Giving up alcohol for 3 months...

[Fab Foodie]

That's great news!
Hopefully the quality of sleep is improving too?

Absolutely,just need to get to bed a tad earlier, i.e before midnight on a regular basis, but I'm at least sleeping well and that is a significant improvement!

 

[hackbike 666]

Significantly improved, thanks!

Same here although it took a year.Just finished a 6 day work stint and I feel fine.In the old days I would be half dead.

 

[PBancroft]

1 Day down for me.

 

[GilesM]

Very interesting thread especially as I have decided to stop for a while, not sure how long, just see how it goes. Through a combination of working away, (most of November in Germany, December in China) then Christmas and a Skiing holiday for the first week of January my body certainly needs a rest from the drink, so far I have managed since Sunday without, the weekend could be difficult, especially if the weather prevents me going out to play on my bike, and I know I will probably fail as soon as I am working away. I'm actually thinking right now how good red wine smells and tastes, and it's only half eleven.

Good luck to those who are still on the dry.

 

[tdr1nka]

One thought I had when this thread started was, why three months in particular?
Not that that isn't a reasonable and valid goal at all.

Getting out of any 'bad' habit tends to be a day at a time affair until the habit is changed but setting time limits can sometimes interfere with the process.

I genuinely found I liked the 'new me' and wondered where he had been hiding, even if my drinking friends found it difficult to deal with.
Getting up was less of a chore, my attention span, work and overall fitness improved and more strangely there appeared to be a few more hours in a day even if I went to bed earlier.

I know it's early days yet but here's a thought to bear in mind, booze is tricky in that once you've had some time off, once you come to drink again you might well find that your tolerance is significantly lower than it once was.

I tried a large glass of red wine about a year after I gave up and the effect was that I felt roaring drunk for about an hour and then a shocking hangover kicked straight in after that!

This is what finally put me off drink in the end.
There seemed little point in wasting the little I had had to actually do in order to improve myself just to go through that all over again.

Well done, again guys!

Fizzy pop all round!

 

[magnatom]

Just thought I'd post and offer my support!

I'm actually off the booze at the moment, and have been for the last couple of weeks. My wife is due to give birth on the 15th (so anytime) so I need to fit to drive at a moments notice. I thought I'd miss it, but it has been surprisingly easy. I suppose it helps that my wife isn't drinking and already having two kids, we don't go out drinking anyway (babysitting is a problem for us).

So I'll be sober until number 3 arrives. I can't vouch for what will happen after that though!

 

[Fab Foodie]

Tdrinka

I agree with your sentiments, but! I quit smoking 4 years ago and I still don't like the non-smoking me. I adore real beer, and wine, and Malt Whiskey, I'd never want to forgo those pleasures entirely, life wouldn't be worth living. But to set a goal is something to aim for, and... I might be wrong, I might like being teetotal, if that's the case then I'm well on the way, if not I'll might have a drink on the 1st of April. I don't want to be puritanical, just want to loose some weight, break a habit and examine the benefits of a reduced alcohol life-style. Just seeing how it goes!

 

[Fab Foodie]

1 Day down for me.

Oh it's not that bad is it? Well done, keep it up!

 

[tdr1nka]

FF, I've still yet to kick the nicoteen habit but I'm now down to a few roll ups a day when I had been a forty a day man.

I'm not seriously pushing the tea total line for everyone, it's just something I happened into by fluke and have felt much better for and can share.
If I can offer any helpful advice or observations on the thread I hope you don't mind me doing so.


One other unfortunate side effect of not drinking is that it is often difficult not to come across as being pious, puritanical or anti drink when talking about it, even if that is not the intention at all.

 

[Fab Foodie]

FF, I've still yet to kick the nicoteen habit but I'm now down to a few roll ups a day when I had been a forty a day man.

I'm not seriously pushing the tea total line for everyone, it's just something I happened into by fluke and have felt much better for and can share.
If I can offer any helpful advice or observations on the thread I hope you don't mind me doing so.


One other unfortunate side effect of not drinking is that it is often difficult not to come across as being pious, puritanical or anti drink when talking about it, even if that is not the intention at all.

Hey! No worries I understand exactly where you're coming from and it's great to read your contributions and experience. I'm genuinely curious to find-out where this goes, my own personal experiment I guess. Part of the interest is also seeing other's reactions. Thus far people are supportive, a few think I've lost my prawn

 

[tdr1nka]

Speaking of reactions, I noticed how many otherwise sane people told me they felt they 'couldn't cope' without 'a' drink.

Even as a light hearted quip it's a worrying statement or mindset.

I guess my family history(Dad was a violent alcaholic Mum left him when I was very young and I in turn took to Cider like a demon when I hit thirteen, it being fun and a welcome relief from a stressful homelife)helped give me a perspective on drinking.
In fact I had a six month spell of abstinance when I was seventeen, an experiment I undretook because I worried that I was drinking to excess, absolutely no idea that I'd give up completely some thirteen years later.

I admire your decision to go without for a period of time.
A lot of people try, and often struggle, with moderating their drinking and as with smoking it is so easy to slip back into an old habit without actually experiencing much change.

I managed to stop smoking for eight weeks in my twenties, I felt great after a few weeks and for the life of me I cannot think why I started again.

It's always a good thing to try these things out just to see the alternatives, no matter how you decide to continue from there.

 

[hackbike 666]

Getting up was less of a chore,

Not a problem for me.Im up at 3am for work and I prefer those shifts.

my attention span, work and overall fitness improved and more strangely there appeared to be a few more hours in a day even if I went to bed earlier.

Definitely agree...I also noticed I had that sort of sore throat feeling like I was on the verge of getting a cold last week...so I resigned myself to getting it...Then within 2 days it was gone and I was pleasently surprised.I also just did a 6 day stint of work and didn't feel too bad.

I know it's early days yet but here's a thought to bear in mind, booze is tricky in that once you've had some time off, once you come to drink again you might well find that your tolerance is significantly lower than it once was.

Not in my case...I hammered it for years...so when I stopped in Dec 2008 and drank on holiday in Thailand in November 2009 I still really couldn't get drunk.

I haven't had a drink since New Years Eve and I don't really think about it.

 

[Bayerd]

Just curious, for those of you that pledged to go 3 months without, as you're drawing near to the end goal, what changes have you noticed, both positive and negative?

 

[just jim]

Well, admittedly I didn't get to make the three months due to a Valentines Day sparkling wine experience, a post-work misery drink and my 40th birthday a couple of weeks ago which was a bit of a drinks-do. Apart from that I've been "clean" if that's the right term for it.

few of things:

• 5.30am - I've been waking up at this time feeling like it's time to get up, which I'm doing (though not always), and using the time to do a bit of admin, pootling around, drinking tea.
  
• Alcohol smells stronger - white wine especially.
  
• Insomnia was noticable at first.
  
• The "wolf hour" between 6 -7 pm was (and is) the hardest part.
  
• Glass recycling box became dramatically lighter.

Hope to keep my intake low from now on!

 

[Fab Foodie]

Just curious, for those of you that pledged to go 3 months without, as you're drawing near to the end goal, what changes have you noticed, both positive and negative?

Good question....

Well I (via Mrs FF) instigated this and I have to say that Mrs FF id still 100% clean.

My fall from the wagon was documented, BUT, whilst I admit to not having continued alcohol free, I'm hugely reduced. 'The Wolf Hour' is easily the worst!!!!

• We no longer have a winebox and wine has only been in the house when we have people round.
• We've entertained at home without either of us taking alcohol and survived, but admit a bit of a drink would have been beneficial.
• We've been out to a few soirees and found much the same, just a small drink helps grease the wheels.
• We've also found some people are unbearable to spend an evening with sober.
• I find I sleep better without alcohol and have better energy levels in the evenings.
• I feel more alert during the days.
• Mrs FF lost weight (and really doesn't need to) and I did not loose a gram and I REALLY need to.
• We've discovered new drinks to enjoy.
• I've made sure that alcohol I've drunk is worth the drinking.
• We've saved some money.
  I'm less grumpy.

So, there are real benefits to be had. I've seriously modified my drinking behaviour and that's a good thing.
I hope to continue to drive my average consumption downwards.

I think it's been a great lesson.