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Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

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Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#381

Post by jwmoz »

Moved to Bali, big health and fitness scene there, trained BJJ for 2 years. Quit drinking for 3 months for first time in my life and it flicked a switch in my brain, I don't binge drink anymore. Granted I do drink alcohol but I don't have the need to binge, also hangovers are too rough now, had a couple of pints the other day and had a headache next day.

I get awful hangovers so that's what prevents me mainly. Can't imagine what it would be like if you were one of these people that just don't really get them. I have friends that can have 10 drinks and be fine the next day. Crazy.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#382

Post by euroderf »

Just a bit of practical advice. If you want to go to a party but you are worried about your own behavior because there will be drinking, just show up at least an hour late. By then most people are inebriated, and they won't notice/care that your glass contains something alcohol-free, and you will get cheap entertainment re. how people really act when they are inebriated.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#383

Post by MrFantastic »

The 2 reasons I drink:

1. I'm bored.

2. I drink when I go to bars to meet people and have interesting conversations. While I can make conversation with anyone, many people aren't that interested and it's boring to sit around waiting for something to happen.

I have hobbies but they aren't something I want to do at 8PM on a Friday or Saturday.

I only drink on Friday and Saturday and I rarely get hungover.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#384

Post by fullstop »

marginalia_nu wrote: post #149

I've found it easy to stop a great deal of such behaviors by examining not what they promise to deliver, but what they actually brought. I.e. don't look forward, look backward when making decisions. Alcohol promises a great time. Alcohol delivers a hangover and regrets. Junk food promises a great time. Junk food delivers poor health and regrets. Going to the gym promises hardship and struggle. It delivers health. I'v…

> Alcohol promises a great time. Alcohol delivers a hangover and regrets.

Maybe I'm not drinking heavily enough, but I don't really get hangovers. I guess I'm sober enough to remember to drink a couple of glasses of water before I go to sleep? I wake up the next morning feeling fantastic.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#385

Post by washadjeffmad »

I go through spans of a few months where I ramp up to drinking heavily punctuated by years where I don't drink at all. The most difficult part of alcoholism is recognizing when I've become an alcoholic.

As soon as I do, I quit. I already recognize that drinking just makes everyone a sloppier, worse version of themselves, so I harbor no illusions that I am doing anyone a disservice denying them an opportunity to test their tolerance of me.

I'm also a mostly private drinker. I don't do bars or drinking culture, so there's little social pressure. I also make sure I'm never the only person to have had a drink. It's not a secret, just nothing to celebrate.

I've been on a dry spell for the past two years, and, as always, I don't miss it. I'll probably go another five years before I have more than a beer in a week, largely because my SO and I have a poor dynamic when alcohol is involved. We still keep alcohol around- we just end up cooking with it, instead.

My high level advice is to spend enough time not drinking that you really appreciate your health and clarity when you're sober. You're not alive for long, and alcohol really doesn't add anything of value to it.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#386

Post by nzoschke »

As I get older the hangovers get even worse to the point of affecting the entire next day, sometimes two days, from drinking heavily.

So I listen to my body and never have more than two drinks a night.

This means a glass of wine or one martini at dinner, or a beer at a concert is fine. A bottle of wine or rounds of cocktails is not.

Replace the extra drinks with:

- water or soda water - coffee (decaf at night) - non alcoholic drinks. This is the future of social drinking imho - chocolate, ice cream or other dessert - cannabis

All make me feel good and are fun socially and none have the hangover.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#388

Post by elephanlemon »

I’ve stopped drinking for periods in my life before. (I was a moderate drinker at 7-14 drinks per week.) What I’ve found is that for me, it’s primarily just a habit that needs to be broken. That’s the main reason for the regularity of my drinking. During the first week or two I continue to crave a drink, but after a long enough period the cravings stop. During my longest stretch I had my favorite beer after about six months and was surprised at how lackluster it tasted.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#389

Post by alfl »

tldr; switch your drink to soda and citrus.

Regarding "hating yourself when you fail" -- a growth mindset helps with this kind of negative thought pattern, generally. You are making incremental, iterative progress not flipping a binary switch.

One thing that was a big help, in my experience, was noticing that I liked carbonization and conversation, not ethanol. I switched to soda and citrus. I've also heard good things about CBD beverages if your jurisdiction allows.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#390

Post by GregBrrrrrrrr »

As part of the alcopop generation I’d always been a pretty enthusiastic drinker. It was never a _problem_ for me, it never got in the way of family or work life (apart from semi regular hangovers), but I did like a drink, and I wasn’t averse to an all-day’er.

4 years ago, I was having a pretty boozy run up to Christmas one year. Out pretty much every night in December with different groups and sub-groups of friends, different events and whatnot. Some night might just be a couple of steady pints, some might be a full on sesh.

In the break between Xmas and nee year my GF and I decided we needed a break. She’d read about a book “This Naked Mind” which she understood to “help you take control of your drinking”.

As January rolled round with the festive season behind us we both read that book. You’re supposed to take your time reading it, over the course of a couple of weeks. We started drinking alcohol free beer tad a stop gap.

For me, the format of that book worked perfectly and I’m coming up on 4 years sober in January.

I still drink plenty of AF. There’s some really tasty ones on the market these days. I reckon I get about 80% the enjoyment from drinking alcohol free. It fulfils that desire to drink.

I’ll happily go to the pub and have a few AF while those around me drink, and then when the conversation takes a dip as the evening wares on, I say my goodbyes and leave them to it. The next morning I’m never not happy that I’ve got a clear head.

Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Naked-Mind-Annie-Grace-ebook/d...

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