How to break the routine of drinking every night?

[Kadilo]

Sounds like you are bored. Like most bad habits we get into it becomes a routine more than an enjoyment so we get used to doing the same things day in day out. Break that routine and you break the habit.



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[Bogbrush]

Firstly, I’d find out if the booze has done/is doing anything bad to your health. I drink on average half a bottle of Sang Som and 6 beers - beers during the day, spirit at night - but I don’t feel any the worse for it: no hangover, etc. I then went for a blood test (mainly for cholesterol and sugar, PSI etc) and it came back with a Gamma count of 400+. 

 

Cut it a long story, I turned out to have fatty liver disease, arrhythmia and a lump in the tit - mastitis- all apparently caused by booze. A 30 day abstinence and low/no fat diet got the Gamma to 30 but I’m now on thinners (Xarelto) for life and the tit lump is still there, unfortunately. 

 

I asked the quack about about the future - he said “Your choice”...

 

 

[Rally123]

2 hours ago, Proboscis said:

Definitely NOT topiramate (topamax). This treates brain issues (mild epilepsy, migraine).

And it also treats alcoholics.

 

Quote

Studies have shown that the anticonvulsant topiramate reduces heavy drinking and increases abstinent days in alcohol-dependent individuals whose goal is to stop drinking

 

[murraynz]

i think its very sad for those that have to have booze every night,

there must be something seriously missing  ???

there must be other ways to occupy yourselves.

i DO  drink....but only weekly....perhaps im 'lucky'---i can easily stop for months or longer..

i have seen far too many problems caused by boozers---that helps to turn me off...

[johnnysunshine]

The way I gave up smoking was to discontinue buying so that I had to always ask someone for a ciggie...that helped me reduce and then cause I was feeling better, the contrast woke me up to enjoy feeling better.    The other idea is to replace your drinking alcohol with something like non-alcoholic beer or club soda with some lime or dilute your wine with soda.    It is much easier to substitute one habit with another than to go "cold turkey" because your body is looking for something liquid from your habit.    Also, hang out with folks who drink less.

[vogie]

Found a link to this drug topiramate, I hope Sheryl is monitoring this topic and would be so kind to give her opinion.

 

Topiramate, an anti-seizure drug usually prescribed for epileptic patients, is highly effective in helping alcohol-dependent individuals stop drinking. It is a derivative of the naturally occurring sugar monosaccharide D-fructose. Long-term studies show relatively few serious problems related to taking this drug for most people.

https://www.verywellmind.com/finally-a-pill-for-alcoholism-63400

 

 

 

[ndfdjnd]

Get a hobby, preferably something active that doesn't involve sitting around.  So many guys spend all their spare time in bars, it seems such a waste of your only life.

 

A lot of people drink a lot of alcohol because it's what everybody else does.  Society normalises it.  Adverts are everywhere.  If you ween yourself off alcohol, after a while you won't miss it and other drinks will taste just as good and you will crave them more.  The last time somebody made a thread like this I told them to simply swap the beer with a fresh fruit smoothie.  One guy replied that it was hard to imagine him sitting in a bar with a smoothie.  And that's the whole problem.  People copy everybody else and don't think properly about why they are doing what they are doing.  Don't be afraid to take a stand and do something different to what you and all your friends are doing.  They might mock you but you will be one step ahead of them.

 

People who drink alcohol with no intention of getting drunk especially makes no sense to me - a beer with a meal - why?  Drink water or orange juice.

 

If you enjoy drinking every night and it makes your life better then by all means, go ahead.  But I don't see too many happy faces in the average bar, and they're knocking years off their life expectancy, restricting their mobility and making them look more unattractive, all at the same time.

[connda]

If you can not stop even if you want to stop - you have a problem.  Start at AA, go from there. 

[ndfdjnd]

It might just be a willpower issue and a lack of anything else to do.

 

Does OP have any interests like sports or travelling or anything like that?

[orchidfan]

5 hours ago, worgeordie said:

I have never really drank alcohol, only as a youth,so never drank

for 40 plus years,and I am very happy without it,if I needed alcohol

to be happy,there would be something wrong,same with cigarettes,

only as a youth,could not be arsed to carry Cigs and matches or a lighter,

so i think i have saved quite a lot of money not having those habits,and

expect i would most likely have kicked the bucket if I had indulged over 

the years.

Those that choose to drink alcohol and cigs,OK its your health, your

money,but just stop and think for a moment,why you need too and

why it's such a big part of your life. CHEERS,

regards Worgeordie

Opposite to you...drank as a youth then Aviation discipline just didn't allow any excesses. ..then 65 and retirement and going from fast and challenging to snail's pace and semi - boredom. Here in the LOS beers and smokes are cheap (cheaper in Vietnam mind you)  life is slow "past"  family and friends far away.

Hard to go off to sleep without a few calming ales. ..other than reverting to pills.

[ndfdjnd]

2 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Exercise: Late day 5:30 - 6 -7:30pm. You wont' want it at night after this.

I agree with this.  Doctors advocate an hour of strenuous exercise every day.  Most people probably don't get that in a whole week.  When you've swam or ran for an hour you have no energy to do anything else.  The benefit on the side is you will get in good (or at least better) shape.

[ndfdjnd]

Just now, orchidfan said:

Hard to go off to sleep without a few calming ales. ..other than reverting to pills.

Exercise Sir, it knocks you out.  Give it a go.

[BobBKK]

I'm the same I love drinking everyday but trying to stop that but not drinking the first 3 nights of the week (Mon to Wed). Those are, to be honest, not a happy three nights and I get curious and unpleasant dreams as I'm probably at the low end of dependency.

 

It's only something I started when I retried here and I'm still debating "does it really matter" and I'm still pondering that but for now I get through those three days so i can enjoy a beer and whiskey on a Thursday evening to Sunday.

[BobBKK]

2 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

My father was an alcoholic and popped a lot of brain cells in his older age, bit like a child.

 

My late brother passed at 49 due to sclerosis of the liver, although the death certificate said kidney failure. He was put into respite care with all the older people waiting to die, after a couple of days he lost his sight, a day or later passed.

 

Its not a nice way to go, and it's a massive burden on any family, alcoholism is a disease and can be treated, but you have to be willing and I would say you are willing because you realise the impact it is having and you and you are only 40 years young.

 

I was fortunate enough to play part in convincing a good friend of mine that he was an alcoholic when we used to meet up once, twice a week with the boys back in Oz for a steak and a couple of schooners, he would down 3 schooners before our steaks arrived and leave straight after he ate, naturally I asked one of my mates (now deceased at 44) why the hell does he disappear after eating, the night has just begun, and his reply was so he can drive home (2 kilometres) up the road to avoid being busted by the booze bus while he drinks more at home, long of the short I was told his apartment was a brewery without beer as there were empty beer bottles strewn all over the place, plus loads of empty wine bottles.

 

My late brother couldn't beat the disease, and once it got a hold of him, he went onto the hard stuff, a bottle of whiskey in the morning and a bottle of ouzo at night, mum would go around to his place if he didn't answer the phone and find him in a pool of blood where he lay all night from his fall, either trying to make it to bed or the toilet, he was also taken to hospital on countless occasions by ambulance and put into an induced coma about 4 times, until the hospital washed its hands of him, i.e. they literally said, if you want to drink yourself to death, don't come here and of course the nurses wouldn't attend to his buzzer, me stopping in on the way to and from work to make sure he was fed, mum would also be there, but it wasn't what she wanted to see and when she lost him, well, what can I say, does any parent want to lose a child before they pass themselves, regardless of age.

 

My friend on the other hand checked into a clinic of which he stayed for I believe a week and was put on medication, he has been dry for years now, but I think the crunch came when the other friend who passed at 44, pulled him aside one night and said, I wish I had your disease because I could get cured, sadly he passed from bowel cancer, but made an impact on my other mate, because he told me both the other mate and myself drove it into his head with my story of my late brother as well.

 

I also like to have a drink, 3 small bottles of light beer twice a week when I frequent the xpats at the local bars, don't mind a glass of beer with the Mrs at night as well after dinner, or a glass of Vodka Soda Lime, but also know that I have to give my liver a break in between and have seen first hand what the effects of alcohol can do to a person, so try to keep it to twice a week.

 

Do whatever you can to save yourself, it's not the way you want to go, I don't have the answer, maybe it might take some investigation/research, even being checked into some clinic back home for a week like my mate did. Take up some hobbies, sleep in the afternoons, go for long walks, exercise. but don't go dry turkey, wean off it slowly, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, week 1, 5, week 2, 4, week 3, 3, and so on and so forth until your off it.

 

Best of luck anyways, life's too short as it is, enjoy the family while you can. 

Actually that's not true. Liver disease is known as one of the least painful ways to die.

 

Dying of liver failure is generally pain free. The liver is important in clearing metabolites from the blood stream. When the liver stops working, certain metabolites build up in the blood and suppress brain function. Pain perception and judgement are reduced, and the patients are generally unaware.

 

In early liver failure, there is increased drowsiness and sedation. As the liver failure progresses, the patient becomes more sleepy and then eventually slips into a coma.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/quora/what-is-the-least-painful_b_2192191.html

 

I'd rather die of liver failure than cancer, strokes, altzheimer's etc.

 

If you can keep the drinking to a moderate standard and not need to drink daytimes and dont get 'the shakes' and stuff it's just how many days is applicable and the quality vs quantity of life balance.

[bri1guy]

I take one day off a week, usually Tuesday , you should try it, just stay out of the bars that night and go to a movie or go to beach all day and go to sleep early.    Its sometimes difficult to sleep that night but  one day off a week is  52days off a year which is a good enough for me ..

[Lacessit]

8 hours ago, Rally123 said:

I believe there is medication that makes you feel sick if you drink alcohol. I think it's called 'Topiramate'?

Also called Antabuse. Apparently it provokes violent nausea after even a small amount of alcohol is drunk.

[MrPatrickThai]

2 hours ago, vogie said:

Topiramate, an anti-seizure drug usually prescribed for epileptic patients, is highly effective in helping alcohol-dependent individuals stop drinking. 

No it isn't. Most alkies I know didn't quit when using this drug.

[MrPatrickThai]

5 hours ago, BritManToo said:

90% of everyone's life is unhappy.

It's the 10% you live for.

(unless you're retarded, they seem happy most of the time)

I'd say I'm happy 90% of the time.

 

What a sad statistic, did you make that up?

 

[Suradit69]

Mix the booze with something gross like sauerkraut juice. Sip away.

[startracker]

Thanks, but I won't go the drug route just yet. ?

[Pdavies99]

Go out a little later, start with a Soda etc, stop swigging down the beer, enjoy its taste more by drinking a little slower...set yourself a time limit.

 

Don't go out every night, go see a movie, get a good lady (I know thats impossible...Ha Ha!)

 

Go out of Pattaya sometimes, (if that where you live) get a dog, do some fitness etc.

 

Its not that hard, more a mindset for many.

 

Good luck!

[Blue bruce]

I was doing the same , drinking a few beers or wine everyday. One day i decided to take a month off just to see what it felt like. Now i have a beer every now and again. To most drinking is only a habit. Give yourself a time table ,1 week , 1 month, see how you feel, that's the only way to tell if it's a habit or you are an alcoholic. Good Luck

[Lacessit]

I don't intend to stop drinking entirely. However, I only drink on weekends now. I substitute cola or soda for my usual alcohol intake on weekdays. I have a couple of whiskies and a beer at dinner on the weekends, maybe a large beer for lunch as well.

Substitution is probably a reasonably painless strategy, because one is following a familiar ritual.

We do have to accept our tolerance for alcohol decreases as we age. Plus years of overindulgence can do permanent damage, although the liver will repair itself if it is given a chance and cirrhosis has not taken over.

[4MyEgo]

53 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

Actually that's not true. Liver disease is known as one of the least painful ways to die.

 

Dying of liver failure is generally pain free. The liver is important in clearing metabolites from the blood stream. When the liver stops working, certain metabolites build up in the blood and suppress brain function. Pain perception and judgement are reduced, and the patients are generally unaware.

 

In early liver failure, there is increased drowsiness and sedation. As the liver failure progresses, the patient becomes more sleepy and then eventually slips into a coma.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/quora/what-is-the-least-painful_b_2192191.html

 

I'd rather die of liver failure than cancer, strokes, altzheimer's etc.

 

If you can keep the drinking to a moderate standard and not need to drink daytimes and dont get 'the shakes' and stuff it's just how many days is applicable and the quality vs quantity of life balance.

I think you may have misunderstood me when I wrote. "it's not a nice way to die" in my previous reply at #25

 

I was referring to dying of alcoholism whereby I watched my brother literally drowning in whiskey, vodka, ouzo, pick your flavour, the findings of him on the floor with blood on his head from passing out when either trying to go to bed or the toilet after drinking heavily all day, the stench of vomit and urine in his carpet throughout the house he lived in alone, the loss of control of his bowel adding to the stench at home and at the hospital, I could go on, but I think you may understand what I am on about when I said "it's not a nice way to die". Watching him in hospital after he came out of his induced coma each time just staring into thin air, not talking, but anxiously waiting to get out so he can get his hands on a bottle of Johnny Red.

 

He knew he was an alcoholic, he attended AA meetings, he tried his best to get a grip on it, but at the end it got him.

 

I think what the original poster is saying is that he recognises that he has a problem and is looking for ways to control it and for anyone to say drink to a moderate standard is passing the buck in my opinion, so I won't agree with what you are saying, although I respect your right to put forward your opinion. So don't think I am having a go.

 

Personally from what I am reading, is he needs to get off the drink gradually and when off it altogether, is to give it a miss for a while and then perhaps when his liver has had a good cleanse, drink two days a week in moderation. 

 

 

[xylophone]

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

However, I only drink on weekends now

I've cut back also and only drink wine on any day with a Y in it!

 

Actually I have cut back from the usual bottle per night (red wine) to about half a bottle and never drink during the day, so I'm happy with that.

[Gecko123]

I can relate to the habit of late afternoon drinking which I indulged in for many years after long days doing chores and working outside in the garden. But I stopped drinking entirely in June of last year, and almost never drank more than a couple of large Leos per night.

 

I'd recommend the OP check his blood work. This provided some motivation for me. With the alcohol consumption he cited, there is a good chance his blood sugar, triglyceride, possibly his cholesterol levels and BMI reading may be elevated. Drinking also disturbs sleep patterns, which can lead to daytime lethargy and contribute to depression which can reinforce the sedentary drinking further.

 

I didn't find it that difficult to quit drinking. Gradually tapered off over a two week period, starting an exercise program, drinking plenty of water and getting plenty of sleep worked for me. I noticed improved sleep almost immediately after stopping drinking.

 

Good luck.

[dotpoom]

9 hours ago, wgdanson said:

It's called a skinfull the night before lol

Wrong!....the drink the following morning, after a heavy night's drinking the night before,....is called a "cure"...for a reason 

   IE ...."going for a curer".

[Gloucester]

For Boredom, maybe audio books or old Combat movies from youtube?

 

 

 

 

[dotpoom]

37 minutes ago, MrPatrickThai said:

No it isn't. Most alkies I know didn't quit when using this drug.

Antibooze it was known as in my day. It wouldn't quell the desire for alcohol ...but it would certainly make a person think twice, or three or four times before drinking while taking it. If one was to drink while on it....a violent reaction followed...a reaction one would not forget for the rest of his/her life.

[blinkers]

Luckey Luke says not drinking is only a financial matter, totally incorrect I have to say. its a lot of things, health and fitness, family, self esteem, and on and on.

 

I just looked at it one day and thought I can't be bothered with this, I'm not really enjoying it any more, so I just stopped, didn't buy any more and actually didn't miss it, not everyone is the same however and you may need to work at it, like taking alternative action, a walk, a glass of something not alcoholic, yes, even a dog if your so inclined. Take the kids out or the wife if you have them, find a hobby, something you enjoy doing, play golf there's lots of things if you stop and think about it.

 

I actually don't think it will be that hard for you because you know already that you want to stop. The twice in the last 12 months I have had one drink, I get annoyed with myself for bothering as I never enjoy it.