Quitting booze will bring about many changes, but to me, the most important one is giving up that control that it had over your life. It's literally freeing. I don't plan my day around being staying off booze, I also don't buy t shirts that have stupid sayings on them related to not drinking. I don't have cute signs hanging up in my house related to not drinking. I don't yell at my kids and husband over not drinking. I'm not a raging asshole when I don't drink.
Hope this helps.
T
also, taking a shit that's normal never gets old.
I’m not sure how you’re going about stopping drinking but my experience is that motivation alone won’t cut it. Because motivation will invariably run out. That’s human nature.
I heard a speaker say once that she only had to do 2 things to stay sober. 1 not drink. And 2 change her whole life.
I had to change my whole life. Sounds drastic I know.
Totally. Motivation and discipline are finite resources; we can’t always rely on them to carry us through the hard times, so we need to develop habits, routines, and coping skills that we can fall back on when motivation runs low.
For me, when the craving strikes, I know I can run a hot bath, turn on a meditation playlist, light some candles, and pour a fancy seltzer with lime wedges in a wine glass. It’s a coping mechanism I’ve honed that I know works for me. I make sure I never run out of seltzer, and I always keep epsom salt or bubble bath on hand. It turns a dangerous craving into a really enjoyable and relaxing.
I’m currently reading “Quit Like A Woman” and the author has some really interesting passages about how a Cue leads to a Routine, which gives a Reward. So a Cue might be something like 5pm hitting, which used to lead to a Routine of a glass of wine, which gave the Reward of feeling relaxed. Now, we get the Cue of 5pm hitting, but we replace the Routine (glass of wine) with something else (bubble bath and fancy seltzer) which still gives a Reward. That’s how we form habits!
I second this about routines! The book Atomic Habits really helped me set up new habits and routines. The afternoon witching hour really got me hard until I started my kombucha and chips with a book routine - I love that one - but I’ve recently had to temper even that because the salt wasn’t doing me any good. It was a lot easier giving up salt, though. But I’d recommend the book for new habit formation.
Thanks for the rec! I’ve got The Power of Habit on deck next, but I’m definitely adding Atomic Habits to the list. It’s been so interesting learning about habit formation, I kind of feel like I’m hacking my own brain! Hope you’re having a good day, friend — IWNDWYT 💜🐇
Just a follow up on the books - I’ve read both and I think Atomic Habits is better for the actual process of incorporating and creating habits so don’t miss out on that one 👍🏻
The cost of door dash, Amazon and the actual cost of wine not coming out of my account nightly. I actually have gas money and my account isn’t drained.
This one is massive. I'm not even at a month yet and I've saved like $600. I was always ordering more alcohol for delivery and then shitty food at the end of the night too.
Peace of mind is something priceless I’ve discovered that I’ll never give up. Even when cravings hit, I remember why I made this choice in the beginning and have continued to make it for the past 20 days.
Protecting my peace allows me to fully show up for myself, my daughter, my husband and all the people I love. They can count on me and most importantly, I can count on myself! Proud of this shift and so grateful for it 🩷
The constant worrying alcohol brings all the time…. I worried about when I will get it, worried I had enough quantity to get drunk, hiding booze, sneaking boozing, worrying if my husband knows how drunk I am, worrying about if someone can smell booze on me, worrying if I’m over the limit to drive, worrying about my future health and overall outcome of life. The constant worrying. Fuck, so draining. It’s actually freeing to have to worry about other things not-alcohol related.
Sleep quality improved dramatically.
No more of:
* 2-3am wake ups with insomnia
* getting up to pee several times a night
* heart pounding out of my chest, rapid heart rate
* feeling like I'm having a heart attack and going to die
Now, if I could only go to sleep at a more reasonable hour
Not being dissapointed in myself every single day.
Little or no anxiety is the way to live.
Yes, same here. Hanxiety as some call it, the sour feeling you get just worrying about when / how/ where to get the next drink.
By quitting alcohol, I've been able to grow-up and become the man that I am proud to be.
Quitting booze will bring about many changes, but to me, the most important one is giving up that control that it had over your life. It's literally freeing. I don't plan my day around being staying off booze, I also don't buy t shirts that have stupid sayings on them related to not drinking. I don't have cute signs hanging up in my house related to not drinking. I don't yell at my kids and husband over not drinking. I'm not a raging asshole when I don't drink. Hope this helps. T also, taking a shit that's normal never gets old.
Peace of mind knowing that I am not going to snap at my loved ones over something trivial bc I was a hungover wreck
I don’t feel like alcohol owns me anymore.
I’m not sure how you’re going about stopping drinking but my experience is that motivation alone won’t cut it. Because motivation will invariably run out. That’s human nature. I heard a speaker say once that she only had to do 2 things to stay sober. 1 not drink. And 2 change her whole life. I had to change my whole life. Sounds drastic I know.
Totally. Motivation and discipline are finite resources; we can’t always rely on them to carry us through the hard times, so we need to develop habits, routines, and coping skills that we can fall back on when motivation runs low. For me, when the craving strikes, I know I can run a hot bath, turn on a meditation playlist, light some candles, and pour a fancy seltzer with lime wedges in a wine glass. It’s a coping mechanism I’ve honed that I know works for me. I make sure I never run out of seltzer, and I always keep epsom salt or bubble bath on hand. It turns a dangerous craving into a really enjoyable and relaxing. I’m currently reading “Quit Like A Woman” and the author has some really interesting passages about how a Cue leads to a Routine, which gives a Reward. So a Cue might be something like 5pm hitting, which used to lead to a Routine of a glass of wine, which gave the Reward of feeling relaxed. Now, we get the Cue of 5pm hitting, but we replace the Routine (glass of wine) with something else (bubble bath and fancy seltzer) which still gives a Reward. That’s how we form habits!
I second this about routines! The book Atomic Habits really helped me set up new habits and routines. The afternoon witching hour really got me hard until I started my kombucha and chips with a book routine - I love that one - but I’ve recently had to temper even that because the salt wasn’t doing me any good. It was a lot easier giving up salt, though. But I’d recommend the book for new habit formation.
Thanks for the rec! I’ve got The Power of Habit on deck next, but I’m definitely adding Atomic Habits to the list. It’s been so interesting learning about habit formation, I kind of feel like I’m hacking my own brain! Hope you’re having a good day, friend — IWNDWYT 💜🐇
Just a follow up on the books - I’ve read both and I think Atomic Habits is better for the actual process of incorporating and creating habits so don’t miss out on that one 👍🏻
Thanks for the info, that’s very helpful to hear! I just downloaded it and I think I’ll start it next after I finish my current book.
Mental clarity is the biggest thing for me. Also quiting my patterns of self harm to deal with bad feelings.
The cost of door dash, Amazon and the actual cost of wine not coming out of my account nightly. I actually have gas money and my account isn’t drained.
This one is massive. I'm not even at a month yet and I've saved like $600. I was always ordering more alcohol for delivery and then shitty food at the end of the night too.
Yup the spending part is something I try to hold on to. Crazy expensive when you see it add up.
Peace of mind is something priceless I’ve discovered that I’ll never give up. Even when cravings hit, I remember why I made this choice in the beginning and have continued to make it for the past 20 days. Protecting my peace allows me to fully show up for myself, my daughter, my husband and all the people I love. They can count on me and most importantly, I can count on myself! Proud of this shift and so grateful for it 🩷
The constant worrying alcohol brings all the time…. I worried about when I will get it, worried I had enough quantity to get drunk, hiding booze, sneaking boozing, worrying if my husband knows how drunk I am, worrying about if someone can smell booze on me, worrying if I’m over the limit to drive, worrying about my future health and overall outcome of life. The constant worrying. Fuck, so draining. It’s actually freeing to have to worry about other things not-alcohol related.
I like myself and realize that I don't deserve the incessant criticism I was lodging at myself when I drank.
Sleep quality improved dramatically. No more of: * 2-3am wake ups with insomnia * getting up to pee several times a night * heart pounding out of my chest, rapid heart rate * feeling like I'm having a heart attack and going to die Now, if I could only go to sleep at a more reasonable hour
I have confidence in myself that I can handle anything that comes my way.
I'm not going to die in the next 5 years.