Ask HN: What are your tips to reduce drinking alcohol?
41–50 of 59 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are your tips to reduce drinking alcohol?
#42Change your social circle and engage in a radical (to you) sport that requires lots of stamina and endurance (Muay Thai). In short, the lifestyle you have loves conjuncting with alcohol. Sports are a major player. Not only the body gets hammered but the mind as well. I used the same method before to quit smoking. Even if you will show up at social events you won't have the same longing for Booz as you used to. I firm…
I second this one. It is difficult to just change a habit on a whim. A high intensity sport (like a martial art) requires changing lifestyle habits if you really want to see serious progress.
You missed my last point. It's not meant to be easy.
Re: Ask HN: What are your tips to reduce drinking alcohol?
#43You might consider the Sinclair Method. https://cthreefoundation.org/the-sinclair-method You take an opioid antagonist, like naltrexone, 1 hour prior to drinking. Since drinking produces endorphins, which are blocked by the antagonist, the brain stops associating drinking with pleasure, which results in a lower desire to drink. The downside being that if you drink without the antagonist, your brain returns to its old…
Upvoted. TSM worked wonders for me. I’m now past 9 months of total abstinence after using TSM for about 8 months leading up to quitting.
The idea of counter-acting the dopamine rush one gets from drinking makes a world of sense. Alcohol is a fundamentally addictive substance and naltrexone can help loosen its hold on your brain.
Abstaining now is fairly trivial. I pretty much never have the impulse to drink.
I think a lot of folks see Sinclair method as somehow cheating or “having your cake and eating it too”. While that may be an alluring idea, the reality is you wind up just not wanting to drink. I now associate drinking with how naltrexone makes me feel, which is not the most fun experience.
Re: Ask HN: What are your tips to reduce drinking alcohol?
#44Don't buy alcohol. Seriously, when there's no booze around, I don't drink. When there is booze around, I often end up drinking ALL of it. Don't buy it, and you're good to go.
Re: Ask HN: What are your tips to reduce drinking alcohol?
#45Take it one day at a time. Tell yourself that today I will not drink. There are other methods, such as to be curious about your behavior.. ask questions of why you drink or ask yourself why you are drinking too much. You can find a therapist who would help with that. Be curious and explore what are the conditions that you find yourself wanting a drink and what reasons may account for them. Can you replace alcohol with something else? Then there's naltrexone and other medical interventions that work well. Essentially you redirect your biology and associate alcohol with feeling sick so your body will develop an aversion to it. Other methods include changing your group of friends if they are a source of drinking as well unless are ok being sober in their company. You can also join AA or find a sponsor. AA doesn't work for everyone but it sure does show you a cross section of life and how alcohol impacts it.
Re: Ask HN: What are your tips to reduce drinking alcohol?
#46I’m in the middle of a $5000 bet with a friend on who can stay completely sober the longest.
This seems to be working great for both of us, it’s been almost a month with no end in sight.
It’s crazy how satisfying non-alcoholic beers are, can’t say I really miss “real” beer.
Re: Ask HN: What are your tips to reduce drinking alcohol?
#47Don't buy alcohol. Seriously, when there's no booze around, I don't drink. When there is booze around, I often end up drinking ALL of it. Don't buy it, and you're good to go.
True!
You can "out plan" temptation if you avoid making decisions in the moment.
Though - the same as a careful diet - social engagements throw a wrench in the discipline machine. Restaurants, bars, parties, etc.
Re: Ask HN: What are your tips to reduce drinking alcohol?
#48I would highly recommend the book "Alcohol Explained" by William Porter.
I found it very simple yet powerful - down to earth and practical, cold explanation about every side of drinking alcohol.
Re: Ask HN: What are your tips to reduce drinking alcohol?
#49I never keep alcohol in my house. If I am really craving a beer, I might buy a six pack, drink one, then throw the other five in the trash.
Why not just purchase 1 beer without the six pack?
I buy the one beer unless it isn't sold individually. Only maybe once a year would I buy a six pack and only drink one.
Re: Ask HN: What are your tips to reduce drinking alcohol?
#50Don't buy alcohol. Seriously, when there's no booze around, I don't drink. When there is booze around, I often end up drinking ALL of it. Don't buy it, and you're good to go.
True! You can "out plan" temptation if you avoid making decisions in the moment. Though - the same as a careful diet - social engagements throw a wrench in the discipline machine. Restaurants, bars, parties, etc.
Ah yeah, true true. I tend to deal with the social temptations by "pauperizing", as my wife describes it. I was very, very poor in college, would often eat before social engagements to avoid prepared meal prices etc... So now when everyone is having drinks, I pretend I'm too poor to afford them, always walk to the bar and grab a soda water on the rocks. Everyone assumes I'm drinking a mixed, and I can always DD. It's interesting how being that frugal can improve my discipline, rather than degrade it!