I’ve stuck to the plan, but it is actually harder than I expected. Brain producing a lot of negotiating like this: Let’s change to drinking everyday, but just one, right now. This just drives home the importance to me that I can’t enter old age with a two drink per day routine. Yesterday was dry, tonight’s a drink night.
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Your brain is going to fight to maintain the most oft-taken path. It’s going to be tough as long as you are trying to integrate a new behavior path with a familiar behavior.
In the book The Brain that Changes Itself, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge describes breaking a habit like this. Imagine you ski down one side of a hill every time. And every time, you fuck up at the same spot.
Most people will continue to fight that pattern at the same time they’re trying to improve everything else about their skiing. But the easiest way to break a habit is to remove any option to engage in the habit. It’s easy to stop tripping at that same point on the hill if you will stop skiing down that same damn hill lol.
May I ask what you get out of drinking? What are the benefits? What do you like about it? Does it affect your emotions? Food? Sex? Creativity? Focus?
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Relaxation. I like sinking into a chair.
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I probably don’t have to tell you that this is meaningful. Whether you’re able to stick with it or not, most people don’t have this kind of internal dialogue regarding alcohol.
I’m not saying you’re an alcoholic, but all the alcoholics I know (myself included) played a bunch of games like this with themselves in an attempt to control and enjoy their drinking. There’s even a paragraph in the big book about it:
Here are some of the methods we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums - we could increase the list ad infinitum.
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I’m still going strong with a max of 2 beers a night, my blood pressure is great, lost a ton of weight. Most nights I don’t even drink at all. Not sure what’s changed, but ritualization I had behind drinking and how I tried to use it to combat boredom or anxiety feels mostly gone.
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Never much of a drinker. Quit for good a couple years ago after a certain birthday milestone. Easiest thing ever to do. Don’t miss it and feel better than ever.
Now if you tell me I have to give up eating bread, then we’d have a fight on our hands.
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Mine is controlled well just by drinking lots of water. I try to drink water after every pee. If I feel a bout coming on, it is kept at bay by pounding water. Lucky.
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Hey, bout of gout. I poet.
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Decided to commit to No Alcohol November for a variety of reasons. Not sure I’ll make it past the 3rd for obvious reasons, so stand by for a possible Dry Drunk December.
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I’m over 2 months sober now, going back to Aug 23. I’m almost surely going to have a drink in celebration if we win tuesday. If we lose I probably will continue staying sober so I don’t spiral???
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Congrats.
Hmm. Are you likely to spiral in celebration, too?
nah i dont think so, i might just pass altogether, just have to see how it goes lol
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Doing a dry month or two every year is a really good idea that I would recommend to anyone.
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Alright I just completed my first sober week in idk 20 years maybe? I think the pandemic makes it easier in my case because I don’t want to get out and socialize at happy hour as much as I would otherwise. I feel like now that I’m through this first week, not to mention the fact that I made it through despite all the election bs, I should make it through the rest of the month no problem. After that who knows?
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This was the week you quit drinking?
Well the plan wasn’t to quit entirely it was just take a month off. I felt like my body needed it. But if I get to the end of the month and decide to keep going I will, if not I won’t idk yet.
I was assuming before November 1st that we were looking at an easy win and early night after taking Florida ldo so I wasn’t expecting what we got obviously but I stayed committed in the face of extreme adversity! ha
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i broke down and had a few to celebrate last night, it wasn’t that enjoyable really though, back on? the wagon
Wagons seem like they’d be too bumpy iyam
Not quite on topic, but in the spirit of this thread…
Over 7 days cigarette free! After (at least) a pack a day for 16 years, it’s time. The all time record is 11 days… previous attempts to quit have all had a hard time getting past 2 or 3 days. I’m through the worst of it, (I keep telling myself), so I think this time is for real
I spend more on nicotine gum than I did on smokes… but it’s preferable to the alternative.
Alcohol is gonna be tricky, as the two are very closely linked. Definitely staying away from alcohol for the immediate future.
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Congrats on quitting smoking! I preferred nicotine lozenges to the gum and it took me forever to get off the lozenges, but I eventually did it. So keep in mind, whatever nicotine alternative you’re using is likely far better than smoking. Its really just the nicotine your body craves. I think you’re correct that you are past the hardest part. Keep up the good work.
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