Haven't had any in 9 weeks. I feel better overall, but I'm much less social without alcohol.

The whole thing about "feeling much better" after going through a period of abstinence is a little overplayed. If you're a problem drinker and you stop drinking, then you'll definitely feel better, but I don't know that a social, normal drinker who is otherwise healthy (exercises, sleeps sufficiently, doesnt smoke, isnt overweight, etc) will feel much better without alcohol in their lives.

Let's face it. A few drinks after a long day takes the edge off, and as long as it is kept under control (2-3 drinks max) and you're not hung over the next day, it's not going to drag you down that much. My doctor told me he had no objection to a 2 glass of wine a day 5-6 days a week habit as long as it legitimately stayed at that level.

Who the heck quits drinking when they can control their habit to 3 drinks max?

Had a drinking dream last night, probably as a result of this post. In the dream I mixed malt liquor and wine and paid a heavy price. Then my Mom told me to stop drinking (as mentioned earlier she died in 10/2009 and was a long-time alcoholic). At least my dreams are easy to interpret!

I agree that someone who isn't a problem drinker isn't going to "feel better" after quitting drinking. Heck, as a heavy drinker I didn't even feel much different. Not drinking made losing weight easier, and that helps me not feel like a pile of ****, but the alcohol didn't take much of a physical toll.

That said, I do really think a LOT of people have unhealthy relationships with alcohol and aren't aware of it/won't admit it. For every person I know who only has 2 or 3 drinks I know 10 who get ****faced on the regular. And I will say that if one DOES have emotional issues that need confronting, it's MUCH easier to do without alcohol in your life.

Plenty of people. I know a lot of people who used to only smoke socially, and now don't smoke at all. My parents gave up red meat a few years ago despite only eating steak or lamb maybe once every 7-9 days.

You don't have to be a complete, out of control addict of a given vice to decide you need/want to give it up completely.

maybe (personally i know of literally noone) but i dont think its a controversial statement to say that the people who actually quit and have stayed sober (meaning not 1 or 2 years dry, but lifetime sober) have pretty much always hit a nasty rock bottom and can never stop at 2 or 3. Of course there will be nights, probably for the first couple months they can, but their addictive personalities inevitably rear their ugly head eventually in most cases it seems

I quit for a few months earlier this year. I was having two or three drinks a night just about every night.

The reasons I stopped were:

1) To try to lose some weight (I lost about 5 pounds as a result)

2) To see if my mood would change. I was feeling depressed in the mornings, and I was wondering if the alcohol I was drinking late in the evening was playing a part. My depression lifted a bit and I felt like I had more energy, but am not sure if it was related to abstaining from alcohol.

3) The province I live in had recently changed their drunk driving laws so that a BAC of .05 would get you a license suspension. I found that I was pushing the envelope on too many nights by having 3 drinks and then driving home.

4) To see if I could.

The biggest downside to not drinking was that I found myself being much less social. I also found myself getting bored and restless when sitting around with a bunch of other people who were drinking. The antics of my drunk friends were a lot less amusing while sober, as well.

Now that the weather is nicer, I've been having a drink or two on my deck after work most evenings. However, I've definitely cut down from the amounts that I was drinking before.

I think the point that there is not a strong need to quit if you truly possess the ability stop after 2-3 drinks is a good point; if that is really the case, then you don't have a serious problem.

That said, there are people out there who just decide to stop drinking and never really had a rock bottom type moment. Granted, they are rare, and therefore are probably not germane to this overall discussion, but I guess my point was that this type of thing is not nonexistent.

I first posted in this thread on 3/18/10. I'd said I'd finally stopped drinking the month before, and I had for two or three weeks, but I'd gone out for dinner on st. patty's day (3/17), had a mojito or two, bought a bottle of wine on the drive home and polished it off by myself.

I haven't had a drink since. 14 months. Totally changed my life. But on that 1st day, I didn't want to admit to the lapse that confirmed how much I wanted to be sober.

So I just wanted to set the record straight, cause that's exactly the kind of dishonesty about myself that my drinking supported.

I just found this thread. I've have been thinking about wanting to quit drinking for a while now but haven't yet begun. I really can't believe I still drink. I know I would be so much better off I didn't drink but I still get black out drunk like 3 or 4 times a week. It's just ridiculous many thousands of dollars I've spent. I've got two DUI's. I've made a fool of myself countless times either saying stupid things to people or getting angry and yelling at people. I've been kicked out of a couple casinos for that. I black out pretty much everytime I drink now. I've puked on bars. I've puked on myself at bars, on the floors of bars and on the doors of bars. One of the worst things I can remember recently. I had been drinking since about noon It was about midnight I think I decided to go home. So I got 2 shots of goldshlager drank those and was on my way to walk in the direction of home. I got about a block and a half away when I would say that the part of my brain that controls balance quit working. And I fell face first into the cement and literally could not get back up. So I passed out there laying face down for I don't know how long in the middle of an alley until I woke up and was able to walk again. It was pretty humiliating explaining to people why I had big scrape marks on my face.
Anyway I'm going to read through this thread and hopefully get something out of it. Thanks

For those of you who have successfully quit drinking, did you find it important/necessary to make it public that you are an alcoholic and are no longer drinking? My good friend has told me he wants to quit drinking, but he's too embarrassed to tell everyone he's an alcoholic, which makes it tough because then people pressure him to drink when we're all out, because they don't know any better.

It's also tough because he's not an obvious alcoholic, he's more of a stay at home and get drunk alone type, so it's not immediately obvious he has a problem. He typically will just succumb and have a few drinks to try and be normal, or he'll just make up an excuse like having to wake up early, but he never really says that he's not drinking anymore.

Just wondering how important you guys think it is to at least make it clear that you're not drinking anymore, even if you don't explicitly say that it's because you're an alcoholic.

I recently quit drinking (about two months with one drunken bachelor party mixed in -- hated it, I had cravings before that night but since that night I've had zero cravings).

I am like your friend, more of a stay at home drunk. I have no problem telling people that I have a drinking problem. Although, it may be easier for me to be open about it because I've had mental issues since I was 18 and have learned to be up front about a lot of my weaknesses.

I think he should come out and tell people he doesn't want to drink anymore. But if it's working for him to skip around that fact and he's not drinking at home alone anymore, then who cares, right?

I would love to be able to just have a few drinks when I'm outside the house, but in the past that always led to increased drinking the moment I got home with my light buzz. So if he's able to have a few drinks with friends and then stop when he gets home, that would be awesome.

Hope things are going well. Think about why you continue to drink when you KNOW it's bad for you. Work on that.

It was very important to me, as was this thread. Making progress and getting healthier and wiser isn't anything to be embarrassed about/ashamed of. And it will help him feel less awkward when he's around people that are drinking - no elephant in the room (that only he's aware of).

i just tell people iv had enough to drink


its true


most of my friends know im in AA and its so that they can help keep me accountable...i wouldnt just be damaging my perception of me if i took a drink i would look weak willed in others minds

Well, for me specifically, when I have 2-3 drinks, something happens in my brain. Its called the phenominon of craving. My drug of choice is MOAR!! It isn't like I have had a bad life either. In fact, I had a great life and excellent childhood. I hope to give my kids the same opportunities that my parents gave me.

I realized that alcohol was a huge part of my life when I started to withdraw (and im not talking about a headache). I still fight this battle everyday. I guess im rambling right now. But, even though i've never met LFS, I remember reading this thread when it was three pages and I was at my worst. So, thanks for this thread. And, congrats to LFS because for an alcoholic to get sober is a pretty amazing thing in and of itself IMO.

RML: From the start of my recovery, I intended it to be permanent abstinence. Over time, I told friends I wasn't drinking, and then I told them I wasn't drinking anymore, and then I told them I wasn't drinking prolly ever again, and so on. It helped.

I drank secretly. So as for disclosing secret drinking: No one has to disclose ****, but there are a couple of AA things that make sense to me (I've been to 2 AA meetings in my life - wasn't for me):

1. Admitting to someone (anyone) other than ourselves that we have a problem.
2. "You're only as sick as your secrets"

Your friend told you. That's enough. He doesn't have to flay himself. "It just wasn't working for me." is a simple, versatile and true answer.

Sponsorship is one of the key aspevts of AA, and defnitely one of the big difference makers when it comes to staying sober. For people looking to not drink, my suggestion would be to go to AA and try to keep an open mind. If you've tried that and don't want to keep going / don't like it, then I woild suggest trying to replicate some aspects of the program, with sponsorship at the top of the list. Try to find someone in your life, preferably of the same sex, that you can confide in when it comes to this stuff.

For questions about how to handle bars in early sobriety, etc., there is an AA book called Living Sober that has great tips on this kind of thing (and is light on the higher power stuff for anyone concerned about that).

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Sober-A.../dp/0916856046

I have Living Sober and also highly recommend it.

keep it up man, i know how hard it can be

I drank socially the past two weekends and now I'm house/dog sitting at a place and there is a fresh bottle of Jager in the freezer....I haven't gotten drunk alone in 2 months or so....I am here until Friday, wish me luck.

so you're going to steal liquor from the people you are house sitting for? Jesus Christ, get it together man, you are supposed to be an alcoholic, not some thieving *******.

Very close family, brah. Chill. (oh, and I'm not even drinking it lol)

Three years without a drink today, yay me!

Very important, but people are remarkably absent-minded about it anyway. Sometimes I have to pull people aside and explain that I just absolutely do not touch anything with alcohol in it, ever; as if it is the ****ing black plague.

I have been sober since Oct of 2003. AA is a very important part of my life. Getting sober was one of the hardest things I ever had to do and it almost killed me in the process. It is funny when people ask me why I dont drink anymore. I usually answer " a choice" but when those who wish to persist about it more I tell them the truth which is funny because they seem guilty once they got curious. One of the hardest parts getting sober was dealing with the emotions and feelings which were hidden for so long through my drinking. I remember crying for no good reason at work or biting people's heads off out of the clear blue.

Right now I have a roommate who picked up his 2nd DUI in the last year. He spent 10 days in jail and has the ankle monitor. After fines,fees.lawyer and court cost he is in the red for $3450. What does he do 10 days out of jail? get drunk. I can't make him stop.... all I can do is point him in the right direction and when he is ready or when he hits rock bottom he will make his life choice.

GL to all who wish to stop drinking or have stopped.

I recently found myself DJing weekends again which causes me to drink around 10+ drinks a night. Never really thought much of it in the past but I do wonder just how much damage im doing to myself, especially if I decide to keep this up for any length of time. Google was mostly unhelpful as every answer seems to be cut/paste with government propaganda. I talked to my doc about it and he seemed very concerned to say the least. My drinking habits seem so standard and 100% within the realm of normality that i've never spent time questioning it. Would love some advice from those who know.