Has anybody here quit drinking alcohol?

Whippersnapper · 26-12-2010 03:03PM

Never started drinking in the first place! There was nothing appealing about drinking, the smell, the taste and what it does to people. I do feel left out sometimes when I'm out and people are just acting like idiots but it still wouldn't make me start.

I prefer to spend nights out with people who know when to stop drinking and we all have a great time.

Gaudizeit · 26-12-2010 03:27PM

Don't think I could give up the drink to be honest. I've gone on nights out cold turkey and they are horrible experiences. I'd rather have a few drinks and be mellow than be sober and irritable with people pushing into me. I might be missing out on health and financial benefits but if what I do makes me happy then I see no wrong. Fair play to those that can give it up. I'll still be weary of ye on nights out with your tales the next day.

krudler · 26-12-2010 03:30PM

Did once for over a year just because I couldnt be arsed with it anymore. And last year didnt drink between August 2009 and July 2010 as I was on medication for a long term illness, which helped as I was on certs so was making fcuk all money anyway. I like being tipsy, hate being drunk, and hangovers get worse the older you get,so yeah I can go without if I want but the times you have a great, social night with friends and theres a few drinks involved is good.

mercAMG · 26-12-2010 03:33PM

I gave up a few years ago. Was never the biggest drinker in the world but drank all the same. Don't miss it one bit. I do find you get strange looks when you tell people you don't drink, particularly in Ireland and your made to feel like you've some sort of problem! It really opens your eyes though to the drinking culture that exists and some of the things you see are horrendous. As someone has said already its good to be out with people who know their limits and dont exceed them. Unfortuantely many people go over that line

Wompa1 · 26-12-2010 03:36PM

I got without drinking for 4 months at a time usually. Only tended to drink on occasions but currently I've started going to the pub to watch sports and drink with friends. I wasn't having much of a social life without drinking because everybody else spends their free time drinking!

rcaz · 26-12-2010 03:39PM

Only the last few weeks I've noticed I've been drinking way more heavily than I used to. Been getting unreasonably drunk, spending all my money, acting like a complete dickhead, being completely unreasonable and irresponsible. I feel like it's the kind of thing that could get a lot worse if I gave it a chance, so I'm gonna stop for a while. I figured 3 months of no drinking would give a fair comparison so make a decision on.

I work in an off-license, read a good bit about beer and most days I have to discuss and recommend beers. I really love the craft of beer, but I think there's another bit of me who's only in it for the ethanol. I'd like to get rid of him for a while.

I figured I'd ring in the new year with a Chimay Grand Reserve and then review the situation in April.

Wompa1 · 26-12-2010 03:42PM

El Pr0n wrote: »

Only the last few weeks I've noticed I've been drinking way more heavily than I used to. Been getting unreasonably drunk, spending all my money, acting like a complete dickhead, being completely unreasonable and irresponsible. I feel like it's the kind of thing that could get a lot worse if I gave it a chance, so I'm gonna stop for a while. I figured 3 months of no drinking would give a fair comparison so make a decision on.

I work in an off-license, read a good bit about beer and most days I have to discuss and recommend beers. I really love the craft of beer, but I think there's another bit of me who's only in it for the ethanol. I'd like to get rid of him for a while.

I figured I'd ring in the new year with a Chimay Grand Reserve and then review the situation in April.

Go for it. I use to go through cycles with drink. From only having a few and being ok, having alot and being ok or having alot and being a total arse. It's another reason why I try not to drink often

Captain Darling · 26-12-2010 03:47PM

I've drank way less then other Christmases. Its friggin top notch. Even better the fookin ice is beginning to thaw.

There's a lot to be said for staying off the hooch or drinking in relative moderation!

gilmour · 26-12-2010 04:01PM

I'll be alcohol free 8 years in a few weeks, i was 21 when i gave it up i was a big binge drinker and a total ambassador for the stuff, but had i not stopped i wouldnt be typing this right now, it was going to kill me.
The advantages of quitting are numerous, apart from the obvious ones like not having a hangover/better health/more money etc, the biggest plus is the boost to my day to day confidence. At the time when i was drinking heavily i had low self esteem and felt i needed to have a drink to actually enjoy myself. Now i'm always in control and still go out every weekend with my pissed up mates and genuinely enjoy myself.

Of course going out without alcohol was very tough to get used to at the start but if you're able to be selfish enough to think solely for your own body and mind without feeling the need to cave into the alcohol obsessed culture we live in combined with a willingness to work on yourself you will see huge benefits.

Captain Darling · 26-12-2010 04:18PM

gilmour wrote: »

I'll be alcohol free 8 years in a few weeks, i was 21 when i gave it up i was a big binge drinker and a total ambassador for the stuff, but had i not stopped i wouldnt be typing this right now, it was going to kill me.
The advantages of quitting are numerous, apart from the obvious ones like not having a hangover/better health/more money etc, the biggest plus is the boost to my day to day confidence. At the time when i was drinking heavily i had low self esteem and felt i needed to have a drink to actually enjoy myself. Now i'm always in control and still go out every weekend with my pissed up mates and genuinely enjoy myself.

Of course going out without alcohol was very tough to get used to at the start but if you're able to be selfish enough to think solely for your own body and mind without feeling the need to cave into the alcohol obsessed culture we live in combined with a willingness to work on yourself you will see huge benefits.

Fair play. Its great that you took charge of your life like that!:D

26-12-2010 04:28PM

Couldn't see myself going off the drink. The whole year is based around different drinking events and a good drink makes for some brilliant nights so Id find everything a bit boring with out drink. As a general rule id rather sit in than go out without drinking I find even the thought of it boring.

newmug · 26-12-2010 04:29PM

sollar wrote: »

The next 5 years will change all that . The body's ability to recover starts to deminishes from about 26 on.

Sooooooooo true:(

26-12-2010 04:29PM

Couldn't see myself going off the drink. The whole year is based around different drinking events and a good drink makes for some brilliant nights so Id find everything a bit boring with out drink. As a general rule id rather sit in than go out without drinking I find even the thought of it off putting.

treborflynn · 26-12-2010 04:36PM

I used to drink 12 cans a night for about a year and more at the weekends and pretty much wasted every penny i earned, now i drink the odd Saturday night and the rest of the time i spend cruising the town with my homie's making a laugh of all the other drunks, i know that's a bit hypocritical but i know i was often the main entertainment for other people, Anyhoo the differences i found were huge in terms of giving it up or even cutting back, more money, better health, better diet, sleep better, clear thoughts, better memory, the list is endless.
The thing I'd say to those of you who are thinking of giving up the drink for the new year and have your doubts about it is this, give up can sometimes be worse than just cutting back.

Sunnyisland · 26-12-2010 04:39PM

Also for me being alcohol free means
Taking full responsibility for myself,
Not blaming others for my situation or where I am in life.
Not feeling sorry for myself.
Depending on myself instead of thinking that drink and/or other people should help me.
Standing on my own 2 feet and dealing with my past.
Getting off my pity pot.

Being grateful for all the wonderful gifts I have in my life right now, I may not have a lot of money but I have a wonderful family, a happy heart, a sober life and a huge excitement of a future thats bright.

Life sure is good and will get better.

Overheal · 26-12-2010 04:46PM

I've seen the way Irish people drink. I've drank the way Irish people drink. I've been done with that for 3 years now. I'll still have a beer every once in a while but you're talking maybe 2 beers. Special occassions I might drink more; like a glass of wine or craft beer at a family gathering or jagerbombs on my cousin's 21st (poor kid got destroyed and hated himself for it

). Truthfully though I don't know how people stand the inebriation every night or every weekend and having to fight with yourself just to think and stand straight. I certainly don't miss the headaches.

A protip I find is to switch over to high quality drink. I'd prefer 1 bottle of Dogfish Head over 6 cans of piss.

candy_pants · 26-12-2010 04:53PM

Like another poster, I actually started to drink when I was legal to which is a bit unusual! Definitely got stuck in in the first few years of college and being seemingly immune to hangovers (I think this was because I started drinking when I was an adult unlike friends who'd been abusing themselves for years beforehand).

A good few of my friends didnt drink so I've always had a 'take it or leave it' attitude. Unintentionally stopped altogether when one friend I'd go out with a lot didn't drink so I wouldn't either and I got used to being able to drive home, spend no money on drink and come home with 90% of what I went out with.

I can still take it or leave it but when I 'take' it I will drink enough to make me tipsy-drunk. I've never enjoyed getting or being absolutely hammered although it happens occasionally without meaning to!

I've never been a heavy enough drink to notice physical/health side effects and/or benefits so my pros/cons are purely social.

The two worst things about being off the drink is, firstly, peoples' attitudes. I'm 26 and work with people older than me who just cannot get it around their heads that I'd prefer a glass of icy coke then a bottle of wine at dinner. Its not just a lack of understanding but that they make you feel, for lack of a better word, baby-ish.

Secondly, I am a firm believer that you don't need drink to 'have a good time'. When I'm in good company, I don't need an ounce of the stuff to have fun but likewise, its in good company when its the most enjoyable getting tipsy! But when I'm in an uncomfortable situation where drink is involved its just horrible. Drinking - whether its you or other people - just amplifies an awkward scenario. Again, you don't need drink as a social lubricant but if you are sober and everyone around you is drunk and you can't get involved in drunken silliness or hold a normal conversation, then thats difficult and have been my worst nights out.

It sounds boring but the old 'everything in moderation' is true. I know for some people moderation is not possible - its all or nothing and when it comes to alcohol then in that case you're far better off with 'nothing'.

Jaysus sorry for being so long winded! Fair play if you stuck with this to the end!!

candy_pants · 26-12-2010 04:55PM

Oh yeah and one other point someone else made. When you get to the stage where you're drinking affects other people then its time to stop. Obviously this can be very dramatic (family issues,violence etc) but at a base level, when your night out ends in a friend having to mind you or be your shoulder to cry on then you just need to realise that your need for a drink ends up being a really selfish act. Can you tell I was the 'minder' more than once???

parker kent · 26-12-2010 04:56PM

Overheal wrote: »

A protip I find is to switch over to high quality drink. I'd prefer 1 bottle of Dogfish Head over 6 cans of piss.

+1 for that. I don't understand how people drink some of the slop they do! I much prefer being an occasional drinker, one who can easily go out and not drink. I just find the Irish attitude towards drink a bit brainless. I don't mind having a few drinks but anything more than a few is pointless in my view. I hate the idea of having to write off the next day.

PeterIanStaker · 26-12-2010 05:19PM

sollar wrote: »

The next 5 years will change all that . The body's ability to recover starts to deminishes from about 26 on.

Oh f**k don't I know it! Welcome to the two-day hangovers from hell. :eek:

nizo888 · 26-12-2010 05:23PM

I am off the drink nearly four years now. Without preaching about it, I believe I made the right choice. Like anything else in life, there are pros and cons to it. I certainly don't miss the hangovers, the black outs, the loss of memory as a result of binge drinking and the large amount of money pissed against the wall. I wouldn't say I was a heavy drinker: average by Irish standards. Two or three nights a week but the problem is i couldn't stop once I started. I regularly remember sprinting across the city to make it to that late bar along the quays at 3:30am. The Viper Rooms I think it was called? Anyways, it is amazing what you would do for a late drink or was that just me? I don't miss that anyway.

I didn't seek help or anything, I just decided to quit and see what it would be like. I have completed a few degrees since I gave up, traveled to many countries and I can certainly say that many aspects of life has improved.

The downside is that your social life suffers. The drink culture is interwoven into every fabric of Irish life. When you are at the bar at a Wedding or at a work function, telling someone you don't drink is met with weird stares or condescending comments about being an alcoholic. Why is it in Ireland the only alcoholic in the pub is drinking a mineral water?
Expect to lose a few friends too. I used to meet up with a few guys to watch the Rugby games but after I quit the booze I was told I was only invited if I was drinking.

Weighing up all the pros and cons I think I have the right choice and I have absolutely no problem with people who drink. That is their choice.

candy_pants · 26-12-2010 05:28PM

nizo888 wrote: »

Expect to lose a few friends too. I used to meet up with a few guys to watch the Rugby games but after I quit the booze I was told I was only invited if I was drinking..

Ugh - that really irritates me. Better off without people like that anyway. Do those guys even like each other? I've known several groups of girls where I swear that drinking was the only tie they had to each other. 'Enabling' is a very annoying American word but thats what it is. Those girls routinely kill themselves with booze in conjunction with acting like dicks but they do it in packs so no one ever pulls anyone else up on it.

26-12-2010 05:29PM

nizo888 wrote: »

Expect to lose a few friends too. I used to meet up with a few guys to watch the Rugby games but after I quit the booze I was told I was only invited if I was drinking.
.

:eek:
I don't think those were friends you lost!

nizo888 · 26-12-2010 05:37PM

candy_pants wrote: »

Ugh - that really irritates me. Better off without people like that anyway. Do those guys even like each other? I've known several groups of girls where I swear that drinking was the only tie they had to each other. 'Enabling' is a very annoying American word but thats what it is. Those girls routinely kill themselves with booze in conjunction with acting like dicks but they do it in packs so no one ever pulls anyone else up on it.

Ah I didn't take it personally or anything. That is just the way things are here. And these are not young guys in their early 20s I am talking about. Early 40s actually. Like the groups of girls you talk about they only have the heavy drinking and 'hilarious antics' that comes with it in common.

JupiterKid · 26-12-2010 07:08PM

I have a feeling that Ireland may be starting to fall out of its long term love affair with alcohol. I know a lot of young people in their early 20s who drink far, far less than my age group did at their age (I'm 35) or indeed do now.

And that wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

de Lehman Bruddars · 27-12-2010 12:29PM

ebixa82 wrote: »

I said I get pissed every Saturday...more than capable of socialising without alcohol on Friday nights...

Why do I do it you ask? Because I like the taste of a wide range of alcoholic beverages and I also like the feeling of inebriation. Simple as that!

You like being pissed (oh sorry, the "feeling of inebriation", how smug and smartar$ed of you), why? Because it makes you feel more comfortable in social situations. You hardly drink alone. You still can't do without it totally, so you are a coward, scared of people like a little baby, who needs his pi$$ to not feel uncomfortable. And alcohol tastes like $hit.

Just go and do a fukcin triathlon or something.

Mod: Poster banned.

Mr Benevolent · 27-12-2010 12:32PM

I started drinking at 23 and never got into it much. I enjoy the effects but not being drunk, so I tend not to overindulge.

Amhran Nua · 27-12-2010 01:35PM

JupiterKid wrote: »

I have a feeling that Ireland may be starting to fall out of its long term love affair with alcohol.

Its not that long term either, prior to 2000, Ireland drank less on average than much of Europe.

Our European neighbours do love to tell us how much we drink, of course their statistics are calculated differently, counting going to the pub as "entertainment" not the consumption of alcohol, while ours counts visits to a pub as alcohol intake, so basically they are under-reporting their own habits while over-reporting ours.

bmarley · 27-12-2010 01:39PM

I'm not a pub drinker but do enjoy a couple of glasses of wine every evening. I know it's probably a bit of a habit now but also make me sleep very well. Wouldn't mind giving it up solely because I can't afford it.

123balltv · 27-12-2010 01:43PM

I'm going to quit got sick twice this Christmas
I always seem to get sick after drink I've had enough

Has anybody here quit drinking alcohol?

Comments