The Sober Thread

[gypcasino]

I made a deal with somebody that I'd quit drinking until at least the end of November. I'm on day 11. Anyone else on the wagon? I had a minor episode a couple months ago where I fell in some bushes and lost my shoes.

[JumpinMacFlash]

I went out to the bars tonight, and I stayed with a friend of mine at her place talking for a few hours and I'm home completely stone sober. It feels kinda nice. But, yeah, I am planning on cutting down my drinking quite a bit.

[gypcasino]

I don't mind going to a not crowded bar with friends on a weeknight and not drinking but it's tough for me to out to a club or bar hopping on the weekends. I usually have to end up getting plowed because I have self esteem issues.

[uecker9]

April 17th 2004- 24 years to the day I watched my alcoholic mother die of a heart attack right in front of me.

I was in pretty bad shape- big ol' bottle of whiskey or vodka everyday. I don't really miss it, I thought it would be too hard or I would be too weak to quit. I don't do AA meetings, way too depressing. My wife and kids have been the best support group of all time.

I've been getting back into artwork and writing and that helps a lot. The hardest part is jamming with the boys who all show up with their 12 packs but I've found a few na beers that actually taste ok. One day at a time baby!

[homer]

Let me know how it goes. I'm thinking about giving up booze for Lent.

[patrickgpe]

homer i tried to do that last year but my birthday falls in lent, so I failed that day.

[dadofandrew]

Wow, I can't imagine having trouble going a few weeks without drinking. I've never drank to excess and rarely had more than a single drink when out, but it really comes down to prioritizing it in your life. I have never felt for one second that my limited time on the planet should be spent passed out on the lawn or acting out of character.

 

I especially wonder how people with children can justify poor or dangerous behavior as a parent. Best of luck.

 

Paul Phillips' blog had a piece in it about quitting, you could google that as well.

[Nader Raider Tim]

Last drink was on New Years 2005. I have had some bad experiences on New Years and that finally made me stop.

[GAME05]

cut back quite a bit recently. dumped out the last of the wine and beer from the apartment and only drink when i go out now (the Capital Brew that I drove 1600 miles in part to get is the current exception). i haven't had more than a light buzz in years (the older i get, the more i can't tolerate hangovers, so i don't like to drink to excess). problem was, even though i wouldn't get plastered, i'd still be drinking a lot (enough to get a non-Wisconsinite drunk, at least), and very frequently. so since that's a problem, too, i've pulled way back.

 

it's part of a general attempt to tame the vices. also gone from a half-pack of smokes a day to nothing the last four or so weeks. it's been nice, though i can't say i haven't craved a smoke every second of these weeks. thinking of the $50 a month i've been saving on smoking and even more money on drinking at home has helped a good bit, though.

[twobrewers]

Funny...I got sick of drinking awhile back when I started working out and running more.

 

Feeling great in the morning feels pretty darn good.

 

Besides, drinking was getting old. I didn't even enjoy a buzz at all anymore. I did it more to be normal than the fact that I enjoyed it.

 

However, now that I haven't drank in so long - I went out this past week and had a good time drinking again.

 

So at the very least, cutting back can make the few times you do drink fun again. Otherwise you just end up that sad figure at a bar drinking alone with the life beaten out of him.

[samwise]

I especially wonder how people with children can justify poor or dangerous behavior as a parent.

 

Are you saying that any parent that drinks is engaging in poor or dangerous behavior? I think that is kind of a stretch. Granted, many people make poor choices while drinking and being a parent you are responsible for setting a good example, but that should not put every parent under the sober blanket.

[Gone]

Wednesday was the first night w/out beer in 9 days and I was going to stop for a week or so, but I jumped off the wagon last night. Is 10 of the last 11 days bad?

[Patrick425]

I have never felt for one second that my limited time on the planet should be spent passed out on the lawn

Hey, don't knock it until you have tried it.http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/tongue.gif

 

Actually, not much of a drinker myself. Our season tix are in the family section.

[bacon06]

I'm actually 19 and in college and have never touched the stuff all my life. I don't see the need to. When I ask people why they drink I get responses like "it makes things suck less" or "lets me have more fun" but I can do that without getting inebriated. I'm a strong enough person that I don't need something to get through rough times or have fun.

[mothershipconnection]

It's not like you have to be a drunk to have trouble giving up drinking for three months, especially when you live in WI and it's football season and potential Brewers playoff time. I could go three months without getting drunk without any problem, but I'd need a decent payoff to go that long without a single drink. For tons of people, responsible drinking is one of their favorite social activities. Yes, there are plenty of people who drink responsibly, it's not just people who get wasted, beat their kids, and then go flying down the highway with a blindfold on and their headlights off.

[And That]

I have never felt for one second that my limited time on the planet should be spent passed out on the lawn or acting out of character.

But gambling is fine.

 

I drink about as much as the next person... a few beers a few times a week, occasionally go out and get hammered, etc. And I've been doing this since I was 19 or so... my habits haven't changed much. Never once in this time have I passed out on the lawn, street, or otherwise. I guess acting out of character is a matter of perspective. At numerous times in my life, I've gone weeks and months without drinking. And, at numerous times in my life I've gone weeks without drinking. Does that make me a bad person, Al? Should I not have children?

 

As for the rest of society, giving up drinking for awhile can definitely be cleansing. Alcohol can be a way to make life more fun or relaxing, but it is a drug, and as most people on this board knows, that means a hangover. Going a long time without waking up in the lurch is definitely a good idea, and should be practiced by even the most moderate of weekend drinker.

[gypcasino]

I especially wonder how people with children can justify poor or dangerous behavior as a parent. Best of luck.

Best of luck to who? Random alcoholics with children?

[jason21nl]

I'm 28 and have only been drunk 2 times. If I go out, I only drink water or soda. It's just something that I never got into.

[dadofandrew]

I can't imagine a parent getting drunk and then coming home to kids that adore them, never mind the behavior that is often associated with not being sober.

 

And poker is a game of skill. It's gambling if you're playing against me.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif It's basically math, and while luck plays a part in a hand or a session, long-term, it's as skillful a game as I've come across.

[bork]

I've only had a few drinks in my lifetime (33 years) and I never really liked it. Can't stand beer or wine. I think the last drink I had was a Pina Colada on my honeymoon 7 years ago.

 

I think it's mainly because that's how I was raised. Parent's didn't smoke or drink, so I never did either.

 

Chocolate is my guilty pleasure.

[hawing]

I can't imagine a parent getting drunk and then coming home to kids that adore them, never mind the behavior that is often associated with not being sober.

 

Having had just about exactly that type of childhood (until my dad walked out on us when I was 13), I decided early on that the whole alcohol thing wasn't for me.

There are days (and maybe more often nights) when I wouldn't mind seeing alcohol vanish from the planet, but I know my POV is extreme, and it wouldn't be fair to responsible drinkers.

 

To those of you who are on the wagon or considering it, I tip my cap and wish you well.

[Katuluu]

I pretty much got all of my heavy drinking out of me by my third year of college. Since then I could probably count the number of times I've gotten drunk on one hand. But I still drink probably once a week, primarily because I like Belgian beers, the occasional Riesling, and a finger of Scotch on those special occassions. I know my limits, and I make sure to stick to them.

[uecker9]

Not all people are fall-down, slurring, angry, or sloppy drunks either. Some hardcore alcoholics are pretty functional, or seem to be I guess. When I was living in the bottle I never drank at home and my kids never saw me wasted. I never got hangovers either so I wasn't nasty in the morning or anything. But every night at about 8 it was off to the liquor store and then the studio/ drinking room. Good times, good freakin' times.

[TooLiveBrew]

hawing: [big hug]

 

I think this thread is great. I personally enjoy the buzz from drinking, but I enjoy drinking the right amount, which is different for everyone, obviously. My first thought when I saw this topic was, "Huh?", but as I read it I think it is and really can be a great source of strength for everyone and anyone who may or may not need it. I hope that's not too corny, but I think this is a grea idea!

[gypcasino]

My first thought when I saw this topic was, "Huh?", but as I read it I think it is and really can be a great source of strength for everyone and anyone who may or may not need it. I hope that's not too corny, but I think this is a grea idea!

Right on TLB. I don't want to get all heavy and emotional so I'll just say "yeah, what you said..."

 

My main problem with drinking is that I have difficulty saying when and too often have gone on crazy blackout benders.

 

This last episode in July kind of scared me. I was out with a bunch of people from work watching a band at a bar about three miles from my house. I got there around 7:45 and was drinking beer all night and had a few shots. The only things I remember after approximately 12:30AM was the band was playing Motley Crue's "Live Wire", then me falling down an embankment into some bushes at what must have been between 2AM & 2:30AM, then me walking down the sidewalk about halfway between the bar and my house with no shoes on and it saying 6:45AM on my cellphone, then me waking up at home in my bed at 11:30AM wondering what the hell happened.

And to address Al's earlier concerns I don't think it's as simple as prioritizing it in your life. It's more about finding the root causes and the reasons that you drink. Which I kind of touched on before mentioning my low self esteem. Not as an excuse so much but as a reason. Plus I really enjoy the taste of beer.

I'll never go to AA. I don't believe that the only way to quit is to admit that you're powerless over your addiction and give yourself up to a higher power. I do think that the best way to quit drinking is not to drink. And I also don't believe that alcoholism is a disease. And nobody in my family is an alcoholic either. My dad may have had a drinking problem a long time ago but hasn't had a drink in probably 20 years and my childhood wasn't affected by alcohol abuse.

 

And although I'm married, I do not have kids and I do not plan on ever having any. Al I know you weren't accusing me personally of anything but I just thought I'd say it.

So anyway I should probably stop drinking altogether. We'll see what happens.