Posted on 10/08/2005 7:33:57 AM PDT by RobFromGa
October 8, 2003 is the date that I quit drinking for good. It has been a great two years!
When I was drinking, I thought that life would be impossibly boring without alcohol. How can you enjoy parties, football games, vacations, weekends, etc without alcohol? I found out that not only is it possible to enjoy these things, that in many ways they are made better without the "buzz".
I haven't had a hangover in two years and that is a blessing.
I have occasionally had brief thoughts that I might be able to drink normally now that I have controlled myself for this length of time. But I understand myself better now. The fact that I would even consider such a question and action even for a millisecond is a sign of my lack of control over alcohol. My only sane solution is to keep it out of my body.
I urge anyone who suspects that they may have a drinking problem to find help and deal with the issue. I wish I had quit when I was 30 instead of 41.
Almost a year ago, I posted a thread on FR, If You Suspect You Might Have A Drinking Problem (An Open Letter). There might be some help there for you if you are trying to quit.
Thanks to all who have helped me to quit and to stay sober.
Rob,
Congrats, I am proud of you.
Some people would say I have a similar problem, but with coffee...(Coffee...Arrrrrgggghh!)
Congrats!
Congrats Rob, I'll have 2 years Dec. 7 2005. It's a miracle.
If one chooses to summon the intestinal fortitude, it doesn't need to be an either / or proposition.
For some, that works. For others, casual/social drinking leads them back to alcohol abuse.
I don't touch the stuff anymore either. I cannot drink. I'm one of those people who shouldn't drink, as well. My sobriety can be measured in months but I will turn that into years.
Congrats on your decision.
Congratulations Rob. I never was able to drink enough to become an alcoholic. Even the smallest bit gives me a headache. I have been told it is an allergy or a condition in which your body cannot process alcohol. Which ever it is I have been sober my whole life and I am here to tell you that you can live a good life and have fun without the stuff.
I just have to post again.
I still hang around people who drink heavily and at first, I also thought it would be hard not to get drunk and have fun but I've found that's simply not true. I can drive without worrying, etc. I can stay up late and require little sleep. I get things done done, and I'm generally a happier person.
I don't preach as I figure peple have to live their lives as they see fit and for me, I choose sobriety.
And like I said, I simply cannot drink. I like beer way too much and "just having one or two" is something I simply cannot do.
Take care,
`Corey
When I gave up drinking, bad things happened to me much less frequently. Sometimes I miss it. I ain't gonna lie, I had some *GREAT* times with booze. I had plenty of bad times as well. Eventually, the bad times began to outnumber the good times and that was only one of the reasons I knew it was time to eliminate alcohol from my life.
I miss sitting on a barstool. I miss the warm buzz after the first 6 or so drinks. I miss the camraderie of drunken fools. But there are plenty of things about drinking that I don't miss and in the end it is these things I don't miss that I place a higher value on.
Keep it up! And if you ever fall off the wagon (as I have), the only thing you can do is stand up, dust yourself off and climb right back aboard (as I have chosen to do).
AH!.. So then, there is a cure for hangovers...
I certainly do not think that everyone should stop drinking and I don't mind if people get drunk. I don't think less of people who drink and I am not on a mission of temperance and prohibition.
Some people, for whatever reason, let alcohol control aspects of their behavior and their decision making. I was one of those people and I tried many times to "control" my drinking. I mentioned a number of ways on the earlier thread. I failed. Once started, I found that I was unwilling to control the amount properly.
In my own case, I learned that for me my decision was to avoid the first drink. Then decisions regarding amount became moot. And cravings went away.
If you are different, and able to control the amount, as MOST PEOPLE ARE, then that is fantastic. You are certainly my superior when it comes to alcohol. I do NOT begrudge you your drinking, and wish you well.
thanks
Don't have to have a drinking problem to understand alcohol isn't good for you. Quit drinking the day my first child was born 19+ years ago. Best thing I ever did for myself or them.
Sounds like words to live by. Here is the vesion I worked out when I quit:
"Alcohol is neither cunning nor powerful, it is an inanimate, toxic poisonous liquid that sits on a shelf in its bottle until consumed...It has no power to make me consume it."
Yea! Don't stop drinking. :)
I resemble this remark.
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