I've been off and on the booze for the past 7 years. I'm getting married next year. I have felt compelled to drink every day until about 2 months back and managed to make it so I only drink once a week. When I do it is 10-15 units but only once every 7 days. I believe complete sobriety is best but is being able to go 6 days without good or should I quit completely?
From drinking every day to once every seven is a great achievement on its own. I personally believe drinking once or twice a week is not bad ,but i suppose it all depends on how much you want to change. You have dramatically changed for the better any way you look at it Have rep
I'm not sure where you draw the line from addict or as you've said a kind of bored / routine based drinking. I've never had a problem with drinking as far as I'm concerned but I have had times in the past where I've been quiet happy to sit and have a fair amount every night while sat watching TV or on xbox etc. I've never seen it as a problem (other than not very healthy) as I don't find I miss drinking if I don't do it and I'll go several weeks within giving it a second thought. If you have managed to cut down from daily to once a week I don't see the need for you to quit completely unless you feel in yourself that you are tempted to fall back into your own ways. You obviously have shown some will power to get this far so I think your doing just fine. Unless your feeling the pull towards more drink, wish to quit for health reasons or feel you would just be happier in yourself if you achieved the target of completely quitting, I'd give yourself a pat on the back for making such a big change and enjoy a few drinks one night a week!
Your use of 'compelled' suggests this was a big issue for you, so 'grats on the change you've achieved. You've now got to judge how stable you feel in relation to the booze. I think it would be good for you, psychologically, to show yourself you can come off it completely. Try it for a year (to allow for seasonal changes in mood etc) and you'll forever have the knowledge that you've shown you don't need it in your life.
Congrats on your progress so far! I have recently quit drinking as well. I just woke up one morning and decided not to drink anymore. I considered myself a heavy drinker, 12 pack a night or so of beer for years. This is the first time I've seriously tried quitting and so far have made it 9 weeks completely sober. I personally recommend not drinking at all if you were a heavy drinker beforehand. That binging once a week could easily lead back to drinking every day. For me it's gotten easier not to think about drinking the longer I've gone without. I'm at the point now where I can't see picking up a drink again and having to go through the whole process of quitting again. Additionally, after a couple of weeks sober, I let my friends and family know that I had quit. That helped in a way because I would feel like I were letting them down if I picked up the drink again. And yeah, I've used the bored excuse for years and the "I just like beer" rational. If you are used to drinking while gaming like me, then replace it with water. It definitely helped early on as a habit substitute.
Although I'm no expert in the subject I would say that if you were drinking to excess every night then that was a problem. Given that you have broken that habit and are only drinking weekly that isn't too bad. If it were me I would limit myself to say 2 or 3 drinks on that 1 night. If you are able to stop after a couple then that is great. I went through a phase of drinking quite a bit, sometimes a change of scenery can work wonders, a job change, house move, wedding etc. If you really want to stop completely, and that is only a decision that you can make. You could to do an activity on the night you'd drink go catch a movie, do judo, join a history group in your local area, canoeing, basically anything that you have an interest in. Congratulations on your progress so far. Keep it up.
I've not touched a drop for over 30 years now and the world is a better place for it, I was a total A'hole on drink I would fight at the drop of a hat couldn't have one or two all ways had to get rat arsed, I went to Spain one year and drank so much one night I was unconscious for three days that was the last drink I ever had.
It is difficult these days given the different ABV content of stuff, but it used to be a small glass of wine (125ml), half a pint of standard strength lager (eg Fosters, Carling not Stella Kronenbourg or Special Brew) or 1 x 25ml measure of spirit.
Don't know how old you are, but exercise helped me a lot when I stopped drinking for 2 years and 11 months a few years back. Replaced the need for drink with either running and/or going to the gym. Now I just drink at weekends, usually just a Saturday.
It's a lot longer than that now I've lost nearly 20lbs and I've never felt better. I was drinking vast amounts it was easy to just open another then another. It's a spiral because I drank because I drank as I was bored and never craved it but when I hadn't drank I had little desire to do anything. I would play a game for 5 mins get bored then try watch something and get bored. Drinking when bored just makes you more bored when you don't drink. I was inspired by others on this forum who have been through the same. I knew I wasn't addicted because when I said enough is enough I didn't say I'll stop tomorrow or when the booze runs out I poured it all away and since I've never had more than 2 tins of magners in any one night and even then I did it by exception only. Technically I'm not sober as I drink socially now and don't binge when I do. Thanks for the encouragement
I was in the same boat. For some people its all or nothing. I have been sober for over a year and couldn't be happier. Sure I miss it sometimes, but I also have flash backs of some stupid things I've done while drunk. As for being addicted, its hard to say. You body most certainly was. It's your mind that you have to work out. Good luck buddy!
