posted
Booze is great, I think in the last 8 or 9 years I’ve probably had a booze drink pretty much every day. Sure there are days when I didn’t drink but there are more days when I did overbooze and dare I say binge.
Blurred and furry mornings woke me to see in thirsty day through drunken night and lost days turned into lost weekends as I enjoyed the booze and all that bathed in its boozy beauty.
I don’t think I’m an alcoholic, I don’t even think I have a serious drink problem, though as alcohol is a drug I guess anyone who drinks must have a ‘drink problem’ of sorts but I do wonder what it’s doing to my body, maybe my general mood, my weight and my sleep pattern.
So, starting on Feb 1st I am going ‘on the wagon’.
Not forever, just for the shortest month of the year - 28 days sans booze.
What can I expect ?
The first three days will probably be the worst. I can expect to feel anxious, irritable and restless and may have flu-like symptoms – So that’s something to look forward to !
Has anyone here ever packed up getting pissed ? The last time I did this was many years ago when I was fit and healthy and ‘thin’.. I’ve started getting chubbier since I was ill and wonder how much weight the beer is packing onto me; I guess I’ll find out.
Is it worse than stopping smoking ? Christ I’d hate that..
Still, it’s not Feb1 yet, I’m off for a Bloody Mary, may as well enjoy the last two days and nights..
Cheers !
[edit]: Nice to see the Google ads are working on this thread ![/edit]
posted
After a particluarly heavy two weeks a couple of years ago, I started pissing blood, which was pretty scary. I assumed that my body was reacting to the ravages of alcohol, so I gave up drinking for two weeks which seemed to work. It turned out that in fact I was suffering from a bit of internal bleeding that I'd suffered from a collision at football, which seemed nothing at the time, so I didn't make the connection.
The giving up itself wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be - I suffered from 'The Fear' for a couple of days (sweating, psychological torment etc.), but after that it was plain sailing. Of course, once I found out that the bleeding was nothing to do with the alcohol, I celebrated with a bottle of wine.
Currently, I am only drinking at weekends just to prove to myself that I don't need a drink to relax after work. Again, it's not particularly hard, but it does require discipline, particuarly when I know that a glass of wine every day would do me virtually no harm, and may even have benefits for my health. It is nice to know, however, that I don't need the stuff.
posted
Somebody I know used to do this. He beat the irritable and restless symptoms by being irritable and restless all the fucking time. Last I heard his business had failed. I don't know if the two events are related.
But yeah, I can see the point in taking a breather for a while. I'd be interested to see how it goes. Good luck!
quote:Originally posted by Darryn.R: What can I expect ?
Expect to want to have a drink. For the entire 28 days.
quote:Originally posted by Darryn.R: Has anyone here ever packed up getting pissed ?
I have. I, like you, had a drink pretty much every day. When I say a drink, what I mean is at least four or five. On a slow night. I'm an alcoholic. It runs in my family on my dads side. I had my last drink on May 7, 1999. I'm coming up on seven years. I still want a drink.
quote:Originally posted by Darryn.R: Is it worse than stopping smoking ? Christ I’d hate that..
No, it's not worse that stopping smoking. Nothing is. Not drink, not drugs, nothing. I still haven't been able to kick smoking.
posted
I gave up drinking for a month a few years back. It's not hard, except that everyone keeps on at you all the time to have a drink. I mean seriously - it was like a zero-support group from my peers as people tried over and over again to break my resolve. So despite the constant irritation of the repeated question "Why don't you just have one?", it was OK. I didn't really feel the benefits that everyone talks about though. Stuff was just sharper and more painful. I didn't even lose weight, or any of the supposed benefits (outright lies, it transpires) that accompany these faddish health-binges.
Given that this took place in the nadir of my drink all day every day liver-mashing lifestyle, I did think the effects would be more pronounced. I was especially looking forward to finding out about Mondays - usually a hellish, raw-eyed grind through a painful detoxification as the excesses of an entire weekend spent in the pub from 5.00 Friday to 10.30 Sunday are forced out through your skin. So I figured Mondays would actually be liveable, and even productive. Except, in reality you're just forced to live every tedious detail in pin-sharp sober-vision.
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quote:Originally posted by ralph: I have. I, like you, had a drink pretty much every day. When I say a drink, what I mean is at least four or five. On a slow night. I'm an alcoholic. It runs in my family on my dads side. I had my last drink on May 7, 1999. I'm coming up on seven years.
I still want a drink.
Well done ! I can't imagine doing it for any longer than a month though, stopping altogether is far too daunting for me to even think about.
-------------------- my own brother a god dam shit sucking vampire!!! you wait till mum finds out buddy!
H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
posted
Erm.
1) I don't (very very rarely) drink at home - I don't know why, it just doesn't occur to me as something to do. If I do have a drink, it's a conscious effort. 2) I often don't drink when I'm out for an evening, due to being disorganised re taxis hence often driving.
so, sorry, not best placed to offer support and advice. If it's any help, I don't miss drinking but then I suppose it's never been part of my routine in the same way as you describle.
Best of luck anyway.
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H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
posted
Also, when I stopped smoking (6 years ago), I just did it on the spur of the moment, and didn't really have any major problems keeping off the weed thereafter.
Perhaps I'm just uncommitted when it comes to the hard-livin'.
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1) I don't (very very rarely) drink at home - I don't know why, it just doesn't occur to me as something to do. If I do have a drink, it's a conscious effort. 2) I often don't drink when I'm out for an evening, due to being disorganised re taxis hence often driving.
Heh. I remember when Chocolate buns put a more aggressive spin on this. Here.Posts: 13758
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H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
posted
Man, she went totally tonto, didn't she. I'd forgotten about that.
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quote:Originally posted by Darryn.R: Well done ! I can't imagine doing it for any longer than a month though, stopping altogether is far too daunting for me to even think about.
Thanks. I know you're not trying to stop forever, but if you do, you can't think in terms of forever. What works for me is thinking in terms of a day. This morning while driving to work I decided that I wouldn't have a drink today. Perhaps I will tomorrow, but not today. I just make the same promise to myself every morning. It helps to have a good reason to stay sober. I do it for my family, which come next month, will be one member larger. Posts: 7436
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posted
For a bit of moral support, I am as well giving up the booze, and the fags 12 O'Clock tomorrow night. And I might throw in red meat and caffeine for good measure - I'm armed with my Alan Carr book which I am hastily reading before tomorrow nights fond farewell (this still on Dazzler?), and I am going to aim to start riding the bike. I am trying to lose some weight, get back some self esteem and just become interested in doing things again.
I need to - I have become so lethargic of late that it is not even funny - Sunday I moved off the couch probably 4 times in 20 hours, whilst I know I had stuff to do. After a night with a few sherberts, getting up for work is becoming impossible, and just the overall feeling of constantly being tired is beyond funny.
Last time I gave up booze for any amount of time I got quite depressed I recall, but I am not letting this put me off - I am hoping after 28 days the payoff will be worth it.
posted
I used to drink everyday - generally half a bott of whiskey and a few cans if I was in the house, 5 or 6 pints and a chaser if I was in the pub. Despite this I never thought I had a problem. I thought I was a grumpy, negative fucker by dint of personality, it didn't occur to me that I was constantly in a state of hungover. Thing is though, my job is quite technical and a few years ago I just realised that I couldn't work with a hangover. I used these guys,, initially just to monitor my drinking. After 6 weeks it was clear with the evidence in front of me, that I did have a problem.
I probably still have a problem but its been a few years since I had a drink on a school night. Fridays and Saturdays are still piss-up days. I'm constantly keeping an eye on booze-creep and I know its something I will have to do for the rest of my life.
quote:Originally posted by Darryn.R: Has anyone here ever packed up getting pissed?
I was seeing a muslim girl once, and as a token of how I felt about her, I said that I'd give up in January. What I meant was that I'd give up for the month of January, but she understood it as giving up for good. I ended up not drinking for several months, but didn't find it too difficult. Most awkward moments involved going to the pub with folks that were on a heavy drinking session - one friend kept telling me that my non-drinking made him uncomfortable as he didn't want to do anything foolish that I'd not appreciate in my sobriety. It can put a strain on some friendships.
quote:Originally posted by ralph: I do it for my family
Whilst this is good (congrats, btw), wouldn't it be better to do it for yourself? That way, there's no-one else responsible for your actions and there's no room for the demon of resentment.
quote: Heh. I remember when Chocolate buns put a more aggressive spin on this. Here.
Ha. That was a good ruck. Thorn managed to repeat a dodgy paedophilia joke, a shit newbie got shat on, everyone complained that they got picked on AND NOBODY CARED ABOUT THEM, a girl cried and Black Mask is still an alcoholic.
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quote:Originally posted by Vogon Poetess: When can we have another?
Ruck or bevvy?
I don't generally drink much at home during the week, maybe a glass of wine or a bottle of beer a night, nor do I tend to go out to things involving drink Sun-Thursday. I do get proper drunken with my mates on Fri and Saturday though.
I'm going to have to be cutting down on my binge drinking ways for a bit after some less than fabulous blood serum (that's cholesterol to you) results, although I kind of liked the fact that they had Abnormal written all over them. I'm not looking forward to it at all, I really like drinking. And getting drunk.
That said I did a month or so entirely off the booze at the start of 2000 without going completely mental.
Are you fit to gym or excercise Daz? Could you replace booze relaxants with endorphins?
[ 30.01.2006, 11:04: Message edited by: Boy Racer ]
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posted
I took a month off the tipple from late December 2000. I remember it as one of the emptiest and bluest months of my adult life. It included perhaps the most dismal New Year's Eve of my adult life, when I consumed two bottles of Amé "herbal cordial" and a Chinese takeaway. At midnight I was stone sober listening to the U2 song inspired by Salman Rushdie.
To compound the masochism I gave up caffeine in that month, too. Coffee without the kick was just... pointless stuff, like wanking with no cum. Like Kalibur.
Instead, I drank some more herbal beverage, this type hot and labelled "tea".
A photograph from the period shows me with the complexion of a milk bottle.
posted
I went a week towards the end of my first year at university, and felt so bad that I've never attempted it since. Two or three days is all I can go before I start fantasising about ice cold glasses of lager.
[ 31.01.2006, 05:42: Message edited by: Dr. Benway ]
posted
Well, it all starts in the morning, today is the last day of beerage, but I've woken up like a bear with a sore head, I'm fed up and fucked off and feeling down as down can be, so here's hoping.
I figure that feeling this shitty will make it a real test of willpower, if I can get through this I'll be able to get through anything.
Bloody recruitment people, they talk you through half an hours worth of questions then tell you the salary which turns out to be lower than you can seriously afford to work for.
What's the point in bothering.
And I'm NOT GOING to drink the annoyance away, well not tomorrow, maybe today.
posted
Partly inspired by this thread, and partly because I've been telling myself for months that I should stop drinking as much during the week, I didn't have anything to drink last night. That's hardly anything to boast about, I mean, it's not as though I'm celebrating my first month off the brown or anything, but it actually feels like something of an achievement. I've given up smoking – it's a good few months since I had a cigarette - but this feels like even more of a breakthrough. I've got a couple of mates coming round for dinner on Thursday, and I'll certainly have a few glasses of wine then, but I'm aiming to make those the first drinks I'll have this week. It's the initial step towards stopping casually drinking at home.
Anyway, I was surprised how much not drinking for a night affected me. I didn't sleep properly, waking at least half a dozen times throughout the night and experiencing far more vivid dreams than in recent weeks. I've never really thought of alcohol as having the power to cause such feelings of withdrawal. I wonder if this thread has more to do with that than any physical reaction, though.
posted
I didn't drink alcohol for two days and I lost weight! Mainly because I was pissing yellow-bile from my bumhole for the last 48 hours. Food-poisoning rocks!
posted
Tis mon birthday today, it's also a school night. I won't be drinking as I have work in the morning. How disciplined am I? Fuckin Sergeant Major disciplined thats wot. Last got hammered on Saturday, bit of a sesh and then back to a mate's house to watch 'Married With Children' and my tummy muscles are still hurting from the LaffOutLoudies that were forced out of me. Watched an episode sober last night. It were shite.
You know you're sober when even misogyny isn't funny anymore.
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H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
posted
Greetings fellow Aquarian. We rock, don't we?
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posted
I've been rolling my drinking +2 dice for week now, and am starting to feel the ill effects. It'll be fine most of the time but every now and again, the world and everybody in it transform from rosy exciting and fun to dead, drawn and tense. Colour drains, speech stutters, and the mind curls up in a corner. Also, my ego seems to be out of control... flicking between massively over inflated and utterly shrivelled, it's a rollercoast ride of boasts and beration. Still, when it's up, the ideas are flowing better than ever. I had this idea for a play based around a Q&A at a screening, complete with microphones, audience questions, and occasionally stopping to watch the film. It'll be about the clash of egos between star, director, and critic, and will be an exciting and involving examination of the duality of our relationship twixt art and artist.
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