What’s your relationship with alcohol?

@cdlara381 I'm newly sober. It has taken me years of wanting to quit to get to 90+ days and I now feel so much better in my skin and my life. I'm not an alcoholic, but I used any excuse to drink wine and it got to the point where I didn't like myself because booze was dragging down my energy, my sleep and my health choices. One glass was NEVER enough, and once you start craving it, it only goes downhill over time (people never become better, only worse drinkers).

People love the dopamine they get from drinking, but your brain remembers the buzz (you create new neural pathways that reinforce the drinking habit).

How do you fit an addictive cancer-causing neurotoxin into a healthy lifestyle?
 
@richinchrist Yeah I decided to quit completely, even though I hardly drank anyway. It’s usually social pressure that makes me drink anyway. I never drink by myself and the only reason I would drink is because everyone else is…
 
@cdlara381 People drink or do not drink in all kinds of ways and for all kinds of reasons.

I do not not drink, but I do not drink very often now. Drinking can be a social thing to do and I tend to not be a really social guy at this point in my life.

If you drink to the point that you are impaired and unable to drive safely on a regular basis, you have a problem with drinking.

I have only had 1 time in my life when I was drinking too much, on the regular. That was my last year in college. I was so ready to be done with school and drinking in excess was an escape I took on Friday, Saturday, crept on to Thursday, Wednesday nights. I am fortunate I lived close enough to downtown so I could walk to and from my favorite bars.
 
@cdlara381 I drink a few times a year, usually 5-10 drinks each time. I know it's bad for you but it's such a small amount (5-10 might be a lot, but over the year it's not that many) so it doesn't bother me
 
@rn2god That would be my consumption too. I think I could go without alcohol after my birthday for years, coz I don’t really need it but to I am very uptight so it does help me relax
 
@cdlara381 The less you have the better you'll be for it. That being said unless you're going out multiple times a week or something I don't really mind having a couple drinks when seeing friends.

You can absolutely have fun without alcohol and making the mental connection between having alcohol and having more fun is a very negative and potentially harmful connection to make. I'd say go without if you need alcohol to find an activity fun it's probably just a shitty activity anyway.
 
@breathofdesire Well it is my birthday so I’m planning a lot of board games 😜 idk I just need a good laugh, and usually that’s doable without alcohol too, but yeah there’s a stigma around some people saying that being abstinent is boring
 
@cdlara381 Alcohol is useful if when around people you don't really know that well as it can lower your inhibitions and make it feel more relaxed.

Are you planning to just invite friends to this you know quite well? If anything I'd say alcohol would make that experience worse as you'll have plenty of laughs and stuff in common to just relax and get on well without it.

Nothing boring at all about being healthy as well as being able to remember the night before once you wake up. Cherish your birthday and enjoy the memories that you'll create on it! 😁
 
@cdlara381 A couple things are true:

Purely from a physical health standpoint - any amount of alcohol is harmful.

The negative health impacts of a single drink is so negligible as to not be noticeable.

From a social health standpoint - it's individual.

I personally don't drink anymore because it just makes me feel crappy.
 
@cdlara381 Several things are true:

Purely from a physical health standpoint - any amount of alcohol is harmful.

The negative health impacts of a single drink is so negligible as to not be noticeable.

From a social health standpoint - it's individual.

I personally don't drink anymore because it just makes me feel crappy.
 
@cdlara381 I used to drink A LOT when I was in my 20s and 30s, like binge drinking levels, never quit, but slowed down with family and kids in tow. Recently got a personal trainer that put me on a very specific restricted diet for cutting and I basically don't have room for booze anymore, so have had like 4 or 5 drinks in the last 3 months. And I felt horrible the next day, so basically stopped. I'm not against alcohol, but it's against my goals right now. I do find that a lot of "illnesses" like joint pain and gut issues seemed to go away with abstinence, so it's probably causing a lot of health issues in people that they aren't attributing to alcohol, even though light usage is enough to cause these conditions.
 
@cdlara381 I have some drinks about 6 times a year now, this is down from 6 times a week so it’s big for me. Never liked it that much to be honest! Though I must say I do dabble in other substances.
 
@cdlara381 Won’t touch it with a 10 foot pole. Everyone reacts differently to substances. I react to alcohol with multi-day suicidal depression. Wasn’t always that way, but now it is. And now I’m sober.
 
@cdlara381 I’m in my early 30s and as I’ve gotten older have really noticed a huge decrease in my body’s ability to handle alcohol. I still drink occasionally (maybe a couple times a month) but it’s usually not worth it to have terrible sleep, hangxiety, and generally feel like shit the next day.

I’ve found that having a mocktail, sparkling water in a fancy glass, etc most of the time give me the same amount of joy as having a fancy cocktail or glass of wine - I mostly just like having a fun little drink.
 
@cdlara381 Drink maybe once or twice a year. Don’t see the point in drinking unless I plan to get drunk for a “special event” lol. Otherwise I don’t drink recreationally - like with a meal, what’s the point? Other drinks without alcohol taste better.
 
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