Quit Alcohol - Support Thread

It's been about 7 years, I think, since I last drank alcohol. I worked in bars for years starting in my late teens, so I used to party (drink and toke) a lot after work or on off days -- there was literally a party of some sort on every night -- and I was at most of them.

I never had an addiction problem with alcohol, so my quitting wasn't out of necessity in terms of health or breaking an addiction. I determined that pot was a far better drug in comparison to alcohol many many years ago -- probably about the age of 20 really, but I kept sucking back the booze for another 15+ years -- although I really cut back at about the age of 28. It took another 10 years, though, until I just thought, "I really don't enjoy this drug, so why do I keep taking it?" Most of the truly stupid and regretful things I have done in life were when I was heavily influenced by booze, so the logic of continuing to take the drug just wasn't there in any way, shape or form.

Anyway, I don't miss it a bit. I really don't know exactly how long it has been since I quit since I never really marked the occasion -- the first few years I knew, but now I've lost count. Seven years at least, though.

If it's giving you troubles in your life, then ditch it -- it's a powerful drug that's very addictive for some. Of course many use and enjoy it with little trouble, but if you find it problematic, then seriously consider dropping it out of your life -- there's no rule that says you must consume alcohol.

It took another 10 years, though, until I just thought, "I really don't enjoy this drug, so why do I keep taking it?" Most of the truly stupid and regretful things I have done in life were when I was heavily influenced by booze, so the logic of continuing to take the drug just wasn't there in any way, shape or form

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That's where I'm at, I've done enough stupid things, why keep risking DUIs, and even worse relationshhips and stuff.

Disco - I was just telling that older friend of mine today who has been here in Cali for a few months now, "Man, look at the varieties of top grade herb we can buy in a collective, and quit trhat crap, by just smoking herb once in a while."
There really is no rason to drink and keep killing yourself, or kill yourself at once. One of my best friend's, Jeff, blacked out in a golf cart and fell off headfirst onto a curb. He was a single dad and his kid played with mine...alcohol sucks..thanks for the posts guys.
I ate sushi today and it was hard to resist an Eshigo Beer with the tempura and sashimi..
The green tea and my wife were so much better tho....!!!
I have to remind myself of the reason not to drink EVERY single time I see a bottle of alcohol or at a restaurant where you get what you want..

Young Trees, the thing you said about your wife was really nice.

Btw, I've got to comment about hash slabs, the flower tops and the glass bong... The Pringles can looks empty! Just kidding, nice size comparison. Well done on the goodies!

I'm not addicted to anything, though I was at one time. Me and synthetic opiates had a dance a few years back.. Used Cannabis to quit then went to this intensive quasi-military training program (not military school, voluntary) to rebuild my body which was in squalor condition. Since rejoining society my ability to gauge my drug use has been a major success. I smoke cannabis as regularly as I can afford to, have done heroin once since I quit.. Felt nice, I had no urge to use again after that. I think it was 1 year sober that I did the H one last time and that was over 2 years ago. I think I was testing my self control more than anything. Last night I got wasted for the first time in a LONG time.. I can't see how people get addicted to alcohol. So much discomfort traded for the euphoria, it's inefficient to me. I've also tried to get addicted to cigarettes without success lol.. I don't have an addictive personality I guess.. or maybe I just have gobs of self control?

Just here to let you know you don't need AA or NA to quit drugs. I sat in on a few meetings and decided immediately I didn't need a support group to stay sober, it really seemed like everyone was afraid of their addiction. Addiction to me has been a dog, I heeled mine and we've been companions ever since.. Though we do love it when I can let it off the leash

So yea, thats my cool story.

Young Trees good to hear you resisted the temptation of having beer with your sushi, I think that is one of the hardest parts breaking certain traditions you associate with alcohol.

Everytime I would go out for sushi I associated it with having lots of drinks, its weird how your brain will tell you that those were fun times but when actually looking back most of them weren't.

Got some Herojuana Og tonight, my other friends had given me some old scool SD Hogsbreath and some Schnazzleberry....man am I happy. Went to the movies with the wifey, minus kids, didn't miss alcohol, but I sure do miss the flavor and the buzzzz. Not as much as I missed living though...I'm finding alot of fun and enjoyment out of everyday things like gardening in the yard or taking the kids somewhere without worrying about rushing somewhere.
Yesterday I did get irritable though, I could tell it was withdrwal nonsense for sure...I keep catching myself bewildered at the thought of not drinking, but happy about the changes it brings..So worth it..appreciate the posts guys!!!Have a great weekend!!

Awesome! Keep it going.

My father is an alcoholic who has relapsed. I never really had a problem with drinking too much because I saw what it did to him and his family. Lately its been malt liquor drinks for me, the 12% kind. I have been doing 2 of those about 4 times a week. I noticed I would wake up just hurting, physically and mentally. I haven't drank in about 2 weeks. I feel much better, now if only I can kick tobacco. It's day 2...

YT man...dude I am here for you brother.

Update for me; I've been drinking still, but much less. This week I had no beer two days and one beer after work the rest. I had four last night at the bar, and I've realized drinking is part of every one of my social interactions with people. it sucks, and makes it way harder to quit. youngtrees i completely agree with the one bowl turning into 4-5 after getting blitzed. it's like the poison from alcohol numbs you to the herb. If I can avoid getting smashed I think it can be a good thing to a have a beer or two on occasion. i'm over the binge-drinking bullshit.

CalcioErba2004- I'm sorry to hear about you father mine was the same way until both his kidneys failed. A guy at my work boozes high gravity malt liqour like it was water. His nightly regimen consists of
2 40oz. side pockets, and a steel reserve tallboy to top it off. Straight homeless shit , but the dude ain't homeless. He readily admits he's an alcoholic, but is addicted for sure.

"40 oz. For Breakfast"

[Gift of Gab]
A forty ounce for breakfast gets a brother through the day
I guess I shoulda had a V8 instead; anyway
Let me contemplate my thought something back to a time
When my fridge was full of booze but in my pocket not one dime
I remember back on Willis Ave, with my ace-boom homey Mark Black
I would start the day off hearin the sound of the fo'-oh crack
I went to work blitzed, so eventually I got dissed
And caught a shocker when my supervisor said "You're dismissed"
Now as I stare at my last check now my mind is stressed and depressed
I spell relief S-T-I-D-E-S yes with a little excess less the worry
Why go job hunting today?
When I can sit back and smoke this sack and drink
And feel my problems shrink away
And by now, the rent's due in two weeks
But inside my mind that's just another problem brew can delete
I got evicted, to the point where the court martial came to my door
And said, "Get this kid: get your bags and split you don't live here no more"
And now I'm ass out; I'm so damn hungry I feel like I'm gonna pass out
I asked my brother for a handout and he hooked me
Though I knew he had doubts
And rightfully so, cause I had new shit to deal with
I'm so confused I have no control of my life I think I'll get lit
So as my problems compile, I steady smile, oh yes
Sippin on that forty ounce that's leadin me to a path of nowhere
So as I think about tomorrow, I hesitate and say:
A forty ounce for breakfast, will get me through the day..

A forty ounce for breakfast gets a brother through the day
I guess I shoulda rolled a joint up instead; anyway
Seems like everytime I start I don't know when it's time to say when
Now my mental gets all blurred and inside talk the ill-behavin
Coolin with my boys, no names need to be mentioned
At a party with some brothers I don't know I'm chillin in some E&J
With a forty O-Z to wash the shit down
And plus a lot of marijuana now I need to sit down
I can't remember the last time I was this blew out of my cranium
My ears and head begin to hum aloud as the room spun; anyway
Next thing I know I blacked out woke up with vomit all over my coat
Start talkin out my ass I can't see straight but yet I quote
And I don't know what came over me, I started dissin both my homies
That I used to freestyle with and now I'm askin them to show me
What they got not thinkin straight I don't know why I posed the challenge
Now my ego is erupting as if I was Mt. Saint Helens
Some shit was said I know I can't erase and now shit ain't the same
I wish I had just one more chance to live that day again
I strain; cause this bid was to find a true friend
And loose them to booze in my system just ain't how I'm livin
Nothin I could really say to mend up how someone else feels
And so I guess I gotta wait and see if maybe the wounds will heal
And I really didn't mean a word I said though I can't prove that
Now the only thing that I can really say is I went out
And out I went and now and then I get irate and say
A forty ounce for.. nah
A forty ounce for.. fuck!!
Just one more forty just one more I'll make this last day
A forty ounce for breakfast, can get me through the day

Man I feel for you guys trying to quit drinking. It's so much harder to quit than other drugs because it's socially acceptable... and you can get it on every street corner. I had a problem with opiates for 7 years and just quit 5 months ago. Haven't touched opiates since, but I wonder if I could say the same thing if I could walk into any corner store and pick up a bottle of pain pills...

This week I had no beer two days and one beer after work the rest. I had four last night at the bar, and I've realized drinking is part of every one of my social interactions with people. it sucks, and makes it way harder to quit.

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Yeah man, for sure society has managed to work it into most aspects of social life. Shit, they have a Budweiser tasting room at Seaworld. Get faded while your kid is off watching Shamu, then lock him in the car and forget you were with him lol...
Seriously though, just the fact of you quitting even while they drink, will show them through actions that you have convictions and stick to them. Many people get so blinded by alcohol, they don't realize they are addicted and always will be if they continue drinkin. They don't realize what better, more productive people they could be. There are so many people who wish they could stop drinking or smoking cigarretes, but aren't really convinced that it's that bad for them...Just today a close friend was saying how much smarter I was sober and how sometimes I'd get a glazed look when drunk and act a fool. Those are some of the things we don't realize when we are slaves of the poison.

Hey NJ, what beer do you drink? I love those strong bitter IPAs. Sculpin, Ruination, Pliny the Elder, I CRAVED beer all day today. Saturday, Cleaned out the garage, transplanted some clones, cleaned up the house, watered the moms, washed the car, made lunch, cleaned out the fireplace and hung out with the family watching a movie, and cleaned out the entire garage. When I drank, I'd drink beers usually just take me on autopilot through the tasks at hand around noon,and I didn't get much done after that besides bongloads and more bongloads until I passed out, then wake up heavy headed at night.
Even worse is that nasty poisoned feeling I'd get the next day. When I drank for several days, I'd get alot of stomache aches in the morning, the shits, gasses, bad breath, bad taste in the mouth, let alone nausea, poor endurance for exercising. I'd get dizzy about 2 and a half miles into a run, every time, stomache ache etc, now that I haven't drank for over a week I feel great from the minute I wake up until I go to bed. I'm so happy not to be sick on a weekly basis. Thinking back, I had the art of drinking to the limit of not getting a bad hangover the next day..I drank to the point of not getting sick the next day...lame. I must have craved beer like 50 times today, I went to the supermarket and everyone was buying alcohol, the girl behind me in line was loading up a 12er of some beer and some tall Stellas, like 5 of them, I could drink them all! Calcio knows that right dude! We love them Euro beers..
Today I tried imagining if I'd drink a strong bitter IPA or any beer for that matter if it didn't have any effect on my body. I came to the conclusion I wouldn't, because I love that fuzzy warm alergic reaction that is occuring in my stomache. I read about it in a holistic nutrition book -

alcohol interferes with the nutritional process by affecting digestion, storage, utilization, and excretion of nutrients
Alcohol inhibits the breakdown of nutrients into usable molecules by decreasing secretion of digestive enzymes from the pancreas. Alcohol impairs nutrient absorption by damaging the cells lining the stomach and intestines and disabling transport of some nutrients into the blood. In addition, nutritional deficiencies themselves may lead to further absorption problems. For example, folate deficiency alters the cells lining the small intestine, which in turn impairs absorption of water and nutrients including glucose, sodium, and additional folate.
Even if nutrients are digested and absorbed, alcohol can prevent them from being fully utilized by altering their transport, storage, and excretion. Decreased liver stores of vitamins such as vitamin A, and increased excretion of nutrients such as fat, indicate impaired utilization of nutrients.

Even when food intake is adequate, alcohol can impair the mechanisms by which the body controls blood glucose levels, resulting in either increased or decreased blood glucose (glucose is the body's principal sugar). In nondiabetic alcoholics, increased blood sugar, or hyperglycemia--caused by impaired insulin secretion--is usually temporary and without consequence. Decreased blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can cause serious injury even if this condition is short lived. Hypoglycemia can occur when a fasting or malnourished person consumes alcohol. When there is no food to supply energy, stored sugar is depleted, and the products of alcohol metabolism inhibit the formation of glucose from other compounds such as amino acids. As a result, alcohol causes the brain and other body tissue to be deprived of glucose needed for energy and function.
The mechanisms accounting for the apparent inefficiency in converting alcohol to energy are complex and incompletely understood (11), but several mechanisms have been proposed. For example, chronic drinking triggers an inefficient system of alcohol metabolism, the microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system (MEOS) (1). Much of the energy from MEOS-driven alcohol metabolism is lost as heat rather than used to supply the body with energy.

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Quitting takes conviction, I just smoke and mack on edibles to compensate for the anxiety of drinking, lots of Indicas.
Oh I've also lost like 10 pounds since I stopped drinking! There are many benefits to stop poisoning youself! Stop killing yourselves, I'm a chocoholic now ahaha. Chuao Dark Chocolate with Chilli peppers and popping candy blended in.

It's been hard to cut down for me... Most nights it's 2 beers one shot. It's straight kicking my ass... I will keep working on it! I have more money in my pocket now And I sleep and feel way better!

Super job YT!!! Keep on, keeping on! Peace and puffs

i have fallen off the wagon yet again. yesterday i was drinking a screwdriver for breakfast telling myself ill just have one that turned into an all day and all night thing. i drank from 8am to 10pm uuuggh. today i reget it. im not hung over just mad at myself. im not drinking anymore. good news is more time passes between those binges than in the past. i know what i did wrong "just one".

the worst part is i can function all day drunk i know my limits all to well

....I gave up alcohol....back in June....at age 44....after binge drinking since the age of 13.

I gave it up.....because I hate hangovers....and drinking moderately never worked for me. I could go wks without drinking with no problem...but when I did drink....it was to get wrecked. I blacked out all the time...etc....but I used to enjoy it.

I'm the type of personality....that when I'm done....I'm DONE. Just like that. One day I woke up after a party.....hungover....and said to my wife and a friend...."Ya know....I hate feeling sick like this....I'm done." That was that.

I did the same thing with hard dope....yrs ago...same kind of scenario....just tired of that feeling.....that repetition....

I've found with dope/booze....that most peeps that have problems....generally...have a problem with ego...usually too much of it up front....covering self esteem problems on the under side. The additives are used to cover these weaknesses.

Once you accept...."If it makes you weak....don't do it"....it opens the road to accepting and mitigating the roots of an unhealthy ego. Bottom line is always the ego.....an over inflated sense of worth or an under inflated sense of worth....same exact thing.

I was never physically dependent on any additive....and not against raging/partying....but once I was able to check my ego....I started seeing that all my participation was not about having a good time. It had become a habit and a comfort zone....and that was all it was.

It doesn't bother me to hang out in a bar or anything like that....but I tell you....bars are not as fun or funny anymore....when you are watching all the sloshing. Without that warm dark curtain coming down....it's mostly just a bunch of gibberish.

That shit will kill you...and for what?.....because you can't deal with yourself? Looking at it that way....makes it simple....because in the end....that's the all it ever was....your ability to deal with existence.

There is no way to sugar coat the issue at hand....you either deal or you hide. Run or fight. My 2 cents for what it's worth.....I'd hold hands....but that's not the way it works....one crutch for another is not dealing....it is substituting....and that won't solve much.

Update for me: Last night I had about 7 beers got pretty drunk, but not smashed. YT i like ipa's too, they are hard to drink fast which is good, i like Ranger IPA around here.

game is starting no beer here, i want to go get some but i won't. the descriptions of the effects on my health are what work to keep me away. same thing as cigarettes although i've never smoked one they gross me out. if i can get that away about alcohol, i think i can kick it. there's a lot of F-ed up things it does to the body. worst was waking up still drunk at a friends house a few months ago just to play beer pong for breakfast..

The Pablos - Thanks for joining us man. I feel you hit the nail on the head man. Most of our problems aren't with the booze. Its just a convenient excuse.

Outside Grower - Do not worry buddy, the wagon moves slow. Just hop back on. Sounds like you know what tripped you up. Now if you can figure out what sent you down that trail.

Mule420 - Quit working on it and take the plunge. Takes just as much effort thinking about it as it will to just do it.

YT - That explains why I loved the sugary drinks. Bacardi 151 and coke with vanilla syrup.

Big Swifty - thanks for the kind words man.

Nug Jug -

If I can avoid getting smashed I think it can be a good thing to a have a beer or two on occasion. i'm over the binge-drinking bullshit."

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That is the goal of every alcoholic. I feel I am there. I guess I am just to scared to go back into that life.

CalcioErba2004 - Keep it up bro. Funny how the drinking and smoking go together so well.

ocean_grown - Glad to hear you got yourself sober. But in no way can you say that people don't need AA. That is like saying some people don't need a doctor. Just because your experience was different does not mean it reflects all of mankind. If you found no use of a 12-step program. then you are probably right my friend. You are not an addict, just youthfully irresponsible.

THE PABLOS said:

....I gave up alcohol....back in June....at age 44....after binge drinking since the age of 13.

I gave it up.....because I hate hangovers....and drinking moderately never worked for me. I could go wks without drinking with no problem...but when I did drink....it was to get wrecked. I blacked out all the time...etc....but I used to enjoy it.

I'm the type of personality....that when I'm done....I'm DONE. Just like that. One day I woke up after a party.....hungover....and said to my wife and a friend...."Ya know....I hate feeling sick like this....I'm done." That was that.

I did the same thing with hard dope....yrs ago...same kind of scenario....just tired of that feeling.....that repetition....

I've found with dope/booze....that most peeps that have problems....generally...have a problem with ego...usually too much of it up front....covering self esteem problems on the under side. The additives are used to cover these weaknesses.

Once you accept...."If it makes you weak....don't do it"....it opens the road to accepting and mitigating the roots of an unhealthy ego. Bottom line is always the ego.....an over inflated sense of worth or an under inflated sense of worth....same exact thing.

I was never physically dependent on any additive....and not against raging/partying....but once I was able to check my ego....I started seeing that all my participation was not about having a good time. It had become a habit and a comfort zone....and that was all it was.

It doesn't bother me to hang out in a bar or anything like that....but I tell you....bars are not as fun or funny anymore....when you are watching all the sloshing. Without that warm dark curtain coming down....it's mostly just a bunch of gibberish.

That shit will kill you...and for what?.....because you can't deal with yourself? Looking at it that way....makes it simple....because in the end....that's the all it ever was....your ability to deal with existence.

There is no way to sugar coat the issue at hand....you either deal or you hide. Run or fight. My 2 cents for what it's worth.....I'd hold hands....but that's not the way it works....one crutch for another is not dealing....it is substituting....and that won't solve much.

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Fucking excellent post, I felt the same way when I finally quit opiates.

HomerSimpson said:

ocean_grown - Glad to hear you got yourself sober. But in no way can you say that people don't need AA. That is like saying some people don't need a doctor. Just because your experience was different does not mean it reflects all of mankind. If you found no use of a 12-step program. then you are probably right my friend. You are not an addict, just youthfully irresponsible.

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I considered using opiates on a daily basis to be an addiction, I also forgot to mention that an LSD experience made me want to quit. So I don't know, maybe I never was addicted to any chemicals. I know for sure I had real withdrawals, I know I thought many times that going back to the dark warm blanket of dope would be better than striving for a better tomorrow. In either case I definitely prefer life without chemical interference and if I quit using "hard drugs" without prescribing to the doctrine of a cult then I'm sure anyone else with even the slightest bit of willpower could also. I didn't mean to say nobody needs AA, I simply meant that for those who find it to be a less than productive environment that it is more than possible to stop using your drug of choice on your own. When I did go to those few meetings I felt that everyone there was dwelling on the past when they should have been accepting their mistakes and moving forward without constantly gazing at their former selves shortcomings.

I'm glad someone responded to what I said as addiction is a fascinating subject to me. I played with fire, I got burned and I moved forward. It seems a lot of others tend to make it more complicated for themselves. I've had this conversation with friends and family many times before and I just gotta let that one be I suppose.

I have more money in my pocket now And I sleep and feel way better!

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Yeah man! I feel alot better, just that confidence that I won't be all queasy and nauseated
in the mornings makes me feel free some some shitty disease. Like I kicked the cold!

I'm glad someone responded to what I said as addiction is a fascinating subject to me. I played with fire, I got burned and I moved forward. It seems a lot of others tend to make it more complicated for themselves. I've had this conversation with friends and family many times before and I just gotta let that one be I suppose.

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You are so right, and the funniest thing is no one thinks they are an alcoholic..because society also puts a huge taboo on that word. In my opinion there are many kinds of alcoholic. Most people would quickly admit to being coffee-holics, chocoholics, but alcoholic? no way, not me,. "those people are wife beating, drunks who pass out all the time..." is what people usually imagine when they think of an alcoholic...

So the other night I went to a K'naan show. Really cool show, at a local bar. Everyone was drinking those draft ales mmm. Someone actually turned to me and asked "Are you drinking water?" with a bewildered look on their face. I looked at their hands and they had PBR tall boys hahaI couldn't believe it haah, I had to explain myself? that was a firstl.. Told them I loved strong ales and wine, but the alcohol in it is poison so I quit LOL "I only smoke now, and I smoke alot of herb when I get withdrawals." AHAHHA, it was a great show, I didn't feel alone though in my soberness, which was cool. There were some Somalians who came to see K'naan and most were drinking sodas, so I didn't feel alone ahah.and when my friends ordered beer I went outside and smoked some meds to relax and the rest of the show was sweet, once you have a conviction to quit, a real reason, it's easier.

I had some friends over for football the other day and one of my friends who always drinks drank his sixer of Newcastle as usual and after a while started smelling of like formaldehyde, you know that chemmy smell? That emanates from bars like creeping death ahaha..anybody smell that shit before on an alchys breath? No wonder my wife didn't like kissing me when I was drinking, and her not, that shit is toxic smelling!!

Speaking of toxic smells, this is my favorite OG of all times I think, I think Calcio will agree...

Fire OG 40 days - another 25 or so to go...m m m m mmmm






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