I decided to stop drinking. Any advices?
I realized I am an alcoholic one week ago, I arrived at the point of drinking 2 or 3 beers every other day, even if at home alone.
I decided to stop completely, even if it will be tough and very weird at parties.
Uh, that's nowhere near alcoholic level. There's some evidence that two beers a day is good for you, even. Are you drinking so much that you black out? Are you ignoring responsibilities in order to drink? If not, you're not an alcoholic. I mean, feel free to quit if that's what you want, but don't act like you have a serious problem.
How much do you drink at parties? If you say more than 4 beers you probably should check into rehab.
>pussy, you don't drink as much as me, a REAL alcoholic
Big man here
Keep your hands busy. Working out, guitar or piano, even vidya. Just don't end up on the couch watching tv or the bug is gonna bite you.
>but don't act like you have a serious problem.
This is how you become an alcoholic. Awareness of a drinking problem is a good thing regardless of how little you drink. Most alcoholics completely skip both of these phases and that's literally how they become alcoholics. They never thought it was a problem and they were never aware of their drinking until it became too late. It's kind of how most addiction problems arise. You start with a little. Then a little more and so on then you're in over your head before you know it.
OP, stay away from places with drinks. I would suggest getting into exercise and getting serious about it. Drinking counterproductive to exercise so if you get serious about your fitness you'll be reluctant to drink as it will put a hamper on it.
t. alcoholic, who is the son of an alcoholic was also the son of an alcoholic
I feel like you guys have been watching some beer version of Refer Madness....
Maybe you are an alcoholic in denial..
3 beers every other day, turns to 3 beers everday, turns to a sixpack a day, and there you go
By your standards I apparently am an alcoholic in denial... but pretty much everyone I know has a couple beers after work.
Thanks for your answer.
>Are you drinking so much that you black out?
Never, even when I go out and drink more, like 4 pints and a tequila shot - this can happen as often as once a week - I never feel awful and for sure never blacked out.
This also made me worry about having developed a high tolerance to alcohol.
>Are you ignoring responsibilities in order to drink?
Never, I only drink after work, a job I hate, on the way home I stop at the grocery store to buy food for dinner and 50% chance I grab some drinks… But, maybe related to the question, I know it sounds cliché, but maybe I also drink to “forget” about my responsibilities, I have a history of anxiety problems (I am 31 btw) and drinking makes me slow down overthinking.
>If not, you're not an alcoholic. I mean, feel free to quit if that's what you want, but don't act like you have a serious problem.
What I’m worried about is the change, before I was only drinking socially, now it became a habit, I drink because I like drinking… And it makes me relax after my shitty job. Regarding the definition of alcoholism, probably I am not in yet. Hell, I hope not.
>How much do you drink at parties? If you say more than 4 beers you probably should check into rehab.
It depends on the party and how much I care about not looking drunk, but yes in some cases I feel like more than 4 beers is OK
>Keep your hands busy. Working out, guitar or piano, even vidya. Just don't end up on the couch watching tv or the bug is gonna bite you.
Thanks for the advice. For now I actually replaced it with videogames, I’m playing fortnite after work and it helps.
Thank you for your answer.
>This is how you become an alcoholic. Awareness of a drinking problem is a good thing regardless of how little you drink. Most alcoholics completely skip both of these phases and that's literally how they become alcoholics. They never thought it was a problem and they were never aware of their drinking until it became too late. It's kind of how most addiction problems arise. You start with a little. Then a little more and so on then you're in over your head before you know it.
Yes, I have a friend in my same situation and we both realized some warning signs and then decided to stop, we started at the same time. Talking to her helps a lot because I am extremely ashamed of my addiction but she knows everything already and she understands my problem.
>OP, stay away from places with drinks. I would suggest getting into exercise and getting serious about it. Drinking counterproductive to exercise so if you get serious about your fitness you'll be reluctant to drink as it will put a hamper on it.
There was a time in which I was into fitness (2 years some time ago, I was 27-28) and yes, I limited drinking because I cared about my body muuuuch more than now.
>t. alcoholic, who is the son of an alcoholic was also the son of an alcoholic
I was surprised to learn about genetic influence into alcoholism, but yeah, also my father and especially his father are clearly alcoholic (in strong denial)
I'll support anybody who decides to make a change in order to improve themselves, whatever the reasons. If you don't want to drink any more than great OP, good for you. It'll save you money, it'll help control your weight and it'll probably be healthier for you.
Don't throw around the term alcoholic though. That is just insulting to people with actual alcohol problems. This is also coming from a guy who has a very permissive attitude to all sorts of problematic substances and abuses, preferring to define addiction as and/or physical and psychological dependency leading to inauthentic behaviour.
So if you feel that three beers every other day is preventing you being the version of yourself you want to be then you might have a psychological alcohol dependency and are using it to mask over what you need to do to be the person you want to be and it is an unhealthy coping strategy for whatever is actually preventing you living how you claim to want.
But this is exceptionally tenuous, three beers every other day isn't holding anybody back from anything significant other than "I was actually going to put my laundry away tonight, but maybe I'll do it tomorrow".
Also three beers every other night doesn't turn into 6 a day or a bottle of vodka for breakfast unless the alcohol is being used as an unhealthy (and insufficient) coping mechanism. Most people figure it out though and realise they need to change something before the drinking becomes problematic.
Alcohol is a very strong and dangerous drug, and it’s outrageous how much it’s underestimated socially
>Don't throw around the term alcoholic though. That is just insulting to people with actual alcohol problems.
Got it. I understand my post was insensitive for people with severe alcohol dependency and missing a lot of details on how I arrived to this decision.
The rest of your post is making me think more about myself and what’s really happening to myself.
Also three beers every other night doesn't turn into 6 a day or a bottle of vodka for breakfast unless the alcohol is being used as an unhealthy (and insufficient) coping mechanism. Most people figure it out though and realise they need to change something before the drinking becomes problematic.
I think I am exactly at this stage.
Well yeah, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but you mention winding down from a shit job. The problem is that you've got a shit job and instead of dealing with this in a more constructive way you are sedating yourself with alcohol. Not to say there is a more constructive way or you've got to choose a constructive way, but you've got to be ok with your choice in the end and it sounds like you'd rather do something different which is great, good for you.
A lot of people are doing what you were doing and get by just fine. There may or may not have been a better way, but it was their choice and if they were fine with it, more power to them. Lots of people don't go beyond three beers because they don't want to spend the money, they don't want to get fat, they worry about health problems, they don't want to feel like shit in the morning, they've got other hobbies or interests. There is a broad spectrum of normal behaviours and this is fine.
Alcohol is a sedative drug after all. Plenty of people are on sedative drugs to deal with life. The problem is more often than not life and how unaware we are of how we are interacting and dealing with things and how sustainable the situations are.
The reason why I'm saying don't use alcoholic is because I tend to reserve that for people who have physical dependencies and are in a different category to the average woke individual who realises they want to change their behaviour. Before alcoholic there are an awful lot of stages of problem drinking and problematic coping methods.
The shrill alcohol is evil all drinks past one is binge drinking alcoholism types just have a problem and need to bang the drum for attention because of their problem. I don't like this because it removes choice and responsibility and the way to beat addiction is to empower people, reminding them they have choice and responsibility over their lives.
Very clear, I agree. Luckily in August I will change job and go back to the country where I was living before getting my current job. I gave myself as an objective to stop drinking completely at least until then.
If you drink every single day 2-3 beers then it's maybe not yet full-blown "alcoholism" but you may (but don't have to) have a problem
My father, grandfather and one of uncles are or were alcoholics
And one of first symptoms is drinking regulary, day after day, doesn't necesserily a lot of beer
You aren't probably heavy addicted yet, so I recommend you stop drinking for a while (e.g. 2-3 weeks) and then drink again, but only at parties, never alone
That's a good habit that will prevent you from being an alcoholic
Now I’m sober since a week and I don’t feel a real urge to drink. Sure, I was tempted to grab a beer while walking next to the alcohol section in the grocery store (all customers are basically forced to walk there to pay), but I managed not doing that.
I think I can manage being clean for 2-3 weeks… I have a big party coming at the beginning of June (PhD graduation of one of my best friends), and people will encourage me to drink, so it might be a bit weird not to… I feel like I shouldn’t drink at all, honestly.
Another “problem" is a friend I know since a year, he’s a real heavy drinker but he hates when I bring up the topic if we are drinking too often or whenever I say no to the last round of beers he offers to buy
Well, it's always better to not drink at all than to drink to much, but if you feel like you want to have a beer on a party then don't force yourself to not drinking
Just watch yourself and be careful to not drink beside parties
And if your friend can't understand that you may not want to drink all the time, then he's a shitty friend
Why are you drinking, though?
Personally, I had a really bad time when certain things in my life "triggered" me for the lack of a better word. 0.7L of vodka per day on average. But when those things disappeared and I stopped giving a shit, drinking stopped being a problem. I still drink, but it doesn't fuck with my life anymore.
were you aware about what was triggering you at that time or you realized it after getting rid of it?
> 0,7 liters of vodka
And here I thought my +6 beers a day were sorta hardcore
Then again, I remember an interview in television with a dry alcoholic carpenter who had been drinking 30 gold beers (over 6 promille beers) a day for YEARS
The human body is amazing at handling toxins straight to the belly
Yes, I was aware. Although it's not exactly as straightforward as that, it's hard to explain, but if the situation was a little bit different I could have just as easily been not aware and still in the same exact spot.