Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Giving Up Alcohol: Total Abstinence

Options
24

Comments

  • Options
    #32
    Smidge
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,541 ✭✭✭Smidge


    Wattle wrote: »
    It's good that you've got it under control. Wouldn't risk it myself. That demon is still in there waiting to be uncorked.

    What made you give it up at the particular moment that you did?

    I have always wondered about when people give up alcohol, what was the exact "straw" for them?

    Is there a catalyst or just got fed up drinking?


  • Options
    #33
    DK man
    Registered Users Posts: 456 ✭✭DK man


    Count me in for the month of January and ill then think about extending it - I have been drinking a few cans about 3 nights a week - usually thurs / fri / sat and sometimes a mon or Tuesday but rarely. And again the visit to the bottle bank is always revealing and potentially embarrassing as I live in a small village..

    Not sure why but it i think it's to relax before sleep as I don't drink before 9pm. I usually wake up feeling groggy and saying to myself I must stop this. I also think that my moods are lowered by alcohol and a days work after a few beers is harder.....

    And then there's the weight thing - I've put on about a stone over the past few months and my few cans plus lets see what's in the fridge which usually happens once that hiss sound is made from pulling the ring...

    I really admire people who don't drink and see my drinking as a weakness - so here's to a sober January anyways....


  • Options
    #34
    Odysseus
    Registered Users Posts: 6,754 ✭✭✭Odysseus


    Wattle wrote: »
    It's good that you've got it under control. Wouldn't risk it myself. That demon is still in there waiting to be uncorked.

    Ah no, there was no demon present for me, if that is what you mean? I work in the area, and a lot of my friends would be members.


    Your case is different, I wasn't recoomending that.

    I said I would give it a go for six months, after six months I wasn't bothered, but said it I ever wanted a drink I could have one. It was just at a toast at am important function that I had my first drink again.

    Now its take it or leave it, most times I would perfer a coffee, but if I want a drink I have one.

    It is interesting the stuff that people come out with when they discover you haven't drank for x amount of years, you get various projections!!


  • Options
    #35
    Odysseus
    Registered Users Posts: 6,754 ✭✭✭Odysseus


    gurramok wrote: »
    11 years Odysseus, how did you manage that?! Do you always order non-alcoholic beverages on a night out?

    Yeah, basically, after a while it is something you don't think about; it is only when others bring it up that you think about it.

    Even know if I was to meet a mate to discuss something; I would think more about a coffee than a pint.


  • Options
    #36
    Death and Taxes
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,775 ✭✭✭Death and Taxes


    Its Behind You! wrote: »
    I've decided that I'm going to stay off the aul drink for the rest of the year. I hope I make it.

    Will you join with me in total abstinence?

    Op its after midnight, have ya hit the sauce yet?:D


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #37
    gurramok
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,992 ✭✭✭✭gurramok


    DK man wrote: »
    Count me in for the month of January and ill then think about extending it - I have been drinking a few cans about 3 nights a week - usually thurs / fri / sat and sometimes a mon or Tuesday but rarely. And again the visit to the bottle bank is always revealing and potentially embarrassing as I live in a small village..

    Not sure why but it i think it's to relax before sleep as I don't drink before 9pm. I usually wake up feeling groggy and saying to myself I must stop this. I also think that my moods are lowered by alcohol and a days work after a few beers is harder.....

    And then there's the weight thing - I've put on about a stone over the past few months and my few cans plus lets see what's in the fridge which usually happens once that hiss sound is made from pulling the ring...

    I really admire people who don't drink and see my drinking as a weakness - so here's to a sober January anyways....

    Out of all this, you have to find the reason why you do it, you only know why. Why do you drink alcohol to an excess instead of some other drink? Anyway you need to find a resolution, the grogginess will catch up on you to a point you'll be saying whats the point of being this groggy in the first place?

    Alcohol hangovers do affect your moods the day after, no mistake about that. Staying off drink is a long term thing, it will not take a month, it takes your own personal change in lifestyle to actually make cutting back on drink a reality.


  • Options
    #38
    Its Behind You!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 333 ✭✭Its Behind You!


    WileyCoyote wrote: »
    Op its after midnight, have ya hit the sauce yet?:D

    I made it! Budweiser x 2 and bed.


  • Options
    #39
    Cora Mahoney
    Registered Users Posts: 56 ✭✭Cora Mahoney


    kjl wrote: »
    11 years sober now

    Be eleven years for me this coming February :)


  • Options
    #40
    StormWarrior
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,577 ✭✭✭StormWarrior


    I haven't drunk alcohol in years and I still have fun without it. A different kind of fun, actually better.


  • Options
    #41
    Cora Mahoney
    Registered Users Posts: 56 ✭✭Cora Mahoney


    Smidge wrote: »
    What made you give it up at the particular moment that you did?

    I have always wondered about when people give up alcohol, what was the exact "straw" for them?

    Is there a catalyst or just got fed up drinking?

    For me, it was a series of events over a period of many years.
    Some incidents were tragic, some funny, some plain ole weird---but all combined finally helped me to accept that me n alcohol just aren't meant to be together anymore.
    But, like it's kinda like how I feel about an old boyfriend I will always have fond feelings for: if anyone badmouths alcohol, I shall defend it gladly, lol. Just because I had to say goodbye doesn't mean everyone has to!


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #42
    StormWarrior
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,577 ✭✭✭StormWarrior


    Up until the age of 22, "fun" for me was getting wasted on booze, shrooms and E, and then either going to a nightclub or rampaging around the streets causing trouble. But three things made me decide to quit all of that and go totally sober. Firstly, it just wasn't so much fun any more. It was becoming tiresome and boring, and I found myself feeling relieved the next day when it was all over. Secondly, in a nightclub one night with all of my young friends, I saw a bloke, aged about 50, totally off his face and trying to dance with all of the young people and it just seemed so sad and pathetic and I thought, I don't want to end up like that at his age!" Thirdly, one night while extremely drunk on super-strength Finnish vodka, I slept with someone who I would never otherwise have touched in a million years. It was just time to stop, and I don't miss it. I did have fun being young drunk and high, but that time of my life just came to an end. The idea of getting wasted just doesn't appeal to me any more.


  • Options
    #43
    gurramok
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,992 ✭✭✭✭gurramok


    Any alcoholics out there who are still reading, I challenge you at this time of night(1am) to throw that excess drink down the sink when you've known inside you've had too many. I just did as I have no love affair with drink. I only drank a few beers as its New Years, the addiction phase is long gone(research my last posts on the subject), try it and watch it flow down the sinkhole, it won't miss you.


  • Options
    #44
    Wattle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,075 ✭✭✭Wattle


    Smidge wrote: »
    What made you give it up at the particular moment that you did?

    I have always wondered about when people give up alcohol, what was the exact "straw" for them?

    Is there a catalyst or just got fed up drinking?

    My catalyst was having three 'rock bottom' moments in quick succession. I was done for drink driving twice in a short space of time and I was thrown off a group holiday in the West of Ireland for stealing a bottle of whiskey from a B&B.

    I had always been prone to depression and of course heavy drinking was just making it worse. I think having those rock bottom moments made me look into the future and all I could see was darkness if I kept on drinking.

    Once I made the decision it was actually pretty easy.


  • Options
    #45
    areyawell
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,435 ✭✭✭areyawell


    Don't give up on the beer, its hard, but beer is the best thing to do with your life. The sound of a plop of whiskey pouring into a class. The creamy head on a pint of Guinness, the endless wonder of what you did the night before the next morning. Without Beer may as well stop living


  • Options
    #46
    Smidge
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,541 ✭✭✭Smidge


    Wattle wrote: »
    My catalyst was having three 'rock bottom' moments in quick succession. I was done for drink driving twice in a short space of time and I was thrown off a group holiday in the West of Ireland for stealing a bottle of whiskey from a B&B.

    I had always been prone to depression and of course heavy drinking was just making it worse. I think having those rock bottom moments made me look into the future and all I could see was darkness if I kept on drinking.

    Once I made the decision it was actually pretty easy.

    I have heard people saying about "rock bottom" before but I never really thought people actually hit it ala "Hollywood style".
    I suppose there are people out there who drink night after night and will never hit rock bottom.


  • Options
    #47
    Cora Mahoney
    Registered Users Posts: 56 ✭✭Cora Mahoney


    I gotta share this bit I heard a few years back, had me laughin then and it still makes me giggle now:

    Congratulating an alcoholic for not drinking is like congratulating a cowboy with hemorrhoids for not riding a horse!

    :)


  • Options
    #48
    reverenddave
    Registered Users Posts: 805 ✭✭✭reverenddave


    areyawell wrote: »
    Don't give up on the beer, its hard, but beer is the best thing to do with your life. The sound of a plop of whiskey pouring into a class. The creamy head on a pint of Guinness, the endless wonder of what you did the night before the next morning. Without Beer may as well stop living

    pathetic to think that people revolve their lives around something so frivolous for basically nothing but an emptier wallet and a sore head in the morning.


  • Options
    #49
    Death and Taxes
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,775 ✭✭✭Death and Taxes


    Good evening everyone, my name is Wiley n am an alcaca, an acahcaha,n al ca ca holll an alcaholololl, ah jezus I sometimes drink too much!:D


  • Options
    #50
    Its Behind You!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 333 ✭✭Its Behind You!


    Probably time for a different thread. A more meaningful one. I started this one as a bit of a hoot for New Years, but I guess with written words the intention is easily missed and I'm no comedian.

    Anyways I'm pussy footing around the seriousness of the subject and the fact that I have lost 4 friends this year, probably unnecessarily and due to many factors, including alcohol misuse which was most likely in a bid to self medicate due to many complex issues which were misdiagnosed, overlooked or ignored.

    I can say no more but I wanted to let those know who contributed to this how genuinely I valued their contribution.

    I am not stopping here. I am challenging the system and the 'professionals' who were involved in the care of my friends and who have questions to answer in a formal capacity with regards to their professional responsibilities and actions taken.

    And now having said that, I will have to close my account. I won't close it for 24 hours in case anyone wants to contact me and stay in contact.

    I wish you all a happy and healthy new year.


  • Options
    #51
    areyawell
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,435 ✭✭✭areyawell


    reverenddave wrote: »
    pathetic to think that people revolve their lives around something so frivolous for basically nothing but an emptier wallet and a sore head in the morning.

    Whats so pathetic about it? Hangover lasts 2 or 3 years.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #52
    Smidge
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,541 ✭✭✭Smidge


    Its Behind You! wrote: »
    Probably time for a different thread. A more meaningful one. I started this one as a bit of a hoot for New Years, but I guess with written words the intention is easily missed and I'm no comedian.

    Anyways I'm pussy footing around the seriousness of the subject and the fact that I have lost 4 friends this year, probably unnecessarily and due to many factors, including alcohol misuse which was most likely in a bid to self medicate due to many complex issues which were misdiagnosed, overlooked or ignored.

    I can say no more but I wanted to let those know who contributed to this how genuinely I valued their contribution.

    I am not stopping here. I am challenging the system and the 'professionals' who were involved in the care of my friends and who have questions to answer in a formal capacity with regards to their professional responsibilities and actions taken.

    And now having said that, I will have to close my account. I won't close it for 24 hours in case anyone wants to contact me and stay in contact.

    I wish you all a happy and healthy new year.

    I am really sorry for your loss op


  • Options
    #53
    reverenddave
    Registered Users Posts: 805 ✭✭✭reverenddave


    areyawell wrote: »
    Whats so pathetic about it? Hangover lasts 2 or 3 years.

    seriously, you cant find anything whats wrong with that statement

    ''Without Beer you may as well stop living''


  • Options
    #54
    Cora Mahoney
    Registered Users Posts: 56 ✭✭Cora Mahoney


    Its Behind You! wrote: »
    Probably time for a different thread. A more meaningful one. I started this one as a bit of a hoot for New Years, but I guess with written words the intention is easily missed and I'm no comedian.

    Anyways I'm pussy footing around the seriousness of the subject and the fact that I have lost 4 friends this year, probably unnecessarily and due to many factors, including alcohol misuse which was most likely in a bid to self medicate due to many complex issues which were misdiagnosed, overlooked or ignored.

    I can say no more but I wanted to let those know who contributed to this how genuinely I valued their contribution.

    I am not stopping here. I am challenging the system and the 'professionals' who were involved in the care of my friends and who have questions to answer in a formal capacity with regards to their professional responsibilities and actions taken.

    And now having said that, I will have to close my account. I won't close it for 24 hours in case anyone wants to contact me and stay in contact.

    I wish you all a happy and healthy new year.

    I am truly sorry for your loss(es) and didn't mean to lighten the thread too much with my 'cowboy' line, but ex-drinkers can sometimes come across as preachy and I try to avoid that.
    However, I can't say enough about AA and related fellowships out there, so if people are trying to stop, help is only a click away.
    Here is a site with a bunch of diff speakers who talk about various challenges, might be of interest to some who are seeking a way out of the mess:

    http://xa-speakers.org/


  • Options
    #55
    Its Behind You!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 333 ✭✭Its Behind You!


    @cora. Gosh no! We all have to retain our sense of humour and your post was great.

    It was just that i got to see to how seriously some people had interpreted the thread and I wanted to respect that and not trivialise that.

    I was recently questioning a number of "professionals " as to their assessments and decision making process in a particular case.

    Serious questions need to be answered.


    So thanks Cora. Happy new year!


  • Options
    #56
    Its Behind You!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 333 ✭✭Its Behind You!


    @smidge. No worries, I feel more sorrow for their families, theirs is a much bigger loss, not mine.

    The way we provide support for people with mental health needs, needs some serious scrutiny.

    The provision of proper care and support should not be limited to 9 to 5, Monday to Friday and the responsibilities and decisions made by 9 to fivers who place more emphasis on recent research papers and 'wot' they did learn in college.

    I myself have 12 letters after my name, but that don't mean jack compared to experience and wisdom.

    Sorry for banging on, my apologies.

    This is my boards swan song.

    Happy new year! : )


  • Options
    #57
    NegativeCreep
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,351 ✭✭✭NegativeCreep


    kjl wrote: »
    11 years sober now

    What have ypu done for the past 11 yars??


  • Options
    #58
    barney 20v
    Registered Users Posts: 979 ✭✭✭barney 20v


    NegativeCreep wrote: »

    What have ypu done for the past 11 yars??
    Lived life and remembered it?


  • Options
    #59
    NegativeCreep
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,351 ✭✭✭NegativeCreep


    barney 20v wrote: »
    Lived life and remembered it?

    sounds like shit.


  • Options
    #60
    barney 20v
    Registered Users Posts: 979 ✭✭✭barney 20v


    NegativeCreep wrote: »

    sounds like sh[SIZE="2"]i[/SIZE]t.
    LinkedIn have positions for trolls.... Check it out


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #61
    NegativeCreep
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,351 ✭✭✭NegativeCreep


    barney 20v wrote: »
    LinkedIn have positions for trolls.... Check it out

    In my opinion, a life without drink sounds very boring


Advertisement