Teetotal

elmooreo

Well-Known Member
Anyone here teetotal or been down that route before?

Flirting with the idea of saying that 2018 will be a sober year for me and then seeing what happens, at least giving it a try anyway! Got a few weddings and trips planned this summer that I would like to enjoy a drink at and then draw a line under it for the new year, in case you are wondering why wait until then, but will probably start scaling things down anyway.

I know this will sound very daft to some of you but its something I've wanted to do for a long time - I'm sure by now my liver and my mind would appreciate the rest and it would give me a chance to focus my energy on other things and get really healthy in the meantime.

Any tips or experience from any of you lot would genuinely be of interest.
 
Taking a one day at a time approach in the early days of giving up anything is the best approach for me
If I tell myself I can't have chocolate for a year I couldn't do it, but I could easily leave it alone till tomorrow, then take same approach the next day, etc etc.
After a month staying off another month won't be an issue.

Find new ways to socialise with the friends you normally drink with. Meeting them in boozers is going to lead to temptation
 
Its amazing how many people I meet that don't drink. Some might smoke, some my have food issues but there are a lot who don't drink.

I'll get back on this one when have a bit more time as I got some bad experience of how drinking can wreck a life.
 
best of luck with it.

i currently live in a household with 2 women and would probably go insane without a regular supply of cerveza/rioja

that said, I rarely get seriously pissed anymore unless it's an all day slow burner or bank holiday special. I think something changed in 2002 when I had a work xmas do in London and fell down some stairs on the tube and ended up at St Mary's on a stretcher. Or maybe I just grew up. I dunno. Oh to be a student / junior office worker again eh
 
^^This.. I can have a beer for breakfast on weekend and not have another until night time.:) some day none,somedays 1 and some days 10.:) never had a problem not drinking for a few weeks but didnt notice any benefits. I don't drink Tuesday,Wednesday or Thursday.:)
 
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I don't think I could ever be completely teetotal but I'm also feeling like I want to cut the bevvy out.

I've noticed that in the days after drinking a lot I have the fear, sometimes justified, sometimes completely irrational, and feeling guilty despite having done nothing wrong.

The main problem I have with drinking, is once I'm past two or three pints I just keep going, there is no off switch.
 
Don't do it! ;)

Booze causes a lot of problems but no way i could give it up - too much fun and a decent red wine or whisky is pretty damn tasty.

If you're having troubles with booze, build things into your routine (like evening exercise) which don't mix with alcohol.
 
The first thing is that you have considered this. Clearly something you haven't just came up with overnight.

You would just start with ok let's see what happens if I don't drink for 2 weeks and be strong on nights out/ocassions and then see the results of that.
 
Yeah the wine with a nice meal and a cold beer here and there would be the killer. I dont think I have a problem just want to see what the health and energy benefits would be. So many Sundays lost to hangovers and spent feeling rough, creeping into mid thirties now as well so the effects last that bit longer and recovery takes more out of you.

Maybe I'll try a month and then look to build on that. Can do 2 weeks dry no problems so a month shouldn't be too hard.
 
Food for thought -

I catagorise it as follows:

People who are alcoholics
People with drink problems
People with problems with drink
People whom it has no real bearing on
People who don't drink

Maybe trying put oneself into one of those groups is a start?
 
People with drink problems generally have other problems that lead to the drink problems. Those are the problems that need to be tackled.
 
People with drink problems generally have other problems that lead to the drink problems. Those are the problems that need to be tackled.
you're bang right there man.
People often "self medicate" with alcohol when those issues are present.

@elmooreo - probably a bit deeper than you wanted dude?:lol:
:lol::lol:
 
Hahaha yeah perhaps, all interesting though!

What's the difference between 2 and 3?

Okay
My opinion only btw.

2. Is your typical pub regular. They drink every day at a set time, its built into their lives. They might go to the pub every night and have to drink 5/6 pints, but they must do it regardless. They might even do this at home with say 1-2 bottles of wine......? But the amount is such that its too much booze over time and it controls their lives to an extent, they see no problem with what they are doing. They manage to hold down jobs and perform relatively normally in everyday life.

3. These people make excuses to drink. Its Wednesday, Im having red wine with pasta, its sunny.......but they have days off from it. They might drink 3 or 4 nights a week but sometimes to excess. Not throwing up or anything, just a few more than they need to, they may not know when to stop. Sometimes they need a drink for social situations or will find reasons to be the drinker not the driver. They reward themselves with good work with a drink. They may ruin 1 or 2 days a week with a hangover and can feel guilty for drinking.
 
Okay
My opinion only btw.

2. Is your typical pub regular. They drink every day at a set time, its built into their lives. They might go to the pub every night and have to drink 5/6 pints, but they must do it regardless. They might even do this at home with say 1-2 bottles of wine......? But the amount is such that its too much booze over time and it controls their lives to an extent, they see no problem with what they are doing. They manage to hold down jobs and perform relatively normally in everyday life.

3. These people make excuses to drink. Its Wednesday, Im having red wine with pasta, its sunny.......but they have days off from it. They might drink 3 or 4 nights a week but sometimes to excess. Not throwing up or anything, just a few more than they need to, they may not know when to stop. Sometimes they need a drink for social situations or will find reasons to be the drinker not the driver. They reward themselves with good work with a drink. They may ruin 1 or 2 days a week with a hangover and can feel guilty for drinking.

functioning alcoholics v bingers

worth adding that the nightmare tourists/stags/football fans that go abroad in numbers aren't generally-speaking alcoholics - they're just numbskulls who can't hold their drink
 
They may ruin 1 or 2 days a week with a hangover and can feel guilty for drinking.

This deffo applies. Hungover Sundays or feeling rough at work on a Monday at least once a month. This is what I'd like to phase out.
 
I've tried to go dry for the last couple of years whilst marathon training.
Almost every friday i've ended up having a couple of pints on my lunch break and then get swayed into heading back out after work :spank:
 
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