Help...quitting alcohol

[shinobidoode]

Really, for the past two years, I've been working out and eating relatively healthy. I definitely made good progress. But the one thing that has held me back is alcohol. I drink about 1-2 times a week and can't really recall a weekend I haven't (I'm sure there are some). Well, I'm trying to hit my first weekend on this anti-alcohol attempt. I have a midterm tonight and already a few buddies have asked me to go to a bar afterwards. It's sounding appealing, especially since I just stressed out studying for this exam. I'm still fifty fifty on my decision, but am thinking if I want change, I'm going to have to go for it now. Help a bb'er out, steer to the correct path.

[JoeySea]

Dude! Good choice! I totally back the quit drinking idea. I have been clean for about 4 years, no drugs no drinking. It was definitely a hard path to get started on, but after a while it just becomes a way of life and you dont even think about it. Just find something to replace it (like lifting weights?) haha. Good luck!

[SLTS]

Alcohol doesn't make you fat. But it doesn't help you lose fat either. Muscle producation is slightly decreased as well. The main concern is dehydration and the food you crave while drinking. Take a protien bar and order a water every few drinks and you will be fine. As long as you survive the ribbing from your buddies.

[dacomposa]

I know how you feel, my friend. I too recently made the decision to abstain from alcohol and it hasn't been easy. But I'm looking at it as merely a temporary experiment - I'm taking it one day at a time and just seeing how it goes, which really helps. I went to my first party (since making the decision to quit) last weekend and I just drank club soda with a splash of cranberry juice and some lime. I still had a great time, and the best part was waking up the next morning and knowing that I stayed true to my commitment (not to mention the absence of a hangover). All you have to do is decide what you want to do beforehand and just stick to it. Just tell yourself it's only one night, and how hard can it really be not to drink for one single measily night? You can do it!

[UGAdawg2]

I agree with everyone else. Once you get over that hump and go out to parties/downtown w/o drinking, you will realize you will have just as much fun. If it bothers you for someone to come up and ask why aren't you drinking? Just get a cup and fill it with sprite or water. No1 will ever know what you are drinking. I haven't quit completely, but I limit myself to one night a month for going out. It actually makes me feel a lot better than what I use to do. Use to go out twice a weekend.

You'll be happier the next morning, also. Another positive is driving your buddies around when they are ridiculously drunk and seenig what stupid **** you and other ppl actually do drunk. Makes you feel like a jackass for doing it. That's what I've noticed atleast.

[sandiegoguy]

Dude! Good choice! I totally back the quit drinking idea. I have been clean for about 4 years, no drugs no drinking. It was definitely a hard path to get started on, but after a while it just becomes a way of life and you dont even think about it. Just find something to replace it (like lifting weights?) haha. Good luck!

I'm trying to do this myself now, I think I've finally kicked it completely since I just feel like such s**t now after I drink and even while I am drinking a lot of times now. I think that when you work out a lot it can have some strange effects when you drink compared to when you haven't been exercising as much. (Maybe it gets into your blood stream faster, takes less to get you drunk?) Anyways it seems like its all bad when I drink more than a couple beers now or a glass of wine so I think I need to pretty much cut it off except for the occasional drink every now and then.

[zackcentury]

I've really only had like...6 drinks in my life, so I was never in your position...It's never been hard for me to pass on drinking, I guess cause I never got into it maybe. Maybe this reply won't be as helpful, but I think in changing my diet around and getting serious about lifting and cutting (which i'm trying to do now) took the same sort of attitude you might need to stop drinking. It's still a habit, and you simply want to break it. I was able to start eating right and working out seriously after I got some motivation from certain places.

-having a roommate who's doing the same. My roommate is a bit bigger than I am and maybe more serious about his dieting even now, but having him around and being able to talk about food, lifting, contests, or anything else can keep me motivated. It also gives me something to look up to, sort of. If you can't have a roommate who'll motivate you, maybe make a friend at the gym or something...if you know someone who doesn't drink, hang out with him or her on the nights your buddies go out.

One of the best things I've read on this site is from Ryan Swan..or perhaps it was in email correspondence..anyway, he said that no one will be helping you reach your goals; most likely, family, friends, school, jobs, (alcohol, bars), etc. will all be roadblocks to your success, so you just have to be determined, and get the job done yourself. Those aren't his exact words, but maybe you get the point.

-pictures of your "goal", or your favorite bodybuilders. Once I saw some of Frank Zane's pictures, I've had no doubts about wanting to get in great shape and compete one day.

-control. maybe this is why I don't drink, but I like the feeling that I have complete control over my body. By this I mean I know what goes into it when I eat or drink, and by lifting I'm getting healthier and (hopefully) bigger lol. Take control and you can probably stop drinking.

[shinobidoode]

I know all the negative effects alcohol have. And I'm getting to the stage where the "fun" value doesn't amount to the drawbacks/feelings the next day. But one of my biggest problems is that I'm a social phobic and alcohol is the drug that makes me feel like everyone else. Ability to be open and talk. I tihnk because of that mental disorder, it takes a whole lot to get me drunk because I still grasp onto my mental state (control freak?). Anyways, I guess mostly, it's the fear of losing a social life. Usually when I get together wiht my friends on the weekend, it involves drinking. Seems like there's no other social events besides going to bars/clubs. I told a friend about this and he says "stand for nothing, fall for everything." Pretty true I guess haha...

[blackwax]

you bring up a significant problem. stopping will result in no longer going to bars. they get really annoying if you are sober OR you slip and start drinking. stopping drinking and bars will reveal who your true friends are. i lost many people i thought were friends when i stopped. my social life is much more reserved, but i joined a sailing club and now race sailboats on my weekends... pretty freakin cool. you will feel better and be way more healthy! good luck.

[matthor]

i was a big drinker and partier - 2-3 times a week completely smashed. Cut that sh!t out and the fat melted off. Its funny now when im sober with my mates and after the initial period of 'cmon a couple of beers is ok' and they start to get to the drunken 'i love you mans' they all commend me on my dedication and express the envy at my body and wish they could be bothered to do the same.

Its funny how 6-10 drinks can change their attitude abotu clean living so much

[slaydox]

Well to be the youngest one in the thread...I use to drink all the time because of the crap that was going on and also because me and my friends would just hangout and have a good time while drinking. We drank every weekend friday and saturday for a good 6 months but i realized what i was doing and that it didnt help me with girls, bodybuilding or anything really so i quit cold turkey. Just think about your goals and alcohol really wont help at all if anything it can negate it some.

[shinobidoode]

i was a big drinker and partier - 2-3 times a week completely smashed. Cut that sh!t out and the fat melted off. Its funny now when im sober with my mates and after the initial period of 'cmon a couple of beers is ok' and they start to get to the drunken 'i love you mans' they all commend me on my dedication and express the envy at my body and wish they could be bothered to do the same.

Its funny how 6-10 drinks can change their attitude abotu clean living so much

Nice, you got Patrick Bateman's physique (no homo). I've avoided tonight and feel good about it. I hope my progress improves much more once the alcohol has been out of my system for a while.

[shinobidoode]

you bring up a significant problem. stopping will result in no longer going to bars. they get really annoying if you are sober OR you slip and start drinking. stopping drinking and bars will reveal who your true friends are. i lost many people i thought were friends when i stopped. my social life is much more reserved, but i joined a sailing club and now race sailboats on my weekends... pretty freakin cool. you will feel better and be way more healthy! good luck.

I have good friends, it's just we don't have anything else to do onthe weekend. We do play sports on the weekdays. It's just we feel the association of alcohol=good time. Can't find anything else to dethrown it. They have no reason to. I'm the only one out of my group of friends that's into bb.

[tristan trouble]

just say no...

[sandiegoguy]

Well to be the youngest one in the thread...I use to drink all the time because of the crap that was going on and also because me and my friends would just hangout and have a good time while drinking. We drank every weekend friday and saturday for a good 6 months but i realized what i was doing and that it didnt help me with girls, bodybuilding or anything really so i quit cold turkey. Just think about your goals and alcohol really wont help at all if anything it can negate it some.

Right, it doesn't help you do anything, if you think about it most people are able to be more social when sober anyways because you're actually able to think and not slur your words and you don't just say the first stupid thing that pops into your head. Anyways I still enjoy being around others who are drunk and drinking because its entertaining and if you don't go around telling everyone your sober people usually don't even know that you're not drinking.

You can still go to bars and clubs, just get 1 or maybe 2 drinks over the whole night, people won't even know for the most part that you're not drinking.

[Hallock]

You'll find going to parties sober may suck a lot of the fun out of them. Just fill your cup with half a thing of beer if you're worried about stigma.

[Sporty1200C]

I'm trying to cut back on the amount which I drink right now. I this coming weekend will be the last big hurrah with a bartour at Penn State. After that, I'm going to limit drinking to once a month.

The problem that comes along with this is that I still go to visit my friends and the first thing we always do when we get together is have a beer, which leads to 2, 3, 4...and so on until everyone is loaded. How do I get around this without my friends giving me **** for not drinking with them?

[sandiegoguy]

If you're at a bar just sitting at a table with friends it'd be easy for them to see that you weren't drinking as much as them, however if it was more of a situation where you are moving around and just going up to the bar to get drinks on your own then you could just keep the one beer longer and act like you've gotten more than that, you could also get a soda and say its a mixed drink if anyone asks but they shouldn't and as other people around you get more wasted they won't be very aware of what you're drinking anyways.

As for parties not being fun when you're sober this can be true but it doesn't mean you can't have fun, after all there are usually girls around and you can just get a small buzz rather than getting wasted.

[no limits]

if you want to be seen drinking but not drink much drink 50/50 beer and soda water

[Sporty1200C]

As for parties not being fun when you're sober this can be true but it doesn't mean you can't have fun, after all there are usually girls around and you can just get a small buzz rather than getting wasted.

Good point, instead of being a drunken moron while talking to them, I can actually be coherent and make some sense.

if you want to be seen drinking but not drink much drink 50/50 beer and soda water

I see what you're getting at, but watering down a beer?! I just couldn't do it.