The booze-quittin' buddy thread!

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Spinney

Bimbleur extraordinaire
Location
Back up north
I don't feel any better for not drinking. Still occasionally wake up with a slightly thick head and dry mouth, even though no booze has crossed my lips! The former might be helped, though, by having the bedroom window open a smidgin!
 
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Andrew_Culture

Andrew_Culture

Internet Marketing bod
I don't feel any better for not drinking. Still occasionally wake up with a slightly thick head and dry mouth, even though no booze has crossed my lips! The former might be helped, though, by having the bedroom window open a smidgin!

Same here. I might also have eaten too many salted cashews before bed
:smile:
 

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider

Formerly just_fixed
I have to admit I'm struggling. This is the point where I always struggle as there is the looming idea of never drinking again. That's too big to get my head around and so my head says "Look, if you're going to accept that one day you'll have a beer, then that day may as well be today"

Couple of trigger days coming up too. Meeting up North with my boss staying in the same hotel as me which would normally get messy and then the week after going to see my dad which usually entails 3 or 4 pints waiting for my train at Euston, free wine in 1st class on the way up, more wine at Preston waiting for a train and then a messy couple of days going out every day. :sad:
If I was going back to Nelson - I'd need a case load of beer too...:smile:
 

The Jogger

Legendary Member
Location
Spain
I have to admit I'm struggling. This is the point where I always struggle as there is the looming idea of never drinking again. That's too big to get my head around and so my head says "Look, if you're going to accept that one day you'll have a beer, then that day may as well be today"

Couple of trigger days coming up too. Meeting up North with my boss staying in the same hotel as me which would normally get messy and then the week after going to see my dad which usually entails 3 or 4 pints waiting for my train at Euston, free wine in 1st class on the way up, more wine at Preston waiting for a train and then a messy couple of days going out every day. :sad:

You can talk yourself into having a drink quite easily, especially if you are looking so far ahead saying i will never be able to drink again. You then get a dose of the "poor me's" and pour me a drink. It is so much easier if you keep it in the day and say I won't have a drink today, that is not difficult and it soon mounts up.

If you tell your father you don't really want to drink and if you feel it causes you a problem, tell him that too because I'm sure he would be the last person to then try and get you to drink. At the end of the day if you want to drink you will pick it up, if you don't want to drink or feel it causes you a problem then you won't pick it up, it's that easy. Don't pick up the first drink and you won't get drunk. People stop for different reasons, on here some are just taking a break but I imagine some would be better off without it as it causes them a problem, I don't know what camp you fall into nor is it my business, but if you need to stop then it's probably best you do.
 

Bayerd

Über Member
I've not been around these parts for quite a while, but thought I'd poke my head through the virtual door to see what's going on.

I decided in December that come January 2nd, I'd stop drinking for an indefinite amount of time, aiming for at least a month. As things stand, I've not had a drink since then and have found it easier to stop this time than in the past (my previous best was ten days without). So I've already had more consecutive alcohol-free days than at any point since I was 16. I'm now 42.

What has returned is an eagerness to get back on the bike even when the weather is crap. I must admit, I do feel better for it. My moods have stabilised and the weight is beginning to drop which is no bad thing for me at the moment.

I'm going to continue without drinking into February, with the first real tester coming on the 8th when I'm attending a gala dinner with a lot of long-standing friends who all like a drink. That could make for an interesting evening...
 

lejogger

Guru
Location
Wirral
A few years ago I started giving up the booze (along with other vices like chocolate, cheese and crisps etc) for the period of Lent.
I am in no way religious at all, but a dry Jan was always out the question because I have a late Christmas do every year that I enjoy drinking at, and I liked the idea of a longer detox period to get me ready for the summer.

After struggling a little on my first club run in quite a few weeks yesterday (although to be fair conditions were horrendous!), and an impending End to End in May, I simply have to improve my fitness, therefore I am taking a two pronged 'better diet' AND 'more cycling' approach.

I shared a bag of mini eggs with my better half last night, and that will be my last chocolate until Easter Sunday at the very least. (this will be very hard for me).
I will also be bringing forward the alcohol abstinence to 1st Feb rather than 5th Mar, and continue until the grand depart on 9th May. I could do it from now, but I have a quarter of a bottle of wine in the fridge, and a couple of lagers in the garage to get rid of, and I'll have a final pint with the boys after footy tonight.

I appreciate that this is of little if any interest to any of you, but it's useful for me to write it down in a public forum so now I HAVE to stick to it!
 

Bodhbh

Guru
A few years ago I started giving up the booze (along with other vices like chocolate, cheese and crisps etc) for the period of Lent.

Religious or not, lent is pretty handy. Apart from 'dry January' it's the one time in the year you can go on the wagon without having to answer too many questions. I had a lapse a couple of weekends ago (was racking some homebrewing and had a 'tasting session'). But been good apart from that and I'm looking to hold out till Easter.

Alcohol tolerance already gone down quite a bit and half a bottle of wine and 3 beers I felt the next day. It wouldn't normally touch the sides. Lost 4kg, don't give up now folks it's the only time of year you can get away with...make hay etc.
 
Hello! No alcohol since 29th December.

I think I would class myself as a heavy drinker prior to this, so I'm quite surprised at how easy it's been, after the first week or so.

Normal drinking nights would have been Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I'm now at the stage where I don't think about at the weekend, I've replaced alcohol with crisps and ginger beer, which I actually look forward to!

We had our company sales conference last Thursday, which involved an overnight stay in a swanky hotel. There was a gala dinner and a free bar all night. I wasn't even tempted, strange. felt good getting up early and hitting the gym.

Benefits so far? Getting out for early morning rides both Saturdays and Sundays, riding for longer and enjoying it.

Downsides? Not lost any weight, time to kick the crisps!

I only ever planned on doing this for January as my birthday is 2nd February, however, I'm now going to continue this through February and after that, who knows. Maybe permanently?
 

MarkF

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Not a drop since New Years Eve, I stop there every year, my record is March 23rd without a beer, I usually hit that every year but that's my wife's birthday and I am always coerced into a tipple.
 
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Andrew_Culture

Andrew_Culture

Internet Marketing bod
Religious or not, lent is pretty handy. Apart from 'dry January' it's the one time in the year you can go on the wagon without having to answer too many questions. I had a lapse a couple of weekends ago (was racking some homebrewing and had a 'tasting session'). But been good apart from that and I'm looking to hold out till Easter.

Alcohol tolerance already gone down quite a bit and half a bottle of wine and 3 beers I felt the next day. It wouldn't normally touch the sides. Lost 4kg, don't give up now folks it's the only time of year you can get away with...make hay etc.

I have about three gallons of wine to rack, I've been leaving it till feb :smile:
 

Fubar

Legendary Member
I'm also still going strong and the way I feel I would consider February as well not too much of a stretch - I actually think at the moment it would be harder to give up chocolate (as @lejogger says) than give up beer.

Upsides: no hangovers, wasted weekends, empty carbs, more cycling, etc.
Downsides: I also couldn't contemplate NOT having a beer again at some point - a fleeting thought was "could I give it up for a year?" however that would mean nights out, birthday, holidays - all without alcohol. I worry that I'm a boring B as it is and would go into complete Miserable Git Mode (some would say I'm already there...) without a drink, though at New Year 2 bottles of beer (last one at the bells) just made me feel morose thinking about those no longer here.

Chris Evans was talking about going dry for 100 days last year, which by my reckoning would take me to Friday 11 April - doable?!?!?
 

BSRU

A Human Being
Location
Swindon
I looking forward to drinking that bottle of Russian Standard that has been waiting all alone in the garage since new years eve.
We are having a BBQ on Saturday night and I will be celebrating the 1,100km I have ridden in January, 335km more than January 2013.
 

Bodhbh

Guru
I have about three gallons of wine to rack, I've been leaving it till feb :smile:

About 25 gal here...:cheers: but it's all mead and for the most part undrinkable without a good deal of age. I don't think any will tempt me till again till Easter at least, most of it won't be ready till getting on Chrimbo.

I find the racking gets worst for tempation the older it gets tho. The racking loses start off as a glass of yeasty gunk, but after the 2nd or 3rd go, it's pretty much a good glass of plonk. Rack 3 or 4 brews in one session and you're half piddled without 'drinking' anything.
 
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