Health & Family Quitting alcohol and social life

We're all different. After stopping my intake completely for a couple of years and over the last five years or so severely restricting the intake I don't feel any want for alcohol at all.

I consider I am very lucky, especially where I know others struggle.

Odd. My Dad was a boozer but stopped late in life so was my Grandfather and he also stopped as well.

 

Yes this is all I drink now, with ice and lemon. Forever changing the gas on the sodastream.

 

It's been over 7 months now,and a few times I thought like that --just have one drink even with QLD vs NSW this week I still intend to stay sober..

 

I'm keen to give a Sodastream a go @geoffw I'm not keen on soda water but I love diet tonic water. I'm loathed to keep buying it as the one I like comes in plastic bottles only and I go through lot of it. There's a Sodastrem tonic water syrup available in Dan Murphys, I might try that mixed with s bottle of soda water for test and if it's OK then grab a sodamachine.

 

Great thread. I've been drinking a lot less but I don't think I will give up completely.

I wanted to add, one shouldn't have to give up socialising to give up alcohol. The drinking culture is part of the problem. Yes, it's fun when everyone is drinking, but we shouldn't pressure people to drink. Similarly, if someone gets a little silly (without hurting anyone) on the booze, they shouldn't be vilified.

 

@Propagate , maybe try and make some homemade Ginger Ale if you're into that. Will keep you busy and probably looking forward to a drink of that instead of an alcoholic drink.

 

I make ginger beer every summer similar to this one. Young and old love it. It’s slow to get started but once you have it up and running you have a lot of ginger beer to drink. This is like my grandmother made so refrigerate once you have bubbles in the bottles (stop explosions). We also like fresh ginger so shop around. There are recipes for dried ginger too which are cheaper. Making ginger beer from scratch | down to earth

 

On topic, not sure why the government is consulting with Alcohol industry about our National alcohol strategy(corruption and lobbyism i guess ). What next, the government asking drug cartels for input in regards to our National drugs strategy?!

Leaked draft of the National Alcohol Strategy shows why Australia can't stop drinking

 

For the same reasons the meat and dairy industry lobby groups are involved in setting government dietary guild lines and co-fund "independent studies" on diet, for the same reason coal mining company's have input on government climate policy... etc etc etc.

Follow the money.

 

...3 months sober today. Next goal 6 months I guess.

 

Wonder if this bloke gave up drinking:

 

Interestingly, not as many as I'd have expected. Especially once passed the first month and especially based on my history.

More the fact that lately I have been thinking I could maybe start having one or two nice beers on a weekend again, but deep down I know where that will lead and how fast it'll all go back to "business as usual". I know this as as soon as I think about a cold one my mind instantly tacks on another 4 or 5 and remembers that feeling of downing bottle after bottle of a really nice beer. That thought alone is stopping me from taking a sip again just at the moment.

 

Propagate,it's been over 7 months now for me..There has been several times when i have thought like you --just have one but then i would be back where i started --Only my opinion but if you take it one day at a time it seems to work..
It was hard yesterday at my old Mate's wake,everyone drinking talking --i'm drinking soda water and an old girlfriend from 37 years ago sits down next to me and said you have aged well..

 

Well done @willair and sorry about your mate.

 

Might be going against the grain here, but nonetheless, I enjoy my beers on a Friday afternoon coupled with usually a kilo of fresh king prawns. Have done so for decades. I don't consume alcohol any other day. Self discipline is the key here.

 

That's great @TAJ and many hundreds of thousands (millions/billions??) of people do the same, the problem is, as has been discussed in the thread previously, people predisposed to addiction don't have the luxury of self discipline. It's simply not that easy. It's akin to saying to somebody suffering from depression to "just cheer up".

 

Keep doing what your both doing @Propagate & @willair.

I'm in no way dissing anybody who enjoys a drink or two or maybe three but it's really good to read about those who do understand the issues for them, how it impacts and what they do to resolve the matter.