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Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

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Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#571

Post by tern »

bgoated01 wrote: post #61
tern wrote: post #53

I did a lot of personal development and spiritual work that taught me very practical tools for 'being with' the uncomfortable sensations that arise around choosing not to drink. Armed with the confidence that brought me, I simply lost interest. Surrounding myself with other people doing the same thing also helps a lot I'm sure. I didn't keep alcohol in the house until someone was moving and gifted me some. Occasional…

Do you have any good resources for learning these practical tools you mention?

The simplest recommendation I can make is to find EmRes training https://www.emotionalhealthinstitute.org/

This woman offers a very affordable and simple training https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-emotional-resol...

Organic Intelligence is another good org, though more complicated to engage with.

Self inquiry methods like Focusing and IFS are taught widely, though adjacent to the skill I'm referring to.

For a more comprehensive meditation skill set, see Judith Blackstone's books, and seek sessions / trainings in Realization Process.

There are tens or hundreds of other ways to learn these things ... I keep thinking I should write a long article I can link to when these questions come up.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#572

Post by fleddr »

A_Venom_Roll wrote: post #535
fleddr wrote: post #469

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or an association/placebo thing. My brother and I once accidentally gave our dad NA beer. He didn't know. We soon realized it yet kept giving it to him all night. Bizarre, he actually got "drunk". Slower talking, ever more exaggerated stories, etc. It's not just a personal anecdote, this has been replicated with two student groups in a bar, one served alcohol, the others not. Both groups got "drunk". Likewise, you ca…

That's very interesting. Do you have any link discussing the study with student groups?

It was on discovery but a very long time ago (maybe a decade).

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#574

Post by _zfxr »

Tapered down and began treating for type-2 diabetes instead. Strict intermittent fasting and a fully PBD for 13 weeks with NAD supplementation on top of basic (senior citizen) multi vitamins and extra b complex.

After the 13 weeks I allowed myself meat again and I will drink root beer or creme soda when I feel "off".

It's a sugar problem. It's hypo. It's a metabolic disorder.

It's been 2.8 years sober after 15 years daily drinking.

Getting sober unmasked my OCD. I take a gaba-b agonist now to treat that and I will never ever drink again.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#575

Post by Beegle »

Find the motivation. Probably already stated here. You have to WANT to do it, be doing it for yourself in addition to whatever else the big motivating factor is.

For me, it was not losing my family and wanting to not feel like shit both physically and mentally all of the time. I wanted it though. I’ve seen a lot if people fail and the one thing in common is that they are always doing it because someone told them to.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#576

Post by smittywerben »

I didn't stop drinking until it felt like a hot knife was stuck in my liver. My peers didn't understand. So I ended up on /r/cripplingalcoholism, the happiest place on earth.

Between the pain and the um... high turnover on the subreddit, it just kind of ruined it for me. I stopped going to the liquor store. If I didn't buy it, I didn't have a problem.

I guess the only tip I have is you'd be surprised the amount of extra time you'll have by squeezing out an extra day or two of sobriety.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#578

Post by Abimelex »

SkyPuncher wrote: post #59

I've cut back by switching to non-alcohol beer. I've found that I enjoy the taste of beer, but I don't enjoy how shitty alcohol makes me feel. NA beer tends to solve that for me. Lots of good options coming out. * Just the Hazy by Sam Adams is top tier. * Athletic brewing is solely NA beer - lots of different varieties. * Heineken 0.0 is great * O'Douls amber is surprisingly passable as well I suspect the options wil…

Working in Germany in food sector and seeing beside only NA beer also functional beer (e.g. joybräu) and also NA spirits (NA Gin etc.) on the rise. I think thats an awesome time for everybody who enjoys the taste of drinking alcohol but it will not help anyone who is already addicted to alcohol. Best thing for me was probably working a while in intensive care when I was younger and seeing what alcohol can do.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#579

Post by jamal-kumar »

cassonmars wrote: post #570
zachjustice wrote: post #567

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for sharing your story! I cannot fathom what your personal journey must have been like, but it makes me want to be a better person having heard it. If I can ask, who or what helped you the most during this time in your life?

It was something I intrinsically knew, from the moment I became remotely cognizant of the differences between men and women (about 5 years old). I didn’t have words for it, and frequently any mention of the notion either by myself or in popular culture was met with instant derision or comedy. So with the social brow beatings accumulated, I kept quiet, and tried to live as a man. The depression got worse, the drinking…

Hey congratulations on the success. The more people realize this is a medical issue rather than some ideological one, the better.

Re: Ask HN: How did you stop drinking?

#580

Post by hknmtt »

pengaru wrote: post #201
hknmtt wrote: post #186

firstly, stop drinking sweetened drinks. drink only pure alcohol. secondly, drink good alcohol. like extra old rum(generic term for well aged rums) or 12y+ scotch. thirdly, drink high ABV, non-chill filtered or as natural alcohol as you can get. you will not be able to drink more than one, maybe two, glasses of a juice like that. it will fill up your desires. you'll have enough with one glass. fourth, don't drink soc…

This is terrible advice.

who are you to decide?
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