Teetotall

[The_Lizards_Jumpers]

Really interesting all those people who are saying "didn't really drink, so not missing it", which is great but obviously easier to give up.

Without sounding like an alcoholic some people have drink as a big part of their life, whether it be through social ties, work ties or even just really enjoying a drink at home. That makes it much harder to give up, than someone who only drank one or twice a month socially, and kudos to whoever has managed to do this, even if it's a month or two off now and again.

 

[Doom_On_Horseback]

I agree Lizard, so I'll say this. I love a drink and was part of my culture growing up. I often think about the benefits of doing a good stint without. Genuine question...I'd have to replace my weekend routine with lots of substitute fluids. As has already been suggested, is this any better for you? I'm not so sure...I'm sure it would be with all the empty calories that lager has...but drinking lots of anything has to be detrimental right?

 

[Wiseman_Vaughn]

I'm in rehab right now in a place in the South to be away from the north east. I am so looking forward to saying I am teetotal and wished I had done this decades ago.

F***ing tossers... cannot be real friends

Good luck! I can't imagine how tough that must be!

 

[Wiseman_Vaughn]

I agree Lizard, so I'll say this. I love a drink and was part of my culture growing up. I often think about the benefits of doing a good stint without. Genuine question...I'd have to replace my weekend routine with lots of substitute fluids. As has already been suggested, is this any better for you? I'm not so sure...I'm sure it would be with all the empty calories that lager has...but drinking lots of anything has to be detrimental right?

Yes! This was/is the toughest part for me - A glass of wine became a part of the "in front of the TV" ritual. As I mentioned earlier, I haven't been back to the pub but having a soft drink in there would probably be a bigger challenge. I've often thought that I have the potential to be an alcoholic but through this, I have realised that I'm addicted to the routine rather than the booze itself!

 

[S7DiscoDown]

The longest I went was 11 weeks. That's without a mouthful or sniff of booze. I only really drunk one night at a weekend so it's not like I'm a heavy boozer.

I have to say I didn't really feel any different and it's by no means distracting from other folk giving up booze. I didn't lose weight and as I'm pretty active at work and running/gym didn't really feel any gains in feeling fitter. I'm sure my insides benifited (blood pressure etc).

That said I went 7 weeks during lockdown. It was pretty easy as no pubs or more so football. The biggest thing I noticed was with no football / pubs / betting and eating out etc how much money i had left over each month. I've carried that on.

I would say the big thing that kind of puts me off heavy boozing is hangovers. I can still drink but it takes 24-48 hours to fully recover. That in its own right is reason enough to knock it on the head.

Its expensive and is clearly not good for your body. I guess being in my 40s I can take it or leave it. I genuinely think I could knock it on the head easily. I did 11 and 7 weeks without batting an eye lid.

My bigger vice is cake and biscuits. I simply can't diet. I last 2-3 days at best.

 

[Liamo]

I've been almost completely off the booze for the last 6 months or so. I'm under doctor's orders to stay away from it because it causes my stomach condition (chronic gastritis) to flare up. My preferred substitute drink now is club soda with a slice of lime. I occasionally have tonic water (again with lime) for a change.

 

[Steve_Wilkos]

Q. How do you know if someone doesn't drink?

A. They tell you that they don't drink at every opportunity.

 

[FatFrank]

This is an idea I've been wrestling with for a good couple of months now. I've never been what some would consider a heavy drinker i.e. drinking 4-5 nights of the week, but if I went to a game on a Saturday I could easily put away 12 pints plus 4-5 gin/tonics throughout. I very rarely drank at home, as I didn't associate it with the social aspect of having a pint. However, when lockdown struck I seriously went overboard the first 5-6 weeks. Logging off from work at 5pm, I'd be straight into the fridge for a can of something and I'd carry on past 9/10pm most nights.

It got to a point where recently, I'd just be sat on a Friday/Saturday night and put 10-12 600ml bottles away, often sat by myself. I became very sluggish, put on more weight, struggled to get motivated for work and essentially became a worse version of me. When the pubs re-opened, I just carried on except I'd do it in the pubs than at home. One week I was in a pub Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I've never done that in my life.

Time for some serious change, I feel. The positives from quitting far outweight the negatives, I guess like most things in life you're just waiting for that one major catalyst to kick-start you but I'd like to think I was a lot stronger than that and do something about it now. I've taken a lot of positives from this post, definitely!

 

[Wiseman_Vaughn]

This is an idea I've been wrestling with for a good couple of months now. I've never been what some would consider a heavy drinker i.e. drinking 4-5 nights of the week, but if I went to a game on a Saturday I could easily put away 12 pints plus 4-5 gin/tonics throughout. I very rarely drank at home, as I didn't associate it with the social aspect of having a pint. However, when lockdown struck I seriously went overboard the first 5-6 weeks. Logging off from work at 5pm, I'd be straight into the fridge for a can of something and I'd carry on past 9/10pm most nights.

It got to a point where recently, I'd just be sat on a Friday/Saturday night and put 10-12 600ml bottles away, often sat by myself. I became very sluggish, put on more weight, struggled to get motivated for work and essentially became a worse version of me. When the pubs re-opened, I just carried on except I'd do it in the pubs than at home. One week I was in a pub Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I've never done that in my life.

Time for some serious change, I feel. The positives from quitting far outweight the negatives, I guess like most things in life you're just waiting for that one major catalyst to kick-start you but I'd like to think I was a lot stronger than that and do something about it now. I've taken a lot of positives from this post, definitely!

Good post that!