Cutting out alcohol at 20

TheBiz

So, I will be 20 next month, and a video came up on my recommended page on youtube, it was a 'why I stopped drinking' video.
I realised how much money I waste as a college student drinking, and I'd a couple of the same problems that she had when she was drinking.

I'm by no means the type of person who can't get through the day without a drink, I just binge drink when I go out.
When I first went to college I made sure I had my wits so I knew where everyone was and where I was going.
As I got more comfortable I started drinking more, it varies between a patchy memory of the night before to just blank.

I'm not a very confident person, I can talk the pants of most girls when I have some alcohol in my system but I'm relying on it too much.

Has anyone does this at a young age/while in college?
Even just cutting down on what I drink, I didn't drink much in the past 2 nights I went out (back home) and I was pretty miserable, just not in the mood to talk to people let alone dance.

So I guess I do rely on it more than I thought, I also tend to smoke when I drink heavily which I already know is stupid..

So again, has anyone else here done it? How did you fare out was it beneficial?

boardsuser1

Cut out drinking at 19, smoking at 23.

Not impossible and best decision i've made, now 32.

No looking back.

RoisinClare6

Did a fair bit of drinking from 19-22...drink on occasion but honestly do not like it. Met up with a friend for the first time in 2 years Saturday and we went for a drink, had one and that was it..just knew that its not for me.

Sonics2k

I was a blackout drinker when I was young, between the ages of say 16-21. It was at it's worst around the age of 19 onwards.

Woke up one morning in my crappy bed in my crappy little mould-ridden apartment and just heard the clink of bottles around me, it was a total wake up for me.

I had a little revelation that I'd become exactly what I swore I'd never be, and was tipping that line of full blown alcoholism.

I stopped drinking entirely for the next 5 years, cut out some bad influences from my friend circle.

I'm now 32 and will drink at Christmas and maybe once during the year with work friends, but I'll never have more than 5 drinks.

Honestly, it was the best decision I made. I started to feel better, work harder, dedicate more of myself to my partner at the time.

Wanderer78

No harm in the odd pint or two op, but try not make alcohol the centre of your social life, there really are far better things to do with your time and money, hobbies, hobbies, hobbies. Best of luck

TheBiz

TheBiz wrote: »

I didn't drink much in the past 2 nights I went out (back home) and I was pretty miserable, just not in the mood to talk to people let alone dance.

Anecdotal of course - so treat it as such - but myself and several other people I know who cut out drink had the same feeling as you describe here - but it passes. It takes a little time to get used to your new internal "vibe" on a night out with friends - including been sober (or mostly sober) when they are pissed. But it is possible to get there in the end.

I myself cut it out after a wake up call where I ended up in an all ages music gig in Dublin City. Being an all ages gig it was alcohol free. I came out of the gig and into the Dublin streets where most people were now pretty drunk - even though it was still relatively early.

I had been on the streets with all the drunks of Dublin before - but I was drunk too. Experiencing it while stone sober had never happened before - and when I looked at them shuffling and falling and fighting about the place I got this "walking dead" image of them all and in that moment I simply decided to give up getting drunk.

Of a night out - or house party - these days you will rarely see me without a drink in my hand. But it tends to be the same drink for many hours as I am barely touching it.

johnnyskeleton

TheBiz wrote: »

So, I will be 20 next month, and a video came up on my recommended page on youtube, it was a 'why I stopped drinking' video.

If what they said resonated with you then by all means agree with it, but I always take youtube videos with a pinch of salt.

I realised how much money I waste as a college student drinking, and I'd a couple of the same problems that she had when she was drinking.

Well if its problematic for you then maybe, but I wouldnt let money necessarily be the main factor. What else would you spend your money on and would it make you happier?

I gave up drinking for about 2 years in or around college. I did it because I just didnt have the money and because I wasnt really enjoying a lot of nights out, which tended to be along the lines of go to same rubbish club and get pissed. If I had the money then and I had a bit more cop on I would have gone out to the pubs that I wanted to go to. But at the time it seemed like the right thing to do.

I'm by no means the type of person who can't get through the day without a drink, I just binge drink when I go out.
When I first went to college I made sure I had my wits so I knew where everyone was and where I was going.
As I got more comfortable I started drinking more, it varies between a patchy memory of the night before to just blank.

Sounds like you drink too much on a night alright.

I'm not a very confident person, I can talk the pants of most girls when I have some alcohol in my system but I'm relying on it too much.

Confidence, just like anything, is learned. Going to the pub when sober and forcing yourself to interact and have a good time is a great way to build confidence.

Has anyone does this at a young age/while in college?

Yep and as I say, while I dont regret it overall, there are a lot of nights out I missed out on because of it.

Even just cutting down on what I drink, I didn't drink much in the past 2 nights I went out (back home) and I was pretty miserable, just not in the mood to talk to people let alone dance.

Sometimes its easier to not drink at all on a big night out than to have a few beers and feel anxious. As with everything, its all trial and error. Maybe just be a bit more conscious of your drinking e.g. "im out for dinner I can have a glass or two of wine" vs "this is going to be a crazy night if I have one beer I wont be able to stop"

So again, has anyone else here done it? How did you fare out was it beneficial?

It really depends on the person and the time of their life. One person will stop drinking and save every penny they have but have a limited social life. Other people will stop drinking and go to gigs every night and drink water. What type of person would you be? More importantly, what type of person do you want to be?

tkd93

I stopped drinking 6 months ago. Early twenties never much of a drinker but still had enough. Even a few drinks now and then the costs adds up. Still do everything the same as before often in a pub not drinking has not held me back and I am definitely not a confident person.

The main reason really is I dont believe anyone understands the health risks of drink. Recently the British have slashed a man`s weekly units to 14 and are now saying there is no safe amount. For me not worth the risk.

eeloe

I stopped drinking completely 5 years ago, and it was the best decision i ever made.

gctest50

tkd93 wrote: »

..........The main reason really is I dont believe anyone understands the health risks of drink. Recently the British have slashed a man`s weekly units .......

Those "recommended units per week" were plucked out of thin air because they didn't have any good data

Richard Smith, a member of the Royal College of Physicians working party that produced the recommendations, told the paper the limits were prompted by "a feeling that you had to say something". He said: "Those limits were really plucked out of the air. They were not based on any firm evidence at all. It was a sort of intelligent guess by a committee."