Two weeks without drinking

Got one for shitting oneself, r2 / r3?

[quote]what a relief it is to not have to rotate where I'm buying my two bottles of wine nightly

Most people I know who are at this point just drink boxed wine. :)

Good for you! I wish I had the willpower. The sitting is the worst. Who knew being an alcoholic leads to IBS? I found out the hard way.

STEALTH SCAT THREAD!

I'm really happy for you, OP. In May I'll have ten years of sobriety, and all of it added up one day at a time. If you ever have a strong craving, tell yourself you just need to not drink today. It helps.

r4 - i tried that once or twice. It didn't taste good and i really don't have room in my fridge for it either.

I stopped a week ago and have had the best sleep in years so I know you're not exaggerating abut the immediate benefits OP. I started drinking the hard stuff during Covid and it's had me by the balls ever since. I was a wine drinker all my adult life (and binged on that too) but tequila and whiskey nearly killed me. On a good day I drank half a pint, on a bad day I drank nothing.

Good work OP. I did yardwork yesterday too and found out I STILL hate it though.

Can't deny that drinking was mostly a blast and helped me out of my shyness for awhile, but at some point the body says NO MO

Thanks, R7! I had a lot of death in my life last year, which led me to the old ways of "coping" by forgetting/passing out. Wash, rinse, repeat.

However, I realized I didn't want to kill myself slowly and had things/people to live for, so I really need to embrace better ways of coping such as taking care of myself, doing things that make me feel good, listening to music, etc. - not things that depress me and make me forget temporarily. It's all still there and feels so much worse when you "sober up" - however much you can sober up from 2 bottles of wine before you start drinking again at 5/6pm.

The death is permanent, but the way I react to it isn't. It was time to move on and live again.

Congrats OP. I was heading down this slippery slope and finally got off it last year. It's amazing how easy it becomes once you get healthy again. Never look back. And if you feel like something to mellow you out try a weed gummy. I use those for sleep from time to time.

Yeah, r12 - good point. But I think I'll wait a full month before I go get any weed gummies. Actually, though, once I start walking/hiking, that's usually enough endorphins to really help me. I've not really had a chance to do that yet because my puppy not being "of age" yet to go on walks has somewhat hindered me in that aspect. However, this Saturday, he gets to hit the ground, as it will be a week out from his final vaccinations. I can't wait!

Amazing, OP/r13. New puppy, new life. Please keep us posted!

[quote]Who knew being an alcoholic leads to IBS? I found out the hard way.

Wait. I have no issues now, you mean if I stop drinking I'll get constipated?

r3, why are you asking yourself obscene questions?

Can I simultaneously both toast AND condole you OP?

Wait, why am I asking permission? Where’s my martini?

I still drink but I'm no longer a daily drinker. I was a bottle of wine a day, so half the OP, but my body really wasn't liking it.

Inflammation in the joints, nerve pain in my feet, and, yes, GI inflammation, too.

I still have a few here and there but if i go overboard, my body will tell me almost immediately.

Good luck, OP.

Good for you, OP. Sounds as though you're doing a good job of focusing on the positives.

Yeah, i'm on drinking haitus after i drunk texted an old flame from years back recently. The sheer shame and embarrassment did a giant number on me. Booze really brings up those old attachments from the cellar where they belong.

I haven't had a drink in about two and a half months. My friends have all officially stopped inviting me out to things, and I really just want a cat. It's a great time just being at home, not spending money at some gross bar!

Did you receive a response R20?

Get a cat r21, splendid idea. You will wish you'd done it sooner.

I did exactly as r20 and the red-hot shame of it STILL was not enough to stop me from drinking. Total embarassment to the point where I blocked HIM to save me from myself.

I wouldn't jump into edibles. One month is not a long time to wait. See how you feel.

I quit drinking about 5 years ago. I have also worked with drug addicts, as part of my job. It takes months for you to regain some type of equilibrium after quitting.

Congratulations, OP, you are doing well!!! I still drink but only socially (about two evenings a month compared to most nights for about 5 years until 2021.) I gradually stopped and definitely feel better.

Good for you👍

Good for you👍

You've done well, OP. Very well. Keep going on that path. Nothing worth having is worth losing to drink or drugs. Not preaching, just glad that you're trying to stop. It's fucking hard and tormenting.

r16 I think you mean *i* posted the pics before asking if the person who posted the pics had one for shitting yourself.

I didn't fuck anything up, as I didn't post the pics at r1 and r2, idiot.

Oh, I see...I accidentally said r2 and r3 instead of r1 and r2. My mistake. Sorry for calling you an idiot, r16. Twas I who made the mistake in my posting.

Congratulations OP!

Following up on OP! How is sobriety?!

r33 - I'm doing well, thanks for asking. This is a thread from around a year and a half ago (April 2024) and I stopped drinking for a time, but then began drinking again.

Honestly, I'm not sure how long after I started that thread that I began drinking again, but I stopped again at the beginning of this year, 4 days into the new year, so I'm coming up on 9 months of sobriety here in a few days.

I started semaglutide in February of this year and lost 60 lbs. Part of why I started it was to help control urges to drink, too. My last does was the 2nd week of July after I had an excruciating round of pancreatitis. I've gained about 2 lbs since I stopped the semaglutide, and am now trying to steer myself back to some more regular eating habits.

I've had a few fleeting thoughts about drinking, but usually I ended up distracting myself with something else to think about and forget I was even having any thoughts. I have a lot going on and have created a different life for myself than the one I was living a year and a half ago. I moved out of the hovel of a studio apartment I'd been living in for 5 years - the one with just one window in the entire place and a stupid landlord who came into my laundry room/hallway/bathroom every Sunday. That place was depressive and oppressive. I've moved into a full-fledged home with 3 bdrms/2 baths, a large backyard where I have garden beds and recently got some chickens. I've been cooking and baking. And I've recently started getting myself back out there and went out on a date about a week ago; I've decided that it's time to see if a relationship might be in the cards for me.

So, I guess to answer your question - sobriety is treating me very, very well. I'm happier than I have been in a long time. I'm rebuilding family relationships that were fractured and I'm spending time doing things that make me happy.

Thanks for asking! I hope things are going well for anybody else who has struggled in the past, is currently struggling to keep their sobriety, or is even thinking of stopping drinking. Happy to assist in reviving this thread if it helps anyone else!

Good on you OP. Like you I stopped at the end of June. I was averaging a bottle of wine a day and more on weekends. I'm not sure how I got there. It was a combo of COVID drinking and thinking that semi drunk feeling made me feel good. It made me gain a bunch of weight and made me lazy and fuzzy headed not to mention the expense and getting rid of the bottles. Anyway, I've lost 25 pounds, feel really good about myself too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against drinking at all. Now I'll go out after work from time to time and have 2 drinks with friends and am fine with that. I'd never begrudge another man his drink. I just don't keep it around the house. Makes a big difference.

R34 Thank you for the update, OP!

I had to give up hard liquor and now I just drink wine. I feel so much healthier

r35 it definitely creeps up on you. Good for you that you've lost 25 lbs as well!

If you can leave it at as a "once in awhile" thing that you have a few drinks with friends and not bring it home or do it habitually, it sounds like you are in good shape. I really wish that is what I could do as well. I'm not sure that's ever an option for me, but I don't begrudge others (like you) if it isn't a problem for them the way it has been for me.

Anyway, it's wonderful you have been able to dial it back and move on with a healthier you and life!

Nice, OP! I'm glad things are going so well for you and thanks for the inspiration!

I just heard an old acquaintance had to go to in patient therapy after he drove his car into a fire hydrant. Talk about a wake up call!

Bravo on making a change during these shitty times.

I’m on the two bottle a day program too! And I enjoy visiting multiple grocery stores to do my buying. Tonight I stopped by Pavilions on Melrose in a Hollywood. Last night was Gelson’s in West Hollywood. On Sunday I visited Bristol Farms on Beverly blvd. Last Saturday I stopped by the Whole Foods at Santa Monica and Fairfax. I also regularly visit the Vons on Laurel Canyon Drive in Studio City.

Questions?

Treat yourself to something, OP.

r40 that takes me back (visiting multiple stores to avoid same place shopping two days in a row). Don't miss that!

I will say that in the past few months, I've kind of glommed onto drinking Diet Coke more often and stressing in the same way I was with wine (i.e. making sure that I have it on hand when I want to drink it - usually in the evening, like I did with alcohol). it does seem reminiscent of my wine habit, but it's more of a recent thing and while I know DC is not good for you, it's not on the level of how bad alcohol is - and I certainly don't drink anywhere NEAR what I was drinking nightly in alcohol.

Well done OP/ R34. You realised you had a problem and you did something about it. And you are reaping the benefits.

So many people just deny they have a problem or think they can "control their drinking" - most people with an addiction just cant, my ex being very much a case in point

I quit drinking 10 years ago not because I wanted to but because I had to.

My only tip to anybody in early sobriety is there is no "right way" to be successful. If someone tells you this, find better advice.

No drink tastes as good as healthy feels.

I stopped drinking and within 6 months I lost 3 inches from my waistline, and within a year, I was back to my college weight.

Wow, really wonderful, OP. Your liver, heart, stomach, and kidneys thank you!

And R41 is right: Go and treat yourself to something nice. Maybe a little appliance you have been wanting for a while, two or three really good books.

You are "allowed" to spend up to $185 on something nice to reward yourself!

jeeeeeeesus I only just now realise this is an old thread.

Disregard R46, and good luck to you, OP

r47 it's still relevant because I started this thread a year and a half ago, stopped drinking for a short period and then went back ON the wagon again until the beginning of THIS year when I stopped again on my birthday.

So NOW it's been almost 9 months of sobriety. And I like your idea, about spending some money on myself. I have been toying with getting a new tv. The last time I bought one for myself was about 4 years ago and I fancy a new one (this one can go in my bedroom).

Wow, 9 months, R48!

You fair and square earned yourself that television :-)

👏 👏

I'd like to try. I'm about the same as you OP - two bottles a night, although my liquor store delivers and doesn't seem to judge. I really would like to sleep good and wake up refreshed and not have hangovers any more - and loose weight......just can't seem to do it. I have very little joy in my life. IDK perhaps you have inspired me - I do skip 2-3 days/ week and enjoy it when I do.....I'm just afraid my life will be even more miserable than it is now without alcohol. especially now where I'm probably going to be in a concentration camp soon. maybe then I'll finally quite drinking and loose weight........

Why did you get stomach cramps the next day? Did you get headaches? Hangover?

r51 - when you drink 50 ounces of wine a day (two of the huge sized bottles - not far off from a gallon), it tends to fuck around with the digestive system - that's a fuck-ton of wine. Or at least it does/did for me, and I would get a lot of stomach cramps, along with occasional pants-shitting (trying to run to the bathroom to make it in time). Sorry for the visual, but that's the reality.

My drinking habit got me to chronic pancreatitis town (diagnosed with it). My system doesn't handle it really well; and now, because of my drinking, it doesn't handle some non-alcoholic foodstuffs well either.

However, not having to deal with stomach craps/pain/all the other shitty stuff are all great reasons to have quit.

As for headaches, of course I got those - I was severely dehydrated most of the time. Headaches and stomach cramps/shits are part of hangovers, so yes, of course I got those as well.

How awful for you, OP. How about the pills? You are still taking the pills, right?

[quote] what a relief it is to not have to rotate where I'm buying my two bottles of wine nightly (to avoid judgment from store clerks), nor to have to take bottles out to the recycle bin every third day, knowing the neighbors can see all the bottles I've accumulated (we share one set of trash/recycling for 5 people on our property).

I buy wine and canned mixed drinks at Kroger, but it’s the drinks that I vary. I don’t want the same thing over and over. When I empty a bottle, I just put it in the trash.

Frankly, only people who have a problematic relationship with booze rotate where they buy it or hide empties.

Not one "social drinker" would ever think of such things.

Good for you OP/R48. I've never had an alcohol problem and drink MAYBE twice a year—usually at holiday parties, and it's limited to one or two drinks. However, I know how hard it is because alcoholism has fucking ravaged my family from all angles. My mom was raised by a violent, abusive alcoholic father, and my dad and his father are/were both functioning alcoholics in denial. My mother has steered away from drinking her entire life and I was fortunate to take after her, but my brother has had a serious alcohol and recreational drug problem that took years to quit. Both of my uncles on my mom's side are also alcoholics, and one of their wives literally drank herself to the point of multi-organ failure. My mom's cousin was also an alcoholic whose liver ruptured after decades of heavy drinking, killing her as well. I have seen so much of it firsthand and it is terrible. It is a major struggle for a lot of people and anyone who is able to quit deserves credit.

r55 - you're absolutely correct about that.

r56 - thank you. It's really not the usual story in the way it started. Despite my mom being a rampant alcoholic (which I didn't really grasp as I grew up...just thought she was "unpredictable" when she drank), I actually never drank as a teenager or even in my 20s. In fact, I had an aversion to drinking, and (of course), my first serious partner was also an alcoholic (which I didn't figure out until about two years into the relationship). If you grow up with your primary parent doing this and are isolated from interacting with a lot of people/other families, it's really all you know.

Once I realized my partner was never going to change (and he hasn't - it's been almost 40 years and he's still a drunk), I left him. I dabbled in drinking wine in my early 30s when another partner and I decided to take a wine country tour in the Finger Lakes. I liked the taste, we bought some bottles, a little stupid metal wine rack and we would drink a glass after dinner.

Then in my mid 30s, I had a pretty drastic surgery - and things did NOT go well post-op. I had tons of complications, delayed healing, infections, etc. It was a very painful ordeal that stretched months longer than it was supposed to have. During that time, I was prescribed Oxycontin for pain relief because of all the complications. About four months post-op (despite the healing and other problems still happening), my doctor abruptly stopped the prescription with no warning and I freaked out. We were living in LA back then, and making decent money. I could have most likely found someone to supply me with oxy illegally (this was around 2005/06). I made a conscious decision to NOT do that and walked across the street to hit up a liquor store for some wine. I realized if I drank 2 glasses of wine, it had a great pain-relieving effect, and proceeded to do just that, very quickly increasing 2 glasses of wine to 3. It helped me get through a very painful time while I was healing.

After doing that for a few months, it was like a switch had been flipped. I was unable to stop drinking, and I still have pain from that surgery to this day. The amount of wine has increased exponentially, as you can imagine. There have been probably about 5 or 6 solid stints of sobriety between 2006 and now - usually lasting at least a year. At one point, I was sober for an entire year and a half.

I'm not sure that switch can ever be flipped back. I'm telling this story because I want people to realize (and give warning) that if you don't curb today what you think is something controllable, one day you may no longer have a choice in the matter as that switch may be flipped in you as well. For some people (and this was obviously the case for me), there is a heavy genetic component in play as well, and sometimes you can't fight your genetics. My bio father was also an alcoholic and ultimately died from oral cancer which was surely brought on by his alcoholism. I didn't drink as a teen or in my 20s (and I mean - NOT AT ALL), but yet it still got me in the end anyway. If it hadn't been for that surgery, I'm not really sure I would have gone down the alcoholism path. Alcohol wasn't a part of my life...until I turned to it for pain relief.

Hopefully, this long, drawn-out story might help someone make a different turn than I did.

That's great OP. It's a day by day process. I'm a former smoker and former alcoholic. I lapsed a few times in my quest to go clean on both. Last drink I had was over 202 years ago. Last smoke I had was just over 30 years. We end up getting dependent on substances for stress and comfort and then they become our crutch. I am not the strongest when it comes to willpower either. So believe me, if I can do it, you can too.

R58 That's 22 years ago. I'm not that old. Honest.

Haha, r59 (r58)! And thank you so much for the encouragement!

I have worried that since I stopped taking the Ozempic at the beginning of July, I would start craving alcohol hard, but that really hasn't happened as of yet. I'm hoping that continues. This thread coming back up is a nice reminder on how far I've come and what I've left behind. And that's where it SHOULD stay...in the past.

Honest question: if I drink a bit Thursday night, get drunk Friday and Saturday nights, and maybe have a glass or two of wine on Sunday, do I have an issue? I never drink before 5 pm.

Dear OP - I'm cheering for you. Too much Family is cursed with alcoholism, and it hurts my soul. Sending you big warm hugs and best wishes for continued success.

r61 - it's difficult for someone to answer that question for you on its face; it depends on many factors.

Have you ever decided that you wanted to stop for a few weeks/months and do it relatively easily without thinking about it obsessively? Do you ever say to yourself "I really should stop drinking?" Do you have a habit of drunk texting or calling people? Have you missed out on activities because you were too hungover (more than just a couple times)?

These are all important questions you should ask/answer for yourself. It's not really about amounts you drink (until it is) - it's more about you continuing a pattern of drinking despite the negative consequences you (or others are experiencing because of your drinking. I'm sure that didn't answer your question...but it probably gave you some things to think of.

It’s been about that long for me too, but I’ll probably tumble this weekend. I had some redecorating chores to do and I wanted to be together to do it. Which I did.

R61 the “getting drunk” part is where your troubles lie.

Drink with moderation, enjoy the drink, switch to a mocktail or 0% beer after two glasses.

Congratulations, OP. Keep up the great work.

More for me!

Good for you

What always strikes me is that I find that I drink a bit too much, but drink less than half what this individual did. It isn’t good because it doesn’t motivate me to drink less.

If you're new abstaining from alcohol and drugs, I'll pass along some info my residential treatment counselor told me and that sticks with me to this very day.

"Did you swim when you were a child?", she asked. "All the time", I replied.

"Did you ever try to hold an inflated toy under the water?" "Yes".

"What would happen when you let go of the toy?" "It would pop up out of the water."

"Think of your brain as that beach ball and the drugs and alcohol were holding it down. Now that the drugs and alcohol are gone and no longer holding back thoughts, feelings and actions, they're free to pop up.

"That means in your first year or so of sobriety, you'll experience all the pains and sadness, but also the happy thoughts and content reactions, too, that alcohol and drugs were holding down."

The context for that was telling her I was experiencing weepiness, lethargy, positive emotional and mental highs, no feeling at all, and sometimes at the same time!

Reality isn't always what I want it to be, but since I haven't picked up a drink today, at least I can meet myself and my tasks with self-respect, honestly earned.

I can have a drink tomorrow. But not today.

R46/ R47 / R49 OP was spending $185 a fortnight on alcohol.

He can afford to think bigger than just treating himself to a new TV - that would be payments on a pretty nice car

check in! How are you guys holding up?

OP here, same question - how is everyone doing out there?

Sharing that I'm still sober (9 months and change now), and also about 3 months out from my cessation of compounded semaglutide. I waited a good month after stopping drinking before I started it, and the studies that have shown its efficacy to reduce/turn off alcohol or drug cravings in individuals with drug and alcohol addiction were AT LEAST half the reason I decided to use semaglutide in the first place (along with losing weight - which I did, about 60 lbs).

I have been a bit worried that I will lapse back into the "what can a few glasses of wine hurt" mentality. We're pulling into the parking lot of holiday season, which is typically a very lonely time for me, so add that into my "worry cup" as well. I have a record of going a year (or year and change) without drinking and then lapsing back into it for various reasons. However, I do have some leftover semaglutide in my fridge just in case that thinking starts to become prevalent again.

How's everyone else feeling? It's a great time to check in since the holidays are coming up the walk to knock at our doors.

R72 It's good to keep the logical thought that the best way to eliminate a bad habit is to replace it with a good habit. As I had mentioned in an above post as a prior drinker and smoker I'm still going clean and strong decades later. The only time I ever touch alcohol is when I am at a family event and people raise a toast, I will ask for 1-2 ounces of wine or champagne in a glass, and literally take one tiny sip to taste and leave it. Barely a thimble's worth.

About 3 years ago I found out that my recurring bladder inflammation had resulted in cystitis , which is a thickening of the bladder wall, and was likely an aggravated symptom from coffee. I learned that over 90% of coffees in the US are inflammatory due to pesticides and additives. I switched to herbal coffee instead and starting taking sarsaparilla root tincture ( a natural anti-inflammatory for the urinary tract system) and it went away completely after just over a year. Now instead I have mushroom coffee, or herbal coffee, or chai, but I found I can have organic coffee just once a week with my Sunday morning breakfast without reverting to bladder issue again.

Wow, thanks for that info about coffee! I did not know that!

I recommend finding an good quality organic coffee , instead of whatever typical coffee is on the grocery shelves. The ones that give a single origin source are best. I found that Lifeboost is probably the best low-acid organic coffee, most of their coffee options are single sourced from Nicaragua, and their Sumatra coffee is from Indonesia. Available online either ground or whole beans.

Hi OP,

Great job! I went on vacation, caught a cold, then a massive tooth ache, and fell off the wagon after 10 months. Trying to sober up now. Seeing an oral surgeon on Tuesday. The alcohol has helped me sleep but I know bloody well where this will lead.

Right now, I'm drinking a Cutwater Peppermint White Russian at home, from a can (13% alcohol). It's making me feel kind of festive.

Now I'm having another can of Cutwater Peppermint White Russian, and sorry, I should have mentioned, this is after finishing a bottle of Absolut Espresso Martini. That was in a bottle. Are we putting having fun on trial here? I'm getting up at 6am to get ready to go on an outing that I need to leave home by 7am to get there. Somebody call me to make sure I'm up. This shit is good.

r77 / r78 - have another

r79, got to stop. Eating some Kroger brand Cheerios out of the box to absorb the alcohol. I've already posted an uninhibited post on Facebook, but I'm still in control.

OP you really need to switch from wine to vodka. You'll thank me later...

Woooo

Doing the responsible thing and brushing my teeth and going to bed now. Wooooo.

I’ve substituted alcohol for kratom. We’ll see which is worse.

[quote]I’ve substituted alcohol for kratom. We’ll see which is worse.

Damn, shit, fuck, bitch

Good work, OP! I respect and admire the power you have that’s making that happen for you. You deserve to be, feel and live as healthily and happily as possible. And your post and progress give the same encouraging power to others. 🙏🏼💪🏼👍

Nothing feels better than abstinence. Amazing how much it affects your mental health, digestive system, skin and sleep. Logically there really is no reason to drink. Odd how it’s such a social norm - when it’s literally poison. Saying this as someone who has gone through periods of abstinence and drinking - so not morally opposed to it. In periods of abstinence it becomes startlingly clear how much of social life - especially older gay male social life - depends on drinking. Wilton Manors and Palm Springs are representative of this. Because gay men tend not to have kids, we have plenty of time over a lifetime to devote to drinking if we so choose - and in retirement the absence of restraints often lead to a life centered around evening drinking.