Has anyone here ever quit drinking?
 

I have been drinking steady for 3 years (about a 12 pack a night) and have felt my mood change from happy go-lucky to somber. After a rough night drinking on Wed. I have decided to give it up.

How many people here have quit drinking? How long before the "happy you" came back? I didn't drink last night and today I feel a little better but not a lot.

everytime i drink i do

I quit drinking 6 months ago, cold turkey. But I don't think it always is the reason you're not happy -- I'm actually more stressed and less happy now than I was 6 months ago.

Sweetie... it's a HARD, HARD battle. Feel free to hit me up if you want to... I've got experience from living with my dad through his addiction. He went to rehab once and has quit numerous times. It's not easy.

Also, if you are used to drinking that much your body WILL go through "DT's" and BAD withdrawls.... this can be dangerous, but worth it. Chances are, you need a total lifestyle change not just that one thing.

Let me know if you wanna talk. ::hugs::

Most alcoholics are clinically depressed. There are great anti depressants out there. Just call your doctor and talk to them. It doesn't mean you're crazy... just the chemicals in the brain are a little off... no big deal. Easilly corrected and makes you feel soooooo much better and clear headed. :thumbsup

I quit drinking for 6 years after I felt like shit a lot. It took me a good 6 months to feel normal again. Then the problem was in social situations it sucked not being able to have a beer, watch your friends get drunk etc. So 2 years ago I figured I was mature enough to start drinking socialy and I dont have a problem at all now.

Why a 12 pack a night? Break it down to social situations or Friday and Saturday nights only. It beats cold turkey and you will still feel a hell of a lot better.

oh shit i dont think im able right now to completly stop drinking
im in the bars 4-5 days/week

Most can NEVER just drink socially. That's awesome that you are able to limit yourself, Furious. I think if you are going to quit, do it for good. The chance that you'll drink again is bad to begin with, but if you go into it thinking "Friday I can drink again" is a setup for failure.

:2cents

Well.....
 

I don't drink, so I don't have to worry about quitting. I don't like being depressed, and alcohol is a depressant. Duh! :disgust


xoxo,

Candice~ :upsidedow :)

Many people don't know that. It's true though. It's like being Manic Depressive x10 when you drink heavilly. My dad got to where he would only get up to go to the bathroom, and then 1/2 the time he missed. hehe He was either wayyyy up or wayyyyyyyyyyy down. It wasn't pleasant.

:warning :warning :warning

anytime I want :)

I think its important for the sake of this conversation that I point out I did NOT drink a 12 pack a night to begin with before quitting for the 6 years. At that time I only drank on weekends as well. I quit just to feel better. I do not feel that I had a control issue then. I just got sick of the weekend hangovers.

HighOnAcid may have a completely different problem where quitting and quitting for good is his only answer.

That's cool. There are plenty of people out there that don't have an *addiction* to it... I have been really lucky. I was raised by a long line of alcoholics, but I don't like to drink. LOL

When I was forced into therapy because of the family life, they told me that I could never pick up a drink because I was already genetically an alcoholic... It's a whole disease concept that when you are born by 2 alcoholics then you are an alcoholic... just not active yet. Pretty scary when you're 13... Maybe it's true and I'm just lucky. lol

It's all an individual thing. :thumbsup

I whas drinking because of my depressions and mood changes... 2 12 packs a day whas nothing, togther witth wiskey, wodka...

8 years ago i stopped drinking and the first two weeks where a real horror... after 4 weeks i started to feel a little better.
But still after 8 years of not drinkin its still hard... once alcoholic, always alcoholic.. as long as you dont drink the first glass its okay...

Good luck, im sure you can do it....

I never had the mood changes but I gave up drinking the day I knew I was going to be a father and it's been over 2 years and i'm sure my liver is happy

Yup, and am I glad I did. I have went off the hook a few times in the last 10-years but I no longer drink every weekend, let alone once a month.

A bit of vino with the folks is all I am into now ... or Glogg (boiled, bitter wine) or other mulled wines -- they make a wicked warm drink for skiing.

i quit smoking, thats gotta be worth something

I stopped all my bad habits [Smoking, Drinking, etc.] when my daughter was born.

I honestly don't think that I'm an alcoholic. I don't let it dictate my life and I don't miss it if I don't have it. It was just a pattern that I fell into. I never missed work because I was drunk. I never missed a meeting. The only times I drank was when I got home (or at dinner subsequent to getting home).

I have just seen a very noticable attitude change in myself. The one that bothers me the most is that it seems like I've lost excitment and drive. It's like I can't get excited about anything and if I do, I have no drive to accomplish it. I was never like that before I drank to this degree so I pretty much assess all the blame to alcohol consumption.

I probably will still socially drink but this every night thing has to stop.

I'm with you on that. My whole family is alcholics though they think they are all just Irish/Scotish :1orglaugh

Luckily I quit drinking everytime I come back from a show without a problem. :thumbsup

I tried to quit dirnking, but only lasted fro about one month and a half, but i´m not really heavy drinker anyways

15 years clean from all drugs, including booze. much better life . . . well worth the effort

no. never was a problem to begin with.

Yep, maybe I should actually get a prescription, I think it'd be better.

I don't like to drink.

It may be time to pack it in. Wife doesn't drink and she doe all right.

I quit for 10 years and a few months once.. Imbibed a bit 2 summers ago when I went to Holland While I was at a BBQ with a bunch of Dutch friends I drank at least 15-20 beers and didnt even have a buzz. What a waste lol Havent drank since.

I stopped drinking in March of 2004 because I was out of control and was blacking out alot, not to mention the fact that my girlfriend said she was leaving if I didn't do something about it. It got to the point to were I would get wasted and say shit to her for no apparent reason and not remember in the morning. I always new I fucked up when I would roll over in the morning and she was way on the other side of the bed. Anyways I stopped for about 2 months and I felt great, I fucked up when I went to AZ for a Grand Reopening for a Nightclub my family has owned for many years. As soon as I walked through the door, people were just buying me drinks left and right. Im 30 fucking years old and I gave into peer pressure. Needless to say I started again, but have learned my lesson about gettting out of hand and not remembering what I do. Still I wish that I wouldnt have picked up that drink in the club.

Fact of the matter is your going to have to separate yourself from people who drink, you have to change your whole lifestyle. Its hard but can be done, shit if I did it for 2 months Im sure you'll be fine. Good Luck Bro :thumbsup

I agree with this.. I even went to AA for abot 5 years. Got tired of hearing all the fucking sob stories. But it did get me away from my old friends and habits

I quit drinking in 1990/91 after 13 years of everyday drinking, I played in a rock band so there was always plenty of free booze to down.
To be honest I can not say when I felt the "Happy You" came back.
It could not have been a long time.
Now its been almost 15 years, and I do not drink any alcohol what so evere and I feel great.
Staying sober is great. Good luck on staying on the wagon :thumbsup

Congrats. Im kinda like you.. If I had a joint or had one offered to me I woudnt turn it down lol But as far as alcohol I can take it or leave it.

I dont do alot of drinking in the 1st place.

na, never even thought about it really

I quit drinking when I was 28, I was daily chronically stoned, drunk, or buzzing on pills, acid, speed or coke...never did dragon...

I got so fucked up from drinking one night mixed with ludes, I swore if I lived, I would give it up. I lived and I gave it up.

When I turned 30, I was clean..and realized I had things I wanted to do since I partied my life away, and went to college @ age 30 and got my degree at 37. I had no idea I was college material because I had lived every day from age 15 on under the influence :-)))

I never did program, never got help...I just realized at 28, I was to close to 30 and nothing to show for it.

i have been drinking on a daily average for around 3 years also, but i am a happy drinker, i never get totally slammed to the point where i am a fool, i can handle my shit, nothing more fun than sitting around with a few friends and having some drinks.

AND summer just isnt summer without some booze.

nobody likes a quitter

Kelly
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Easiest way to stop is to stop buying beer. Sounds silly but its what works.

WOW ... no booze, I can understand. No caffine is starting to push it .. but no pot ... that is going a little too far!

I plan to live my entire life, and enjoyment (in moderation) is the most important thing.

If anything, I am trying to eliminate as much stress as possible, which is why I stopped putting in all the extra hours - just not worth it to me.