0.5 liters of beer in average locations. Yes, the article is 7 years old and Spain is a little cheaper to live in and we have high inflation but it still s…

Alcohol taxes are notoriously high in Northern countries. Very deliberate policies were put in place that resulted in that state of things, often in order to curb an issue (alcoholism) that tends to be more common in colder and harsher environments.
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