A Non-Alcoholic Giving Up Beer

[femi fan]

Always loved beer, but kept it within decent bounds. Mostly. I think! I used to think of myself as a fairly heavy beer drinker.

Anyhow, i reduced consumption for three years now, and in that time have mainly drunk beer at weekends, although there's been the odd extra days and weeks at old consumption levels. I have gone two or three weeks without a couple of times, and always felt good for it.

But this time i've gone two weeks without, and am aiming to get to the end of january when i shall reassess my beer drinking. My reason for this thread is that i'm not operating at my usual energy level, and have the odd niggles in back muscles. My question really is this:

what experiences do beer drinkers who are not alcoholics have in stopping drinking beer? Do they have a period of time where health suffers before getting better? Does it take more than two weeks to detox the alcohol from the system? How did you feel during the giving up? Did you return to beer?

Just wonder if a thread for beer drinkers who avoided alcoholism might be a decent place to share experiences in giving up beer, or reducing a consumption level that is more compatible with the ageing process!! I never even used to have to think about my body when drinking beer, it did me well. Not so now!

Love beer, but love a healthy feeling even more now that i'm an older model of human being!

Edited January 18, 2012 by femi fan

[Totster]

If you are not an alcoholic and can drink moderately when you fancy it, then why give up ?

It has been said that alcohol when drunk in moderation does not affect health

totster

[femi fan]

I'm british and was brought up in a binge drinking culture!

I may not give it up. I wanted to see how my body felt after a good time off it completely, and then decide if i was to stay given up, drink some beer only on my travels and holidays, or return to it for a beer or two with my meals at the weekends. I definitely was a heavy drinker for most of my life until three years ago, but never really drank on my own or at home, just loved socialising with it!

But when i drink too much at the age i've arrived at i get back problems after a few hours sleep and end up sleeping badly and spending the first hour or two in the mornings getting back to feeling okay.

But now i'm not feeling my normal chipper self after two weeks without, and am wondering what the connection is with beer which i've loved my whole life.

[GrahamF]

Physical detox from alcohol is 72 hours.

[Totster]

I'm English so I completely understand the binge drinking culture.

I think as we get older our bodies cannot process the alcohol as good, therefore we experience worse hangovers than when we were younger.

The point from your post where you say.,

But when i drink too much at the age i've arrived at i get back problems after a few hours sleep and end up sleeping badly and spending the first hour or two in the mornings getting back to feeling okay

The key is not drinking too much, and then the after effects will not be present, know your limit.

Now I'm not intending to preach, nor do I practice what I preach (if you know what I mean..), the think is I drink 2-3 times a week, and my limit before I feel bad in the morning is 3 large bottles of beer, the problem is that when the 3rd is cracked I'm in it for the long run of 6-8 (for example)

Now some may say this kind of behaviour is akin to alcoholism, and I may have a problem because I do not stick to my limits, and seemingly can't

Just something to mull over

totster

[GarryP]

^ Been there, done that. One or two is fine but get on number three and four is sure to follow. I now find that only one or two beers makes me lethargic, a feeling I don't like and I never used to suffer from before, so now rarely touch the stuff. I did stop totally for four years or so not too long ago and it was no hardship. Its quite easy if you do not socialize much.

[Sheryl]

I don't think the discomforts you describe are due to giving up beer if it has been 2 weeks. I suspect something else is going on.

[femi fan]

I don't think the discomforts you describe are due to giving up beer if it has been 2 weeks. I suspect something else is going on.

So do i! It might even be the very cold weather we're having in chiang mai! I might add that i've on-off been getting rid of the smoking too, but i only would have them if i was drinking beer at the weekend.

I think i started the thread kind of hoping that i'm not cutting off my avenues to enjoying a couple of beers from time to time in the future. But having said that i can already see benefits from not drinking at all. A clarity of mind is one thing.

Either way, it's good to hear of experiences from others who enjoy their beer but don't consider themselves alcoholics.

I"m actually feeling a lot more positive in the last couple of days.

[femi fan]

^ Been there, done that. One or two is fine but get on number three and four is sure to follow. I now find that only one or two beers makes me lethargic, a feeling I don't like and I never used to suffer from before, so now rarely touch the stuff. I did stop totally for four years or so not too long ago and it was no hardship. Its quite easy if you do not socialize much.

Yes, it's that number three beer that is the one! The mind gives into the situation and one just then enjoys a night drinking this great beverage. But if i drink three bottles even (managing to stop at three), for say three nights in a week i start to get complaints from my body. I'm bored with these feelings, hence giving myself four weeks of no beer to see what happens.

I wonder if as we get older the body starts to just tell us, with these lethargic feelings backaches and so on, that it's had a lifetime of beer and enough is enough. I sometimes think that i may have had my full load of beers already even though i'm yet to reach 50. I drank too much in my formative years, and the body is telling me i now have to balance this out be stopping early.

Don't know it will be possible to not have a nice beer or two when i go on holiday... easy enough at home, so far anyway.

[femi fan]

I'm English so I completely understand the binge drinking culture.

I think as we get older our bodies cannot process the alcohol as good, therefore we experience worse hangovers than when we were younger.

The point from your post where you say.,

But when i drink too much at the age i've arrived at i get back problems after a few hours sleep and end up sleeping badly and spending the first hour or two in the mornings getting back to feeling okay

The key is not drinking too much, and then the after effects will not be present, know your limit.

Now I'm not intending to preach, nor do I practice what I preach (if you know what I mean..), the think is I drink 2-3 times a week, and my limit before I feel bad in the morning is 3 large bottles of beer, the problem is that when the 3rd is cracked I'm in it for the long run of 6-8 (for example)

Now some may say this kind of behaviour is akin to alcoholism, and I may have a problem because I do not stick to my limits, and seemingly can't

Just something to mull over

totster

Any mulled wine to do my mulling over??

I never really suffered from hangovers, it's rather aches and muscle niggles and things that i now get.

I also wonder if when having a couple of beers whether i'm doing this out of memory and kinship towards beer! I never drink at home, and only when i go out. I've now had two fridays out and two saturday meals out, and not drank a drop. What it has meant is going home earlier than normal! If i think quitting beer will impact on my fun in life, then i shall have to learn to do that two beers and then stop.

[mogandave]

Non alcoholics don't wonder about their drinking.

[GrahamF]

Non alcoholics don't wonder about their drinking.

That's a good point, I would add though, that I do know quite a number of people who are not alcoholics but are very careful about their alcohol intake for simple health reasons.

I hope that the OP is now feeling better, but if I not I would suggest a complete check up before resuming drinking.

Best of luck!

[femi fan]

Non alcoholics don't wonder about their drinking.

That's a good point, I would add though, that I do know quite a number of people who are not alcoholics but are very careful about their alcohol intake for simple health reasons.

I hope that the OP is now feeling better, but if I not I would suggest a complete check up before resuming drinking.

Best of luck!

I am feeling better now thank you!

I didn't want to reply to mogandave's post simply because it was not really a particularly nice or even useful thing to add to the thread. I am a non-alcoholic, and i was wondering about my drinking, so he's clearly wrong anyway.

I should think millions of people wonder about their drinking without being alcoholics. Most societies encourage drinking alcohol as an adjunct to socialising. It is very difficult to go out and socialise with friends in bars, pubs, restaurants and decline to drink alcoholic beverages. For one thing peer pressure may lead one to drinking when they had planned not to, for another thing what else can i drink? Coke? Orange juice? Water? Coke is arguably worse for one's health than beer anyway. But drinking cokes for two hours? No thanks.

Part of my reappraisal towards my love of beer is that if i'm to not drink it - and this is now my third weekend without any - then how do i approach my socialising? I love to socialise, but what do i drink when i meet mates in bars or pubs or restaurants? I am not particularly missing the beer at the moment, but i have had to in effect stop my socialising.

It's for these reasons that i am dwelling quite seriously on whether to continue stopping drinking beer, or to somehow return to drinking it in such a way that i can keep my health while being able to socialise while not inadvertently attracting peer pressure to "go on, just have one". And my backdrop is i mentioned earlier is that i'm from britain, a country where young adults are exposed to binge drinking as part and parcel of the culture there.

I'm hoping some more posters may come along and add their experiences, and perhaps avoid the rather unhelpful comments like that of mogandave.

[femi fan]

I'm beginning to search out interesting places in chiang mai where i live to go to in the evenings where i can get some decent alternative drinks. So far if a place has whole coconuts and/or green tea, then they get my business. But again, it's not easy to drink this stuff for three hours or so!!

I often wish nighttime venues would sell ginger beer. Now, i can drink that for a while! I could even begin with a coconut with my meal, move onto green tea, then finish off with ginger beer. I could then happily avoid any urgings by others to get a beer in.

Then i'd probably not bother with beers again, unless i was visiting the UK where the beer is just too delicious - and not a ridiculous 5% abv minimum - to avoid.

[jvs]

I think i am in the same boat,kind off.I decided if i drink only one or two beers i be better of not to drink at all.So i stopped and i feel better for it,no back pain,no getting up 4 times a night and wake up and feel clearheaded.

If i go somewhere to see some friends i will bring my own drinks or drink water.What kind off bothers me is when i tell people i do not drink alcohol anymore they say something like -sorry i did not know you had a drinking problem-

[GrahamF]

Non alcoholics don't wonder about their drinking.

That's a good point, I would add though, that I do know quite a number of people who are not alcoholics but are very careful about their alcohol intake for simple health reasons.

I hope that the OP is now feeling better, but if I not I would suggest a complete check up before resuming drinking.

Best of luck!

I am feeling better now thank you!

I didn't want to reply to mogandave's post simply because it was not really a particularly nice or even useful thing to add to the thread. I am a non-alcoholic, and i was wondering about my drinking, so he's clearly wrong anyway.

I should think millions of people wonder about their drinking without being alcoholics. Most societies encourage drinking alcohol as an adjunct to socialising. It is very difficult to go out and socialise with friends in bars, pubs, restaurants and decline to drink alcoholic beverages. For one thing peer pressure may lead one to drinking when they had planned not to, for another thing what else can i drink? Coke? Orange juice? Water? Coke is arguably worse for one's health than beer anyway. But drinking cokes for two hours? No thanks.

Part of my reappraisal towards my love of beer is that if i'm to not drink it - and this is now my third weekend without any - then how do i approach my socialising? I love to socialise, but what do i drink when i meet mates in bars or pubs or restaurants? I am not particularly missing the beer at the moment, but i have had to in effect stop my socialising.

It's for these reasons that i am dwelling quite seriously on whether to continue stopping drinking beer, or to somehow return to drinking it in such a way that i can keep my health while being able to socialise while not inadvertently attracting peer pressure to "go on, just have one". And my backdrop is i mentioned earlier is that i'm from britain, a country where young adults are exposed to binge drinking as part and parcel of the culture there.

I'm hoping some more posters may come along and add their experiences, and perhaps avoid the rather unhelpful comments like that of mogandave.

Here are a few "excuses" you can use to avoid having a drink when out and about:

1) I'm on antibiotics and can't drink, or you could say you're on a new long term medication and can't drink at all.

2) Trying to lose weight and get back into shape.

3) The doctor said your liver enzymes are a little high and has asked you to abstain and come back for another test in x amount of time.

4) I've decided to quit drinking because it effects me more the next day than it used to in the past and I'm wasting the whole next day recovering.

Look at this period of abstinence as a way of evaluating your life and perhaps those you socialize with. Does your interaction with them mainly revolve around drinking? It might be interesting to gauge their reactions to your not drinking. You may find that your only real commonality with them is in fact drinking and maybe it is time to find a new set of friends that you have more in common with? Dare I say it, if someone pressures you to drink after you have expressed your desire to not drink, then maybe they are not really your friend at all?

Again, best of luck!

[manarak]

An otherwise healthy person shouldn't experience any negative effects by drinking less than half a liter (or up to one liter depending on body constitution) of light beer every day - quite the opposite in fact, there are health benefits for moderately drinking beer.

[femi fan]

Here are a few "excuses" you can use to avoid having a drink when out and about: 1) I'm on antibiotics and can't drink, or you could say you're on a new long term medication and can't drink at all. 2) Trying to lose weight and get back into shape. 3) The doctor said your liver enzymes are a little high and has asked you to abstain and come back for another test in x amount of time. 4) I've decided to quit drinking because it effects me more the next day than it used to in the past and I'm wasting the whole next day recovering. Look at this period of abstinence as a way of evaluating your life and perhaps those you socialize with. Does your interaction with them mainly revolve around drinking? It might be interesting to gauge their reactions to your not drinking. You may find that your only real commonality with them is in fact drinking and maybe it is time to find a new set of friends that you have more in common with? Dare I say it, if someone pressures you to drink after you have expressed your desire to not drink, then maybe they are not really your friend at all? Again, best of luck!

Good to read your feedback.

It's interesting isn't it! I'm kind of enjoying observing the whole thing. I won't make any excuses... as you say, if a friend is only a friend for a beer, and i go off the beers, then friends sort themselves out naturally! Making excuses would blind me to who's who.

But yes, it's a time of evaluation. And one thing i'm noticing is that drinking beer (at least, the english way) is an action of diminishing returns. I no longer get out of it what i used to. Drinking hand-pumped ales back in england is another matter!

[femi fan]

I think i am in the same boat,kind off.I decided if i drink only one or two beers i be better of not to drink at all.So i stopped and i feel better for it,no back pain,no getting up 4 times a night and wake up and feel clearheaded. If i go somewhere to see some friends i will bring my own drinks or drink water.What kind off bothers me is when i tell people i do not drink alcohol anymore they say something like -sorry i did not know you had a drinking problem-

Yes, that's me. One or two beers was never what i did! What would be the point?! And it's absolutely the case that i'm not waking up in the middle of the night for a trip to the toilet, and this leaves me sleeping like a baby, fantastic!

I can handle one or two with my saturday night out meal, but it doesn't cut the mustard on a friday night out with mates in a bar. It's either none, or the usual load of them. At the moment, the advantages of having no beers on the friday, or any other day, is making up for the lack of socialising on a friday night.

It's funny when the drinking problem is not drinking alcohol! That's what i meant about society.

[GrahamF]

I think i am in the same boat,kind off.I decided if i drink only one or two beers i be better of not to drink at all.So i stopped and i feel better for it,no back pain,no getting up 4 times a night and wake up and feel clearheaded. If i go somewhere to see some friends i will bring my own drinks or drink water.What kind off bothers me is when i tell people i do not drink alcohol anymore they say something like -sorry i did not know you had a drinking problem-

Yes, that's me. One or two beers was never what i did! What would be the point?! And it's absolutely the case that i'm not waking up in the middle of the night for a trip to the toilet, and this leaves me sleeping like a baby, fantastic!

I can handle one or two with my saturday night out meal, but it doesn't cut the mustard on a friday night out with mates in a bar. It's either none, or the usual load of them. At the moment, the advantages of having no beers on the friday, or any other day, is making up for the lack of socialising on a friday night.

It's funny when the drinking problem is not drinking alcohol! That's what i meant about society.

In general alcohol is not the problem, often it is the solution, albeit usually a bad one.

[ding]

I have NO idea what symptoms of alcohol elimination are for normal drinkers ( ). But I wont let that stop me from commenting!

Are you increasing consumption of black tea or coffee? Hanging out at the 'cafe boulon cart' instead of the sports bar?

[femi fan]

I have NO idea what symptoms of alcohol elimination are for normal drinkers ( ). But I wont let that stop me from commenting!

Are you increasing consumption of black tea or coffee? Hanging out at the 'cafe boulon cart' instead of the sports bar?

Nah! Gave up coffee three years ago, and since then have drunk green and oolong teas, sometimes a nice black masala tea.

Had some wine over the weekend, but it's not beer is it! Over three weeks of no beer now, and just observing each day as it comes. Still feel 'funny', but also kind of healthy. I just wonder how long it might take for alcohol that's been entering the system for rather a long time (a good 30 years) to actually get out completely. Of course, i've buggered that up with the wine i had. About a bottle's worth over thee evenings.

But there's also the 'stuff' they put in thai beers that may be needing to leave the system too. Lots of horrible stuff like formaldehyde, so the story goes, but it's impossible to know exactly what rubbish they put in the beers. But certainly preservatives and things are added, and they're probably much worse than the alcohol.

[Hooters]

I stopped drinking beer 3 weeks ago because I had to due to health reasons. Hated the first week was bored shitless but it quickly got better with the ton of new energy I aquired eg, no more peeing at 2am so can sleep also alcahol very much disturbs natural sleep rythem. No hangovers is the best feeling. Unfortunatley I cannot moderate my drinking so its all or nothing for me.

I have drunk hard for 35 years straight and its amazing I still have a liver and its perfect, cant work that one out

But I have discoverd coffee shops and In BKK there are hundreds and some seriously hot ladies especially in shopping mall cafes, emporium, T21, etc. Now i just have to work out how to approach one sober

[kpmsprtd]

I salute you for thinking about the beer drinking, Femi Fan. My own experience is that I aged out of drinking alcohol. By the time I was 49, the alcohol gave me no pleasurable feeling--more a feeling of confusion. And it made me feel like crap the next day. So I retired from it. I still love going out with friends in Thailand or Vietnam. I drink lots of water, hot tea (almost always not proper), Coca Cola, Orangina, etc. I hope to see you at the bar one day. I don't think any of us needs to give up the benefits of a social evening at the pub just because we have changed our beverage of choice.

[femi fan]

I salute you for thinking about the beer drinking, Femi Fan. My own experience is that I aged out of drinking alcohol. By the time I was 49, the alcohol gave me no pleasurable feeling--more a feeling of confusion. And it made me feel like crap the next day. So I retired from it. I still love going out with friends in Thailand or Vietnam. I drink lots of water, hot tea (almost always not proper), Coca Cola, Orangina, etc. I hope to see you at the bar one day. I don't think any of us needs to give up the benefits of a social evening at the pub just because we have changed our beverage of choice.

Thanks!

Do you remember, at the time you gave up, how you felt for the first few weeks? Did it take a while for you to feel better? Clearly the benefits come along, not least that mentioned by hooters over improved sleeping. But it seems one must go through what i call a detoxing period. My body, except the odd period of months here and there, has been used to beer for three decades, and it makes sense to me that it might not be too happy about losing its intake!

I'm only keeping out of the bars until i'm able to deal with the exposure of beer again. I go to restaurants and manage without, so one step at a time. To be honest i'm beginning to NOT want a beer! Getting back into my old social scene, if i do, will be a test, but at this rate i'll have no problem

[ding]

It's a breath of fresh air reading about people without the disease of alcoholism- changing drinking patterns for the better.

Hearing about this stuff in action motivates me every time. So I had oatmeal & fresh blueberries this morning and green tea last night.

(no booze for me of course, I have issues... )

[StreetCowboy]

It's a breath of fresh air reading about people without the disease of alcoholism- changing drinking patterns for the better.

Hearing about this stuff in action motivates me every time. So I had oatmeal & fresh blueberries this morning and green tea last night.

(no booze for me of course, I have issues... )

Oh eff off you gloating B___

(in jest)

Too many of us get wrapped up in our own problems. In my opinion, there are many people like me but not alcoholics who suffer from drinking too much and could benefit from some of the advice on this forum

or who may be nascent alcoholics who, with our support and a few good binges, could reach the same depths as the rest of us

AA tries to make out that alcoholics are different from the rest of you (as does the Ku Klux Klan) and I am not sure thast is necessarily helpful. We are not different, bar from our insatiable thirst; and others suffer fron thirst too...

SC

[smokie36]

It's a breath of fresh air reading about people without the disease of alcoholism- changing drinking patterns for the better.

Hearing about this stuff in action motivates me every time. So I had oatmeal & fresh blueberries this morning and green tea last night.

(no booze for me of course, I have issues... )

Oh eff off you gloating B___

(in jest)

Too many of us get wrapped up in our own problems. In my opinion, there are many people like me but not alcoholics who suffer from drinking too much and could benefit from some of the advice on this forum

or who may be nascent alcoholics who, with our support and a few good binges, could reach the same depths as the rest of us

AA tries to make out that alcoholics are different from the rest of you (as does the Ku Klux Klan) and I am not sure thast is necessarily helpful. We are not different, bar from our insatiable thirst; and others suffer fron thirst too...

SC

Agreed and on that note its time for a curry. And a diet coke of course.

[Johnniey]

If you are not an alcoholic and can drink moderately when you fancy it, then why give up ?

It has been said that alcohol when drunk in moderation does not affect health

totster

Exactly - if I were not an alcoholic, I'd drink every single night.!

[StreetCowboy]

If you are not an alcoholic and can drink moderately when you fancy it, then why give up ?

It has been said that alcohol when drunk in moderation does not affect health

totster

Exactly - if I were not an alcoholic, I'd drink every single night.!

I'm not sure he's 'giving it up' - he's just not drinking for a while. Just because you can is no reason not to. and conversely.

SC

Advice is easier to give than to follow...