Post: #51

(12-03-2013 09:17 AM)reaper23 Wrote:  for many years it was you know, several beers most nights (5-8) with a few nights of 1-2 sprinkled in. but then over time it became beer and tequila, or beer and scotch. and then those bottles of scotch that used to last weeks were lasting a week. and then it was vodka. a martini at the bar and then beers the rest of the night...became two martinis to get "right" after a work day and then many beers the rest of the night.

then i started buying the big gallon stoly's and drinking those down in a week or less. big glasses of vodka soda. or whatever else we had in the house.

smoking weed all along too naturally.

then i found myself grabbing a drink at lunch. or bringing beers to the office at 3pm for "happy hour"

weekends were kicked off with screw drivers in the morning.

shit just escalates.

i was definitely the guy that got the drunkest at the party.

but the thing that really fucked me in the end was adding the xanax. that shit took it too an entirely different place of being 'snowed out' mentally. it was glorious and wretched at the same time.

What you're describing is a typical person around here but yeah you should have tapered down before the xanax came into the picture...

I would like to know from the guys that are quitting where the point is that is too much. At my work the two guys and one of their friends will drink a handle of lady bligh rum and a case of Heineken every two days and you can't tell they are even buzzed.

I've curbed my drinking due to having a kid and eating low carb which kills your tolerance but when I drink it's about half a 750ml or three drinks and I'm fine but if I go over that I have a hangover of sorts.

Post: #52

Funny this thread comes up. I've been toying with the idea of going sober for a good length of time for a couple months now. My problem has always been what to do when everyone else is having a beer. I guess just use some of the lines you guys have posted around here.

I want to do this, and if other men are attempting this too, then it may be a little easier. My potential start date will not be until the new year though because I'm going to Chicago for a weekend, and there's definately going to be some partying then.

Post: #53

My relationship with alcohol is weird. I don't like any alcoholic drinks apart from bourbon. I don't even like Scotch Whisky.

If bourbon didn't exist I would never drink at all. It is just that I love the taste of bourbon so much.

But the problem with it - is that drink often leads to binges. Even though the only reason I ever drink it is because of the taste.

But the enjoyment of the taste - after a few drinks - often becomes a gateway to a binge.

Still - I am going to stick with giving it up. But I do miss the flavour. It was the mixture of the flavour and the way it would warm (and slightly sting) the mouth. Before relaxing my stomach. I think I have IBS (and/or a dairy allergy) or something, and I always found that bourbon made me feel better after a meal.

Post: #54

I only drink with girls, friends and sometimes ill take some shots or chug a 40 before I go out during the day to mess around. I can't just sit at home and drink alone but ive never been a big drinker. Ill just get a buzz and smoke some to chill. I had fun getting wasted when I was younger and throwing up everywhere.

Xanax definetly doesn't need to be brought up in an alcohol thread lol. You don't remember shit when you mix them.

Post: #55

SDS, you can definitely do this if you decide to and I really think you should. There is no time like the present.

You'd just have to consult with your doc and tell him you're going to do it, and there are certain medications, one in particular, that you can discuss with him that will allow you to sleep well during the acute withdrawal period (not Xanax or other benzos, you don't really want to mess with that).

But you don't need anything like in-patient care, that's exaggerated. Sleep really is the main issue and there are things that can be done. Then once the acute withdrawal period is over you can taper off the medication and transition to just using a light box, exercise and other things that will enable you to sleep well naturally.

Let's follow up by PM if you like.

(12-02-2013 04:27 PM)Single Dad Swag Wrote:  I probably should've stayed out of this thread. Just reminds me how impossible this shit is for me.

I drink myself to sleep nightly. Whiskey. Straight. Been going on for the better part of a decade. I know I need to cut the shit out, and I've tried… but never last long. In the last 5 years, I doubt I've been sober for more than 2 straight days. I know it's killing me. I'm extremely high-functioning. I hold down a director-level position for a large creative firm and am a high-ranking chair member of a pretty influential industry association. I don't lie to myself and pretend that I wouldn't be even more functional if I cut the boozing out.

Any time I try to go a night or two without alcohol to "prove to myself I can do it"… I toss and turn all night, wake up covered in sweat, heart races, and have the most freaky nightmares you can imagine. DTs maybe? I don't know, but yeah, I would probably need some serious in-patient care to pull some shit like this off.

Good luck to those of you who can make this happen. I don't stand a chance. I'm not ready.

Post: #56

Kimber, good to have you on board. I think 25 is a fine age to take a 1 year pause if you've been drinking hard through your early twenties. It's really the age where diminishing returns start kicking in. I feel looking back that any hard drinking I did that was 100% enjoyable and non-damaging was before 25.

If you like, please post a starting date when you have one.

(12-02-2013 09:27 PM)Kimber Wrote:  I'm in, like Dreambig i have major concerns that it'll be harder to get girls to fuck but relying on alcohol is probably much worse. I'm still young (25) so i'll do this for 6 months/a year, get my body in order then decide if i want to go back to the drink.

There's a nodrinking reddit for guys that are looking for extra support: http://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking/
Seems depressing though - the latest thread was i drank my kids out of a christmas. shit.

Post: #57

This thread could not have started at a better time for me.

I hopped on the wagon about 6.5 months ago (5/13/13). It has been one of the most challenging things I've ever done...but I was in a really bad place when I started, and I didn't leave myself much of a choice.

The first few months weren't too bad because they carried a bit of novelty. I found it interesting to put myself into social situations that normal would've been a complete disaster had I been pounding booze like John Bonham. I had a great time mixing it up with friends and actually surviving through the night (I was a chronic Irish exiter). I had to completely restructure my game, since I usually just blacked out and hoped for the best. Instead I was able to pay attention to what I was doing, and learn from mistakes or reinforce what was working. I'll admit that it's still difficult to loosen up and get over approach anxiety, but that is something that I've long struggled with.

As far a general lifestyle changes, here's a quick list...

The Good

- My life has become completely devoid of the crazy, unmanageable shit I used to get myself into.
- I have almost forgotten what a hangover feels like. Almost.
- There has not been one morning where I've woken up with "the fear" - where I had no idea what I did or said the night before.
- My savings account has started to creep back up.
- The line between passing out and sleeping was blurred for me for a long time. After a 2-week adjustment period, sleep became amazing. I've been getting a solid 8 hours almost every night, and I'm fast asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. So good.
- People from all areas of my life have told me how proud they are of me. Gets me right in the feels.

The Bad

- I've been an on/off smoker since college, but smoking has started to become a very compulsive activity when I'm in situations where I would've previously been drinking. This has kinda negated any health benefits I would be getting from quitting the sauce.
- While life is considerably easier, it also has tilted towards boring.
- Whenever I am out, I feel like I am operating with a bit of a social handicap. I am a pretty introverted, laidback person by nature, and not having booze as a way to get out of my head makes me feel more awkward than usual. Reaper has given some great advice in this thread for "owning" your sobriety and not making it a big deal. I need to put in some work here.
- I really miss the bonding experience of communal drinking. When you're out with a bunch of buddies and you give each other that dopey grin and head nod that says you're both on the same level...goddamn I miss that.
- I used to use my drunken episodes as motivation to do things like exercise or productive work-related activities. Since staying sober has been challenging for me (let's face it, I was an addict - this wasn't something I was trying just for the sake of trying), I tend to give myself a pass for doing anything else that involves effort (as such, my fitness has kinda stabilized and I'm a bit more prone to laziness/distraction at work). This has slowly been getting better.

The Weird

- For the first few months I alternated between periods of being super hungry and super sleepy.
- I was hoping my short term memory would begin to come back after years of destroying brain cells. It has not.

Around the 6 month mark I really hit a wall. The only way I can describe it is that I feel completely out of sync, and my mind really starts racing when I'm in social situations, first dates and such. Alcohol was a great way for me to tune out all that noise, and it truly developed into a crutch. I'm really hoping to get some advice from the other guys here who pushed through this plateau and continued on, now that the novelty has worn off a bit. There's some good stuff in this thread so far.

Anyway, that's my story. Best of luck to anyone out there who is trying.

Post: #58

Okay, I'm in.

I've have posted a couple times on this topic of boozin' and I can relate to some of the experiences I've read. It seems a number of guys here have been hard drinkers through their teens and twenties and can still generally keep composure while consuming massive amounts of booze, but upon entering their thirties they start to question the value of this practice. I am also that guy.

I love drinking. I love it so much. My true passions in life are girls, money and surfing, but I would give up all three if I could hang around and drink beer all day. The problem is that my love of booze is too strong and it gets in the way of those other things. For years I have tried to drink only moderately, but inevitably my desire to drink too much overpowers my desire to restrain my drinking, over and over and over again.

I am certain that I have had fewer lays by cockblocking myself with booze than I would have had if I didn't drink so much. I've often used the satisfaction of drunkenness as a substitute for the satisfaction of getting laid. Going out and having some drinks can certainly help, but if I judge myself by my own track record then I have to accept that my tendency to drink hard has resulted in fewer lays over time than would have occurred if I have been more focused my getting laid and less focused on drinking. Yes, being the drunk fun guy and even the drunk angry fighting guy has resulted in lays because girls can be attracted to the fun and the drama. But I have had a tendency to rely on that to create attraction, and I would have gotten laid more over the past ten years if I had been creating attraction actively through direct interaction rather than passively by creating a scene for girls to observe and occasionally gravitate towards. It's like the difference between spear fishing and casting from the shore.

And I cringe when I think back on the number of days with good surfing conditions that I missed because I was hungover and lazy.

In terms of money, it's not so much spending money on booze but the blunting affect that consistent drinking has on my appetite for more cash that has held me back. I get such a nice surface level satisfaction from a good wine/beer/gin/whiskey buzz that I become far less motivated to aggressively seek the things that give me a deeper satisfaction, which are getting laid, getting barreled and getting paid.

I'm also rather bored of drinking, in spite of my love for it. I am so intimately familiar with it that there is no mystery left. There is still room to explore and have new experiences in those other three passions. And as I am now in my early thirties, I have to admit that I have less energy to spend on drinking hard if I want to pursue those other things to the extent that I want to pursue them.

I don't want to proclaim that I will never drink again, but I do want to experiment with this year of sobriety and actively push that newly freed energy into more productive pursuits.

Post: #59

@Charlemagne - lol "the fear" - wow, I really hate that. There is no worse feeling in the world. Really messes with my head.

Post: #60

I made a similar thread asking members on here how to do the scene without alcohol. I'm glad someone actually put together a productive challenge. I am definitely in.

Post: #61

This is a fucking difficult one. My relation to alcohol is complicated to say the least.
I'm always been a heavy drinker, once I pop I rarely stop before I drop. Always been a big lover of Guinness, Scotch and Red Wine from the Caucasus.

First time I was off from alcohol was during 4 month period when I was totally focused on renovating my house and working out. It was a nightmare for my social skills.
I didn't want to go out at all and meet my friends or chase girls because I simply lacked energy and motivation for doing those kind of things sober.
I became more and more aggressive and pessimistic every weekend. It was hell.
After 4 months sober my head was about to expload and I took two glasses of red wine and BANG! All pressure went away and I felt great!
I went to sleep and next morning I had a lot of energy and had tons of energy to continue with my work. I wan't negative anymore.

I mean what a moodchanger!! Anybody else with smilar experience?

Second time I was sober for 5 months, but this is a different story.
I was travelling in Iran,Iraq and Pakistan and there I hadn't simply access to alcohol and almost nobody drinks.no bars or clubs, nothing.
Over there I had no problem to enjoy without alcohol. After 4 months I felt great and I started to question the relentless drinking that is going in the West.
I hadn't any desire to drink anymore and it felt like I was cured from a spell. After that I knew it's possible to get rid of the alcohol addiction, but I have no idea how it had worked out in Europe where you have access to alcohol in every corner of the street. Probably not good.

After my travels in the muslim world i headed to SEA and Russia and over there I was back on the bottle again, bigtime.
Now I've been home for a few months and I've been off the bottle completly, but I started to smoke some weed instead.
It's not the final solution but my body feels great.

No more hangovers or blackout and no regrets.
Alcohol is poison.

Post: #62

(12-04-2013 06:34 AM)Chaos Wrote:  After 4 months sober my head was about to expload and I took two glasses of red wine and BANG! All pressure went away and I felt great!
I went to sleep and next morning I had a lot of energy and had tons of energy to continue with my work. I wan't negative anymore.

I mean what a moodchanger!! Anybody else with smilar experience?

Yeah, half a bottle of wine is the perfect amount for me. If I could get myself to drink only wine and only when sharing a bottle with someone then that would be an ideal and healthy amount of drinking. It's tough though, especially with a nice wine. I get such a strong urge to drink more that I find it nearly impossible to resist. It's actually kind of embarrassing.

Post: #63

Actually it might be a good trick to spend time in a muslim country to beat the addiction.

Post: #64

I feel like those of you who keep repeating how difficult it is to not drink have a hard, hard road ahead of you.

It's common to think that way about booze...but then again, who here wants to be like the average person? The average person can't even keep Big Macs out of their mouth.

How do they change that (should they want to be something more)?

Not through willpower - rarely works.

If you want an uncommon life, you have to look at things from an uncommon point of view. So they change it through a paradigm shift, whether intentional or not...

And that's what you've got to do.

Because when it comes down to it, not drinking is like anything else in life. You really change your mind about it - your entire perspective - and it becomes easy.

No willpower needed.

It isn't some attribute of liquor that makes giving it up hard; it's an attribute of the way you see liquor. That's a really crucial point because it puts all the power back in your hands.

You've got to sit down and have a pow-wow with yourself. If you're still clinging to a habit you want to get rid of, ask yourself why you're clinging to it. Then confront that doubt head-on and settle the issue.

Once and for all.

That way, you can walk away with all your cards on the table and get to fulfilling the decision you've made without fucking with yourself.

And once you're certain, you won't sit there and beat yourself up about social situations and this and that. You can simply accept 100% that you live by new rules and seek out creative ways to win the game based on your new rules.

Will it be challenging to adapt to a new way of doing things? Sure it will - but obviously not impossible. Other people do it so you can do it.

It's just something you need to learn.

And that attitude is a universe away from constantly looking back over your shoulder wondering if maybe you should have made a different decision.

There's nothing I find more depressing than a room full of AA members drilling into each other's head the idea that liquor has some kind of special power over them. That with just one drop they'll go all demonic and shit and that they have to check in with their people on a regular basis just to control some savage craving for a drink.

"I am an alcoholic," they repeat to themselves over and over and over....

Then they wonder why they fly off the hinges the next time a beer hits their hand...

Well, no shit, Sherlock. You've pretty much made being an alcoholic your entire identity - what did you expect?

Sit in a room with other people telling each other you're insane, and guess what? Chances are you're going to end up in a mental hospital at some point in your life.

The dominating thoughts in your mind become your reality.

So fuck all that nonsense. Booze has no power to make decisions for you - it's just a toxic substance we mix with sugar and other sweeteners because we like the way it makes us feel funny.

Only you have the power to decide whether you want to take part in that ritual or not. And when you break it down to the reality it turns out to be a pretty silly ritual that you could get by pretty easily without, should you choose to.

To be honest, I've had about three drinks since I quit drinking.

Yeah, I know that sounds stupid. What I mean is sips and tastes.

I had an old Korean offer me a glass of whiskey a couple days after I quit and I took a sip to be polite and put it aside. Tasted a girl's cosmo at dinner (to determine what it was). Tasted an old Cambodian guy's wine - once again, to be polite.

And what happened?

Did I start frothing at the mouth or suddenly chug a whole bottle and go on some 3-day binge that left me waking up in a hospital or jail? Did I lay in bed all night lamenting the fact that I didn't hang out all night with the person getting wasted? Wondering if I should have just had two and called it a night?

Of course not. I took the sip, passed it back, and went on with my life.

I see no need to cringe hiding in a corner as if I'm going to lose my shit if it even splashes my hand, but I just don't drink anymore - it's as simple as that.

And it's liberating knowing that's 100% my own decision - that I don't need some network of born-again alkies holding me up to stay the course.

Weigh the benefits, advantages, and risks enough to come up with a clearcut decision. Has it had enough of a positive effect on your life to keep it? Has it been destructive enough to "retire?"

Simple, really.

Don't give the decision more power than it deserves. Just make it...or don't...and then move on with your life.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #65

Quote:I feel like those of you who keep repeating how difficult it is to not drink have a hard, hard road ahead of you.

Depends, all roads lead to Rome. In Germany we say many roads lead to Rome. Accepting the addiction is mostly the first step. Keeping the habit is the next one. Repeating can be bad but so does to underestimate it.

Anyway I am looking at it from a general point of view as I never liked alcohol.

Post: #66

Beyond Borders,

I always read your posts about this with interest and I usually agree with what you have to say.

That said. In my book, a wagon means no drinks of any kind for any reason for the specified period of time. No exceptions. This is the way that I would like this "1 year challenge" to be taken. Not one drink from the starting date, whatever it is, to the same date one full year later.

If you had "about three drinks since you quit drinking" then to me that's not the same as being on the wagon for that entire period. That's not a moral judgment, just a matter of what the word means.

Of course, I agree with you that there is no need for the AA drama where "falling off the wagon" necessarily entails some sort of nearly life-ending binge. However. If someone has a drink for any reason, their wagon is over. They then can, and indeed should, re-start their wagon immediately. But it's a new wagon, and the count starts again from that date.

Now, this may all seem excessively formalistic but I don't think so. There are very good reasons to impose this strict discipline of no drinks, ever, for any reason for the specified period of time.

First, it is good to accept a challenge like this and to show yourself you can do it, no excuses, no bullshit, no exceptions. It's good for a man to stake his pride on something and then get it done.

Second, there are very good physiological reasons for this. People who have been hard drinkers are sensitized to alcohol and any taste of the drug triggers certain cascades in your brain. While this doesn't mean that any taste compels you to go on a binge, it is important to go for a long period without those cascades ever occurring to really reset some of the pathways and change your relation to it.

Finally, there is no need to either understate or overstate the difficulty of doing this. For people who have been hard drinkers giving it up is not easy. There is a whole structure of habits that has to be abandoned -- not just the drug but all the social and solitary rituals that go with it, and all the ways in which these rituals seem to beguile certain periods of one's days and nights and seasons. There are other and better structures that replace them over time, but this doesn't happen immediately. It takes months or more. And in the interim there can be a good deal of emptiness and boredom that bring the temptation to return to the seemingly tried and true ways of drinking.

It is also true that this is absolutely doable and is entirely within any man's power. But it does take some commitment and some backbone. In short, it's neither easy nor impossible, rather, it's a challenge but one that can be met and that brings great rewards to those that stick with it.

Post: #67

Do you guys still go to nonclub bars? What do you order when you perch up at the bar?

Post: #68

Charlemagne, glad to have you on board and thanks for the detailed post about your experience.

I would hope that over time you can also throw away the crutch of smoking; you're on your way to a better life so why fuck yourself over in that way? It may seem like a lot but there is really no reason you can't do it. Just make a decision one day and stick to it, in the same way as you did with alcohol.

As far as approach anxiety/social anxiety etc, I think you might really benefit from applying some CBT thinking to these problems. There are good resources in Dusty's thread here: /thread-28873.html.

Post: #69

I order club soda with lime and sometimes a splash of cranberry. It pretty much looks like a mixed drink. I don't hide what I'm drinking but I also don't particularly try to draw attention to the fact that it's non-alcoholic.

Bartenders may be a little unhappy with this order since it's cheaper than an actual drink so I usually tip them a little extra and then they're happy enough...

(12-04-2013 02:46 PM)Pyre Wrote:  Do you guys still go to nonclub bars? What do you order when you perch up at the bar?

Post: #70

SeanBateman, makes me very happy to hear you're in. I've read your other posts on this and I know you're the real deal -- someone who truly loves drinking, but also someone for whom it's quickly becoming an enemy rather than a friend. This won't be easy but you can definitely do it and the rewards are huge. It will be a very interesting year for you.

Post: #71

Haha BB, I recognize a lot of what you're saying, specifically about willpower and sacrifice.

I quit smoking (albeit only for a few months due to bloody alcohol!) after reading a book by a certain Mr. Carr! Yep, the same guy who wrote the drinking book I'm buying from your recommendation. I see from what you're saying that he uses the same wording techniques in both books. That's good, because they work.

I didn't miss the cigs, I just didn't want them. If I stop drinking (I drink everyday basically) then I will not smoke. At all. I thought it was the cigs that were the problem, but it's really the alcohol and the little habits I've developed alongside consuming it. I'm not sure if my goal is to be tee-total yet, I just know I really want to read the book and make some big changes.

Post: #72

Quote:I feel like those of you who keep repeating how difficult it is to not drink have a hard, hard road ahead of you.

It's common to think that way about booze...but then again, who here wants to be like the average person? The average person can't even keep Big Macs out of their mouth.

How do they change that (should they want to be something more)?

Not through willpower - rarely works.

If you want an uncommon life, you have to look at things from an uncommon point of view. So they change it through a paradigm shift, whether intentional or not...

And that's what you've got to do.

Because when it comes down to it, not drinking is like anything else in life. You really change your mind about it - your entire perspective - and it becomes easy.

No willpower needed.

It isn't some attribute of liquor that makes giving it up hard; it's an attribute of the way you see liquor. That's a really crucial point because it puts all the power back in your hands.

Hey, if alcohol causes problems in your life, or you lack discipline and think quitting for an entire year will help you develop discipline, I got no beef with you.

However, people need to understand something - alcohol is a medicine. Like any medicine, you can abuse it and overdose and wreck your life by taking far more than necessary. Take 2 tylenol when you have aches and pains or a headache, and your pain goes away. Take 14 tylenol, and you can literally die from liver failure. Learn to calibrate your dosage and you won't have problems anymore.

Here's the thing...the culture of binge drinking and getting wasted makes many people view alcohol itself as a total negative. A scourge on society. A vile poison that destroys lives.

But the facts are undeniable - moderate consumption of alcohol is good for your health. Moderate drinkers live longer, healthier lives than either teetotalers or heavy drinkers.

And it all comes down to how you view alcohol, and the habits you develop in using it.

I spent my entire teens and 20's and early 30's as a typical 9-5, M-F working stiff, then spending Friday and Saturday getting hammered in out of control binge drinking sessions. I've had family members and friends tell me their concerns that I was on the road to alcoholism, I needed an intervention etc.

Except, when I got older, I realized something - I got tired of hangovers, and tired of black outs, and all the crappy things that happened in my life from getting drunk.

Did I quit drinking? No. I quit getting drunk. I quit binging.

Instead, I became a moderate drinker.

Instead of drinking 20 beers and 4 shots over the weekend, I now drink 2-4 drinks a day, 5-6 days a week.

Enough to get "loose" and pleasantly buzzed, but nowhere near inebriated, out of control, etc.

It's all in how you view alcohol and the way you use it to enjoy life.

After a long hard day of work under the sun, my entire body is aching and sore. 3 beers later, I'm relaxed, loose, no longer sore and ready to eat a nice dinner, go to bed, and get up and do it all over again the next day. It's been years since I had a hangover.

Alcohol is medicine. Like any medicine, it's effects depend on the dosage.

Post: #73

I'm in on not drinking. I've been bartending for the first time ever and seeing how fucking stupid and how much money people piss away on the most generic stuff ever. Basically, if it's in a bar, no matter how expensive, it's just mass produced shit.

Oh and let me mention how retarded we all have come off when it's closing time and we want to finish that last drink even though it's the last thing we need.

I'm going to do a post on my experience here on the shit hole, roadhouseesque, degenerate din soon.

I stopped drinking thanksgiving day, I want to see what I can do after a year of not drinking, even when I've gone a few weeks I've gotten crazy fit, a year of not drinking is something I haven't done since I was in my early teens.

I hope I make it. It will be tough to do while traveling but like another poster said, it's a crutch that will make you stronger if you throw it away.

Good luck fellows.

One question, can we do Molly?

Kidding

Post: #74

I'm in on not drinking. I've been bartending for the first time ever and seeing how fucking stupid and how much money people piss away on the most generic stuff ever.

That's a good point.

As a binge drinker going out to bars, you "view" alcohol as a means to an end - getting trashed. You order the beer or mixed drink that's on special. You order rot gut spirits to shoot, and chug drinks mixed with sugary sodas and juices to help you get it down as quickly as possible with minimal gagging.

Moderate drinking is different.

I buy high quality booze, and enjoy it by savoring it slowly and methodically.

You might look at a $50 dollar bottle of Scotch, or a $30 bottle of Bourbon or good Tequila and think that's too expensive...but I'll buy that bottle and take months to finish it off at 1-2 drams a day. I have some bottles of scotch on my bar that are over 6 years old and a little less than half full. I have no desire ever to drink even half a bottle in a single session.

A 12 pack of high quality micro brew, at 2 a day, lasts 6 days - versus pounding out a case of Miller Lite in a single night.

I think BeyondBorders point here is key: "It isn't some attribute of liquor that makes giving it up hard; it's an attribute of the way you see liquor."

Post: #75

Damn Fisto, great to hear this. The wagon is definitely gaining steam with you on board.

Yeah, you're gonna have a very interesting year even if it won't always feel that way. But I know you have what it takes to say "fuck you" to the boredom and emptiness you will occasionally feel and just stick it out anyway to see what comes out the other side.

I loved reading some of your drinking posts here and I look forward even more to your wagon posts.

No Molly...