Have you done it or tried it? I stopped for 1 to 2 months a few times. Got a bit bored. Going whole fitness thing really isnt that exciting. Seems normal to drink.

Every alcoholic I ever met with a drinking problem always insisted it is normal to drink.

Yeah I did in 1985 - best thing I ever did. 😄 - Personally I've never seen the benefit, nor understood some people's compulsion for drinking.

Just now, CharlieH said:

Yeah I did in 1985 - best thing I ever did. 😄 - Personally I've never seen the benefit, nor understood some people's compulsion for drinking.

Do you have any "bad habits"? I gave up gambling and drinking and life seemed boring.

8 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Do you have any "bad habits"? I gave up gambling and drinking and life seemed boring.

Its what you choose to make of it, and what makes you happy.Each to their own.

57 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Have you done it or tried it? I stopped for 1 to 2 months a few times. Got a bit bored. Going whole fitness thing really isnt that exciting. Seems normal to drink.

I switched over to cannnabis. The alcohol was taking too much of a toll on my body. I think I prefer alcohol, though. More of an uplifting experience for me.

Just now, CharlieH said:

Its what you choose to make of it, and what makes you happy.Each to their own.

1 minute ago, davb said:

I switched over to cannnabis. The alcohol was taking too much of a toll on my body. I think I prefer alcohol, though. More of an uplifting experience for me.

More social. More outgoing. I mainly drink quality whisky or light beer.

9 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

I gave up gambling and drinking and life seemed boring.

So you stopped wrecking your bank account and your health and now life feels boring. Tragic. Clearly the problem is too much self control. You should jump right back into drinking and gambling and really commit this time. Double down on whatever amount you were doing before. That should make things more fulfilling than last time. And if that still doesn't do it, add in a bit of China white.

1 hour ago, Harrisfan said:

Have you done it or tried it?

No way!

First you need to figure out why you drink alcohol. For myself, it complimented my sex addiction.

I certain sipped a lot more when single, than in a relationship. I actually enjoy a decent Ale, Mojito, or Long Isle Iced Tea. Was never a true Alky, need vs entertainment. It can be socially addicting, especially if one's life revolves around drinking establishment, which I always found to be quite boring.

Add that to the crap beer in TH, or silly price of a decent imported one or 'craft' beer, and it's easy not to drink at all. Alcohol isn't my first choice for a beverage, and if it is for you, then yea, you have a problem, especially if drinking more than one, without food.

If every time you crack open a beer, or favorite tipple and find yourself on #3, then you probably have a problem, especially if it's more than once or twice a week.

I reached drinking age at the start of the UK pub culture era.

My entire social life was centered around pubs.

I ended up being an alcoholic.

Fortunately I have strong will power and gave up drinking and smoking many years ago.

I would still go out drinking with my buddies but only have soft drinks.

Yes, life is a bit boring now but that is because all my buddies have died and not because I miss the booze.

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

First you need to figure out why you drink alcohol. For myself, it complimented my sex addiction.

I certain sipped a lot more when single, than in a relationship. I actually enjoy a decent Ale, Mojito, or Long Isle Iced Tea. Was never a true Alky, need vs entertainment. It can be socially addicting, especially if one's life revolves around drinking establishment, which I always found to be quite boring.

Add that to the crap beer in TH, or silly price of a decent imported one or 'craft' beer, and it's easy not to drink at all. Alcohol isn't my first choice for a beverage, and if it is for you, then yea, you have a problem, especially if drinking more than one, without food.

If every time you crack open a beer, or favorite tipple and find yourself on #3, then you probably have a problem, especially if it's more than once or twice a week.

Yeah Thai beer is crap. Western nations are better for drinking. Lots more choices.

I took the oath back in 1988 and don't miss it at all. And I haven't woken up in anyone's front yard or wondered where all that money in my wallet went last night.

Turns out that trauma and drama aren't the same as "fun".

Haven't been drunk in about 20 years. Ive had a beer here or there but never more than that.

Don't miss anything about it.

19 minutes ago, blaze master said:

Haven't been drunk in about 20 years. Ive had a beer here or there but never more than that.

Don't miss anything about it.

I normally dont drink more than one rum and coke maybe 3x per year. But lately, here in the mountains, I have to be hospitable so I say thank you to the offered homemade Chacha. It only takes one or two to require a two day recovery period.

My drinking days are long over LOL

2 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

I normally dont drink more than one rum and coke maybe 3x per year. But lately, here in the mountains, I have to be hospitable so I say thank you to the offered homemade Chacha. It only takes one or two to require a two day recovery period.

My drinking days are long over LOL

Back early 2000s I lived in hat yai. When I learned you could bring a bottle of sangsom into the bar and order ice and coke all night.

Well.

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

First you need to figure out why you drink alcohol. For myself, it complimented my sex addiction.

I certain sipped a lot more when single, than in a relationship. I actually enjoy a decent Ale, Mojito, or Long Isle Iced Tea. Was never a true Alky, need vs entertainment. It can be socially addicting, especially if one's life revolves around drinking establishment, which I always found to be quite boring.

Add that to the crap beer in TH, or silly price of a decent imported one or 'craft' beer, and it's easy not to drink at all. Alcohol isn't my first choice for a beverage, and if it is for you, then yea, you have a problem, especially if drinking more than one, without food.

If every time you crack open a beer, or favorite tipple and find yourself on #3, then you probably have a problem, especially if it's more than once or twice a week.

I agree as I find the beer in Thailand to be atrocious, though I do think Carabao is better than the rest of them, and at least it gives me one halfway decent beer to drink.

In general I prefer good wine but as we all know it's difficult to find here, and it's very overpriced, so I tend not to drink much at all, and I sometimes go weeks without a drink. And I barely miss it. When I'm back in the US I do enjoy good wine, because I have access to outstanding selections at reasonable prices. And good wine is available at auction back there for far less than retail, with 5 to 20 years of bottle age.

My heart goes out to the guys who feel the need to drink everyday, as it's just pollution on the liver and the body, and anything that becomes a daily habit kind of loses its luster for me.

But to each his own, whatever works for you.

I have a good friend who was drinking everyday, sometimes in excess, and she got in a car wreck and wrapped her car around a telephone pole while driving home drunk. She's been sober ever since, it's been 2 months now and she did it without therapy, without rehab, and without the use of AA. That takes real heart and soul.

I wish my oldest friend (since 1965), gave up his daily drinking a long time ago, as he fell a couple of years ago while drunk and hit his head. After he was admitted and they did tests, his Dementia was diagnosed, vascular dementia, and he's been losing it more along the way. A very intelligent man who's addiction was fueled by both parents addictions, his mom dying from it indirectly. He's walked the Appalachian Trail twice, along with walking almost everywhere else, daily, as he lost his driver's license in New Jersey quite awhile ago from 3 DWI's, and never really went back after it. Now he's in an assisted living place, only leaving to visit family close. He could leave, but he did leave from the first one and was walking in traffic saying they're all after me, so now he's gotten used to staying there, likely understanding it's a good place for him.

16 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I agree as I find the beer in Thailand to be atrocious, though I do think Carabao is better than the rest of them, and at least it gives me one halfway decent beer to drink.

In general I prefer good wine but as we all know it's difficult to find here, and it's very overpriced, so I tend not to drink much at all, and I sometimes go weeks without a drink. And I barely miss it. When I'm back in the US I do enjoy good wine, because I have access to outstanding selections at reasonable prices. And good wine is available at auction back there for far less than retail, with 5 to 20 years of bottle age.

My heart goes out to the guys who feel the need to drink everyday, as it's just pollution on the liver and the body, and anything that becomes a daily habit kind of loses its luster for me.

But to each his own, whatever works for you.

Good post @Spidermike, much of which I agree with and although in my youth I was a beer drinker, meeting friends at pubs and parties and occasionally getting "elephants trunk" (drunk), but having said that I never felt the need for alcohol and apart from a couple of stints in Libya where homebrewed "White lightning" was the tipple, I eased off beer in my late 20s and switched to red wine, which I still enjoy to this day.

On that subject, I buy about 12 bottles at a time here in Thailand from importers/distributors and only drink "the good stuff". I always keep a stock of at least a dozen bottles of good red wine in my wine fridge/cooler and I won't touch any of the "fruit wine" because I reason that at my age I deserve good red wine! And I can't remember the last time I had a beer, although I do cringe when I see farangs sitting at bars here at 10:30 AM or thereabouts and in a way, I pity them.

I have collected and studied wine since the early 70s and have been lucky enough to visit many vineyards in France, Australia and New Zealand and talk to and learn from the owners, however strangely enough my favourite red wine at the moment is from Lodi in California and is made from the Petite Sirah (a.k.a. Durif) grape although I am a great fan of the Appasimento wines from Italy.

Getting back on track, I don't feel I need to give up my red wine drinking because I only drink it with my evening meal and then only three glasses or so and if offered a beer or wine during the daytime, I will politely decline the offer.

I suppose I could use the term "everything in moderation" with respect to my alcohol intake, and as I truly enjoy the taste of a good red wine, there is nothing about beer that would tempt me to switch to it, so getting back to the title of the thread, I see no need to give up alcohol.

No one likes a quitter.

I have never given up drinking per se. I just can't be bothered to get a headache.

I'll have a beer if with friends as long as I have a driver. I never drink when driving as I don't want to lose my darling MX-5 for any reason.

'A man without a drink is like a sail without wind'

I like drinking.

Far safer than pharmaceuticals, too.

27 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Good post @Spidermike, much of which I agree with and although in my youth I was a beer drinker, meeting friends at pubs and parties and occasionally getting "elephants trunk" (drunk), but having said that I never felt the need for alcohol and apart from a couple of stints in Libya where homebrewed "White lightning" was the tipple, I eased off beer in my late 20s and switched to red wine, which I still enjoy to this day.

On that subject, I buy about 12 bottles at a time here in Thailand from importers/distributors and only drink "the good stuff". I always keep a stock of at least a dozen bottles of good red wine in my wine fridge/cooler and I won't touch any of the "fruit wine" because I reason that at my age I deserve good red wine! And I can't remember the last time I had a beer, although I do cringe when I see farangs sitting at bars here at 10:30 AM or thereabouts and in a way, I pity them.

I have collected and studied wine since the early 70s and have been lucky enough to visit many vineyards in France, Australia and New Zealand and talk to and learn from the owners, however strangely enough my favourite red wine at the moment is from Lodi in California and is made from the Petite Sirah (a.k.a. Durif) grape although I am a great fan of the Appasimento wines from Italy.

Getting back on track, I don't feel I need to give up my red wine drinking because I only drink it with my evening meal and then only three glasses or so and if offered a beer or wine during the daytime, I will politely decline the offer.

I suppose I could use the term "everything in moderation" with respect to my alcohol intake, and as I truly enjoy the taste of a good red wine, there is nothing about beer that would tempt me to switch to it, so getting back to the title of the thread, I see no need to give up alcohol.

I was into wine much the same as you, collecting and studying it. I wish I could have, and still can, visit some European wineries, as Europe is still in my bucket list. Especially the Mosel and Rhine in Germany, and a few in France. I've only been to a few in Texas and New Jersey. Texas has come a long way in making wine. I once had over 750 bottles but by the time I moved here, almost all had been enjoyed by myself and a few wine lovers. I once shared a 1953 Chateau Latour with my oldest friend in a Chinese restaurant, along with a 1970 Lafite at another time. They are likely my favorite reds, along with a good Californian Cabernet.

Yes, I gave up.

When you can turn up to a party and have the confidence to be yourself and engage with people there successfully without hiding behind the liquid courage of alcohol, you know you're onto a good thing.

I went to the Barossa, Claire Valley, Mclaren Vale regions. Best shirazs in the world. Kept a bottle for 10 years. Gee it was nice.

22 minutes ago, Woke to Sounds said:

'A man without a drink is like a sail without wind'

I like drinking.

Far safer than pharmaceuticals, too.

I prefer a tag team. 555

I am off alcohol right now and have been for two months.

I regularly stop for months at a time when I am going to the Gym.

My goals are weight loss and overall fitness as I age. I will drink again as I enjoy socialising.

I had to stop drinking alcohol about 18 months ago due to health problems. I thought it would be difficult, but it hasn’t been a problem at all, even though I sometimes miss having a glass of wine or a couple of beers.

Before that, I drank regularly — not heavily, but a couple of beers, drinks, or glasses of wine almost every day.

40 minutes ago, Woke to Sounds said:

Far safer than pharmaceuticals, too.

Have to disagree, as pharmaceuticals, way better (if going for buzz), and no hangover. Depending on use level, way healthier on the body.

DISCLAIMER: NOT recommended for the novice, or without knowing your chemist, if not from a pharmacy, per se.