this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2023
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When I stopped drinking I found myself with a lot of free time I could dedicate to things, and also a lot of free time that I could dedicate to working on my mental health.
I was drinking about a fifth of alcohol every night (except Saturday, those were more) and none of it was less than 50% alcohol as anything less was a waste of time for me.
How did you stop? I was in the same boat, like 7 days ago. I decided in want to stop buying alcohol for the house. So maybe 5 days ago I finished the last bottle and can at home. Since then I've had a beer at lunch at a restaurant and 3 beers yesterday at a friend's house. I was verrrry tempted to go buy some last night.
It wasn't easy and over the time I was drinking I had made 4 attempts to quit. This last one was the successful attempt.
I realized I couldn't drink in moderation, I couldn't slowly drink less, I had to quit cold turkey. And that was painful. Both physically and mentally.
I basically had to quit because I had come to the conclusion that I was drinking myself to death and if I didn't stop I was going to succeed.
It was really hard, honestly the hardest thing I've done. I started drinking when I was 12 and I quit drinking at 24. I was drinking to run away from myself and my memories.
When I quit drinking I had to get all of the alcohol out of my apartment because as long as it was there I could hear the siren's song to drink again and smash my life on the rocks.
It was months before I could say that I had succeeded and gotten sober. In the process I lost most of my friend group because they didn't want to be around a "sober buzzkill" but I'd say that needed to happen.
I felt physically like crap for the first couple months and mentally like crap for basically 5 months.
Since then though my life has gotten so much better it's amazing.
I'd say the secret to quiting is believing in yourself. It's hard but it can be done. You will have moments where you feel like you are going to fail but they will pass.
I've been sober now for 5 years and I will still occasionally crave alcohol. I still don't feel comfortable being around people who are drinking. I still can't walk into a bar without my hands shaking. But I won't drink, I don't want to because I know why I used to and I know what will happen if I start again.
Not the guy you asked but maybe try to find the root of your habit. When I'm continuously doing something I want to stop, I find there's a reason. Like for me, I drink more often than I mean to because I'm bored and feeling like my life has no meaning, but alcohol helps me relax and enjoy the little day to day things. So then that gives me a path forward: find things I'm more passionate about, do more fulfilling things instead of going straight to video games and tv, go back to therapy, etc.
So maybe your drinking is because you're just bored, maybe you have an underlying issue like depression or anxiety, maybe you're medicating your stress or avoiding addressing something. Idk it's up to you.
But remember that you typically do things for a reason, and you're not alone in struggling with this issue. It's a lot of us man
Edibles/weed helps take the edge off.
Not great for weight loss though IMO
And replacing one potentially-abused substance with another
It's a hell of a lot better for you than alcohol though. It would be a net benefit to anyone who drinks regularly to replace it thusly.
Yeah, it's better, but it's not great if you're doing it every day like the user above (edit: the original one who posed the question) was suggesting. I just don't think the advice should end at "switch to weed" because it's just changing the problem instead of offering advice for fixing it
Jeez that's a shitload of liquor, glad you were able to kick that habit. I feel bad like I drink too much when my lady and I drink a whole liter bottle on a weekend together. I like to drink sometimes but other times it just feels worthless and I wonder why I'm doing it. Fortunately I can get medical flowers legally and they help me feel a lot better than liquor does.
I'm really glad to hear you changed that. Would be headed to an early grave like several of my acquaintances if you kept it up.