The benefits of giving up alcohol

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22 contributors in last 30 days

Grast_girl Jun 2020 10:07am, 5 Jun 2020 1,168 posts	0 Grast_girl Nothing since my bad hayfever reaction, not sure how many days it is, and too lazy to check. Will probably rack up 60+ (total, not necessarily consecutive) by the end of hayfever season. It's odd how some years I can still drink a bit and others it just isn't an option.
Gobi Jun 2020 10:17am, 5 Jun 2020 69,994 posts	0 Gobi It's interesting seeing the different levels we go to. This thread has been fascinating to read at times. I'm 33 years dry this October and still absolute in my avoidance of everything. I can honestly say with the exception of the 1st year I have been in total control. Funny enough it was going out to a New Year party that finally proved to me i was through it. Dancing and singing while slinging back Dr Pepper with my mates who were shit faced.
Big_G Jun 2020 10:26am, 5 Jun 2020 15 posts	0 Big_G Well done on 33 years - that is amazing. I have a similar story as I went on a stag do to Barcelona with some friends in my first year. I didn't touch a drop and a) was totally fine with that b) was able to go for runs early morning whilst they were still in bed and c) saved a considerable amount of money (I'm talking probably £200)! I estimated that the money I saved would pay towards another weekend away, so I used that money to bugger off to Bruges for a weekend and did their marathon and had a great weekend. (Gobi, you don't know me at all, but I wouldn't mind getting your advice on HR training. I've just jumped on the fetch HR thread so don't want to derail this one. I know Shades quite well and I remember a post you did on Runner's World years ago that stuck with me for some reason. I'll ask my question over there ).
HappyG(rrr) Jun 2020 10:32am, 5 Jun 2020 35,089 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) Welcome Big_G, to Fetch and also thanks for coming into our giving up alcohol thread too. That's a good story about the benefits - running in the mornings, saving money and putting it to a trip away to a marathon really embraces the whole range of non-drinking, benefiting and running/training too! By all means share you story about what made you want to cut down or stop and how you found it. All these stories help, I find. G
HappyG(rrr) Jun 2020 10:33am, 5 Jun 2020 35,090 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) G_g, hope your hayfever symptoms aren't too bad. Well done on keeping away from the alcohol. G
Big_G Jun 2020 11:01am, 5 Jun 2020 17 posts	0 Big_G HappyG, thanks for the welcome. When I look back, it wasn't one single thing actually. It was a combination of things. - Doing a Dry January, and then come 1st Feb getting back to normal, and maybe actually increasing what I usually drank - Saying to myself "right, I'm only going to drink on Fridays and Saturdays". Doing that for a few weeks, but then going to cinema on a Wednesday and having a beer. "Oh, it's my mate's birthday on Thursday so I'll have a beer". "Well, it's Sunday and I've just ran a race, so I'll have a few beers". Basically, I couldn't stick to "just weekends" for very long. - All - and I mean all - of my social life involved beer. - Going on holiday to some amazing places, but also wanting to find the bars. In my mind I was being "cultural", but of course it's not really. I remember in Sri Lanka I was determined to find the bars, but really it was just a load of Brits in there paying over the odds for crap beer. Not very cultural. - Missing the odd morning run due to a hangover. So it's a combination of things. Then I did Dry January in 2018 (I'd done it before a couple of times) but this time something clicked that I needed to do something more about it. I didn't consider that I had "a problem" as such - after all, all my mates were exactly the same as me, I had a decent job, did things, had responsibilities etc etc - but something wasn't ringing true with me. So about half way through January I decided to do 12 months, and then after 12 months I just kept going. The first two or three moments were the hardest, but I don't think about it now. Some of the improvements: - way more free cash. I'm on a bit of a quest to get to 100 marathons (I'm currently on 82) so in a way me not drinking is funding that hobby (obsession!?). - never, ever waking up with a hangover. I rarely got drunk, but just feeling fresh each morning and not dehydrated is a massive bonus. - remembering nights out! - going on holiday and doing the real cultural stuff, off the beaten track in some cases, not worrying about bars. I mean, I still go to bars, but not all afternoon.
Derby Tup Jun 2020 11:38am, 5 Jun 2020 42,708 posts	0 Derby Tup Captain many thanks for this: That “receptor light up” is crazy isn’t it LindsD? For me as soon as it hit it felt like I was transported right back to the days I’d drink 200-250 units a week. The feelings, the thoughts were all there like they’d never been away, the behaviour came back almost immediately too
mrs shanksi Jun 2020 11:52am, 5 Jun 2020 10,704 posts	0 mrs shanksi Welcome to the thread Big_G. I see a lot of similarities in my own behaviour, especially the 'I've run a race so I deserve a drink'. I ended up with 'I've done a club session so I deserve a drink'. Any excuse. In the end the only thing I could do was give it up completely.
Captain Malcolm Reynolds Jun 2020 12:17pm, 5 Jun 2020 1,019 posts	0 Captain Malcolm Reynolds No probs DT. Glad it resonated with you (I hope that’s the right thing to say), also thanks to you & everyone on this thread. It’s taken 2 decades to a) find a place where I’m comfortable enough to talk about these things (Outside of my marriage) & b) be in the right headspace to be able to do it without fear of relapse.
Bazoaxe Jun 2020 12:28pm, 5 Jun 2020 16,625 posts	0 Bazoaxe That's 3 days for me and oddly I havent slept well and I have awoken with the dry mouth and foggy head feeling that I would normally have after a few glasses of wine the night before. Weird As tonight is not a school night though I may lapse for 2 days before I go for 5 days next week

About This Thread

Maintained by Merry Christmas and Happy NewG(rrr)

Looks as though this thread has become popular again, here in 2010 (it's now 2024, and it started in 2008, so I think "ever popular" might be more apt! :-)

G )

Good Luck everyone.

A recent plea for those struggling to "reach out" as they say in US of A!

"Anyone not feeling strong and confident, please shout out. Or fmail. Or any other comms that works. Don't drink alcohol when you don't want to, for lack of someone to talk to. Pick up the phone, not the bottle."

Some acronyms, in case people use them:
JFT - Just for today
ODAAT - One day at a time
KIS - Keep it simple
TBOGUA - The Benefits Of Giving Up Alcohol (the title of this thread!)

New feature: article/blog of the month (period may change randomly!) Swittle's wonderful 14,611 days blog: (see links below)

Linking Joopsy's 17 year blog too, cos it's awesome!

There is a GREAT article summarising some of the benefits, to save you having to trawl through the thread (includes links to helpful apps and other resources).

And a great list of Alternative Drinks started by the lovely LindsD:

Please add to these articles and make them as valuable as possible! Thanks! :-)

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And one from way back when...
Dirt Monkey's brilliant blog on TBOGUA too - go try this...

Rebel has recommended a couple of good books:
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
by Catherine Gray

The Alcohol Experiment: 30 Days to Take Control, Cut Down or Give Up For Good
by Annie Grace

A great response from a health professional in Ireland responding to a question from a Guardian reader about why the warnings on alcoholic drinks that are coming in:

theguardian.com

"Alcohol is responsible for at least 1,000 cancer cases every year in Ireland, with one in eight breast cancer cases arising from alcohol use. Even one to two drinks per day increases the risk of developing cancer, and that risk is the same whether those drinks are wine, spirits or beer. Unfortunately, there is a very low level of public awareness that alcohol has been classed as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning it is carcinogenic to humans. That is why Ireland has passed legislation that provides for health information labels on alcohol products, including warnings about cancer, liver disease and the danger of drinking in pregnancy. It is unsurprising that the alcohol industry, which promotes its products with carefully crafted myths of good times for all, is objecting to the mandatory provision of facts (Anger brews in Italy over Ireland’s plans for alcohol health warnings, 12 January).
Dr Sheila Gilheany
CEO, Alcohol Action Ireland
"

And the all important fabulous services:
Alcoholics Anonymous
National Helpline (FREE) 0800 9177 650
help@aamail.org

Al Anon
020 7403 0888

medal

Contact TBOGUA medal

We're adding in our own Fetch offer of one to one contact too, for anyone who doesn't want to post in the thread for whatever reason. Please feel free to fmail ANY of the names listed below.

- - - -
HappyG(rrr)
( Oscar the grouch RIP )
mrs shanksi
Derby Tup
iaincr
Love Lettuce
DocM
LindsD
GeneHunt59
GregP