Alcohol free for 10 months, incredibly bored,but two stone lighter!

[Scouse123]

10 months ago up in Isaarn,fed up of lockdown and bored going to Mom and Pop shops to sit and drink beer, usually alone, until late afternoon, when the shop owner would join me at sundown,I decided I was fed up of the routine, the bloated look, and ever changing rules and closures with Covid etc

 

I just decided to quit for a while. I am not alcohol dependent but I can drink a lot without being drunk, It all seemed pointless,then to get on the scales and be surprised why my weight was rising. also I felt I was drinking for the sake of it.

 

So in effect, it wasn't any grand plan, I just stopped drinking.I went walking around the local lake doing four then five miles a day, although that has ceased with rains, multi roadwork projects going outside the lake and local feral dogs that are a problem for everybody.

 

 I am a couple of stones lighter, my money situation will be healthier although I never looked at that, then or now.

 

I get on their nerves of my other half and family at the houses because all I want to do is DIY and maintenance, I am bored trying to fill my days, even visiting Tesco when I don't need anything, hours on the computer or watching history channel TV

 

I am 59 and have come to the conclusion, I might just quit as I haven't missed it, the benefits of stopping seem to outweigh the fun I had drinking, unless it's just Covid blues.

 

Also, being unable to travel without many hoops to jump through, and lack of English conversation up here.

 

But quitting has brought me problems of filling my days up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nikmar]

I made the same decision as you for pretty much the same reason. I consider myself borderline alcoholic but have gone a week and 4 days with no alcohol. As of yet, i dont really feel much in the way of benefit except a bit of money saved and a clearer head. 

I am missing my evening beers though. My days are a little grey and devoid of excitement. In an effort to eliviate this, I ve started watching Youtube history channels. Currently teaching myself about the Protestant Reformation. 

Raising my glass of soda water to you, heres to sobriety and bettering ourselves, also cheers to Martin Luther.

[ohpont]

I have been asked many times, "What do old people do when they retire?" 

Well .. I am lucky to have a chemical-technical education, with this knowledge I am able to convert beer, wine and vodka into urine! 

I do it every day and I have a lot of fun doing it!

 

Regards.

 

[2long]

Well done to the OP, and best of luck to nikmar.

Every year I set myself a goal better than the previous year. And so far it is working great.

Year #1 Minimum 10 dry days per month. They can be any days (not connected) depending on my mood and situation.

Year #2 Minimum 50% of the days in the year dry.

Year #3 MAXIMUM 150 drinking days in the year.

Year #4 (2021) MAXIMUM 120 drinking days in the year.

Doing it over the year works for me because I can manage days drinking when I feel like it or friends visit. This year I went dry throughout January (to give myself some credit / a headstart), and I had a few diving trips when I drank 5 days straight. We're at the end of July and I have had 66 beer days so far, so well on track.

I like a beer (as many of us do) but it was becoming a habit and not appreciated. Now I go two or three dry days and look forward to the beer day. It also fits in perfectly with my exercise, where I run three mornings, and rest on my hangover morning.

 

But like any diet, the best system is the one that works for you.

 

Best of luck however you do it.

 

ps. as for feral dogs, they will not bite you. Stand your ground and look in the eyes of the alpha male. They will always back down. Now on my morning jogs I have several gangs of dogs which are my friends!  

 

[ronster]

Went to uk last June and returned here in February and only drank for first time about two weeks ago . Didn’t miss it a bit and made my thought process very clear and I did notice how much your skin improves from not drinking . I would normally only drink once a week or so before. Also I found I could sleep within minutes of going to bed and always had a good deep sleep. 

[clivebaxter]

One thing more boring than a drunk is an ex drunk forever telling people how long it is since they had a drink. You don't have to give up entirely and pose as a saint, you can always cut down by having 2-3 days off drinking a week, and still loose weight.

[findlay13]

I gave up about 20 years ago.Don't worry the two stone will come back in time,mine did????

[tandor]

18 hours ago, 2long said:

Well done to the OP, and best of luck to nikmar.

Every year I set myself a goal better than the previous year. And so far it is working great.

Year #1 Minimum 10 dry days per month. They can be any days (not connected) depending on my mood and situation.

Year #2 Minimum 50% of the days in the year dry.

Year #3 MAXIMUM 150 drinking days in the year.

Year #4 (2021) MAXIMUM 120 drinking days in the year.

Doing it over the year works for me because I can manage days drinking when I feel like it or friends visit. This year I went dry throughout January (to give myself some credit / a headstart), and I had a few diving trips when I drank 5 days straight. We're at the end of July and I have had 66 beer days so far, so well on track.

I like a beer (as many of us do) but it was becoming a habit and not appreciated. Now I go two or three dry days and look forward to the beer day. It also fits in perfectly with my exercise, where I run three mornings, and rest on my hangover morning.

 

But like any diet, the best system is the one that works for you.

 

Best of luck however you do it.

 

ps. as for feral dogs, they will not bite you. Stand your ground and look in the eyes of the alpha male. They will always back down. Now on my morning jogs I have several gangs of dogs which are my friends!  

 

you certainly have made good friends with them..they all look in good condition too..great vid.

[findlay13]

4 minutes ago, clivebaxter said:

One thing more boring than a drunk is an ex drunk forever telling people how long it is since they had a drink. You don't have to give up entirely and pose as a saint, you can always cut down by having 2-3 days off drinking a week, and still loose weight.

Or a someone telling another just to "do this " or "do that"

 

[mfd101]

21 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

But quitting has brought me problems of filling my days up.

You could always try reading a book.

[unblocktheplanet]

August 2019 for me, to improve my sleep. It did not but I lost 20lbs. It seemed pointless to go back to drink so it drifted away.

 

I have plenty to do, mostly computer, learning news things, keeping myself well-informed & recording Covid stats.

 

But socially, I am now the death of the party. I go to bed religiously at 930pm or I have too few hours of sleep. No theatre, orchestra, opera--they last too late.

 

So I'm not bored but bored with myself. I am a changed man but I'm not very easy with the changes.

[Mickeymaus]

At these beers you can buy here you really have to force yourself to become an alcoholic...

[Scouse123]

1 hour ago, clivebaxter said:

One thing more boring than a drunk is an ex drunk forever telling people how long it is since they had a drink. You don't have to give up entirely and pose as a saint, you can always cut down by having 2-3 days off drinking a week, and still loose weight.

Hahahaha,

 

I think your response says more about you than it does about me! The walking for weight loss was because I was unhappy with the ' beer bloated look'

 

Som,e of us find it easier to not have any at all then place ourselves under a self imposed limit. I am one of them. I am also saying I am not particularly quitting forever, I may be just miserable under the current covid climate and if I bump into pals when this pandemic is behind us, I probably will drink.

 

I actually said I gave up because I was bored with it, drinking became a chore!, same old, same old, no company or English conversation and I can only speak to the Thais so much as you can't really form friendships with your landlord, whose job it is to sell beer.

 

I don't care if you have 50 pints a day, up to you. The same goes when I quit smoking 16 years ago, I have never criticized smokers, although it turned out for the best as society now views smokers as pariahs.

 

Yours

 

Saint Scouse.

[Scouse123]

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

You could always try reading a book.

I am a good reader but I find reading online a lot easier these days to get the type of reading we want and it is easier and faster. I binge on history channel TV, You tube documentaries and I read articles in Flipboard, Pinterest, Pocket and other publications.

 

Just very bored with it all at the minute, and I have been here a very long time now, not felt like this before.

 

Covid blues I think.

 

I have come up with ideas to develop the land but none of them are the slightest bit interested in helping themselves or me helping them to become self sufficient, yet I see neighbours doing it.

 

The mother talks about being terrified of Covid but rejected the chance of the vaccine in June!

 

 

 

 

 

[mfd101]

4 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

I am a good reader but I find reading online a lot easier these days to get the type of reading we want and it is easier and faster. I binge on history channel TV, You tube documentaries and I read articles in Flipboard, Pinterest, Pocket and other publications.

 

Just very bored with it all at the minute, and I have been here a very long time now, not felt like this before.

 

Covid blues I think.

 

I have come up with ideas to develop the land but not of them are the slightest bit interested.

 

The mother talks about being terrified of Covid but rejected the chance of the vaccine in June!

Yes, I can share in just about all of that. Most of my reading is digital now, but easy to get bored.

 

As for projects for home or garden improvement, difficult to get the b/f interested and I'm certainly not allowed to do anything on my own (questions of status) ...

 

And stirring up action on vax is proving difficult. Even just to inquire at the local hospitals. Noone in the family interested in Sinovax (including mostly me but I'm willing to have one now if I can combine with AZ or P or M for the 2nd round).

[Cricky]

Last year I gave up for 2 x 100 day periods, and try to have alcohol free periods from then on.

its difficult what to do with all the spare time, I had too much time doing nothing.

I bought a condo, ground floor, balcony only a few metres from the swimming pool, its a new complex with nice gym and pool, only a few hundred metres from my house.

I was 97kg, now I'm 84kg. I would go to the gym twice a day and stay in the pool for hours.

Too bad about the gym and pool closures, it would be nice if the Chonburi governor would allow condo management. to regulate 1, 2 or 3 people at a time to use the gym (sign in sheet), same for the swimming pools, have security monitor the activity.

Staying healthy is very important to allow your body to deal with the virus if you get infected.

 

[MrJ2U]

Good for you!

Probably saved a bit of cash also.

 

Try to get some hobbies to keep you occupied. 

[khunPer]

On 7/29/2021 at 5:53 AM, Scouse123 said:

But quitting has brought me problems of filling my days up.

Well done...????
Find something that interests you, and get just as passionate with that, as you once were with enjoying a beer, or even more passionate. If you are into social media, like posting in ASEN New forum, there might be a few of the many groups on Facebook, which are sharing stuff that you might find interesting - I for example follows a few that makes me wish that I had a lot more time available...????

[siftasam]

Great idea, nikmar! BUT the very estimable Martin Luther (except for the fact that he was very anti-semitic, at least in his later years)  espoused BEER as one of his great 'treatments' for depression. He suffered badly from depression (as well he might, having been excommunicated and under constant threat of arrest and execution).

But Luther was a wise old bird. Of course, he was a great reader, especially his own translation of the Bible!

 

 His other 3 great 'treatments' for depression were:

 

Love of family - a married monk (!) he had 6 children (so, read love of sex?)

Music and singing (karaoke?)

Hard physical work - yoke up the oxen to the plough and get at it! (with a beer or two for sustenance, of course)

 

Maybe the last one could be recommended to some of our younger brethren at home in the UK, when they sit yawning in front of the tele moaning 'Ugh, can't do anything today. I feel depressed.'

[driver52]

8 minutes ago, siftasam said:

espoused BEER as one of his great 'treatments' for depression. He suffered badly from depression

sounds like an id10t error to me! So he never realised it was the booze that was making him depressed? lol ????

[SW Happy]

On 7/29/2021 at 8:28 AM, 2long said:

Well done to the OP, and best of luck to nikmar.

Every year I set myself a goal better than the previous year. And so far it is working great.

Year #1 Minimum 10 dry days per month. They can be any days (not connected) depending on my mood and situation.

Year #2 Minimum 50% of the days in the year dry.

Year #3 MAXIMUM 150 drinking days in the year.

Year #4 (2021) MAXIMUM 120 drinking days in the year.

Doing it over the year works for me because I can manage days drinking when I feel like it or friends visit. This year I went dry throughout January (to give myself some credit / a headstart), and I had a few diving trips when I drank 5 days straight. We're at the end of July and I have had 66 beer days so far, so well on track.

I like a beer (as many of us do) but it was becoming a habit and not appreciated. Now I go two or three dry days and look forward to the beer day. It also fits in perfectly with my exercise, where I run three mornings, and rest on my hangover morning.

 

But like any diet, the best system is the one that works for you.

 

Best of luck however you do it.

 

ps. as for feral dogs, they will not bite you. Stand your ground and look in the eyes of the alpha male. They will always back down. Now on my morning jogs I have several gangs of dogs which are my friends!  

 

Nice video. You got some loyal friends there.

[geisha]

Scouse123, don’t go back to drinking every day. Boredom is normal in these times. That will,pass, and try and keep yourself busy. I had restaurants, and after work, often had a few drinks, sometimes I was amazed at how much we all drank, I counted a month once , and it’s shocking. I’ve known drunks, and believe me, none of them were happy or got anywhere in life apart from the bar stool. I’m not anti alcohol, if I go to a restaurant, I’ll have 2 glasses of good wine, maybe even an aperitif, but then I might not have another drink for 2/3 weeks, and over lockdown, many months on end. Remember something, drinking does not make you happier than when you don’t drink, and it does !!!! take a toll on your liver and general health. Go for it.

[bbko]

OP I was/am in the same boat as you, 58 and for a while I was finishing off a box of big Leo bottles in a few days and I wasn't getting drunk, it was just a evening habit of drinking.  Then it dawned on me, a big box of Leo @ aprox 610 b every 2-3 days without the "fun" of getting drunk is a worthless habit and just a waste of money.  Now I'm dry most days, but still human, dry 5/wet 2 (thank you Sang Som).  Stay safe.

[hellohello123]

im not in thailand and have never been a big drinker. never drank at home, only drank when i went out, so once or twice a week, if i went out clubbing/bar hopping id go all out (ie a typical binge drinker)

ever since covid, ive been having 1-3 double shots of whatever i have about 5 days per week

 

the scale of the change in behaviour is quite alarming,

thank god i get typsy very quickly, and after 3 double shots i can barely walk straight

 

also doesnt help that a former friend who had a bottle shop that closed down, was storing his leftover stock at my place, gave it all to me, and ive been trying it all, all 100 bottles odd of scotch, bourbon, vodka gin

[kwak250]

Well i always have a few leo's watching the football at the weekend as long as its not on at 2am

 

Always tell myself its only because football is on that i have a beer 

 

Problem is when football season is over i find i am watching tennis with a beer.

Never been desperate enough to watch cricket i think the history channel would be more appealing. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Scouse123]

This thread seems to have just resurrected itself on the forum.

 

I am no longer 10 months without alcohol.......I am now over and past 11 months.

 

A bottle of Dom Perignon will be ordered when they they drop these quarantine rules and simplify and standardize restrictions globally.

[asean]

First of all please give yourself a huge pat on the back. The full benefits and gratitude for your decision won't be fully realised until next year sometime... it only gets better...

[MrJ2U]

Good for you!

 

Keep it up.

 

The boredom will continue until you get some hobbies.

Also being in a state of lockdown doesn't help!

 

The money you saved could be used for a well deserved beach resort holiday.

 

I'm stoked for you.

[mrfill]

On 7/30/2021 at 3:32 AM, Scouse123 said:

I am a good reader but I find reading online a lot easier these days to get the type of reading we want and it is easier and faster. I binge on history channel TV, You tube documentaries and I read articles in Flipboard, Pinterest, Pocket and other publications.

 

Just very bored with it all at the minute, and I have been here a very long time now, not felt like this before.

 

Covid blues I think.

 

I have come up with ideas to develop the land but none of them are the slightest bit interested in helping themselves or me helping them to become self sufficient, yet I see neighbours doing it.

 

The mother talks about being terrified of Covid but rejected the chance of the vaccine in June!

 

 

 

 

 

When I stopped and suddenly had the extra money I started buying old motorbikes and tinkering. I have 10 now...  That sorted out the days. I also bought a good ukulele and learned how to play (its easy...). Now I can drive people mad in the evenings as well. ????

[EVENKEEL]

I dislike quitters.