Cutting down, baby steps

[seasia]

Hello

 

Thanks for answers, didn`t expect so much response.

 

Some ultra high quality and very helpful replies. I am happily surprised.

 

To respond to a couple for now, will work through the others in time.

 

The supplement mentioned  Cordyceps Sinensis, had never heard of if it, did some googling,interesting, also available via lazada.I will likely try that.I do sometimes take milk thistle extract in tablet form, mostly marketed here as Samarin, supposedly good for one`s liver.

 

Food before drink, yes makes sense of course.

I have a very small appetite, usually just a decent sized meal late evening is enough for me.

I do not feel hungry in the morning nor in to the afternoon, early evening.

 

Upon waking up I always drink water, then 2 cups of coffee.

I probably drink a total of 2.5 maybe 3 litres of water a day..

 

Maybe a pastry or croissant with coffee would be a start to getting just a little food in me?

I like milk but very rarely drink it, maybe that would be good in the morning.

 

Reply more later.

 

Thanks

[atyclb]

4 hours ago, jimcarr65 said:

If you are at the point now of asking a question like this with alcohol you most likely have a problem with it. The only solution is not cutting down, its abstinence. Find an AA meeting and attend for 90 days, if it's not for you then you are probably not alcoholic. AA Thailand, Google it, great meetings and people in Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai.

 

can read it 2 ways. a high% of alcohol dependent are in denial and dont question their etox intake. the op questioning it is a good sign as he may either is not alcoholic and or has broken through denial.

 

while many alcohol dependent cannot stop til they drop 8 beers a day is ominous.   not a bad idea to attend an open aa meeting at least to get an idea of what others have gone through. will hear interesting, insightful and amazing stories.

 

if 8 beers/day is having negative effects on your life then the timing of when you start and stop wont matter if the consumption remains the same

[bontang]

14 hours ago, seasia said:

Hello

 

Good question. I think it makes me depressed at times, makes me tired.

Kills my appetite so I do not eat all that much, perhaps leading to a poor diet.

Put off doing some important things which can lead to problems later down the line.

 

Fortunately never ever aggressive or arrogant on drink, never any issues with others through it.

 

Thanks

Mate, I had a similar drinking habit, After work, i would drink 6 or 8 beers per day,   A friend recommended for me to kick the habit was to Drink Hot Dilmah Ginger & Honey Tea, you don't need to add  sugar or milk & after you get used to it You will drink less beer 1 or 2 & you will get the taste for the Dilmah Ginger & Honey Tea, A 20 Packet of Tea  bags cost approx 120 Bath, You can get at Friendship or Foodland,,

[NCC1701A]

19 hours ago, seasia said:

Between about 8 to 12 X 320 ml  beer bottles ( 5 % )    per day.

No spirits.

This is about what I drink every six months.

I hope you can get the help you need.

 

 

[seasia]

3 hours ago, UnkleGoooose said:

You could try sewing your lips shut. Alternatively, try getting some willpower.

I have had some superb responses.

 

Yours is the only exception.

[seasia]

3 hours ago, jvs said:

Somebody here already mentioned your buddies,The people you hang out with can greatly influence your intake.

When people are buying rounds you may feel the need to join them

Talk to your friends and if they are really your friends they will understand and not offer you beer.

If they say'come on just one more'or something like that you need to

pick you friends more carefully.

Also the places you go to can make a difference.

 

Hello

 

You are right, many of my friends/buddies drink and yes unfortunately there is some of that "just one more "

Buy another round.One very good friend who does actually drink but seems to keep it restricted to 3 days a week undrestands

 

I also have teetotal friends, maybe more time with them.

 

Thank You

[natway09]

I think you have answered your own questions

"Good Luck" I am sure you can do it without an old drunks input

[Commercial Diver]

Exercise some Discipline

[Aussieroaming]

I'll lend you my wife. She will nag the death out of you everytime you lift a drink to your lips, whether its one an hour, once a week or once a month. She nagged me into submission and I tapped out eventually. Then she repeated i with sugar to prove that the first win wasn't a fluke.

[ndfdjnd]

Just now, Aussieroaming said:

Then she repeated i with sugar to prove that the first win wasn't a fluke.

Are you saying that an actual Thai person dissuaded you from eating too much sugar?

[Aussieroaming]

2 hours ago, ndfdjnd said:

Are you saying that an actual Thai person dissuaded you from eating too much sugar?

Yeah, she isnt into junk food and she thinks twice before eating anything she perceives as unhealthy. If she does eat cake etc she will eat a tiny portion and save the rest for the next day or beyond, so she pretty much self regulates with portion control. Drives me batty sometimes, but she is a gem.

[elgenon]

You will be able to get ":back into the saddle" with the girls and have more fun. Or not?

[ronaldo0]

Reduce the daily amount or the days per week you drink. Cut out daytime drinking as a start then only so many in the evening. Then try to reduce it to certain days that you drink missing out other days. This should not equate to getting hammered the day you drink just because you didn't drink the day before. Then try to get it to 1-2 days a week or not at all, everything in moderation is ok.

Exercise every day if you can in some form. This will boost confidence , wellbeing and overall health . Take 1-2 days as rest days and think of them as rewards for all the exercise you done the days before. Working out one day on walking / running and then maybe weights the next day is a good way to alternate your routine instead of doing same thing over and over. Eventually you should get to a stage where you actually wont feel like drinking most days as you will notice it makes you feel a bit crap when you work out next day. I generally do this and very rarely drink at home and if I do it is once in a week or two and is 3-4 small bottles of beer. Or I go out to see friends and watch sport in bars and will make an evening of it followed by next day of doing nothing as my treat day and to recover ? Sometimes I wont go out for 3-4 weeks and will do exercise 6 days a week for 40-60 mins a time. Doing this after a week I feel great and full of energy.

Take things at a pace you feel comfortable with and don't expect change in 2-4 weeks of overall fitness although you will notice a difference from cutting down drink consumption . Good luck whatever you do !

[atyclb]

or switch to imported craft or belgium beer and you will run out of money to drink too much

[ndfdjnd]

On 8/28/2018 at 8:30 AM, seasia said:

I have had some superb responses.

 

Yours is the only exception.

 

It wasn't phrased politely but willpower is the key.

[MrY]

On 8/28/2018 at 10:25 AM, dotpoom said:

Go to a few AA meetings around Pattaya or Jomtien or anywhere in Thailand and first learn if you have an Alcohol problem.

 

If you haven't found Jesus yet and do not feel like you have adequate levels of guilt in you, then by all means. There is no chance AA will tell you you don't have a problem with alcohol though. For them any consumption equals alcoholism. They will also tell you you will always be an 'alcoholic' no matter what. How's that for chance of curing it?

 

On 8/28/2018 at 7:31 AM, jaiyen said:

Is there such a thing as AA in your area ? That would be a good group to assist you. You need to get a hobby that keeps you busy.  

 

How about Thaivisa? It seems pretty good as far as groups go. There is a lot of constructive replies here in addition to this standard "one size fits all" stuff. Something to keep you busy is not a bad idea.

 

On 8/28/2018 at 9:07 AM, jimcarr65 said:

If you are at the point now of asking a question like this with alcohol you most likely have a problem with it. The only solution is not cutting down, its abstinence. Find an AA meeting and attend for 90 days, if it's not for you then you are probably not alcoholic.

 

Most of us qualify. If your alcohol consumption has had a negative effect on your health (physical or mental), your relationships, OR (not and) your finances, you're an alcoholic. There, saved you a visit. Self help has way higher rates of success than AA.

 

Moderation or abstinence is all up to you. Good Luck.

[DualSportBiker]

21 hours ago, atyclb said:

or switch to imported craft or belgium beer and you will run out of money to drink too much

An excellent suggestion. However, there are now great craft beers brewed in Cambodia that are 'only' 140 Baht a bottle (small)

[5633572526]

Go see your doctor and get a physical. If that doesn’t convince you start planning your funeral.

3 of my friends have died from the effects of alcohol which is a great motivator for us who watch it happen so on the bright side maybe you can be an influence to others.

[MrY]

6 hours ago, 5633572526 said:

Go see your doctor and get a physical. If that doesn’t convince you start planning your funeral.

3 of my friends have died from the effects of alcohol which is a great motivator for us who watch it happen so on the bright side maybe you can be an influence to others.

 

This is one f***king gloomy post, furthest from being constructive or reasonable. Nothing said indicates he's on his way to an early grave.

 

End is nigh, but never mind crap posts like this OP. Keep on keeping on.

[atyclb]

17 minutes ago, MrY said:

7 hours ago, 5633572526 said:

Go see your doctor and get a physical. If that doesn’t convince you start planning your funeral.

3 of my friends have died from the effects of alcohol which is a great motivator for us who watch it happen so on the bright side maybe you can be an influence to others.

 

This is one f***king gloomy post, furthest from being constructive or reasonable. Nothing said indicates he's on his way to an early grave.

 

End is nigh, but never mind crap posts like this OP. Keep on keeping on.

 

gloomy to some, but for many others who know and have seen what alcohol can and does do to people a stellar post. don't forget, what motivates the alcoholic to stop is not the perception of pleasure but the negative consequences, pain, fear. fear of being sick / death has been an excellent motivator / wake up call for many. sadly for some they do not care about sickness or death.

[seasia]

23 hours ago, 5633572526 said:

Go see your doctor and get a physical. If that doesn’t convince you start planning your funeral.

3 of my friends have died from the effects of alcohol which is a great motivator for us who watch it happen so on the bright side maybe you can be an influence to others.

Whilst going to get a general check up is a valid  suggestion the rest of your post I find extreme and actually offensive.

 

I have been open about my drinking levels.

 

If someone was drinking say 2 large bottles of beer at lunch time then another couple in the evening would many people suggest arranging a funeral ? That is my current drinking level.

 

I will lower it.It will take some effort.I will make that effort.

You seem to be stating you would be happy to see me die, maybe I have mis read..

 

I`ve never reported a post nor placed anyone on ignore, I got close with your post.

 

I have had superb responses here overall so I can shrug  off your post quite easily.

 

I also have good friends that I have explained my aim to reduce. They understand and are supportive.

Including the drinkers amongst them.

 

 

 

 

 

[atyclb]

23 minutes ago, seasia said:

On 9/2/2018 at 3:03 PM, 5633572526 said:

Go see your doctor and get a physical. If that doesn’t convince you start planning your funeral.

3 of my friends have died from the effects of alcohol which is a great motivator for us who watch it happen so on the bright side maybe you can be an influence to others.

Whilst going to get a general check up is a valid  suggestion the rest of your post I find extreme and actually offensive.

 

I have been open about my drinking levels.

 

If someone was drinking say 2 large bottles of beer at lunch time then another couple in the evening would many people suggest arranging a funeral ? That is my current drinking level.

 

I will lower it.It will take some effort.I will make that effort.

You seem to be stating you would be happy to see me die, maybe I have mis read..

 

I`ve never reported a post nor placed anyone on ignore, I got close with your post.

 

I have had superb responses here overall so I can shrug  off your post quite easily.

 

I also have good friends that I have explained my aim to reduce. They understand and are supportive.

Including the drinkers amongst them.

 

 

with all due respect the reality of alcoholism is either #sobriety or #suffering though a multitude of emotional and/or medical illnesses towards an endpoint of either insanity (alcohol induced psychosis) or death via a multitude of illnesses or accidents or suicide.   using the term "funeral" is quite realistic and one need not take offense.

 

what was that saying about holding on to resentment is like holding hot coals in your hand?

[bangkok blue]

SeaAsia,

 

How you getting on? I recommend you look at an alcohol free support group called OYNB (One Year No Beer). It is very positive and has many great suggestions. The initial suggestion is take a 28 day break, then go for 90 day break. For the 90 day break, set a challenge to do at the end. I did a 10km run and have done several since and by next Friday, I will have achieved a whole year booze free. The benefits of being free of alcohol far outweigh the few brief hours of fun, when drinking, for me.

 

It is no ones place to suggest you suffer from Alcoholism, of that moderate drinking will lead to worse results in the future. You and only you can be the judge of that.

 

Just take a break. No worries if you get to 10, 20 or however many days and decide to have a few, but try and go long enough to see the real benefits. There are also a few Non Alcoholic varieties of beer popping up in Thailand. You could consider these, when drinking with friends, just in case you feel awkward with a soda water.

 

Above all else, stay safe and well! 

[SteveK]

Some very good advice in this thread.

 

Put 500 baht a day into a jar when you don't drink, and then after 60 days treat yourself (or your wife) to something amazing.

[Rc2702]

Make a sharp lifestyle change. I treat myself to one tin of 320ml Leo. I jump on the bike and go to a little spot by a lake and sip it. That's it. Not even a daily routine anymore just when I fancy it. The only time I have a beer religiously is when I land in se Asia.  Regardless of the time I buy a can and sit outside airport for 20 minutes with it. 

[seasia]

Hello bangkok blue

 

I`m OK

 

Thanks for a helpful and useful post. I`ll take a look at OYNB.

 

pr9spk

 

Thanks also yes decent idea.

 

You are right, the great majority of posts here have been good, some superb.

 

Thanks also to others that have taken the time to answer with some excellent suggestions.

 

They are appreciated.

[SteveK]

14 minutes ago, seasia said:

Hello bangkok blue

 

I`m OK

 

Thanks for a helpful and useful post. I`ll take a look at OYNB.

 

pr9spk

 

Thanks also yes decent idea.

 

You are right, the great majority of posts here have been good, some superb.

 

Thanks also to others that have taken the time to answer with some excellent suggestions.

 

They are appreciated.

Hope you get to where you want. In my professional opinion, I think 2-3 bottles a day won't hurt you so if you can taper down to that after a few weeks, you'll be ok. Starting to drink later in the day is massively beneficial, maybe take up something to do in the mornings. Fishing, gardening, DIY jobs that need doing, learning some Thai online or cooking, for example. Some people, me included have a certain genotype which makes alcohol more enjoyable than others, and if you've not got much to do, you'll always be tempted to get a few bottles in.

 

Unfortunately I wake up around 6 because of the roosters, and have run out of jobs by about midday, so after my lunch I often relax with a cold beer or two. It might put me in an early grave, but I can't afford to live forever anyway.

[MrY]

A dry period is definitely a stellar idea (make it yearly). A task at the end of it is a good idea too. Another thought (borrowed from a friend) is to set an activity level that "earns" you a drink. For example for each unit (small beer, shot, etc.) you have you gotta run a km/mile/league (adjust to your liking). Too much drinking will automatically take away your ability to earn more drinks... ?

 

(Note: Exercise during hangover may be downright dangerous.)

[Neeranam]

On 8/29/2018 at 9:15 PM, MrY said:

Most of us qualify. If your alcohol consumption has had a negative effect on your health (physical or mental), your relationships, OR (not and) your finances, you're an alcoholic. 

I don't agree. This is just your humble opinion.

[Neeranam]

On 9/6/2018 at 11:12 PM, MrY said:

(Note: Exercise during hangover may be downright dangerous.)

Why? 

I've heard that it's a great way to get rid of a hangover. 

If I had got hangovers, I might have not ended up being an alkie.