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Anyone here ever quit drinking?


Jet_Engine1

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Something else I wanna add that’s helped me is to keep the amount of booze you have at the house limited. Remove that temptation of knowing there’s beers in the fridge or liquor in the cabinets and it will help, at least for me it does.

 

Before I’d always have something around and it made it easy to justify drinking, sort of like someone else said before me. Rough day at work, watching the game, lighting up the grill, etc.

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17 hours ago, jmat321 said:

I’m up at 4 and hit the gym every morning.  I also fish, kayak, and coach youth sports.  It’s all part of the routine.  Put that together with 2 kids and a high stress job, I might drink because I do too much....

Whoa.  Yeah man, you need to do LESS.

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On 6/5/2018 at 8:44 PM, Jet_Engine1 said:

Anyone ever feel compelled to quit drinking? Not the casual, "Nah, don't feel like a beer today" quit, but the "I need to evalute what drinking is doing in my life" quitting. I know, kind of a deep topic, but I was at my uncles funeral over the weekend with family, and I still feel like crap from boozing with cousins. I think for me it might be time to give it up...I'm in my 40s, married with 2 kids and I still drink like a soldier on leave once I start.  Just wondering on the anonymity of the internet if anyone else here (aside from Joe Namath lol) ever decided to give it up and if it took. 

I quit a long time ago. It was actually before I started. But not drinking was always the right answer for me.

Good.luck with whatever you decide.

 

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46 minutes ago, RutgersJetFan said:

Yup, but weed being legalized (and insanely amazing in 2018) made the switch easy. If I recall correctly though you’re a fireman, so that’s not an option for you. 

No it not, and tbh, its not something I have any interest in anyway. Ive never used any "illegal" substance in my life.  LOL. Just the legal ones...

 

My intermediate goal will be to focus on fitness and getting healthy, and when I hit a place I feel good at, to get back into Powerlifting hard core. I want to do the Veterans day meet Ive done for 4 years now but at 255, dry for 6 months, and pull as close to a 600lb DL as I can manage. 

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2 minutes ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

No it not, and tbh, its not something I have any interest in anyway. Ive never used any "illegal" substance in my life.  LOL. Just the legal ones...

 

My intermediate goal will be to focus on fitness and getting healthy, and when I hit a place I feel good at, to get back into Powerlifting hard core. I want to do the Veterans day meet Ive done for 4 years now but at 255, dry for 6 months, and pull as close to a 600lb DL as I can manage. 

Weed is legal. It's also extremely beneficial for fitness and getting healthy. Incredibly misunderstood substance.

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On 6/5/2018 at 8:44 PM, Jet_Engine1 said:

Anyone ever feel compelled to quit drinking? Not the casual, "Nah, don't feel like a beer today" quit, but the "I need to evalute what drinking is doing in my life" quitting. I know, kind of a deep topic, but I was at my uncles funeral over the weekend with family, and I still feel like crap from boozing with cousins. I think for me it might be time to give it up...I'm in my 40s, married with 2 kids and I still drink like a soldier on leave once I start.  Just wondering on the anonymity of the internet if anyone else here (aside from Joe Namath lol) ever decided to give it up and if it took. 

I think about  it at least monthly.  I blacked out 2 weeks ago.   Woke up in my clothes, TV on , girlfriend gone etc.  Don’t remember anything. That scared  the shot out of me.  When I got divorced 12 years ago, I drank a bit too much. Last 2 years,cut way back but like you said, hard to stop when I start.    So... I really stopped buying beer. None in my house and I only drink 2 when out socially.  However, I break down and last night had a few too many but that is once a week.

Good luck.  

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10 hours ago, RutgersJetFan said:

Weed is legal. It's also extremely beneficial for fitness and getting healthy. Incredibly misunderstood substance.

It isn't legal everywhere for everyone so this definitely isn't the place for it.  

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On 6/5/2018 at 6:44 PM, Jet_Engine1 said:

Anyone ever feel compelled to quit drinking? Not the casual, "Nah, don't feel like a beer today" quit, but the "I need to evalute what drinking is doing in my life" quitting. I know, kind of a deep topic, but I was at my uncles funeral over the weekend with family, and I still feel like crap from boozing with cousins. I think for me it might be time to give it up...I'm in my 40s, married with 2 kids and I still drink like a soldier on leave once I start.  Just wondering on the anonymity of the internet if anyone else here (aside from Joe Namath lol) ever decided to give it up and if it took. 

I can't say I can relate specifically, but I can relate generally.  My vice of choice was weed.  I quit a daily habit about nine months ago at age 31.  You'll likely have to change habits, I'm sure everyone on here has told you that, but you'll also have to some shed some friends.  That might sound ruthless and sh*tty, but it's the hard truth that you need to hear.  I bet there are some friends that you wouldn't be friends with if you didn't share this vice.  Those are the people that need to go.  Accept that you'll have to suffer some social consequences; you're not gonna be that "down AF" guy anymore, but you'll feel better when you look in the mirror and that's what matters.    

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I stop drinking beer because of the fatness. I started the Keto diet bout a year ago and so no beer for Crushlove. I don’t eat sugar either and that’s the truly strange thing, I don’t crave beer at all. Something about sugar consumption and alchohol consumption. At times I enjoy a jigger or so of some yummy vodka but vodka is pretty damn boring to be honest. 

If it’s interfering with your activities Of daily living to the point you think you need to do something , chances are you should explore it. Talk to us, RL friends, church folk (if it’s your thing) , probably not family because too close I think or wander into an AA meeting. AA works for a lot of people especially if you dig cigarettes, cookies, doughnuts, coffee and support of others. 

A very dear friend of mind 18 years sober. He keeps telling me how proud he is of me for my lifestyle change. I try to tell him its Mrs  Crusher and my fatness, but he likes to think he had something to do with it. So I let him. 

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On 6/5/2018 at 8:44 PM, Jet_Engine1 said:

Anyone ever feel compelled to quit drinking? Not the casual, "Nah, don't feel like a beer today" quit, but the "I need to evalute what drinking is doing in my life" quitting. I know, kind of a deep topic, but I was at my uncles funeral over the weekend with family, and I still feel like crap from boozing with cousins. I think for me it might be time to give it up...I'm in my 40s, married with 2 kids and I still drink like a soldier on leave once I start.  Just wondering on the anonymity of the internet if anyone else here (aside from Joe Namath lol) ever decided to give it up and if it took. 

I've worked w/ a handful of people in varying stages of recovery and varying degrees of addiction.  None have ever successfully quit and regretted doing so.  Best of luck to you.

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On 6/8/2018 at 3:48 PM, jetstream23 said:

That's pretty common.  Everyone needs some sort of escape or way to relax.  I think the trick is finding something healthy or productive that gives you the same/similar feeling that drinking maybe does.  Exercise has turned out to be that fix for me the past few years, especially when on a business trip and feeling stressed out.  I'll go pound the treadmill in the hotel gym....you can legitimately get a high from running or exercising.  It's medically proven, the brain release endorphins.  I'm also a big music fan, although not a musician.  I know people who will just pick up a guitar to relieve stress, etc.

 Check out this article about Travis Barker from Blink-182 who talks about "replacing bad addictions with good ones."  Running has become his outlet.  Also, if you play the video you'll hear from other guys like Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers about what running has done for him.

No, I'm not saying anyone needs to become a runner.  But find that other thing.  Whatever it is.  That's the key!  Find a new hobby...golf, go to a batting cage maybe if you haven't swung a baseball bat since Little League, maybe learn to play an instrument or decide to build something cool in the garage.  Find that one thing that you'll look forward to doing when you get home from the office rather than reaching to the refrigerator door as a crutch.

 Took me a while to realize this but there's a lot of fun sh*t to do in this world that is rewarding or can give you a high AND is productive rather than destructive.

 https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a20856388/blink-182s-travis-barker-replaced-his-bad-addictions-with-good-ones/

Agreed.  Started running last summer, after never having run more than 2 miles.  Ran the NYC Half in March and suiting up for the NYC Marathon (raising money for Alzheimer's Association if anyone's interested) this November.  The brain biology plus the exercise plus the solitude plus the scenery is really special.

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Got out of work yesterday and had some beers with coworkers at some bullsh*t microbrew spot. Can’t even remember the name of the beer, but it was like if someone liquefied a loaf of rotted whole wheat bread and threw cinnamon in it. Then met the gf at a Mexican place later that night and had a Dos Equis. Woke up this morning like I had taken a baseball bat to the temple. That’s it for me, man. sh*t is just not worth it. I think I have beers because it’s masculine and a little bit illicit, which is dopey when you think about it, but **** it. Done. Thanks for making me think about this more, @Jet_Engine1

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On 6/10/2018 at 12:09 PM, RutgersJetFan said:

Yup, but weed being legalized (and insanely amazing in 2018) made the switch easy. If I recall correctly though you’re a fireman, so that’s not an option for you. 

Weed is amazing for my anxiety, but the downside is it puts me right to sleep, usually, so I rarely do it. I also feel like a moron sneaking under the oven vent and stuffing a little glass pipe with rank shrubbery like some degenerate teen, stinking up the entire place like a gross Hookah den. I realize this is vestigial shame borne of Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” crap that was burned into my brain as a youth, but it is what it is. When I was in Colorado last year, some dude was using a vape pen that delivered 98% THC, with no odor and almost no smoke. That’s the future right there.

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2 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Weed is amazing for my anxiety, but the downside is it puts me right to sleep, usually, so I rarely do it. I also feel like a moron sneaking under the oven vent and stuffing a little glass pipe with rank shrubbery like some degenerate teen, stinking up the entire place like a gross Hookah den. I realize this is vestigial shame borne of Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” crap that was burned into my brain as a youth, but it is what it is. When I was in Colorado last year, some dude was using a vape pen that delivered 98% THC, with no odor and almost no smoke. That’s the future right there.

That's the present..  

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6 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Got out of work yesterday and had some beers with coworkers at some bullsh*t microbrew spot. Can’t even remember the name of the beer, but it was like if someone liquefied a loaf of rotted whole wheat bread and threw cinnamon in it. Then met the gf at a Mexican place later that night and had a Dos Equis. Woke up this morning like I had taken a baseball bat to the temple. That’s it for me, man. sh*t is just not worth it. I think I have beers because it’s masculine and a little bit illicit, which is dopey when you think about it, but **** it. Done. Thanks for making me think about this more, @Jet_Engine1

Glad to be of help. 2 weeks sober and 10lbs down..

 

 

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On 6/8/2018 at 2:30 PM, joewilly12 said:

Calm the hell down. No one is trying to be insensitive or ridicule anyone especially me.He should seek professional help if his problem is that bad and not look for help on a football message board. I wish him all luck in the world with his problem. Do you feel like a "big man" now or a hero which is it. 

Keep posting your brilliant observations on drinking and hopefully you'll give people on the fence a reason to look into quitting. 

"Sticking to beer" as your disclaimer while "drinking like a sailor on leave" is a moronic justification of your drinking habits.

Do us all a favor and don't address Big O in the thread anymore. JE1 has reached out to some JetBoard friends for advice and Big O knows VERY WELL what he's talking about.

You? Not so much. 

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15 hours ago, NJ said:

Keep posting your brilliant observations on drinking and hopefully you'll give people on the fence a reason to look into quitting. 

"Sticking to beer" as your disclaimer while "drinking like a sailor on leave" is a moronic justification of your drinking habits.

Do us all a favor and don't address Big O in the thread anymore. JE1 has reached out to some JetBoard friends for advice and Big O knows VERY WELL what he's talking about.

You? Not so much. 

NJ I made a bad post towards a sensitive situation I was wrong. 

 

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6 hours ago, joewilly12 said:

NJ I made a bad post towards a sensitive situation I was wrong. 

 

And it takes a big person to own stuff like you just did JW. 

I drank for years, my share and a whole bunch of other peoples. I had some good times associated with it but as time went on and the more I drank -  I had less good times and more bad to really bad experiences. As drinking/using to enhance or create a good time or to relieve stress and relax becomes an MO - you covet it strongly and your mind sets up defenses to justify and sustain the behavior. Stevie Ray Vaughn sang about it from first hand knowledge in his song The Wall of Denial and it's simply a fact.

Having been on both sides of the coin and now 24 years clean and sober, I can share from experience how hard it is to look at a life without drinking or using from the partying side and seeing it as anything fun or something I would have wanted to do. I couldn't have been more wrong in my thinking.

Alcoholism and drug addiction flat out ruins lives and unfortunately not just of the afflicted individual, but it ripples out and also ruins many lives of those close. 

Glad to hear JE1 is giving it a shot. As others have shared if drinking/using is bringing negativity into your life - wander into an AA meeting or spend an hour with a qualified therapist. You may end up getting an unexpected gift of a lifetime like I did.

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On 6/14/2018 at 1:09 PM, TeddEY said:

Agreed.  Started running last summer, after never having run more than 2 miles.  Ran the NYC Half in March and suiting up for the NYC Marathon (raising money for Alzheimer's Association if anyone's interested) this November.  The brain biology plus the exercise plus the solitude plus the scenery is really special.

I ran a half in Tampa and like you then trained for a full. I’m 56.  BIG difference. I finished a full but it wasn’t pretty.  My entire exercise routine was driven by fighting the blues MANY years ago and it works. Miles after 18 are a killer. 

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On 6/14/2018 at 1:09 PM, TeddEY said:

Agreed.  Started running last summer, after never having run more than 2 miles.  Ran the NYC Half in March and suiting up for the NYC Marathon (raising money for Alzheimer's Association if anyone's interested) this November.  The brain biology plus the exercise plus the solitude plus the scenery is really special.

I ran 5 miles in DC this morning before my flight home.  Felt fantastic. 

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2 hours ago, southparkcpa said:

I ran 5 miles in DC this morning before my flight home.  Felt fantastic. 

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Nice.  I ran the Queens 10K this weekend with a pretty bad cold that my daughter gave me as a birthday/Father’s Day present.  I looked a bit like you did after.

I was never a real drinker, so no need to quit, but training for long runs makes it kind of obsolete.

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I've gone on the wagon before ... But I have never had a problem drinking and love to drink socially. I probably have the equivelant of a 6 pack every two weeks.

I can't credit those with an addiction being able to kick it... Cheers to you and good luck !

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

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5 hours ago, NJ said:

And it takes a big person to own stuff like you just did JW. 

I drank for years, my share and a whole bunch of other peoples. I had some good times associated with it but as time went on and the more I drank -  I had less good times and more bad to really bad experiences. As drinking/using to enhance or create a good time or to relieve stress and relax becomes an MO - you covet it strongly and your mind sets up defenses to justify and sustain the behavior. Stevie Ray Vaughn sang about it from first hand knowledge in his song The Wall of Denial and it's simply a fact.

Having been on both sides of the coin and now 24 years clean and sober, I can share from experience how hard it is to look at a life without drinking or using from the partying side and seeing it as anything fun or something I would have wanted to do. I couldn't have been more wrong in my thinking.

Alcoholism and drug addiction flat out ruins lives and unfortunately not just of the afflicted individual, but it ripples out and also ruins many lives of those close. 

Glad to hear JE1 is giving it a shot. As others have shared if drinking/using is bringing negativity into your life - wander into an AA meeting or spend an hour with a qualified therapist. You may end up getting an unexpected gift of a lifetime like I did.

I love hearing from guys who have lived it. Thanks brother. I feel better, my wife is super happy, and I feel "in control" outside of work and dont feel the need to justify grabbing a beer. 

 

I know l'll hit temptation, but Ive been avoiding specific triggers and I explained to my Father (my usual best drinking buddy) whats up and hes all in. Its a common issue in our family, so he gets it. 

Thanks guys. Going on 3 weeks and I feel good about my choice.

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3 hours ago, southparkcpa said:

I ran 5 miles in DC this morning before my flight home.  Felt fantastic. 

2120C223-3879-4253-998C-0D8269EE2ED6.jpeg

9BD4D535-65F1-4E93-BAFA-52F8FC833573.jpeg

Doing pretty good, old man! LOL. Nice. 

 

I envy you, after knee and ankle surgery, running days are over for this old Grunt.

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9 hours ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

Doing pretty good, old man! LOL. Nice. 

 

I envy you, after knee and ankle surgery, running days are over for this old Grunt.

One thing I used to do when I had a bit more time was go to a rock climbing gym.  Less impact on the lower body and a lot of the same benefits.  Plus most gyms are super friendly and welcoming.  Worth checking out if you’re looking for a healthy outlet.

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On 6/16/2018 at 12:10 PM, T0mShane said:

Weed is amazing for my anxiety, but the downside is it puts me right to sleep, usually, so I rarely do it. I also feel like a moron sneaking under the oven vent and stuffing a little glass pipe with rank shrubbery like some degenerate teen, stinking up the entire place like a gross Hookah den. I realize this is vestigial shame borne of Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” crap that was burned into my brain as a youth, but it is what it is. When I was in Colorado last year, some dude was using a vape pen that delivered 98% THC, with no odor and almost no smoke. That’s the future right there.

I had the same exact feeling about weed as you. Never liked the feeling of smoking or the side effects (dry eyes, dry mouth, feeling brain dead, etc). However, a few months ago I was introduced to edibles and it's been a game changer for me. I buy the edibles (branded "Grateful Gummies") that are made in California, and they're just fantastic. I sleep way better now and drink way less than I did previously, and get a completely different (better) high than when I smoke.

It's obviously not as social as drinking beer, but if you're looking to relax at the end of the day without having a hangover for the next day or two, it's the way to go. Also, a 30mg gummy (which is roughly two servings/highs for me) is roughly $6 each, so it's way more economical than drinking. I live in Manhattan and can drink $100 of booze in a couple of hours, easy.

I still drink socially, but during the week if I'm home and looking for a relatively guilt-free reprieve, I'm taking an edible for sure.

 

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10 hours ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

Doing pretty good, old man! LOL. Nice. 

 

I envy you, after knee and ankle surgery, running days are over for this old Grunt.

 

1 hour ago, TeddEY said:

One thing I used to do when I had a bit more time was go to a rock climbing gym.  Less impact on the lower body and a lot of the same benefits.  Plus most gyms are super friendly and welcoming.  Worth checking out if you’re looking for a healthy outlet.

A weird thing.. my college roommate lives in Rochester and we lost touch. He called me out of the blue last night.   He was always in good shape but drank like the rest of us. He told me he hasn't had a beer in 10 years and he is now 175 pounds with solid muscle and he is almost 59.  But we had a long discussion about why do we as "guys" drink.  

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On 6/10/2018 at 9:09 AM, RutgersJetFan said:

Yup, but weed being legalized (and insanely amazing in 2018) made the switch easy. If I recall correctly though you’re a fireman, so that’s not an option for you. 

Same here. I only drink light beer, and smoke weed errry day. I couldn’t live a sober life but that combo is what works for me. 

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Fell off the wagon yesterday. Feel terrible about it. Did a ton of Yard work in about 100* heat. Neighbor walked over with cold beers and I figured what the heck, I worked my ass off, its hot, and its only a beer..... Woke up feeling like sh*t and my wifes disappointment.  I recognize that it was a slip, a moment of bad judgement, but I need to stay at zero. None. Day 1 on the clock.

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