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40 Days Without Booze

jdmoyer.com

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Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#201

Post by waterlesscloud »

jotm wrote: post #100
jere wrote: post #60

I've slipped into the habit of drinking almost every single night over the past few months and I'm currently trying to cut it out. It's harder than I thought it would be. Like the author said, I've never noticed any physical withdrawal, but I have a strong urge to have a drink every night (sometimes even in the middle of the day). This is one of the most stressful times of my life and it's so hard not to just say "fu…

Ugh, I used to drink every day to unwind, but then it got out of control. "Just have one" (that's no rationalization, it's how your brain gets you) always turned into two, three, four. Hell, I could say I was an alcoholic, except it didn't really affect my work. Quitting was pretty hard, too, I could go a week or two without any alcohol, then I just needed to take some. Somehow, I got the willpower to buy a bottle of…

I managed a bar for three years when I was in my 20s. Obviously, I got to know a lot of serious alcoholics. If you're any good at your job as a bartender, you learn to manage them and keep them from getting completely out of control. Though they're still going to get sloshed.

Anyway, we had one guy that came in 4 or 5 nights a week and drank gin and tonics til he was quite drunk. He could not drink moderately, he was an alcoholic.

Until one night, he stopped. He'd almost been fired from his job because the drinking was still affecting him the next day. He saw where his life was going, and it wasn't where he wanted to go.

He enjoyed the social life of the bar, so he still came in 4 or 5 nights a week, but now he'd just drink tonic water. We never charged him, of course, and he got preferential service because we all admired the hell out him, sitting there sipping his tonic while everyone drank around him.

Still remember that guy well, I was so proud of him.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#202

Post by jzawodn »

jotm wrote: post #100
jere wrote: post #60

I've slipped into the habit of drinking almost every single night over the past few months and I'm currently trying to cut it out. It's harder than I thought it would be. Like the author said, I've never noticed any physical withdrawal, but I have a strong urge to have a drink every night (sometimes even in the middle of the day). This is one of the most stressful times of my life and it's so hard not to just say "fu…

Ugh, I used to drink every day to unwind, but then it got out of control. "Just have one" (that's no rationalization, it's how your brain gets you) always turned into two, three, four. Hell, I could say I was an alcoholic, except it didn't really affect my work. Quitting was pretty hard, too, I could go a week or two without any alcohol, then I just needed to take some. Somehow, I got the willpower to buy a bottle of…

Interesting. I've used the same trick with food. Buy a box of little debbie snacks or whatever, and instead of eating half the box, eat one and smash the rest into the trash.

Next time don't even eat one--or just take a single bite and then smash the box. It feels strangely powerful.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#203

Post by chrischen »

a3voices wrote: post #47
ultimoo wrote: post #18

>> ...alcoholism is often linked to highly driven, ambitious, over-achieving personality types... I have come across this point multiple times in the past -- reading or conversing -- but never has a concrete source or study been cited. Not to say I don't agree with it -- anecdotal evidence is not always false. It is really true though? I consider myself very driven and ambitious and also have a drinking habit, but kn…

People who drink alcohol in moderation statistically make 10-15% more money. http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/drinking-statistic...

Maybe because the majority of abstainers do it for the wrong reasons.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#204

Post by mason55 »

bitops wrote: post #69
jere wrote: post #60

I've slipped into the habit of drinking almost every single night over the past few months and I'm currently trying to cut it out. It's harder than I thought it would be. Like the author said, I've never noticed any physical withdrawal, but I have a strong urge to have a drink every night (sometimes even in the middle of the day). This is one of the most stressful times of my life and it's so hard not to just say "fu…

Have you tried breaking up any of your usual patterns? It may be hard to do with schedules and workload, but just exercising 2 or 3 times a week can make a huge difference. I've found that 90 minutes of exercise per session is its own drug.

Yup. I found that drinking was holding back my fitness progress. It was much easier to say no to the nightly few beers when I knew that it would affect my performance.

I even got to the point where I'm exercising 5 days a week and so I go out binge drinking on the weekends much, much less.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#205

Post by jere »

bostonpete wrote: post #178
hokkos wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if it is linked but a recent study found that 29 years old get hte worst hangover : http://metro.co.uk/2013/07/31/hangovers-hit-the-hardest-at-t...

> 49 per cent of Britons saying they are still sozzled on a Monday morning I don't know WTF sozzled means but I'm guessing it means hungover. Can that possibly be correct? 49% of Brits are hungover on any given Monday morning???

Drunk. They're still drunk by Monday morning? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sozzled

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#206

Post by tn13 »

nrivadeneira wrote: post #128
bitops wrote: post #53

> booze enables workaholism, because of the fast unwind time I think this is the key insight from the article. I went through a stressful period where I used alcohol to wind down quickly. But in reality it just made things worse because it numbed me up to the real reasons why I was stressed out. Sometimes though, we don't want to look at the deeper issues (emotional/psychological) for why we are unhappy, and booze pr…

I find that a hardcore workout works even better than alcohol. Not only do you get the same winding down effect in a short period of time (assuming you're really killing yourself and working to exhaustion in the gym), but you get a lot of additional benefits along with it: better focus, improved health, boosted confidence, and improved body composition. You wake up the next morning feeling a lot better about yourself…

I can second this. Working out at Gym, lifting heavy weights not only givens you that winding down effect but has a positive impact on productivity as well.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#207

Post by cnp »

My GF and I quit drinking for four months once and it totally changed our lives. All the haziness disappeared, and so did our desire to get senselessly smashed. Everything, literally, improved in our lives --work, school, focus, our relationship: everything.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#208

Post by gdilla »

nrivadeneira wrote: post #128
bitops wrote: post #53

> booze enables workaholism, because of the fast unwind time I think this is the key insight from the article. I went through a stressful period where I used alcohol to wind down quickly. But in reality it just made things worse because it numbed me up to the real reasons why I was stressed out. Sometimes though, we don't want to look at the deeper issues (emotional/psychological) for why we are unhappy, and booze pr…

I find that a hardcore workout works even better than alcohol. Not only do you get the same winding down effect in a short period of time (assuming you're really killing yourself and working to exhaustion in the gym), but you get a lot of additional benefits along with it: better focus, improved health, boosted confidence, and improved body composition. You wake up the next morning feeling a lot better about yourself…

Having your first kid does too. Of course, you may feel like you REALLY need to unwind when there's a screaming baby taking up all your awake time, but, one thing about being a (responsible) parent is that you always have to be 'on' - meaning you gotta get up reliably when it's time for feeding, routines, and making sure the baby doesn't harm themselves when they're awake. No time for booze, mate!

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#209

Post by marincounty »

There's some people who drink because they need too. You know who you are. You might be drinking because of generalized anxiety, or panic attacks? I know how you feel. Try to keep the drinking to a minimum though. As you age, the need for alcohol might decrease; it did with me. I never thought I could give up drinking, but I think age played a part? Now, I need to get off prescription drugs? A doctor once told me, every patient is different--that might be the only useful advise he ever gave me.
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