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On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

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Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#2

Post by jkingsman »

There are many hyperbolic articles about quitting drinking, as there are, reasonably, many hyperbolically bad situations that people find themselves in due to drinking.

I found that the moderate tone of this article spoke to me more than I've found hyperbolic articles tend to do -- much appreciated.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#4

Post by oggadog »

jkingsman wrote: post #2

There are many hyperbolic articles about quitting drinking, as there are, reasonably, many hyperbolically bad situations that people find themselves in due to drinking. I found that the moderate tone of this article spoke to me more than I've found hyperbolic articles tend to do -- much appreciated.

I'm glad you got something out of reading it! I was in a very similar situation as you where everything sobriety related I read made it out that quitting would turn me into the ubermensch overnight.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#5

Post by PragmaticPulp »

> Those nights with friends I had known for years felt no different now that I was sober. As I didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable around them, and drinking together wasn’t the only activity or situation we saw each other during. Relationships with people who I only ever drank or partied with definitely started to fade away, but I never felt like I lost anything as a result of that. The nights where I was stinging for a beer to get through it, however, were the events I had no real genuine interest in attending, or with crowds that I didn’t fit in with.

This is a common theme among my friends who previously drank heavily: They participate less in certain alcohol-centric groups, but they realize they aren't really missing them.

Moderate to heavy drinkers seem to get stuck in a rut where it feels like everyone drinks as much, or more, alcohol than they do. Yet once they break out of that rut, they realize that a lot of people have no problem having a good time without heavy drinking.

Alcohol is definitely a crutch for a lot of people.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#6

Post by bluedino »

I quit when I had kids. I'll have a beer here or there, but I don't "go to the bar".

I still miss getting shitfaced with co-workers, but I managed to accomplish everything I could while drinking during the last 20 years.

It guess it was fun, but I realize now I didn't need to go out every (or every other) day, and not for 8 hours at a time.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#7

Post by chihuahua »

I have to admit I simply don't understand drinking alcohol. Apparently it affects me differently from most people. The only effects I get are that I feel tired, and my field of vision narrows. Neither of those are pleasant. I wish I knew how other people feel when they drink alcohol.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#9

Post by colechristensen »

Lots of people have a “problem with” x for various values of x, usually something socially prevalent. Respect to those who recognize this and can help themselves by refraining.

It seems like a key to overcoming is recognizing negative effects and having a strong desire to avoid them… but I can’t talk much about it because I have almost the opposite of an addiction problem in the inability to form habits regardless of the vice or activity. Besides perhaps a concerted effort to correct the beginnings of a weight problem I’ve never had to try to “give up” anything but more like just forgotten about doing the thing for extended periods.

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