Giving up alcohol, any advice?

[amonasro]

Do you think this makes you lucky or unlucky? I ask seriously. I get terrible hangovers which is really the only thing that has stopped me from being a daily drunk. I only drink about once a week because of how hungover I get. I feel ya on the rest of your post though.

He doesn't get hangovers because he drinks to get rid of them. Hair of the dog. It works.

 

[Professor8000]

I've quit booze, weed, cigarettes and pretty much anything intoxicating. I will say this, cigarettes were the hardest thing to quit. It took over a year for me to stop having cravings. As for the booze, I just quit cold turkey and stopped hanging around people who liked to get drunk. Now for fun I do things that that involve high powered rifles, 4x4 trucks and high explosives... I need all my whits about me for that.

 

[kcchiefs6465]

He doesn't get hangovers because he drinks to get rid of them. Hair of the dog. It works.

I don't get hangovers because I've drank too damn much for too damn long. Start trying that 'hair of the dog' bullshit and you will understand what I'm talking about before long.

 

[kcchiefs6465]

I've quit booze, weed, cigarettes and pretty much anything intoxicating. I will say this, cigarettes were the hardest thing to quit. It took over a year for me to stop having cravings. As for the booze, I just quit cold turkey and stopped hanging around people who liked to get drunk. Now for fun I do things that that involve high powered rifles, 4x4 trucks and high explosives... I need all my whits about me for that.

See, I quit cigarettes the easiest. I smoked for 10+ years with 5+ of them being around a pack of day. I quit cigarettes basically cold turkey. (though I smoked a hell of a lot of cannabis to compensate cravings) I just recently started smoking again because of, quite honestly, the cold. I didn't always have a place of my own and a cigarette helped me with giving me a moment to relax while thinking of where I could/would go next. I've been smoking for the last two years after being clean for around the same amount of time. I can't seem to 'kick' alcohol as easily. I've stated it earlier however in that you probably wouldn't be able to tell I'm suffering the way I am. For instance, I have about a quarter of a fifth left, and have bought two more quarts.

ETA: To clarify the last sentence I am saying that I am usually pretty sharp when drunk/drinking. Of course there is a point where I steeply go downhill with my comprehension/speech skills.

 

[tmg19103]

You actually buy that horseshit?

People make choices. Some choose poorly.

Absolutely. I don't have my head in the sand.

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/19990724212355data_trunc_sys.shtml

 

[Professor8000]

See, I quit cigarettes the easiest. I smoked for 10+ years with 5+ of them being around a pack of day. I quit cigarettes basically cold turkey. (though I smoked a hell of a lot of cannabis to compensate cravings) I just recently started smoking again because of, quite honestly, the cold. I didn't always have a place of my own and a cigarette helped me with giving me a moment to relax while thinking of where I could/would go next. I've been smoking for the last two years after being clean for around the same amount of time. I can't seem to 'kick' alcohol as easily. I've stated it earlier however in that you probably wouldn't be able to tell I'm suffering the way I am. For instance, I have about a quarter of a fifth left, and have bought two more quarts.

ETA: To clarify the last sentence I am saying that I am usually pretty sharp when drunk/drinking. Of course there is a point where I steeply go downhill with my comprehension/speech skills.

I quit everything cold turkey. The booze wasn't that bad for me as long as I stayed away from situations that made me want to drink. The cigarettes were horrible. Once I had stopped, I would still have cravings for over a year. I had quit cannabis long before I stopped the cigarettes and the booze, so I didn't have anything but my own determination to help me through the process.

 

[bolil]

Funny thing about alcohol is, in my experience, all of the outrageously stupid shit I've done I did drunk.

-Started smoking cigarettes
-Inflicted emotional pain on people I love
-Wound up in ward
-"
-Broke my hip falling off a bike
-Picked a fight with a big un'
-Broke my nose falling off a bike
-Big un' broke my nose again
-kept on sippin
-Failed out of college
-Posted insulting, accusatory threads on a forum
-slept with large women
-Hernia from above


Yup, and I didn't start drinking until I was 21... now I am 24

 

[AFPVet]

Excellent post, I almost always count my drinks when I'm drinking, or at least have a good estimate of where I'm at (I still binge drink a few times a year, but I'm always pretty safe about it). But that is something that I would think an experienced drinker would be conscious of but I guess that isn't always the case. I know a couple of times when I've gotten too drunk I remember getting peer pressured into that last shot thinking "oh no.. this is the one that's going to push me over the edge.. oh well, fuck it, I guess I'm going to be a little ill tomorrow.." but the only reason I take it is because when I get over the edge drunk/wasted I tend to head home and go to sleep rather than getting into trouble. So my main motivation for not drinking too much is not being sick the next day. If my motivation was staying out of jail, I would think I could stick with my decision to say 'no' to that last shot pretty easily.

Your body has a way of reminding you when you've drank too much... the next day lol. In all seriousness though, I don't recommend more than two regular size glasses of wine on an occasion. If you want to feel a buzz, there is a better way... cannabis will give you a buzz without the hangover or stress on the organs.