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Post by mtrstudent on Sept 30, 2020 14:15:58 GMT
This thread is about cutting down on alcohol so I’m assuming people are drinking a bit more than they would like without being full blown alcoholics Unless you become an alcoholic and dependent on alcohol I’d imagine it’s just the case of breaking habits like anything else in life. Never easy but achievable I’m not a big fan of New Years resolutions. If you wake up on new year and say I’m going to lose weight exercise more gove up fags and booze you will fail. It’s too much. It’s all about small changes. If you wake up and say I want to do more exercise you may find as you get fitter you will unconsciously make smaller changes like better diet, cut down on drink etc because you are enjoying your exercise and are seeing results not just in fitness but well being. Find somthing else to do with the time when you’d normally drink, no drink in the house and only drink when out. Make new habits Again never easy Spot on that. I have very recently made some changes to help, I can't remember a day in the last few years when I havn't had a drink, and my first day without alcohol was last Tuesday!! I then did Wednesday and Thursday, quite a strange feeling to be honest. I am not really sociable, I would prefer to drink at home, normally a few cans of beer to take the edge off then a bottle maybe bottle and a half of red. Never falling over drunk just a dependency that is always there, a habit. Anyway I am now trying to be out doing something at the time I would start drinking, ie from around 5:30pm during the weekdays. I am not having any drink in the house at all. If I fancy a drink on the weekend then no problem, I will go and buy it but not too much or else I have a surplus!! Anyway, good luck to anyone in the same boat. Most people seem to just want to complain rather than putting the effort in to break the habit, top job on getting started mate Keep an eye out for alcohol withdrawal; some info here if people are cutting heavily.
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Post by foster on Sept 30, 2020 16:58:57 GMT
Started jogging last week again... 4x during the week.
In terms of drinking there aren't many days when I don't have a couple of beers so I decided to get some non alcoholic beer for the first time in my life last week.
Wasn't actually that bad and I think I managed 3 nights with it, but I deffo still think I need to cut down the alcohol.
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Post by muggleton on Sept 30, 2020 19:25:38 GMT
Started jogging last week again... 4x during the week. In terms of drinking there aren't many days when I don't have a couple of beers so I decided to get some non alcoholic beer for the first time in my life last week. Wasn't actually that bad and I think I managed 3 nights with it, but I deffo still think I need to cut down the alcohol. Good man. Any step in the right direction is for the good. Exercise is key for me when cutting down or off it. Don't fancy a drink after exercise and don't fancy exercise the day after drink, so would be in far better shape if I binned it completely. No plans for that though, so keeping a lid on its the best we can hope for for now.
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Post by ColonelMustard on Sept 30, 2020 19:39:25 GMT
Started jogging last week again... 4x during the week. In terms of drinking there aren't many days when I don't have a couple of beers so I decided to get some non alcoholic beer for the first time in my life last week. Wasn't actually that bad and I think I managed 3 nights with it, but I deffo still think I need to cut down the alcohol. Good man. Any step in the right direction is for the good. Exercise is key for me when cutting down or off it. Don't fancy a drink after exercise and don't fancy exercise the day after drink, so would be in far better shape if I binned it completely. No plans for that though, so keeping a lid on its the best we can hope for for now. Going for runs was key for me too when first changing my habits. I started enjoying the Sunday morning run when it was quiet out so much it was easy to reign in Saturday night. Another good thing is keeping an eye on how much money you are saving and treating yourself to something now and then.
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Post by muggleton on Sept 30, 2020 22:27:59 GMT
Good man. Any step in the right direction is for the good. Exercise is key for me when cutting down or off it. Don't fancy a drink after exercise and don't fancy exercise the day after drink, so would be in far better shape if I binned it completely. No plans for that though, so keeping a lid on its the best we can hope for for now. Going for runs was key for me too when first changing my habits. I started enjoying the Sunday morning run when it was quiet out so much it was easy to reign in Saturday night. Another good thing is keeping an eye on how much money you are saving and treating yourself to something now and then. Sound advice. I play football once a week and run 2-3 times, then spend Sundays lying on my arse eating absolute crap to deal with the hangover, and it's Thursday before my sleeping pattern sorts itself out. So by any rational measure I should knock the drink on the head almost completely. A fresh Sunday is a delight. But I still love it and for now just try to be more mindful about it - only drink things I enjoy (no going through the motions with bog standard lager), stopped going to pubs I don't like (drank in some absolute dumps over the years out of habit), 5 dry nights in the average week and a couple of dry months in the year. A week off work and I can go absolutely feral, so plenty of work still to do, but getting there.
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Post by foster on Oct 1, 2020 6:35:37 GMT
Going for runs was key for me too when first changing my habits. I started enjoying the Sunday morning run when it was quiet out so much it was easy to reign in Saturday night. Another good thing is keeping an eye on how much money you are saving and treating yourself to something now and then. Sound advice. I play football once a week and run 2-3 times, then spend Sundays lying on my arse eating absolute crap to deal with the hangover, and it's Thursday before my sleeping pattern sorts itself out. So by any rational measure I should knock the drink on the head almost completely. A fresh Sunday is a delight. But I still love it and for now just try to be more mindful about it - only drink things I enjoy (no going through the motions with bog standard lager), stopped going to pubs I don't like (drank in some absolute dumps over the years out of habit), 5 dry nights in the average week and a couple of dry months in the year. A week off work and I can go absolutely feral, so plenty of work still to do, but getting there. Don't think at any point in the past 20 years I've gone 5 days without a drink. Although I'm slowly edging toward the idea of giving it a go for a few weeks. A totally dry month is just a pipe dream.
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Post by boydcrowder on Oct 1, 2020 8:31:08 GMT
I know it's against the spirit of the thread (no pub intended) but reading it is really making me want a pint!
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Post by Rednwhitenblue on Oct 1, 2020 10:17:03 GMT
I know it's against the spirit of the thread (no pub intended) but reading it is really making me want a pint! That really made me chuckle! Quite an inspiring thread this one, well done to all the people cutting down or going weeks without.
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Post by wilcopotter on Oct 1, 2020 14:56:45 GMT
Very seldom drink in the house, only the pub about 25 units a week. Did Stoptober few years back didn’t change diet or exercise levels, lost 9 pounds. Problem is, for me anyway, is you soon slip in to the old habit. Tbh, I felt great and looked healthier, problem is the loss of socialising is boring and I can’t drink pop in the pub, it’s crap. In the 90’s 10ks, half’s and full marathons. Now due Angiogram, couldn’t believe when GP said in January ( delayed by Co Vid) think we better have a look at your heart. Not sure if drink has been a factor, but a good chance I guess. Angiogram done, stents required, definitely cutting down on alcohol now, like it or not.
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Post by bigjohnritchie on Oct 1, 2020 15:11:42 GMT
Very seldom drink in the house, only the pub about 25 units a week. Did Stoptober few years back didn’t change diet or exercise levels, lost 9 pounds. Problem is, for me anyway, is you soon slip in to the old habit. Tbh, I felt great and looked healthier, problem is the loss of socialising is boring and I can’t drink pop in the pub, it’s crap. In the 90’s 10ks, half’s and full marathons. Now due Angiogram, couldn’t believe when GP said in January ( delayed by Co Vid) think we better have a look at your heart. Not sure if drink has been a factor, but a good chance I guess. Angiogram done, stents required, definitely cutting down on alcohol now, like it or not. I had 3 stents put in , 3 years ago. It was a shock to me, as well, as I'd always been fairly fit. I'm not sure of the relationship between alcohol and drink. There is some conflicting advice out there. It seems to affect blood pressure, mine has always been low, and I'm a regular drinker. My problems were with cholesterol. www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/effects-of-alcohol-on-your-heart
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Post by muggleton on Oct 1, 2020 21:20:08 GMT
Sound advice. I play football once a week and run 2-3 times, then spend Sundays lying on my arse eating absolute crap to deal with the hangover, and it's Thursday before my sleeping pattern sorts itself out. So by any rational measure I should knock the drink on the head almost completely. A fresh Sunday is a delight. But I still love it and for now just try to be more mindful about it - only drink things I enjoy (no going through the motions with bog standard lager), stopped going to pubs I don't like (drank in some absolute dumps over the years out of habit), 5 dry nights in the average week and a couple of dry months in the year. A week off work and I can go absolutely feral, so plenty of work still to do, but getting there. Don't think at any point in the past 20 years I've gone 5 days without a drink. Although I'm slowly edging toward the idea of giving it a go for a few weeks. A totally dry month is just a pipe dream. One step at a time if it's something you want to do mate. Cutting out week days works for me, and it makes longer breaks less of a big deal. Drinking less while enjoying it more.
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Post by Gods on Oct 2, 2020 23:11:17 GMT
Don't call pretty Peggy, she can't hear you no more Don't leave no message 'round her back door They say the old laughin' lady been here before She don't keep time, she don't count score
You can't have a cupboard if there ain't no wall You got to move, there's no time left to stall They say the old laughing lady dropped by to call And when she leaves, she leaves nothing at all
See the drunkard of the village falling on the street Can't tell his ankles from the rest of his feet He loves his old laughing lady 'cause her taste is so sweet But his laughing lady's loving ain't the kind he can keep
There's a fever on the freeway, blacks out the night There's a slipping on the stairway, just don't feel right And there's a rumbling in the bedroom and a flashing of light There's the old laughing lady, everything is alright
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Post by zerps on Oct 3, 2020 5:22:49 GMT
3 Guinness in the pub and two bottles of moretti when I got home last night.
I feel like I’ve been on a stag do 😂
Fuck it off.
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Post by chuffedstokie on Oct 3, 2020 7:40:25 GMT
Angiogram done, stents required, definitely cutting down on alcohol now, like it or not. I had 3 stents put in , 3 years ago. It was a shock to me, as well, as I'd always been fairly fit. I'm not sure of the relationship between alcohol and drink. There is some conflicting advice out there. It seems to affect blood pressure, mine has always been low, and I'm a regular drinker. My problems were with cholesterol. www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/effects-of-alcohol-on-your-heartThere's one side effect BJR that is taking longer to repair than actually dying from drinking and that's the liver damage. I'm still having (now annual) a scan to assess the damage but it's obviously completely hidden from view. It's only when your skin and eyes turn yellow that you realise that the organ isn't working properly any more. Thankfully (and I was extremely lucky) everyone got to me in time and I now view alcohol in the same light as drinking aviation fuel, it will kill me, don't have the choice.
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Post by elystokie on Oct 3, 2020 8:24:22 GMT
There's one side effect BJR that is taking longer to repair than actually dying from drinking and that's the liver damage. I'm still having (now annual) a scan to assess the damage but it's obviously completely hidden from view. It's only when your skin and eyes turn yellow that you realise that the organ isn't working properly any more. Thankfully (and I was extremely lucky) everyone got to me in time and I now view alcohol in the same light as drinking aviation fuel, it will kill me, don't have the choice. It's also suprisingly (to me anyway when I found out) carcinogenic which I discovered when I was looking at stuff concerning the harms etc, mainly with a view to losing some weight cos drinking cider had piled it on a bit for me. Opened my eyes a bit and I've had 1 bottle of lager, 1 can of cider and 1 large gin n tonic since the start of June and at the moment I really don't miss it, it's a bit weird to be fair.
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Post by Rednwhitenblue on Oct 3, 2020 8:38:21 GMT
There's one side effect BJR that is taking longer to repair than actually dying from drinking and that's the liver damage. I'm still having (now annual) a scan to assess the damage but it's obviously completely hidden from view. It's only when your skin and eyes turn yellow that you realise that the organ isn't working properly any more. Thankfully (and I was extremely lucky) everyone got to me in time and I now view alcohol in the same light as drinking aviation fuel, it will kill me, don't have the choice. It's also suprisingly (to me anyway when I found out) carcinogenic which I discovered when I was looking at stuff concerning the harms etc, mainly with a view to losing some weight cos drinking cider had piled it on a bit for me. Opened my eyes a bit and I've had 1 bottle of lager, 1 can of cider and 1 large gin n tonic since the start of June and at the moment I really don't miss it, it's a bit weird to be fair. That's excellent. You would hope that it does get easier as time passes, or at least the feeling of missing something eases. Which does tend to support what others have said on here that drinking is a routine or a habit a lot of the time, rather than a dependency. Habits can be broken.
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Post by upthefud on Oct 3, 2020 9:54:52 GMT
I won’t drink by myself, but I do go out a lot so I’m making an effort to do two months dry whilst not impacting my social life. Plan is to get in shape and save a bit of cash
Let’s see how it goes
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Post by elystokie on Oct 3, 2020 10:10:01 GMT
I won’t drink by myself, but I do go out a lot so I’m making an effort to do two months dry whilst not impacting my social life. Plan is to get in shape and save a bit of cash Let’s see how it goes I've only been out with friends a couple of times lately, when I have I've drank pints of lime and soda water as though I was drinking pints of lager/cider, seems to help rather than a fruit juice or something similar which I'm generally done with in a couple of mouthfuls.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 10:45:55 GMT
Good luck to everyone attempting to make positive changes. I’m personally aiming for sober October. Not that I think I have a big issue with drink (every two weeks max) but I don’t like how I feel in the following days, and also think it heavily impacts on my overall happiness and productivity.
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Post by Rednwhitenblue on Oct 3, 2020 12:22:09 GMT
I won’t drink by myself, but I do go out a lot so I’m making an effort to do two months dry whilst not impacting my social life. Plan is to get in shape and save a bit of cash Let’s see how it goes After the firstborn came along I wanted to quit the occasional ciggy I used to smoke. It was always hardest when out socialising. Pint and fag seem to go so well together, to me anyway. Once I'd managed that I felt I'd cracked it. This was before you were prevented from smoking in pubs... So, if you can manage to go out socialising and to the pub and not drink alcohol, well done to you!
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Post by zerps on Oct 3, 2020 12:56:30 GMT
Good luck to everyone attempting to make positive changes. I’m personally aiming for sober October. Not that I think I have a big issue with drink (every two weeks max) but I don’t like how I feel in the following days, and also think it heavily impacts on my overall happiness and productivity. I woke up feeling borderline depressed, until I’d had my morning brew after drinking for the first time in a while yesterday. I don’t suffer from depression either, it’s just how the booze made me feel. When drinking regularly I must have got used to feeling like that. Like I said, fuck it off 😂
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Post by Rednwhitenblue on Oct 3, 2020 13:29:59 GMT
Good luck to everyone attempting to make positive changes. I’m personally aiming for sober October. Not that I think I have a big issue with drink (every two weeks max) but I don’t like how I feel in the following days, and also think it heavily impacts on my overall happiness and productivity. I woke up feeling borderline depressed, until I’d had my morning brew after drinking for the first time in a while yesterday. I don’t suffer from depression either, it’s just how the booze made me feel. When drinking regularly I must have got used to feeling like that. Like I said, fuck it off 😂 I think it is a depressant overall, so not surprising you felt like that. In small measures it acts as a stimulant which is why you feel quite good/high-spirited after a glass, then it becomes a depressant as you drink more.
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Post by chuffedstokie on Oct 3, 2020 16:22:41 GMT
It's also suprisingly (to me anyway when I found out) carcinogenic which I discovered when I was looking at stuff concerning the harms etc, mainly with a view to losing some weight cos drinking cider had piled it on a bit for me. Opened my eyes a bit and I've had 1 bottle of lager, 1 can of cider and 1 large gin n tonic since the start of June and at the moment I really don't miss it, it's a bit weird to be fair. That's excellent. You would hope that it does get easier as time passes, or at least the feeling of missing something eases. Which does tend to support what others have said on here that drinking is a routine or a habit a lot of the time, rather than a dependency. Habits can be broken. There are a number of ways to describe continued drinking and two that applied to me although I would have argued til the cows came home that, at the time, didn't. 1. Functioning alcoholic. 2. Alcohol dependant. You become so immersed in your behaviour that it becomes normal, whatever that happens to be. My social consumption, which is what it was turned into those two descriptions above almost seamlessly. It's each to their own in all of this, my situation went too far and I almost paid the ultimate price, I'd love to have the odd beer or glass of Muscadet again but it ain't going to happen. Power to your collective elbows everyone you can achieve anything. 👍
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Post by mtrstudent on Oct 3, 2020 18:09:02 GMT
Went to a new cider house in Arizona last night, usually it's a nightmare finding proper cider out here.
I'm not giving up drinking, but by skipping it most days I was proper excited for the big night out, a bit like being younger when you couldn't wait for the end of the day.
Been listening to Crouchy's podcast on my evening walks (too hot to run here) and having kombucha or Clausthaler most nights instead. It's feeling like a proper good balance and the drinking nights are more special & fun than just sitting alone pounding a six pack. It still takes a bit of effort each evening to say no to the casual beer though.
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Post by Orbs on Oct 5, 2020 8:40:53 GMT
Sad storyA sad story and a timely reminder here for those trying to cut down. Poor diet, a lack of exercise and an increase in alcohol appear to be the perfect storm. Today is a good day to start making some changes...
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Post by torgaustokie on Oct 5, 2020 10:10:03 GMT
Just over 4 months with no alcohol for me after really hammering it in the first few months of lockdown
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Post by zerps on Oct 5, 2020 10:28:45 GMT
Just over 4 months with no alcohol for me after really hammering it in the first few months of lockdown What differences have you noticed over the 4 months pal?
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Post by torgaustokie on Oct 5, 2020 10:44:00 GMT
Lot better off financially ! even with supermaket prices was drinking 6/10 cans of cider and a few glasses or bottle of red wine a day, also lost about a stone in weight and feel better health wise and more alert but it took a few weeks to feel the benefit I live on my own so boredom played a part in drinking too much , but have spent many years working away from home which also leads to a drinking culture Also it helped not going to Stoke ! as that was a wipe out weekend lol
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Post by Orbs on Oct 5, 2020 11:36:34 GMT
Lot better off financially ! even with supermaket prices was drinking 6/10 cans of cider and a few glasses or bottle of red wine a day, also lost about a stone in weight and feel better health wise and more alert but it took a few weeks to feel the benefit I live on my own so boredom played a part in drinking too much , but have spent many years working away from home which also leads to a drinking culture Also it helped not going to Stoke ! as that was a wipe out weekend lol
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Post by Rednwhitenblue on Oct 5, 2020 12:47:23 GMT
Sad storyA sad story and a timely reminder here for those trying to cut down. Poor diet, a lack of exercise and an increase in alcohol appear to be the perfect storm. Today is a good day to start making some changes... Very sad, and underlines the fact that obesity, inactivity and booze do not go well together in your 50s. Let's hope it was quick and he knew fuck all about it...
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