Covid rant

[Orvillain]

RE: no alcohol beers. God they taste like fucking sheep dick... ! It is very rare that they come even close to hitting the spot.

I'm not intending on going teetotal. But I definitely need to cut down massively. Stick to a schedule or a set of rules. One rule might be to only ever drink alcohol when I'm wtih friends in a pub. Never at home. That right there would be a substantial reduction, probably over 50%.

 

[fretworn]

RE: no alcohol beers. God they taste like fucking sheep dick... ! It is very rare that they come even close to hitting the spot.

I'm not intending on going teetotal. But I definitely need to cut down massively. Stick to a schedule or a set of rules. One rule might be to only ever drink alcohol when I'm wtih friends in a pub. Never at home. That right there would be a substantial reduction, probably over 50%.

Best of luck. Most of the people I know who think they have the problem, reduction doesn’t work. Ever.

But if cutting back works for you, then you’re probably not an alcoholic like those I know. .

That would be awesome, because you don’t you don’t want what happened to them, happening to you.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Best of luck. Most of the people I know who think they have the problem, reduction doesn’t work. Ever. [...]

Every person is different, but in most cases that seems to be true. Here‘s the thing - if you try to reduce drinking, it will make every drink you allow yourself even more precious, more desirable than before.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Every person is different, but in most cases that seems to be true. Here‘s the thing - if you try to reduce drinking, every drink you allow yourself will make it even more precious, more desirable than before.

 

[Orvillain]

BTW, I feel quite a bit better today. All my fever has now gone, and my throat is calming down. Very little coughing now.

 

[fretworn]

Is that pie-face?

 

[Jarick]

There really are! But do be cautious about straight up switching to those right away because it can be more of a psychological replacement than a long term fix. It can help to wean off though - just be aware of whether you're actually addressing the behaviour by doing so. I drink them all the time now, but only after really finding my sobriety and "forgetting" what the old habits and tastes/associations were. Obviously it isn't true for everyone - but for me personally, I was glad someone advised me to avoid substitutes like that in the beginning and I think it helped me initially by making me address the urges I had.

Agreed. The first time I quit drinking I actually drank a LOT of NA's. It was absolutely a crutch because I was really stressed and anxious and I was running to that to try and feel better. Second time I quit I was much healthier mentally and didn't feel the need anymore.

I drink NA's now but not like before. I drink them occasionally more for enjoyment than for negative emotions. And I have no urge to have alcohol, almost ever.

If you want to not slip, avoid slippery places and situations.

Hell I think orange juice has 1.5 % alcohol pretty regularly. Simple, natural fermentation.

I heard someone say… You only have to change one thing; and that’s everything.

Situations are key. That was the big thing I had to break and figure out how to navigate.

My first big win was a work trip two weeks into sobriety. Drinks at the airport bar, at the hotel, at restaurants, etc. Once I was comfortable having a soda and calling it a night early, I felt so much more confident I could succeed.

Same thing at home, once I admitted my issues to my wife, she was supportive, and that held me accountable. It took a while to retrain my brain how to be at home and not drinking, that was another win.

And then life was just going through situations and figuring out what I do in them, and it's just a non-issue today.

 

[la szum]

Definitely. Glad to hear you have that support system! Sometimes it's just nice to speak on the topics without expecting a resolution (although that would be ideal lol). It doesn't solve the issue but I find it can sometimes reduce the acute anxiety in the meantime

Yup. Sharing is caring.

 

[Orvillain]

 

[la szum]

I watched 3 hours of Huberman today talking about the benefits of Creatine.

He's like a Post-Modern Calvinist when it comes to Pot and Booze, though.

#scaredstraight

 

[Orvillain]

I watched 3 hours of Huberman today talking about the benefits of Creatine.

He's like a Post-Modern Calvinist when it comes to Pot and Booze, though.

#scaredstraight

yeah but he's well hunky.

 

[la szum]

yeah but he's well hunky.

Smart as a whip, too. I doubt either trait will get me into taking Ice Baths, though.

 

[la szum]

 

[Jarick]

I've tried to watch/listen to him but get kind of bored. I can't do the deep dive science stuff as much.

But I'm about three days into trying basically a carnivore diet. I think whatever I do will likely take some time to adapt to. So far less hungry and fewer urges to snack especially on sweet foods. Coffee with a little cream in the morning, eggs and some meat for lunch, lots of meat for dinner, cheese and meat for late snack.

 

[Orvillain]

I'm pretty recovered now, thanks for the kind words everyone, and cheering me up when I was feeling low this week!

 

[TSJMajesty]

I'm not intending on going teetotal. But I definitely need to cut down massively. Stick to a schedule or a set of rules. One rule might be to only ever drink alcohol when I'm wtih friends in a pub. Never at home. That right there would be a substantial reduction, probably over 50%.

You can obviously do what you want, but imeo, you're kidding yourself, and saying the same things that practically every alcoholic has said that came before you, when faced with very real indicators that they are indeed an alcoholic. Alcohol is a toxin, and gets into every cell in your body. If a toxin was causing one harm, in addition to all the other benefits of quitting, it simply makes no sense to not quit. Entirely.

Maybe 1% of people in your situation could successfully cut back, but perhaps 1% of people could also drive a car around a bend with a cliff drop-off of 100m., at 100 mph, but we wouldn't say to the other 99%, go ahead and try it for yourself, because 1% can do it.

Plus, if that ends up being your chosen plan, and it doesn't work, your problem will almost certainly get worse. That "one drink that you planned to have" on Friday night, because you managed to go all week without a drink, wakes up your body, and then your brain starts to play games with you, saying things like, "Oh you can handle one more..., it is Friday after all..., etc., and then Saturday morning, after 5 drinks, you wake up and beat yourself up worse than before, which can then lower your resolve even further. I know how addictions work.

Addictions are cunning like that. And some may even get to the point where, because their plan, that they were so confident would work, actually failed, they retreat more into themselves, and share less about their addiction, with the people around them. Which is always additional fuel for any addiction. It thrives in isolation.

I'm obviously completely against this idea, as from what I can tell from what you've shared, you're an alcoholic. I'd try to do everything in my power to just quit if I were you.

 

[fretworn]

Not ready brother … some people have to lose a lot; some everything.

We’ve all seen it… It’s unfortunate, but that’s how it goes.

There’s an old saying… If you can’t help them up… Help them down. Let him try to moderate.

 

[Frodebro]

What I learned in rehab is that heavy drinkers aren’t necessarily alcoholics, and alcoholics aren’t necessarily heavy drinkers. The difference between the two is how your body reacts when alcohol is introduced to your system. For me, it was like a switch was flipped in my brain after having a half a beer-from that point on all common sense and rational thinking went straight out the window. My brain would start telling me “you need more of this,” and since your brain is where all thought processes originate, my ability to think to myself “Okay, I’ve had two beers, it’s time to stop” simply didn’t happen.

 

[NightWalker]

In 2005 I began to have problems with bronchitis and asthma, in 2020 I was in the hospital for 9 days, the doctors did 4 covid tests on me, I came out negative in all the tests, currently I no longer have bronchitis or asthma, 2 years ago I start to have anxiety and panic attacks, last year I went to the hospital because my chest was hurting but you know it was a panic attack, thank God I never fell into alcoholism, I started doing research and reading a lot about anxiety and supplements, I started consuming magnesium, vitamin B12, Ashwagandha and L-Tryptophan, I try to walk every day for 45 minutes and train with weights, it could be that you also have depression problems, I have not had anxiety problems for months, only sometimes I feel that feeling of anxiety during the day, my advice is that you consume magnesium and B12 vitamins and L-Tryptophan 1 pill morning/1 pill before bed,but man stop drinking that is not good for anxiety drinking make it worst

 

[Jarick]

Not ready brother … some people have to lose a lot; some everything.

We’ve all seen it… It’s unfortunate, but that’s how it goes.

There’s an old saying… If you can’t help them up… Help them down. Let him try to moderate.

It's incredibly brave just to question your own relationship with alcohol. I think that's good for anyone who has maybe more than two drinks a week. That seems really low to some people, but those are the kind of guidelines kicked around nowadays.

Some people can moderate. My wife would only drink about once a month. She'd buy a bottle of wine or something, open it up to have a glass, and then forget about it for weeks or months.

I wasn't able to moderate. I would frequently look forward to the next drink, push the rules I set for myself, fall off the wagon, etc. It was a lot of energy and got me nowhere. Quitting completely just took the option off the table and made life a lot easier.