If you stopped drinking
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Anonymous
| Like others have said, thought it was helpful to replace with a different non-alcoholic drink, just because I was in the habit of wanting something to drink. My go-to was seltzer with a splash of cranberry, served in a wine glass. |
Anonymous
| Honestly what changes did you experience personally after quitting for a month? |
Anonymous
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One thing that helped was really immersing myself in sober living social media accounts and podcasts. Holly Whitaker ‘s book was also very good and addresses an entire lifestyle change, from a holistic perspective
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1984825070/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=hollyglennwhi-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1984825070&linkId=5228562f25590809312cb0493c48efe1 https://instagram.com/jointempest?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://instagram.com/reframe_app?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://instagram.com/decidedlydry?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://instagram.com/holly?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= |
Anonymous
I bought the audiobooks for Alcohol Explained first and The Naked Mind and the first one just sealed the deal. It just reformed my attitudes and got me out of my bad addictions and my rut. I am feeling so much better waking up sober and clear no fear no stress no stigma!!! You can do it!!!! |
Anonymous
Which na spirit do you use? |
Anonymous
I'm not sure of the brand but I've tried a spirits free vodka - ok, and two kinds of tequila - both good. |
Anonymous
I posted in the ultimatum thread that I am using the Reframe App. I read Naked Mind and tried that challenge. I probably wasn't ready for it and honestly it didn't really hit for me. Here's my post from the other thread: "I am happy to share. Reframe is set up for you to use it every day, and multiple times a day if you want to. You have daily tasks - not mandatory, but they are there to help you with your mindset. It's four things: 1) a short reading about alcohol use, cravings, coping strategies, etc.; 2) a motivational quote; 3) a mindset exercise - might be logging your mood, a meditation, etc.; and 4) usually a type of journaling exercise to help you build skills to confront cravings, relapse, setting goals, etc. There's a sections of tools if you are experiencing a craving to help you work through it. There's a forum that's open 24/7 for support. There are challenges, workshops, and classes (all virtual). AND there are meetings. A daily meeting for either quit track or cut back track. And then there's over 50, Women's meeting, LGBTQ meeting, a meeting for your loved ones, morning meetings, etc. The meetings I have been to are what I would call open share format. Sometimes the facilitator will introduce a topic but generally it's just open. It's on Zoom. You can lurk with your camera on or be onscreen, share if you want, etc. I have found the meetings to be hugely helpful and while I mentioned above that I was terrified of AA, this let me ease in and I have now showed my face and shared like once a week (I didn't start 15 days ago, I am just at 15 days continuous sobriety now). We have informal Instagram groups too -separate from the app. I also found a coach through the app that I am working with once a week in a CBT type format. I think you can try it free for a week or so and then it's $25/month." |
Anonymous
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I start drinking very much about six months ago. It had become too habitual, drinking a glass or two every night. Honestly, I just stopped buying wine.
When I do buy one now, I only buy one bottle. Not having it in the house made it easy to stop. For the first few weeks, it was an adjustment to get used to not having a glass help me mentally unwind. Now that it’s been several months, I honestly don’t think about it anymore. |
Anonymous
This was me over a year ago and I didn't succeed on my own and didn't stop in time before it got really bad for me. If you can stop now, please do it. I wound up going to inpatient treatment and though it was super hard, in the end it was worth it. I'm 97 days alcohol free today and I've never felt better. It's amazing....Cravings are still there every once in a while not gonna lie, but with a little time under my belt, changes in habits and regular meetings/a sponsor/therapy I don't really want alcohol anymore. |
Anonymous
| I love this post! Just decided this very second that tonight is the night I'm stopping! Cold turkey. It's time. I'm ready! Sparkling water in a wine glass here I come. |
Anonymous
| Cold Turkey after my annual physical labs workup showed my bad cholesterol had jumped 20+ points in the span of a year. I was very sick at the beginning of covid for an incredibly long time and during that period I drank nothing. That was the easy quit. I wanted to feel well again and was willing to do anything. Slowly but surely, my body recovered, so I started back drinking — 1-2 cocktails here, a glass of wine there, till I realized when I was out w/friends I was drinking 3-4 cocktails or more per night along w/other drinks and I had also started back on margaritas at home and very quickly I had fallen into the drinking trap again. I drank more this past summer than I had in the previous two years combined. Not good. I wasn’t feeling great plus it showed up in my bloodwork. I was just barely w/in the normal cholesterol range and that was enough to make me snap out of it. Like other posters, I started drinking La Croix in a wine glass. I don’t even like carbonated beverages, but it does the trick! The hardest is the first few times you go out w/friends and everyone is ordering amazing cocktails. I opted for a great mocktail instead and was satisfied. It’s gotten easier. Overall, I feel better. And I love that I can out late w/friends and wake up still feeling refreshed. I don’t miss it. My health is too important. Best of luck! |
Anonymous
| ^^*go out late |
Anonymous
| I finally dropped drinking more frequently when I got more into endurance sports. I still drink some wine and beer once in awhile but nowhere near the volume I did before. It prevents me from doing what I enjoy physically. A scheduled run or workout on the weekend mornings really tempers any desire to drink the night before. |
Anonymous
| I listened to the podcast “Sober Powered.” It’s science-y and I’m not but the host does a good job of breaking things down and explaining the science behind why alcohol can be so hard to quit (and as she often says “It’s NOT because you are a weak-willed loser.” 😁) |
Anonymous
| I stopped when I was diagnosed breast cancer. I wish I had a better answer for you. I read all the book listed above and listened to the podcasts. I was a social drinker for most of my life, then during covid increased drinking from weekends to nightly and then started wading into dangerous territory (my father and sister are/ were both alcoholics) that I could not believe I had entered after a lifetime of health, wellness and awareness. So when the doctor said "No alcohol" after BC diagnosis and treatment, I took it as as an opportunity to start a new chapter. I do like NA beer and occasionally find it satisfying when I have a 5 pm urge, but I also have created new rituals to replace the glass of wine, like going for a walk and/ or taking a yoga class at the time, that feels indulgent and relaxing. |