Chenda's sober ramblings.

[chenda]

So I'm going to chronicle my attempt to go alcohol free for January, maybe the whole year and maybe forever. I'm not in anyway an addict but I think this will take some willpower. And then ramble on about other matters.

I last drank on Saturday evening, a juvenile binge drinking session where I probably made a bit of a tit of myself. However despite mixing grapes and hops I didn't vom and had a manageable hangover the next day, because my tolerance is high.

But I've been thinking more about the long term effects of alcohol and also hope it can deliver some real benefits to me. Better sleep, less anxiety, more focus and energy. My best friend also wants to knock it on the head so hopefully we can reinforce each other.

My usual consumption is ~14 units a week, usually a Wed, Fri and Sun. The government tell me this is the safe maximum. Binge drinking happens every few months.

The first few days were ultra easy as I was enjoying the novelty of being a non-drinker. Tonight has been a bit more challenging as I had a bit of a craving for that sweet, sweet, bubbly nectar that we call prosecco. However I've bought some Peroni and Heineken 0% and this seems to have curb the craving. It's quite refreshing and psychologically makes you feel you have a drink in your hand. I've also ordered some alcohol free sparkling wine.

Otherwise everything is hunky dory.

[Biscuits and Gravy]

Right there with you. Eight days sober and counting. The sleep is so much better. No more beer-bloat. A lot less self-flagellation. Not to mention the long-term benefit of (probably) being less likely to get cancer. Strength, support, and hugs <3

I use Waterloo (sparkling water) as a substitute. Same satisfying “pshht!” of opening a cold can of bubbly.

[Scott 2]

Any plans for the extra time and money?

Have you noticed any patterns where the alcohol is used to self medicate? Any strategy to head that off?

It's a big life change. I'm interested to see your experience.

[Henry]

Just remember, if you do fall of the wagon, and its most like likely that you will, and it comes to light that you publicly serviced a bus load of prison workers on roadside clean-up detail, no one will think any less of you. Or at least I won't because I'm not judgmental that way. So good luck with all of this.

[2Birds1Stone]

Wishing you the best on this journey. I went completely AF for ~8 months last year and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I slowly reintroduced over the second half of summer which resulted in a little bit of over imbibing this holiday season. As a result, back to AF for the New Year.

Joining you for at least a month......

Edited to add: Despite whatever the government may say in it's official guidelines, it's becoming pretty accepted knowledge that anything more than 1-2 units per week and you start seeing some sort of negative health effects in most of the population. Even 1 night of suboptimal sleep per week for 52 weeks per year is detrimental to long term health, ditto for nuking your gut microbiome for 3 days every week.

[urgud]

Off the sauce for 8 months and counting. I highly recommend continuing what you've already been doing: alcohol-free beer/drinks. These types of beverages have really improved in recent years and can actually be a nice experience in their own right: you can get a drink that's not sugary sweet BUT you don't get intoxicated - actually a good thing. If you have supportive family/friends, even better. The focus is something else.

[chenda]

@b&g - thanks! We can do this! Definitely a fan of the sparkling water : )

@scott2 - tbh I don't spend much on alcohol, except on the binging nights. A bottle of prosecco and a few beers a week and a few shots of whiskey.

@henry - people were certainly forgiving after my rugby club night.

@2b1s - thank you! Yup, it seems the only safe amount is around 0 units long term. It's interesting actually that of all the doctors and psychiatrists I've seen in my life not one of them ever suggested so much as cutting down on alcohol, let alone quitting.

I'm hoping I can still dance my face off too when sober : )
Same, I drank as I was a shy introvert who drank as a social lubricant. Hopefully I won't need that anymore.

@urgud - well done! Looking at the ingredients of alcohol free drinks they don't all seem to be full of sugar and additives which is welcomed.

[Biscuits and Gravy]

It's interesting actually that of all the doctors and psychiatrists I've seen in my life not one of them ever suggested so much as cutting down on alcohol, let alone quitting.

Same! Until I found a refreshingly blunt therapist who told me, “girl, alcohol and antidepressants DO NOT MIX.” And she followed that up with a long hard sass-stare. I think they try to shy away from telling you what to do. Also, my doctor BIL mentioned that nutrition is not really something doctors learn in med school. Maybe that’s different these days.

[chenda]

Same! Until I found a refreshingly blunt therapist who told me, “girl, alcohol and antidepressants DO NOT MIX.”

Right! Years ago I was on a girls holiday in Ibiza, which turned unintentionally into a drugged fueled blur as I was on a high dose SSRI and it was an all inclusive hotel so we just drank continuously all day and night. It was genuinely great for several days until I blacked out in a club (called amnesia appropriately enough) and have only vague memories of what happened afterwards (my friends thought I'd been spiked and got me home safe, always grateful to them)

But the leaflet just said something like 'Its best not to drink on these if you can help it'. Alcohol is just so ingrained in culture it's almost taboo to tell anyone not to. I've also heard that doctors know nothing about nutrition.

[Biscuits and Gravy]

Oh dang, she was mostly highlighting that I was shooting myself in the foot by ingesting something that causes anxiety and depression while also seeking treatment and taking medication for anxiety and depression. But what fun would life be without a little self-sabotage?

[loutfard]

Good luck. I was lucky. It was super simple for me. I just noticed I had not really drunk any alcoholic drink stronger than the occasional 0.5% kvass for the past six months or so. I'm slowly giving away the wine left in our cellar.

[7Wannabe5]

Alcohol is just so ingrained in culture it's almost taboo to tell anyone not to.

Very true. I only have maybe 6 drinks per year, so I'm actually kind of embarassed by that fact when I fill out health forms. Like I want to write in the margin, "But I'm not a Born Again Baptist!" Of course, they could probably get a clue about that from my entry in Number of Sexual Partners___? "Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do....?"

I attended quite a few open meeting nights at AA with an alcoholic poly-partner (dry for over 20 years.) Every story of journey into alcoholism began with somebody not feeling like they fit in during adolescence. My DS35(INTP) is an alcoholic, and I worry about him all the time.

[AxelHeyst]

An ex passed out and was unresponsive to pain after a nice evening of red wine and Xanax early in our relationship. (I didn’t know about the Xanax till she started mumbling right before passing tf out). Scared the hell out of me, I didn’t know much about drugs at the time and thought I had a soon to be dead gf on my hands. She came to just as the paramedics got there. She was…. Rather unhappy with me for that one.
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You got this Chenda! In my experience it is difficult and then it isn’t.

[Laura Ingalls]

I am slowly working on drinking less. I found this an interesting read about this topic. Hopefully it is not behind a paywall.

https://apple.news/A9cU6glDgSdGdt5PVAD-W-g

[okumurahata]

A good long-term decision. When I was young and more introverted, I drank due to social pressures. However, my introverted nature persisted at the party. Friends encouraged me to drink more, but I felt I would vomit if I did. Now, I don’t party and completely avoid alcohol, perhaps just a glass of cava for New Year’s or birthdays. I only consume Coke Zero to the point of addiction, which likely has similar negative effects in the long run.

[chenda]

Thank you @axelheyst @loutfard @laura @okumurahata

@7w5 I'll have to start discussing my body count more;) That's interesting though about not fitting in during adolescence, I definitely didn't.

But what fun would life be without a little self-sabotage?

Absolutely

[Jean]

I wish you good luck in this endeavour.
I really enjoy being slightly drunk, so i won't follow you.

[Dave]

You got this @Chenda!

It's a valuable exercise if for nothing else to see what the other side looks like.

[Henry]

The worst thing about AA meetings is how old the people are. People who have been alcoholics for decades. 40, 50, 60 years. Just dragging their drunken asses through life. Drug addicts die or find themselves in impossible predicaments because of money or health issues. Sure, every AA group has its Wet Brain Mary who drank a gallon of vodka until she was 55 only to wake up one morning to notice a person lodged into the front bumper of her car and was subsequently court mandated to enter the program. But what's the point at this stage. She's shot to shit. So when people say they are not alcoholics maybe they are not but it's a slow, cruel demise. I haven't had a drink in years. Way better off. The risk/reward is insanely skewed towards risk. But the irony is that the risk includes something not catastrophic happening therefore normalizing the addiction. You go through life snorting eight balls, shit is going to hit the fan. Go through life drinking, very good chance no awful confrontation with the external world. And that's a mixed blessing, no wake up call.

[Ego]

I am slowly working on drinking less. I found this an interesting read about this topic. Hopefully it is not behind a paywall.

https://apple.news/A9cU6glDgSdGdt5PVAD-W-g

From the article...

“No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health,” the World Health Organization bluntly states on its website. Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer—the highest risk category—alongside things like radiation and asbestos. Alcohol consumption increases our risk of heart and liver disease, of dying in motor vehicle accidents, of having a stroke or dementia. It weakens our immune systems and negatively impacts everything from our mental health to—indeed—our cholesterol levels.

It is amazing how quickly the conventional wisdom has changed. I lived through the changes in smoking habits in the US, which took a generation. This is happening much faster.

Of course, current alcohol users are not just abstaining. Many are replacing their alcohol use. Cannabis is becoming the preferred, socially acceptable drug of choice among previous alcohol users. Without doubt, it does not encourage the odious behaviors seen in heavy alcohol users. It does, however, induce psychosis, paranoia, anxiety and mania.

Even one psychotic episode following cannabis use was associated with a 47% chance of a person developing schizophrenia or bipolar disorder,

How convenient for big pharma who mint gold from the treatment of such conditions. The same big pharma that is responsible for the largest portion of ad revenue paid to the institutions that shape public opinion. I wonder if that has anything to do with the rapid acceptance.

And what about those who never took to alcohol? They skipped right to the newest socially acceptable drugs. But I digress.

@Chenda. Wonderful news!