most people who bash AA either couldn't stay sober or never attended and use the excuses of it is a cult or this or that.

There are al sorts of AA groups out there and i hope those who are struggling find the help they need.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP feeling like you need alcohol in order to not be bored fades over time. That's the alcoholism talking. By one month, that had faded a lot into the background.

As someone who just did this - I totally agree!!

+2. Keep sticking to it and know that it feels hard and boring now but this feeling does not last!

We quit for nearly 4 months early this year. It was still boring past the first month. Just being honest.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been drinking too much for about 3 or 4 years. I now have to stop due to pretty bad GI issues that I’m fairly certain were caused by drinking.

It’s just so boring! I know I need to pickup some hobbies, but how long does this last? I’ve been trying to cut back, with varying success for about a year. I have a terrible attitude about quitting when I don’t want to quit.

Anyone who’s BTDT have any idea how long this lasts? I’ve been mostly alcohol-free for more than 2 weeks.

I'll echo this. Quitting is so easy. Husband and I do it for weeks and sometimes months at a time. It is just pretty boring is all. And we personally don't feel any better. I honestly think people are exaggerating and lying when they act like it is life-changing and you feel *so* different with a "clear mind."

Anonymous wrote:Physical activity. Sign up for adult sports leagues (basketball, softball, flag football, whatever). The other nights, sign up for some bootcamp classes at the gym.

7:00 PM is the sweet spot. You have to leave the house by 6:30 to get to the gym. Class from 7-745. Home and showered by 830. Then a bite to eat for dinner, and by then its already 9.

I also feel the pull for a cocktail btwn 5-8, so I keep those hours occupied. If I can get to 9, I just chill for a bit and then go tobed

This is good advice.

Anonymous wrote:May I ask what GI symptoms you had from alcohol?

Symptoms similar to IBD. I won’t know exactly what’s going on until I get a colonoscopy. I have been in denial for a few months, but drinking one day last week led to pain for days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP feeling like you need alcohol in order to not be bored fades over time. That's the alcoholism talking. By one month, that had faded a lot into the background.

As someone who just did this - I totally agree!!

+2. Keep sticking to it and know that it feels hard and boring now but this feeling does not last!

Hey OP, I really like hibiscus ginger beer as a drink alternative in the evening. I cut it with more seltzer because it is designed as a mixer, so sweet and small as is. I buy it at MOMs but also sold elsewhere. You can do it!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been drinking too much for about 3 or 4 years. I now have to stop due to pretty bad GI issues that I’m fairly certain were caused by drinking.

It’s just so boring! I know I need to pickup some hobbies, but how long does this last? I’ve been trying to cut back, with varying success for about a year. I have a terrible attitude about quitting when I don’t want to quit.

Anyone who’s BTDT have any idea how long this lasts? I’ve been mostly alcohol-free for more than 2 weeks.

That just confirms you are an alcoholic.

Nonsense.

Go diagnose people elsewhere.

- not OP

It isn't nonsense but this was quite an obnoxious post.

May I ask what GI symptoms you had from alcohol?

Anonymous wrote:I appreciate the advice from everyone. I don’t think AA is for me. Alcohol played a big role in my partner’s death, and it would be incredibly triggering. I will work on working out and forcing myself to do some hobbies I used to enjoy. I just need to make myself do it.

Thank you, everyone.

OP, I don't know if you are still reading. I am 11 months and 9 days sober after being a habitual, then heavy, then problem drinker over three decades. I get exactly what you mean by boredom. Alcohol was such a huge part of my life that I couldn't imagine how I would live without it. By the time I quit this time (because like a lot of people it took several tries) I was in a different headspace. I still had bouts of boredom, but overall my thoughts were more along the lines of, "I don't have to drink again and I get to do X instead."

It may sound corny, but once I truly believed that the urge to drink lessened over time. And success builds on success. I've recommended it before, but I joined Reframe online. There are daily (or more than daily if you want) meetings online. You can be on camera or not. You can speak or not. There are also daily activities and a forum for support. Just putting it out there in case it helps.

Hey OP, good job. Congratulations. I drank heavily from 15 to 29 and have been sober for over 20 years. AA can be boring or it cannot. You may be able to find sober people there who keep busy and do fun things. The times I tried to just white knuckle it alone never worked out. I always returned to drinking because I was bored. But then I found a few people who do shit and honestly after a few weeks I was on my way and was having fun. I hope you can find this too.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been drinking too much for about 3 or 4 years. I now have to stop due to pretty bad GI issues that I’m fairly certain were caused by drinking.

It’s just so boring! I know I need to pickup some hobbies, but how long does this last? I’ve been trying to cut back, with varying success for about a year. I have a terrible attitude about quitting when I don’t want to quit.

Anyone who’s BTDT have any idea how long this lasts? I’ve been mostly alcohol-free for more than 2 weeks.

When you think that you have feelings that lead to actions...is this thought serving you? When we stop drinking, shopping, overeating, scrolling, numbing ourselves, we have to feel our feelings.

Anonymous wrote:I starting drinking heavily by age 15. It’s a progressive thing so you can imagine how I was doing by my 40’s. Nothing truly stuck until I changed my mindset about alcohol and nothing changed my mindset until I read (and re-read) This Naked Mind by Annie Grace.

+1
If you think not drinking is boring, it will be hard to stop. Read this and give it time in your head to re-program the approach and you’re thinking about it. Her book “The Alcohol Experiment” is a thirty day exercise and she gives you soem things to think about and even journal each day. You’ve got time now it sounds like.

Focus on shifting your thinking that you need alcohol for something to be fun.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree your GI issues are likely alcohol related. I wish someone had told my mom that five years ago.

I like seltzer water with fresh lime. Or water with lime. More than just one wedge, a good pour of lime juice.

You could also try gummies. Then you won't be bored.

THC gummies? Those are way worse than alcohol, do not even go there.

They are in no way “way worse” than alcohol. The body is equipped with an endocannabinoid system. Alcohol is just a neurotoxin (and a carcinogen).

THC is used for valid medical purposes, including managing addiction. Please educate yourself.

Encouraging people with a drug (alcohol) problem to switch to a different drug is a terrible idea. IIRC that’s how heroin came about.

Cannabis/THC has no standard strength, no standard dosing, no standard purity, no manufacturing standards, is not generally recognized as sage for any condition, is not generally recognized as effective for any condition, and I don’t think even pharmaceutical THC is approved for any condition.

“Medical” marijuana is a fraud and always was a fraud, foisted on the gullible to garner support for unrestricted recreational use.

“Medical” marijuana actually undergoes stringent QA, unlike recreational marijuana. The distinction is there for a reason.

Not true. "Medical" and "recreational" refers to the user, not to the marijuana.

https://www.goodrx.com/classes/cannabinoids/medicinal-vs-recreational-weed-marijuana

Medical marijuana refers to having a doctor's note. Recreational marijuana means it's allowed to all adults.

I work for a cannabis company: testing is much more stringent for medical marijuana, than it is for recreational marijuana (for states that maintain a distinction).

I’m sorry to the OP for your loss and struggles with drinking. I’ve been sober for long periods. I find that doing something enjoyable physically - like dance or yoga - is helpful. Along with a meditation or prayer practice. Spending time in nature. Reading. Writing. Reflecting.

Sobriety can be a superpower or it can feel like a weight. It depends on your underlying mood and life circumstances, and what emotions bubble up in sobriety.

Most of all, very sorry for your loss.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree your GI issues are likely alcohol related. I wish someone had told my mom that five years ago.

I like seltzer water with fresh lime. Or water with lime. More than just one wedge, a good pour of lime juice.

You could also try gummies. Then you won't be bored.

THC gummies? Those are way worse than alcohol, do not even go there.

They are in no way “way worse” than alcohol. The body is equipped with an endocannabinoid system. Alcohol is just a neurotoxin (and a carcinogen).

THC is used for valid medical purposes, including managing addiction. Please educate yourself.

Encouraging people with a drug (alcohol) problem to switch to a different drug is a terrible idea. IIRC that’s how heroin came about.

Cannabis/THC has no standard strength, no standard dosing, no standard purity, no manufacturing standards, is not generally recognized as sage for any condition, is not generally recognized as effective for any condition, and I don’t think even pharmaceutical THC is approved for any condition.

“Medical” marijuana is a fraud and always was a fraud, foisted on the gullible to garner support for unrestricted recreational use.

“Medical” marijuana actually undergoes stringent QA, unlike recreational marijuana. The distinction is there for a reason.

Not true. "Medical" and "recreational" refers to the user, not to the marijuana.

https://www.goodrx.com/classes/cannabinoids/medicinal-vs-recreational-weed-marijuana

Medical marijuana refers to having a doctor's note. Recreational marijuana means it's allowed to all adults.