Doing It The Hard Way...

[StreetCowboy]

I had a night out Friday.......one Beer, at the Hotel where my friend was staying, while he changed......we were going for meal where you took your own.......he bought a bottle of rum and drank all but an inch and a half of the bottle!!!....I bought 4 cans.....drank 3 and left the other......were there for 4 hours.....I was proud of myself...that is how I try to keep up my strength.......once again went home in good shape......the best bit is, still enjoyed the meal and the company.........that is what I discovered....you don't have to drink too much to have fun.

Not quite as much as the England win today.....a good start......will watch your lot start against France.....

The invitations are coming in now, and I may have to attend another work related function this month end......I must remember to stick to my 2 pints and not get confident I can slip over that, and survive every time!!!!

I wish you well...... not taking over your thread just trying to give you some hope that drinking can be controlled....maybe quitting altogether is the only way for some.....for me I prefer the option of strict control because without that I would have no options!!!!

I think you're really doing it the hard way...I had a couple over the final of the NZ Sevens and I didn't really enjoy them - the rugby was good, mind. And then had to go home and lie down, before I was overtaken with thirst.

I was a bit frightened by the England - Wales game; I think we will struggle against them both, especially if they don't make so many mistakes...All I can do is hope for the best tonight against France - one day at a time, I suppose...I'm fretting over my match preparation now, I'll probably go down to the Office just on the very off chance that the rugby league is broadcasting as well. Wires play Harlequins at the same time as the Scotland game; though I doubt the landlord will be too bothered about selling a few extra soda waters...

SC

[473geo]

It's sure not easy, but staying in control does become manageable.... I think I have relinquished the habit of going out and throwing down copious amounts of alcohol.... now I must retain the strength of the will to remain in control.....I now realise that the only real additional outcome of having more than 2 pints, is a headache and feeling crap all the next day......which means I can't function at work the following day......my nights out (where drink is involved) I try to limit to only when not working the following day.....so this also keeps me in control......I have followed this rule for the last 12 years or so. Not smoking in the office helped me towards giving up smoking about that time 12 years ago.....not drinking in the week has eased me out of the habitual drinking....to be fair....currently my body does not appear to want the amount of beer I used to slug back....so I enjoy the 2..(ish..on occasion) pints.....I don't feel I am missing out by drinking no more.....possibly just as important, the people I mix with now do not expect that I will drink on their terms.....my friend did not insist I have a rum and coke.......a few years ago I would have taken along a bottle of rum too!!.......he would have willingly shared, but he understands and accepts that I have changed my drinking habits, and to his credit, respects that decision.........I am not perfect I do lapse and have the occasional gallon night out......now they are so few and far between they only serve as a reminder of how ill I now feel afterwards!!!!........I see the lapses not as failure but as a marker for how far I have come........once or twice a year max I think I can say I'm almost in full control....but then I am conscious that I may never achieve 100% unless I go dry.......I will control alcohol......it will not spoil my enjoyment of the occasional beer....

I think Scotland may surprise a few people today and it may not be the stroll in the park for the French many are expecting

Best wishes

Geo

Edited February 7, 2010 by 473geo

[StreetCowboy]

It's sure not easy, but staying in control does become manageable.... I think I have relinquished the habit of going out and throwing down copious amounts of alcohol.... now I must retain the strength of the will to remain in control.....I now realise that the only real additional outcome of having more than 2 pints, is a headache and feeling crap all the next day......which means I can't function at work the following day......my nights out (where drink is involved) I try to limit to only when not working the following day.....so this also keeps me in control......I have followed this rule for the last 12 years or so. Not smoking in the office helped me towards giving up smoking about that time 12 years ago.....not drinking in the week has eased me out of the habitual drinking....to be fair....currently my body does not appear to want the amount of beer I used to slug back....so I enjoy the 2..(ish..on occasion) pints.....I don't feel I am missing out by drinking no more.....possibly just as important, the people I mix with now do not expect that I will drink on their terms.....my friend did not insist I have a rum and coke.......a few years ago I would have taken along a bottle of rum too!!.......he would have willingly shared, but he understands and accepts that I have changed my drinking habits, and to his credit, respects that decision.........I am not perfect I do lapse and have the occasional gallon night out......now they are so few and far between they only serve as a reminder of how ill I now feel afterwards!!!!........I see the lapses not as failure but as a marker for how far I have come........once or twice a year max I think I can say I'm almost in full control....but then I am conscious that I may never achieve 100% unless I go dry.......I will control alcohol......it will not spoil my enjoyment of the occasional beer....

I think Scotland may surprise a few people today and it may not be the stroll in the park for the French many are expecting

Best wishes

Geo

Can you make one of them a pint of flat Heineken for me tonight? I don't fancy it.

SC

[473geo]

Don't like Heineken.....or flat lager......hel_l if you are only having a couple, you need real Beer!!!!......or I would rather stay dry!!!

when we went for the meal, with about 40 others, we were told could bring spirits but not beer!!....must buy beer at the restaurant........so I arrived checked out the lagers and told the manager I only drank John Smiths...could I go get a couple of cans......he agreed. . everybody else drank the restaurant lager provided!!!!

Edited February 7, 2010 by 473geo

[StreetCowboy]

Ten days so far, this time round. I'm making it easy on myself going to AA meetings when I can...

The rugby results at the weekend didn't help...

SC

[gerryBScot]

Cowboy you are doing brilliantly, keep knocking out the days!

[473geo]

Ten days so far, this time round. I'm making it easy on myself going to AA meetings when I can...

The rugby results at the weekend didn't help...

SC

That was a crushing blow for Scotland in the last 10 minutes........if you survived that without using it for an excuse to drink......you did do well!!!.......keep it up.....you already know you can go long periods without alcohol.....just keep trying to fill the gap with something else.....be it AA, reading,exercise...Tvisa!!.....whatever

[StreetCowboy]

Ten days so far, this time round. I'm making it easy on myself going to AA meetings when I can...

The rugby results at the weekend didn't help...

SC

That was a crushing blow for Scotland in the last 10 minutes........if you survived that without using it for an excuse to drink......you did do well!!!.......keep it up.....you already know you can go long periods without alcohol.....just keep trying to fill the gap with something else.....be it AA, reading,exercise...Tvisa!!.....whatever

I was lucky that I got an urgent piece of work to complete - a proposal that could, at an outside shot, see me picking up a bit of work nearer to Thailand. SO I was preparing the deliverable that's due tomorrow while watching the highlights of the Las Vegas Sevens. I came over a bit esuriant, with a raging thirst as well, and my mind ran with thoughts of popping into the pub on the way home from the internet cafe ...

Anyway, I'll resist that temptation, hopefully successfully. Given a midnight start, it would be unlikely to end in tears in any case, but what's the point? I'd spend a thousand baht or more, feel worse for it in the morning, and lose confidence in my own resolve. Apart from that, I can't really see any plus points.

Anyway, I need to do a little bit to the document before I issue it tonight, for colleagues to work on in the morning,

SC

[StreetCowboy]

Ten days so far, this time round. I'm making it easy on myself going to AA meetings when I can...

The rugby results at the weekend didn't help...

SC

That was a crushing blow for Scotland in the last 10 minutes........if you survived that without using it for an excuse to drink......you did do well!!!.......keep it up.....you already know you can go long periods without alcohol.....just keep trying to fill the gap with something else.....be it AA, reading,exercise...Tvisa!!.....whatever

I was lucky that I got an urgent piece of work to complete - a proposal that could, at an outside shot, see me picking up a bit of work nearer to Thailand. SO I was preparing the deliverable that's due tomorrow while watching the highlights of the Las Vegas Sevens. I came over a bit esuriant, with a raging thirst as well, and my mind ran with thoughts of popping into the pub on the way home from the internet cafe ...

Anyway, I'll resist that temptation, hopefully successfully. Given a midnight start, it would be unlikely to end in tears in any case, but what's the point? I'd spend a thousand baht or more, feel worse for it in the morning, and lose confidence in my own resolve. Apart from that, I can't really see any plus points.

Anyway, I need to do a little bit to the document before I issue it tonight, for colleagues to work on in the morning,

SC

Well, I didn't last till the end of the game against Italy - just like the boys on the park, I suppose, and ended up steaming and chatting up tarts in the Millenium Falcon, or whatever its called.

So I suppose now its time to start following people's advice. As Dilbert says - "Its obvious you're not going to survive on your wits alone".

Another week of happy fantasies until the Calcutta Cup. Maybe if I don't go to the pub to watch the game, and stay away from the internet, the fantasies will last till Sunday morning. That would kill two birds with one stone, and help keep away the birds, as well.

SC

[473geo]

A draw.......

No real encouragement for either side!!!

Well I've not had even a drink for over a month, managed to avoid the office gathering, venue changed at he last minute to one where I knew I wouldn't be missed!!!

Not given up, and actually only popping in here for a nosey makes me actually think about drink.......but doesn't encourage at all.......I don't know when the next couple of beers will slide down but I feel I can look forward to that occasion without apprehension........whenever it may occur.......and rest assured it will!!!!

[StreetCowboy]

A draw.......

No real encouragement for either side!!!

Well I've not had even a drink for over a month, managed to avoid the office gathering, venue changed at he last minute to one where I knew I wouldn't be missed!!!

Not given up, and actually only popping in here for a nosey makes me actually think about drink.......but doesn't encourage at all.......I don't know when the next couple of beers will slide down but I feel I can look forward to that occasion without apprehension........whenever it may occur.......and rest assured it will!!!!

I think the game was equally depressing for us all. Anyway, at least it looked like the Scottish players were grudgingly learning some lessons - paying attention the second time Dan parks belted one off the posts (so to speak) and settling for the draw after the whistle. Its not the same game without Patterson and Wilkinson, is it?

I ducked out of a karaoke trip with friends, last night, which turned out to be prudent, as it was gay night, with three raucous comperes hosting the evening, which would have been, at best, unpleasant.

Well done for staying off the drink for a month. Do you notice any difference in your health, wealth or happiness? Instead of the karaoke, I went to look up an old friend, but they were not there, so I had a couple of cokes and a quick chat to some young ladies, then home to watch the Superleague. I had no desire for a beer, but the coke was almost the same price as a pint, so I knew I would struggle to justify a third one. And the rugby was crap as well, so not a top night, but at least I was fit to go to the beach at 7 am next day.

I'll maybe not even bother going to watch the game tonight - none of the fixtures really fill me with joyous anticipation, although I suppose the France England game might be exciting if England up their game; Italy should give Wales a good run and I suppose Scotland could surprise us all. Hopefully I'll enjoy the press reports in the morning...

SC

[therapyinsurance]

Usually how much do you drink in a day? I have seen too many drinkers, emptying the bottle in a single day.

[StreetCowboy]

Usually how much do you drink in a day? I have seen too many drinkers, emptying the bottle in a single day.

Even a big bottle of Heineken doesn't seem excessive to me. To the best of my knowledge, its 20 years since I drank spirits from a bottle - actually not true, since I had a bottle of Glenfiddich in the house in Hong Kong. As I recall, I poured most of it down the sink when I left.

I can leave a bottle of whisky in the cupboard for years at a time, and put the bottle back after sharing a nip with friends (that reminds of a DVD I have at home, but that's a different story), and leave a bottle of wine unopened indefinitely, but I have to drain my fridge of beer every night.

If know how much I've drunk, then there is rarely a problem; the trouble is that as often as not, I know how much I've drunk before I get a proper thirst on, and do the job properly. So now, for me, the norm is an easily countable round O...

SC

[Honolulu]

I was able to stop drinking-cold turkey! Trouble is, now I'm hooked on Heroin.

[StreetCowboy]

I was able to stop drinking-cold turkey! Trouble is, now I'm hooked on Heroin.

Better the devil you know...

SC

[Honolulu]

Seriously though, try this SC.

Let,s assume that, left to your own devises, you would drink every day.

Try first to only drink every other day. Now you have cut your drinking in half, right out of the gate. On the days you drink, you can drink as much as you want, no limit, except that you have to stop when the next day begins, no excuses, and no violations. Make sure you align your drinking nights with your favorite activity nights, like Rugby night. A spreadsheet may help.

After awhile. you will get used to the schedule. and it will be easier to advance to the next step. which is to slowly shave down your drinking time on your drinking days, 1 hour at a time. This will allow you, ever so slowly, to lessen the amount of time in life you are drinking, and increasing the amount of time that your life is filling with other activities that divert you from drinking. Slowly, but surely, you will begin to discover that the sober times of life are actually much more fulfilling, than the drinking times. Not drinking gets easier as time goes by. It worked for me.

Or you could just quit.

Hope this helps

[StreetCowboy]

Seriously though, try this SC.

Let,s assume that, left to your own devises, you would drink every day.

Try first to only drink every other day. Now you have cut your drinking in half, right out of the gate. On the days you drink, you can drink as much as you want, no limit, except that you have to stop when the next day begins, no excuses, and no violations. Make sure you align your drinking nights with your favorite activity nights, like Rugby night. A spreadsheet may help.

After awhile. you will get used to the schedule. and it will be easier to advance to the next step. which is to slowly shave down your drinking time on your drinking days, 1 hour at a time. This will allow you, ever so slowly, to lessen the amount of time in life you are drinking, and increasing the amount of time that your life is filling with other activities that divert you from drinking. Slowly, but surely, you will begin to discover that the sober times of life are actually much more fulfilling, than the drinking times. Not drinking gets easier as time goes by. It worked for me.

Or you could just quit.

Hope this helps

I think the suggestion is too complicated, and too prone to back-sliding, to be successful. I'm not really worried about the every-day drinks; if I had two, or four, or even six pints every day I'd not be particularly worried. The trouble is that some days I'd go out at tea-time for one or two, and end up coming home at one or two - or not. And running the risk of that happening three times a week is excessive; or one time a week.

The way I see it, if I miss the drink too much, I can always stumble about and swear too much anyway, and tip my money down the toilet

SC

[StreetCowboy]

Keeping on the rails... its the easy way out...

Slightly more than seven weeks, and appreciating my good fortune.

SC

[midnightjay3]

Let me share my insights about alcoholism..

Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:

• Craving—A strong need, or urge, to drink.
• Loss of control—Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun.
• Physical dependence—Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking.
• Tolerance—The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get "high."

[StreetCowboy]

Let me share my insights about alcoholism..

Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:

• Craving—A strong need, or urge, to drink.
• Loss of control—Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun.
• Physical dependence—Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking.
• Tolerance—The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get "high."

It takes us a while to develop all four symptoms, but with hard work, we can develop them to a tremendous level. I never really managed to get the physical dependance properly, but I had the "Loss of Control" down to a fine art, and I could do that more or less whenever. I never got into trouble if I knew how much I'd had; the only really problem that gave me was an insatiable thirst, that I could resist as well as a ski-jumper can over-come gravity.

Straying back on topic, I went out on a session with my colleagues; we started off with dinner - I'd normally try to avoid eating food, as I was not short of a few calories, and it seemed like an expensive waste of time if you were out for the night. Also, I found sitting at a table socially constraining. I suppose I still do. Then, when the band started up, we went to the downstairs bar of an infamous night club - my intention being that when the others left to go elsewhere, I would soberly wander astray, but instead they insisted on going upstairs. The person I'd been hoping to meet upstairs had left for the night, so about 2 am I had had enough, and left to go home, but, despite being sober and full of coca cola, I had the old "stop for one on the way home" feeling, so I went to another night club that I had not been in for a good few months. Last time I was there I lost my lunch, so to speak, and ended up biting off more than I could chew, but that's another story...

I couldn't be bothered hanging round on my own though, so I just had a quick tour round to re-familiarise myself, and headed home. I can see why people don't like going out drinking - but it was lovely to wake up sober, clear-headed, with no ATM or credit card receipts, and no urgent financial obligations to satisfy, and I was able to get up to any mischief I might have missed the following afternoon, whilst watching the rugby. I was still tired, and my clothes stank of smoke, and even without paying for any drinks, the night out still cost a couple of thousand baht in local currency, though. I've got no intention of repeating the experience soon... not till my leaving do at the end of the month, anwyay

SC