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Ask HN: What to do instead of drinking alcohol?

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Re: Ask HN: What to do instead of drinking alcohol?

#101

Post by pheutar »

I was a pretty heavy drinker for the past 15 years and I have been employed at a micro brewery for 5 years. So when I chose to stop drinking it wasn't only hard to stop, but my livelihood was selling craft beer that was a constant changing variety which required me to help people choose what they may like. What I found crucial was finding what gave me a natural high again without the use of substances. Luckily for me that is board sports which I have thrown myself into again with exercise, stretching, and filming so I can improve my technique and aid in the speed of my progression. But being in my mid 30's the idea of riding daily doing an impact sport isn't something I can sustain. Now 10 weeks in I'm finding it harder than when I first stopped drinking since it is the "social lubricant" of choice with my group. My partner still has their casual "end of the day/cooking dinner" drink or two. Some lessons I have learned about couping with the cravings. 1. The craving for alcohol does go away but I'm finding cravings for sugar now. (Alcohol has lots of sugar and my body wants to replace it). 2. You can't just "replace" the act of drinking because you will just drink an equal amount of whatever you choose. (I saw no coffee or tea, I'm kicking coffee at the same time, and I like to drink Kombucha which I realize I need to be careful because it is fermented so technically has "some alcohol") 3. Don't try to control the actions of those around you it makes it harder not to drink and isolating yourself from the socialization will make it hard to stay sober. 4. Finding something that exercises your mind and or body. You need to engage yourself and begin to "grow" again and figure out who you are. So many years using drugs and alcohol really does skew your personality and you do need to "find yourself" again and find what gets you excited. 5. Try new things or hobbies. Look up groups in your city for new experiences and keep engaging yourself don't just sit around thinking about what you are missing out on by not drinking.

Its hard work and it will continue to be for a while. Eventually the interests that get you excited will far outweigh the want to drink and who you grow into will be stronger than needing to drink.

Best of luck.

Re: Ask HN: What to do instead of drinking alcohol?

#103

Post by alanfranz »

el_nahual wrote: post #29

I went from moderate (weekends, social, never alone) drinking to _zero_ drinking for about five years. This was during peak "social" life of after university and before marriage. I did the exact same things I used to do except with no alcohol: bars, clubs, parties, whatever. The toughest thing was realizing how...boring...some of these activities can be. There is, by default, an enormous amount of "down time" at a ba…

> Lastly, in my experience i didn't feel the full mental benefits of no alcohol until after about four or six months without a drop.

Is that really a thing even for moderate or very moderate drinkers (like, 4-5 glasses of wine per month)? Do you really feel mental benefits from being totally sober? What kind of benefits? Is there any study about this?

Re: Ask HN: What to do instead of drinking alcohol?

#105

Post by d136o »

Congrats! I think there are plenty of comments with great suggestions, so my addition is simply encouragement.

You will have more time and mental clarity to be present for your life priorities. A new default of not drinking becomes automatic behavior after some time, so if it feels unnatural at first simply give it time. Enjoy!

Re: Ask HN: What to do instead of drinking alcohol?

#106

Post by abno525 »

nyokodo wrote: post #97
lolinder wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The OP is reacting to a study that made it to the front page a few days ago that found that no amount of alcohol was safe. I suspect that they're not trying to solve a drunkenness problem, they're trying to drop a substance that more and more studies are showing has negative effects in any quantity. EDIT: here's the link to the previous discussion as requested in a comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=300095…

> no amount of alcohol was safe You didn’t link to the study so I can’t confirm, however I’m guessing the behavior I recommend would constitute a tiny added risk overshadowed immensely by other behaviors they delight in.

Thats the one I found: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.10.21256931v...

forbes linked it: https://www.forbes.com/sites/elvaramirez/2021/06/01/study-no...

Re: Ask HN: What to do instead of drinking alcohol?

#107

Post by lolinder »

nyokodo wrote: post #97
lolinder wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The OP is reacting to a study that made it to the front page a few days ago that found that no amount of alcohol was safe. I suspect that they're not trying to solve a drunkenness problem, they're trying to drop a substance that more and more studies are showing has negative effects in any quantity. EDIT: here's the link to the previous discussion as requested in a comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=300095…

> no amount of alcohol was safe You didn’t link to the study so I can’t confirm, however I’m guessing the behavior I recommend would constitute a tiny added risk overshadowed immensely by other behaviors they delight in.

This is the previous discussion they were referring to: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30009529

Re: Ask HN: What to do instead of drinking alcohol?

#108

Post by D13Fd »

alanfranz wrote: post #103
el_nahual wrote: post #29

I went from moderate (weekends, social, never alone) drinking to _zero_ drinking for about five years. This was during peak "social" life of after university and before marriage. I did the exact same things I used to do except with no alcohol: bars, clubs, parties, whatever. The toughest thing was realizing how...boring...some of these activities can be. There is, by default, an enormous amount of "down time" at a ba…

> Lastly, in my experience i didn't feel the full mental benefits of no alcohol until after about four or six months without a drop. Is that really a thing even for moderate or very moderate drinkers (like, 4-5 glasses of wine per month)? Do you really feel mental benefits from being totally sober? What kind of benefits? Is there any study about this?

I’ve never drank alcohol other than during a 1-year period 10+ years ago, when I tried to get into it at the urging of friends (it didn’t take).

I don’t recall feeling any overall mental differences in the period where I was drinking, although I was only doing it once a week or so.

Re: Ask HN: What to do instead of drinking alcohol?

#109

Post by A_No_Name_Mouse »

YellowTrooper wrote: post #82
_zjmt wrote: post #32

I'm a very big fan of good alcohol-free beer. There are some good ones, here in Europe at least. 7% of the beer sold in the Netherlands is alcohol-free based on recent reports last year. The cheap stuff in the states tastes silly, but if you can find a good brewery that makes it, I recommend as an alternative.

This is a still secret for me - how to enjoy alcohol-free beer. Even its sizes - 0.33ml - told what you might not need more. Are there any advice on particular brand to try? Alcohol free Moretti is nice for my taste, but all other lager non-alco is frustrating.

Wieckse witte is a Belgian white beer that tastes just as good with or without alcohol. For the past few years I've been drinking more of that than any other beer with alcohol. Friends of mine enjoy NA IPA, but that is to bitter to my taste

Re: Ask HN: What to do instead of drinking alcohol?

#110

Post by popemarijuanavi »

lolinder wrote: post #71
popemarijuanavi wrote: post #30

Try marijuana edibles. You don't have to smoke marijuana. It's plenty potent in edible form.

How about rather instead of suggesting OP lean on a different substance for finding meaning and enjoyment in their free time, we offer suggestions for what a substance-free weekend might look like?

OP doesn't have a substance abuse problem. OP enjoyed his substance of choice for a decade, with friends and responsibly. How is recommending the nearest possible replacement, marijuana, not a good solution?

Perhaps you should question yourself for bias against the substances being discussed, unless you wish to admit the obvious, i.e. that you have questionable reading skills. OP does not have a substance abuse problem. Billions of people across the planet use alcohol, marijuana and any number of other substances to achieve precisely the same thing that he is seeking to achieve, and they do so successfully and with aplomb.

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