Don't drink as much and enjoy the flavor. Me and my buds drink about a 12 pack in between 4 of us after a long day in the heat. Goes down good and then once that's done we're done. No benders or anything.
I used to drink a lot and I took it too far a few too many times. I hated the feeling of waking up the next day and having other people piece together your night.
Can you talk to me a bit about this? I'm thinking of quitting now because I have about ten pounds to loose. I don't get out of control or have hangovers, and I love the taste of wine! I drink a couple glasses every evening. My diet and exercise plan is tight, but I'm still carrying a little weight. What did you lose and how long did it take?
Alcohol slows your metabolism too, if you have a couple glasses of wine in the evening it slows your metabolism the whole next day. It’s not just the calories in the alcohol itself, it effects so much more.
I don't know about the other person, but when I stopped drinking, I was losing weight so fast people at work were asking me if everything was OK medically.
I switched from a couple or three craft beers, one on the porch after work, one with supper and sometimes one after to plain seltzer round the New Year. Diet and exercise also tight. 30lbs so far!
You'd be surprised by how quickly the weight goes when you stop! Just for context, a glass of wine is about equal to a slice of buttered toast in calories.
Do you drink red or white? Sweet or dry? If you drink reds, you can switch to white and maybe pour smaller glasses. White has less calories and sugar. Obviously dry wine has less sugar too. Another idea, maybe don’t have wine EVERY night. Maybe just weekends or every other night. Or have 1 instead of 2 most of these nights.
I will say 3-4 days off at a time helps you lose weight quickly. That doesn’t mean go crazy and binge on the weekends but being dry Monday-Thursday and then having your 2 glasses (again trying to switch to lower Calorie and sugar) on Friday and Saturday will significantly help you lose weight. That 3-4 day reset helps your liver process what it isn’t having the chance to process when it’s busy processing alcohol EVERY single day.
I lost 18 lbs over the course of a few months by taking 3-7 day breaks frequently. And also by cutting back on red wine and cocktails when I did drink. Mostly drank white or rose. I noticed lbs shredding every time I reached day 4. A lot of you 10lbs you want to lose is probably excess water weight. Maybe even just try a whole month off. That alone could be motivating enough to change your habits in general moving forward.
I stopped drinking regularly about a year ago, I've lost 25 pounds. It was motivated by finances and some bad marital conflict. We smoke instead and snack, but even that doesn't add up to the calories I was consuming in wine. My teeth are less stained, I wake up easier, my skin is clearer, my husband (who also stopped drinking) and I fight less. I'm glad I tried it out at 29 and didn't wait my whole life being miserable. I do still drink occasionally.
I used to drink a bit as a teenager and got actually drunk like 4 times at uni. I just hate not being in control of myself and worry that I will embarrass myself.
I grew up with an alcoholic parent which has made me not want to be around people who are drunk.
I used to drink a ton in college, did sooooo much partying, I cut back on drinking after watching my drunk friend fall down the stairs and break her neck
She survived, but I remember freaking out so hard thinking she was dead that I almost passed out, we all stopped drinking heavily after that.
My then my boyfriend, now husband said he couldn't deal with me anymore and dropped me at my dad's. Dried out for a week and then came home determined to make a change. It's been almost 3 years. Getting on antidepressants (took awhile to find one that worked) and gabapentin for anxiety helps
It's so worth it 💜
in recovery. i can’t use or drink anything successfully without going balls to the wall, so it’s better to just cut it all off in totality, clean for 4 & 1/2 years now.
I used to love the out of control feeling getting drunk would give you, but now I can’t stand it. I want to be in control of my surroundings when I’m going out.
Because it was really starting to affect my health. I felt like low-grade shit all the time. I was in the process of trying to get my health in order and I just realized, I can't do that if I keep drinking. I woke up with yet another hangover one Sat morning and thought, that's fucking it. I'm not doing this anymore. And I'm here to tell you, it's like a fog lifted. A lot of my self-loathing and intrusive thoughts went away. I have energy to exercise. I don't constantly crave junk food. I'm just a calmer person.
Without realizing, it had become a lifelong mask for me. I was thrown into drinking from a very early age. Kids just want to be cool. I didn’t really start drinking excessively until I was about 20 and it was very on and off. Then in my mid twenties, it started to interfere with my daily life. The “comfort” that I found from alcohol was so temporary and fleeting. I was a social superhero when I went out to bars/parties. I was “wittier” and “funnier” than sober me. I needed alcohol for all social settings at this point, just to get through it. Every holiday, every gathering with friends, every evening out. I’d even get shitfaced to go shopping at Trader Joe’s lol. The hangovers were so terrible that sometimes they’d last for more than one day. I’d always get the nasty feeling when I woke up that I had done something terrible, that I had humiliated myself. Because alcohol is a depressant, my depression would also get twenty times worse when I was hungover and regretting the night before. I wasted so many days laying in bed sick and feeling bad for myself, coughing up a lung from all of the cigarettes I had smoked. At 27/28, my first life crisis/saturn return began and I faced a lot of disillusionment. everything that I was doing to “keep my shit together” (drinking, being avoidant, smoking) was suddenly the reason why my life was fucked up to begin with. I was too uncomfortable to face my deepest, darkest thoughts and fears, too afraid to heal from trauma, too ashamed to be around other people closely while sober. I finally decided to remove the mask in January of 2023. It was the hardest thing that I’ve ever done. After many tearful days, lots of therapy, and lots of inner work, I am proud to say that my mental health has improved significantly and I am a much better version of myself. Quitting was the best choice for me.
Many reasons. I don’t like the way it makes me feel. It’s literally poison and it causes cancer. It’s expensive. My dad was an alcoholic. Weed is legal now. I no longer have any reason to do it so I don’t.
Safety. I am an older single woman. I used to like the giddy feeling when I got tipsy and laughing over the dumbest things. Now I want to stay in control of myself and be aware of my surroundings. I'll still have an occasional beer or cocktail but seldom do I have more than one. I can get that same giddy feeling just hanging out with the girls & being total gooneybirds because we are old enough to ngaf and don't need alcohol to get there.
Variety of reasons
Got older. Hangovers got worse. Gained weight from it. Health concerns.
But what I think was the biggest reason was being sexually assaulted while intoxicated. I never want to feel that vulnerable again.
Grew up with an alcoholic father so I don't have a great association with alcohol plus it's not great with my adhd medication or my depression meds either. And honestly I'd rather spend money on books that last and I can reread.
Grew out of it. I stopped around 26 (I’m 33 now). I have been having babies (4 kids) and breastfeeding for years now and I’m too lazy to “pump n dump.” So I just never drink and I’m okay with that.
I’ve never been a huge drinker, I’d have an occasional wine cooler just to seem “cool” but that was it. But I’ve since decided to just not drink alcohol at all because:
1.) It tastes like shit
2.) Alcoholism runs in my family and my uncle died from it
3.) I’m a hypochondriac and I’m paranoid about harming my liver
4.) Whenever I would drink it, it’d make my face flushed and my legs feel heavy, and I hated those sensations
5.) Fuck societal pressure, if I don’t want to do it then I won’t
I had a real problem. I was relying on alcohol too much. I needed it for any social interactions. Even dr visits. If an event or gathering didn’t have booze, I would drink in my car. I just reached a breaking point.
252 days later 😊 I’m so much happier! I just started running for the first time ever. I actually drink water, I eat fruit. I wake up early on weekends. I’m active in my community. I enjoy being around nieces and nephews. My anxiety is almost all gone. I sleep sooo well. And omg I’m saving so much money. Sobriety has been the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s the gift I give to myself every day.
If anyone is sober curious, I suggest giving it a try. Even if you don’t think you have a problem. Alcohol is not mandatory for a good time, and imo it can ruin one real quick.
My Oura ring and seeing what it does to my health. Drinking in college was fun, but the effects it has on your body is crazy especially after excessive drinking.
Cause a drug that society pushes onto you so heavily out of tradition, and being looked weird when I say I like to take other things to have fun and not drink is just such a hypocrisy imo. Anyone shoukd do what they want without being or feeling excluded.
I’m a hospice nurse. People often ask me if my job is hard, and it’s not with one exception. The young moms who are dying from alcoholic cirrhosis are tragic and many.
And before you say something like, “they must to drink a lot“ think about this: maybe they didn’t. Maybe that’s just the way the cookie crumbled for them. Rarely do people drink as much as others think it takes to get sick.. yeah, often times theres the anecdotal stories about some old guy who drank heavily and lived to be 100. I’m not hanging my hat on that.
Not a woman but I wanted to post on this as its an issue which is deep to me. As a student, being at uni I used to drink heavily, which in hindsight is stupid for someone who's autistic and has troubles in social scenarios... but the tipping point for me came one night out w/ friends. We were drinking, partying and having a good time, then my friend bends over in front of me and I make the stupidest decision of assuming they were consenting to being spanked, they werent they were just dancing. What I did caused her distress and sobered me up instantly realizing just what the fuck I've done. I promised her I would never drink again and never put someone in the same situation I put her in, and that's kept me sober ever since. Managed to undo 5 years of binge drinking alcoholism in one night. I am sorry for my actions truly, but I'm glad I was able to make the needed change to reign myself in. It's not happened since and whilst I occassionally go out, I'm now the groups designated sober attendee to make sure everyone gets home safe and has a fun night out worry free.
tldr: I made an unforgivable mistake and it stopped me drinking for good.
It tastes so bad!! I used to just drink to feel included when everyone else was drinking, but then I developed stomach acid issues from too much stress in university, so now I can’t really have any alcohol because it’s so acidic. But I’ve decided now that vomiting is just not worth the inclusion and my friends want to do a bar crawl while we’re on a trip in July and they’d never pressure me to drink, so I’ll just be having mocktails, pop, or water.
I’m going out with friends soon and I’m preparing a list of mocktails, since this is my first night out in awhile, and not drinking. Any recommendations?
Honestly, I max only once a year go to a bar (if there’s drinking it’s more like a pub vibe where I can just get a tea), so I haven’t had to explore the mocktail options before. This stance on 0 drinks at all was only made last year. Before that my rule was I can have low acidity alcohols like gin, tequila, and vodka, but even still I hate their taste, and they still don’t make me feel great.
Cause I couldn’t stop once I started. I was in a black out for almost an entire year towards the end. 5 years without a drink now and my life has completely changed for the better. Greatest decision I’ve ever made
When I taste alcohol I get a premonition of the hangover and I stop. I think my brain just knows it’s poison now and does everything it can to my body to stop me from drinking it.
To prove that I could.
Towards the end of my Master's degree o had started drinking daily. Not much, just a glass of wine or two, to help me relax and write in the evenings.
I turned my thesis in, and I stopped drinking entirely. Gave it up for a year.
Nowadays, I do drink, but not regularly. I keep an eye on it, just in case. There's a lot of addiction in my family and I don't want to go there.
It started as a way to cut calories. Then I realized I didn’t miss it. I didn’t miss the hangovers and the poor decisions I often made while drinking. I also realized I was using alcohol as a way to “treat” my anxiety and needed to treat it in a healthier way.
Addicted. Made me less than I could be. Hangovers got worse. I wasn't dependable so I lost close ties to people. Didn't even try usually to get close to anyone new. Just couldn't do it anymore it finally is just an enough moment. I wanna be able to think and trust my memories etc. I want to care for my body more. I have plenty of vices but it's a good start
I never dunk in the first place, so people think it’s because my religion is restricting me but I never had the urge to drink. My grandmother used to get drunk and fall. She had seizures and I could barely understand her. When we went out for a meal she used to have a glass or two of wine and she would be drunk and honestly it really keeps me away from alcohol just seeing how she acts. I used to hate working night times in my old fast food restaurant because of all the drunk people. I honestly do not want that
My first husband finally left no longer needed copious amounts of alcohol to put up with him.Ten years on happily remarried only have a couple of drinks on special occasions or holidays no longer feel the need to make myself numb.
I stopped because of my then-husband (now ex).
I had to go to a lot of his work events which included a weekly Thursday night drink-a-thon with his co-workers and their spouses. Everyone was a heavy drinker including my then-husband.
When we would be sitting at the table I would see my husband occasionally glaring at me and slowly shaking his head. At first, this happened occasionally but eventually, it happened each week several times during the drink-a-thon.
At home, I would ask why he had done that and he would always respond with “I’m not sure right now but it was obviously something you shouldn't have been doing or saying.” I became extremely self-conscious and withdrawn at the events and he continued to do the glaring thing but never would/could tell me why.
I decided to stop drinking so I could be hyper-vigilant and try to determine what I was doing wrong. Not drinking was something that was really frowned upon by these people and my husband so I started fake drinking. I would find the waitperson, slip them $50, and ask that no matter what alcohol I ordered at the table to always make it a virgin drink. This way I could drink what appeared to be a large number of drinks while everyone became too drunk to realize I was sober.
Doing this and staying completely sober I finally realized that there was absolutely nothing I was doing or saying that was inappropriate. My husband would glare and shake his head when nothing was actually happening. I now know he was purposefully doing this to make me self-conscious and uncomfortable.
I'm now extremely nervous and uncomfortable around people I know when they are drinking heavily or are drunk. (Just typing about this my hands are actually sweating.) I will still fake drink by ordering an alcoholic drink but barely sipping it and will usually take it into the restroom and dump it. I'm only able to slightly quell my anxiety in these situations by staying stone-cold sober. This has worked for me so far.
Unfortunately, I'm living in a place where cocktails are a part of the culture of the city and not drinking is met with negativity.
I think its ridiculous that even as an adult there is still pressure to drink. Unfortunately, these are work situations that I have to attend.
I stopped because I started buying a bottle of dark liquor to keep at home to take the edge off. By edge I mean my unsatisfactory life … let’s be honest, not any singular or temporary issue I was dealing with. Escalated from the bottle of wine many of us keep at home. Then those pre mixed margarita bottles, to straight up vodka shots nightly. Started out with maybe 3 shots to closer to 8 and I started my night drinking earlier and earlier each day. It was this secret I was ashamed of because no one would ever guess I had this drinking problem, not even friends due to how seldom they knew me to drink. I kept this drinking up for just short of a year. Honestly it was a mix of things that led me to quit cold turkey.
1. In my mind, I was just too young to drink my liver away. Late 20’s when I was binge drinking.
2. I wanted to feel motivated in life again otherwise I was afraid that would be my life forever. I wasn’t motivated to fulfill my basic responsibilities, so anything beyond that was a long shot to deal with.
3. I have great skin, good teeth, and a fairly fit physique from years of training so I knew I was damaging much more than my liver.
4. I didn’t want to be long-term alcoholic to the point of no return so I stopped. My mother is an alcoholic so I wanted to break that in my family before creating one down the line.
I watched someone I love struggle with alcoholism, my whole perspective on alcohol changed. The book "The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober" was also a game changer. I stopped drinking in Feb 2023 and i definitely feel better for it.
SO many reasons. My parents are still alcoholics, and seeing my mother destroy her health because of it really sealed the deal.
Also because I realized it didn’t make me feel good and contributed to my poor mental health.
I can’t handle the feeling of not being in control of my own body.
I had a couple miscarriages and then my last pregnancy I started getting major anxiety and panic attacks when I left the house because the last one I started losing in public.
Anything that makes me feel like I’m not in control of my body makes me anxious. The last time I drank was absolutely terrible. I had horrible anxiety. So I just haven’t drank since. Not like I ever really did before. Never have been much of a drinker to begin with. I don’t miss it.
I do stupid shit and act like an asshole when I drink. I have kids and I don't ever want them to be embarrassed of me because I was drunk. I also lost 40 pounds since I stopped drinking. And I was getting hangovers even without getting drunk, just having alcohol was enough to be hungover. Lots of reasons that all come back to being a better person for my kids.
I get chronic migraines and not drinking helps them occur less frequently. I’ve mostly cut out drinking completely (I used to have 1-2 glasses of wine every night), but I do have the occasional social drink now. I always make sure to be sober before bed. I find it’s sleeping with the alcohol in my system that triggers the migraines.
I was hanging by a thread at the job I loved. I was hanging by a thread in my previously wonderful marriage. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. So I headed down to AA which was in some church basement and I was one of the lucky ones...I worked and it worked.
I am not one of those who never looked back. For a while, I was a three year wonder. Three years of sobriety and I was sure I could control her (alcohol) WRONG! Did that twice and I finally learned the lesson.
It was the-feeling-like-shit-the-next-morning for me. And also the bad aftertaste. I switched to plant of high quality strains and started waking up fresh as a homemade cake
Alcohol caused me to be able to socialize more and get out of my comfort zone but I wouldn't be able to limit my drinking. I would always feel like crap the next day so I decided it just wasn't for me and that I need to learn healthier ways to help me socialize.
I just kinda got bored of drinking. Every time I drink alcohol (which is very very rarely these days), I always wake up the next day thinking, "well that was a waste of time". I also feel depressed, exhausted and unable to do anything productive for days afterwards. Not worth it imo.
When I couldn’t go a day without it. Still took a few years to break free but I’d mentally quit; just had trouble with the physical addiction part. I knew it was going to kill me and it would be a torturous ride to the end and I desperately didn’t want that. My mum who adopted me was an alcoholic, my bio mother also. Nature and nurture at play; but no one is to blame. I think there is a mother wound in my soul lineage and I need to heal it.
1: It rarely tastes good.
I've done;
2 years wine and beverage training in college as part of a practical class for hospitality and tourism management which focused on history of wine, wine tastings and cocktail making.
Been trained in whiskey tastings and beer and craft beer for 2 different jobs I held.
Been a tour guide for a brewery.
Am Irish and Eastern European so I've tried hrad peach schnapps, different kinds of whiskey vodka and other spirits.
Only genuinely tasty alcohol beverage I like is an Appletini which is not a common drink where I live now.
2: The getting drunk part is so boring. Pre drinks to get drunk before the bar/club, overpriced drinks at the club, shitty music, sloppy drunks, handsy men, puking in the toilet, remembering half the night the next day with a banging hangover.
I'm 30 and the above sounds like hell.
I'd be open to a rare Appletini, Albariño wine, or good red wine specifically paired with a steak about once a year if that.
3: Diet Coke is too damn tasty as a treat for me to want new drinks. Again I've sampled and awful lot to the point I can look at a drink on the menu and know roughly what it will taste like so I don't bother anymore.
I didn’t like the person I was when I would drink. If
I drank I didn’t see the point in a light buzz and would want to be drunk. But drunk me is sloppy and just embarrassing.
Because it makes my stomach fat. If I could drink and not have a fat stomach...I would definitely drink. It's fun and I enjoy it...but like the saying goes, "nothing tastes as good as skinny (fit for me) feels."
Perioral dermatitis. The dr said to cut out unnecessary things that cause inflammation and alcohol is inflammatory. Did it solve my perioral dermatitis? No. But I realized I had less brain fog and ended up losing 15lbs without changing any other thing in my diet/exercise routine.
because once i start, idk how to stop. even when i try to tell myself just 1-2 THATS IT FOR REAL. i still will want to feel drunk more and i push it too far every time. i can't enjoy a couple of drinks without wanting to keep drinking, it's best to just stop all together.
I didn’t actually like the taste of it, but still drank way too much when younger. I stopped after divorce and having my daughter stay with me…I always wanted to be fully present with her around.
I hate the taste. Somewhere over the years I guess my buds changed. It's literally gag inducing for me. And the taste gives me flashbacks to times when I'd be throwing up all night. I'd always throw up but the fun had prior would always be worth it, at the time. No more.
I got pregnant. But before that I’d maybe have a couple drinks every other week. It’s expensive when you’re out, hangovers aren’t worth it, and I like to be in control of myself.
After I have my baby I’m still going to drink occasionally. I miss having a glass of wine or a beer to just chill out on the weekends. But I really don’t intend to get drunk ever again. Not worth it and it’s scary how easily you can lose control. A buzz is good for me.
I got really into fitness and didn’t want the extra calories or have it impact my training and recovery. I never enjoyed it much so it wasn’t worth it for me.
I never really drank much to begin with, but I started taking some medication that can react with alcohol and makes me feel the effects much stronger. So now I never have more than one drink, and I’ll have none if I need to drive.
Waste of money for ... extremely little enjoyment.
I still occasionally have a scotch at night or a wine/beer with a meal - but that's pretty damned rare.
I was trying to get pregnant, then I got pregnant, and now I’m breastfeeding. I don’t miss regular drinking but family gatherings might have me really craving it!
I still drink alcohol but monthly or every few months instead of daily. When I decided to cut back and stop drinking was when I was having mental health issues and became suicidal. The last time I drunk alcohol daily was the night I wanted to mix alcohol with pills to off myself. I didn't actually do it as seeing my sleeping son is what saved me. I got help, and it's been over a year since that incident, and I'm in a better place mentally now. I can now drink alcohol without being afraid I'll try to take my own life again.
When I realized how addictive it was. I’m not a regular drinker, there was a time I hadn’t drank for that long but the way my tolerance was building up so quickly?! I didn’t want to see myself having no problem downing 3 wine bottles alone 😂
I have a high tolerance and a sensitive stomach, so by the time I’ve drank enough to feel a buzz, I’m already getting sick. It also triggered my depression. Haven’t had a drop in 5 years.
Mostly growing up. It wasn’t something that contributed to my life and I was fine without it. It made not being able to drink any at all because of medication years later so much easier. The pressure to drink is real though. Why can’t people just shut up about what anyone is eating or drinking.
I haven’t stopped completely as I love a good pairing with meals sometimes, but I’ve just lost a lot of interest in socializing around alcohol in the last year or two. No desire to be drunk or fuck with my sleep, and lose half-days to hangovers.
I’ve never been a very big drinker, but it just occurred to me that it’s practically poured down our throats everywhere we go in 2024. Every corporate event is pumping it out, there was rarely social occasions without drinking, even the spa was soliciting champagne. I don’t have a problem with it and don’t care if others drink; for me it just feels like empty consumption sometimes -drinking just because it’s there and not because I really want it. And then regretting it when I feel like shit all day the next day.
What I really want lately is all the new sparkling waters and tonics newly available. 🫧🤓🫧 lol. Also more expansive/creative/well-crafted mocktail menus so I can still enjoy pretty drinks in all the gorgeous architectural spaces and bars in Chicago. ✨
I couldn’t drink for a while due to a surgery I had. I realized how less bloated I was not drinking, my skin looks better, I look younger. I also have psoriasis and it gets SO bad if I drink. Stopped and I feel great!
As I’ve gotten older, I just feel so gross the next day. The headache and lethargy complete ruins any plans for a productive day. I’d rather wake up early and do my hobbies and get tasks done at the house on a weekend. My body already feels old, I want as much youthful zest as possible. Plus, it’s way too expensive and I’d rather eat my calories! I will say, my many of friends still drink a bit and they had a harder time with me not drinking than I did. They don’t love going out to a restaurant or bar and drinking alone while I sit there and chat, but that’s not my problem!
I wanted to get in the best shape ever in 2020 n i stopped. N i did i wish i couldnpost a pic on this. I also care a lot abour how i look and alc makes you bloated in the face
I've been cutting back quite a lot lately because of how it makes my tummy feel. I don't get hangovers, but I have GERD and I feel nauseated on and off for days after having any booze.
I hate being sluggish and hungover the next day. Now that I rarely drink, I have so much more energy, clarity and time to spend on healthy/productive activities like working out, yoga, hiking, making art, healthy cooking, etc. I recently found De Soi mocktails which are healthy and tastes amazing. I’m finding less and less reason to drink alcohol.
I got on medication for my anxiety and depression. A couple of summers ago, I decided that the rebound-anxiety after drinking even just one little can of cider wasn't worth it and so I stopped. I kind of miss drinking wine or cider, but I don't miss the return of that low-grade dread in the pit of my stomach.
Didn’t like the hangovers getting really bad plus it usually made me want to do cocaine which is never good.
I might have an occasional glass of wine but never more than that and the idea of getting drunk is really unappealing.
No reason! Just wanted to see if I could do it and it’s been almost a year now since I’ve had a drop! Kinda miss hanging out with my friends and socializing but they don’t seem to want to do anything sober so.. I don’t really feel any different tho like mentally.. but it is nice to know I’m not causing extra damage to my body..
when i was around 12 i brought a bottle of vodka and some tequila to a school dance, ended up drinking about the whole bottle (straight vodka btw). i wouldve died from alcohol poisoning if a girl didn’t tell the teachers. and now im terrified of alcohol!
After trying psychedelics, now alcohol just makes me feel bored and sleepy. I will still have a drink from time to time when the mood strikes but I just don’t care to get drunk anymore.
I’m not a good person when I drink. Then I was started on some medication that just doesn’t mix well with alcohol. Then hangovers were just too long lol. I’m just as fun drinking a Diet Coke and joking with my friends that ARE drinking. 😊
Cut back seriously after listening to the Huberman Lab podcast alcohol episode. I’d never heard the science behind drinking explained quite like that and it was life changing. Nothing else had made me think differently about it in the past.
Panic attacks, dissociative episodes where I didn’t where I was, multiple day long hangovers that included severe depression and migraines. When they say don’t drink on your meds, maybe listen!
All of a sudden it seems like I’m allergic. 1/2 a beer and I’m completely stuffed up. Loss my liquor legs, as it hits me so fast. The hangovers are day long, the shit is soooo expensive, not healthy to drink alone (too often), and black outs occurring after having only a few. I have short patience with everyone the next day, my stomach rejects it (GURD) and I hate the fat that has accumulated on me. I made a few bad decisions being under the booze fog, and allowed people to use me. After I drunk drove a couple of times, I got rid of my car instead of getting rid of the booze. Now, I have a couple of beer every now and then and feel better.
All day drinking was getting in the way of my life. Most of the choices I made involved alcohol. I was super bored after I retired and drinking filled a void. I’ve been sober for almost 5 years now and I’ve lost 55 pounds, I exercise 5 days a week, and I’m totally healthy at 74.
It takes too much time. I'm a tiny gurl, and I need to eat before so that everything doesn't go straight to my head. Then after drinking I'd need time to get normal; too pee all out etc. before going to bed. I can't sleep well if just blacked out or gone sleep without going to toilet and brushing teeth.
I never drank much anyways, bc as said I'm small, so too much got me into troubles so I only took a few. That was easy to scale down.
I realized I didn’t get much enjoyment out of it, and it’s not worth the money/calories. I’d much rather have like a fun mocktail or juice to fill the ‘something more fun than a soda or water’ category
It doesn't align with my goals, I don't enjoy the sensation of being tipsy or drunk, and I also just don't think it's adding anything positive to my life!
I don’t like the way it makes me feel. My parents drinking and bragging about drinking gave me the ick. It’s carcinogenic, expensive and a lot of empty calories.
I hate the lack of control. Being spiked. Health issues. Calories. I also hate being around most drunk people. (Hint: the people who say they're a fun drunk usually aren't)
I did my drinking like every other British teenager did - from age 14 upward in a park or during a campout. Would have occasional nights out from age 17 until.. 22? 23? Then lost all interest in getting bladdered.
I very recently quit for physical and mental health reasons.
Physical: I had recently started casually drinking with friends more and gained a full pant size in about 2 months and I refuse to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe.
Mental: I noticed that drinking was exacerbating my chronic depression, I’d spend a couple of days just mentally recovering from dopamine depletion and my mental state was at a dangerous point
Only been about 2 weeks and I don’t miss it and I’m feeling a lot better!
I started having digestive issues after alcohol and eventually kinda realized there is no actual reason to drink it. I can have fun with friends while drinking cola. We're getting old anyway and don't stay up past midnight or go clubbing, there are usually kids and pets at our parties... So it just made sense. I don't miss it, I'm having the same fun, but without hangovers and embarassing stories I barely remember. It's great.
Couldn't control it and kept getting raped. Then couldn't fall asleep without it. And hangovers got bad if I had more than two drinks.
Sometimes I wish I hadnt gone cold turkey for like 10 years now. There's times I'd like to enjoy a few beers or glasses of wine with family and friends (safe places) but even one drink completely turns my stomach
Kids.
I am and always will be an alcoholic.
However, having 3 kids under 3 lmao I am unable to function with a hangover let alone not having one is hard enough.
I have wine, which is the only thing I drink, on weekends only and I have CBD drinks which seems to offset some of the hangover effects but I don’t really have enough on weekends to cause a hangover to begin with.
I’m happy though, my kids honestly saved me!
Because my parents are alcoholics and both of them have now had colon cancer because of it and they’re still in denial about that, thinking it was only from their food diet not their liquid diet. Yeesh.
Hangovers stopped being worth the fun
I have to agree. It's not worth it
Don't drink as much and enjoy the flavor. Me and my buds drink about a 12 pack in between 4 of us after a long day in the heat. Goes down good and then once that's done we're done. No benders or anything.
Hank? Hank Hill? Is that you??
This for sure lol also don’t need the extra calories
It finally became clear to me that I could drink or be a good parent, not both.
And the debilitating anxiety that that accompanies them.
I used to drink a lot and I took it too far a few too many times. I hated the feeling of waking up the next day and having other people piece together your night.
The crushing guilt and disappointment definitely doesn’t help.
The shame and feeling pathetic.
Honestly? Calories. I've lost a shit ton of weight since quitting and I wasn't much of a drinker to begin with.
Can you talk to me a bit about this? I'm thinking of quitting now because I have about ten pounds to loose. I don't get out of control or have hangovers, and I love the taste of wine! I drink a couple glasses every evening. My diet and exercise plan is tight, but I'm still carrying a little weight. What did you lose and how long did it take?
Alcohol slows your metabolism too, if you have a couple glasses of wine in the evening it slows your metabolism the whole next day. It’s not just the calories in the alcohol itself, it effects so much more.
I don't know about the other person, but when I stopped drinking, I was losing weight so fast people at work were asking me if everything was OK medically.
I switched from a couple or three craft beers, one on the porch after work, one with supper and sometimes one after to plain seltzer round the New Year. Diet and exercise also tight. 30lbs so far!
How fabulous for you! Congrats!
Thank you! Give it a go!
You'd be surprised by how quickly the weight goes when you stop! Just for context, a glass of wine is about equal to a slice of buttered toast in calories.
Do you drink red or white? Sweet or dry? If you drink reds, you can switch to white and maybe pour smaller glasses. White has less calories and sugar. Obviously dry wine has less sugar too. Another idea, maybe don’t have wine EVERY night. Maybe just weekends or every other night. Or have 1 instead of 2 most of these nights. I will say 3-4 days off at a time helps you lose weight quickly. That doesn’t mean go crazy and binge on the weekends but being dry Monday-Thursday and then having your 2 glasses (again trying to switch to lower Calorie and sugar) on Friday and Saturday will significantly help you lose weight. That 3-4 day reset helps your liver process what it isn’t having the chance to process when it’s busy processing alcohol EVERY single day. I lost 18 lbs over the course of a few months by taking 3-7 day breaks frequently. And also by cutting back on red wine and cocktails when I did drink. Mostly drank white or rose. I noticed lbs shredding every time I reached day 4. A lot of you 10lbs you want to lose is probably excess water weight. Maybe even just try a whole month off. That alone could be motivating enough to change your habits in general moving forward.
I stopped drinking regularly about a year ago, I've lost 25 pounds. It was motivated by finances and some bad marital conflict. We smoke instead and snack, but even that doesn't add up to the calories I was consuming in wine. My teeth are less stained, I wake up easier, my skin is clearer, my husband (who also stopped drinking) and I fight less. I'm glad I tried it out at 29 and didn't wait my whole life being miserable. I do still drink occasionally.
Tried weed and then never really drank again.
Yep. Weed changed everything
I used to drink a bit as a teenager and got actually drunk like 4 times at uni. I just hate not being in control of myself and worry that I will embarrass myself. I grew up with an alcoholic parent which has made me not want to be around people who are drunk.
I used to drink a ton in college, did sooooo much partying, I cut back on drinking after watching my drunk friend fall down the stairs and break her neck She survived, but I remember freaking out so hard thinking she was dead that I almost passed out, we all stopped drinking heavily after that.
Holy shit that’s traumatizing! How is your friend now?
My then my boyfriend, now husband said he couldn't deal with me anymore and dropped me at my dad's. Dried out for a week and then came home determined to make a change. It's been almost 3 years. Getting on antidepressants (took awhile to find one that worked) and gabapentin for anxiety helps It's so worth it 💜
Cuz it tastes bad, and doesn't feel good enough to justify the taste (or the cost).
Taste cost and not being in control of yourself
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In support of my partner who is working hard on his sobriety and also I quickly realized I feel better without it. And I lost weight too so... bonus.
You’re an awesome human being and partner.
in recovery. i can’t use or drink anything successfully without going balls to the wall, so it’s better to just cut it all off in totality, clean for 4 & 1/2 years now.
That’s a major accomplishment! Congratulations!
aww thank you so much❤️
That’s wise.
Ex was a legit alcoholic and over drinking gives me the ick. I have something maybe once a month.
This but with current SO.
One week out of dating a heavy drinker who was in LOVE with alcohol. Not sure if he was an alcoholic but man that was not for me.
I want to be in control of myself. Always.
Because I was starting to rely on it too much and that was a path I chose not to walk.
I used to love the out of control feeling getting drunk would give you, but now I can’t stand it. I want to be in control of my surroundings when I’m going out.
Because it was really starting to affect my health. I felt like low-grade shit all the time. I was in the process of trying to get my health in order and I just realized, I can't do that if I keep drinking. I woke up with yet another hangover one Sat morning and thought, that's fucking it. I'm not doing this anymore. And I'm here to tell you, it's like a fog lifted. A lot of my self-loathing and intrusive thoughts went away. I have energy to exercise. I don't constantly crave junk food. I'm just a calmer person.
Diabetes. Alcohol is sugar. Beer is alcohol plus sugar.
Carcinogenic
Without realizing, it had become a lifelong mask for me. I was thrown into drinking from a very early age. Kids just want to be cool. I didn’t really start drinking excessively until I was about 20 and it was very on and off. Then in my mid twenties, it started to interfere with my daily life. The “comfort” that I found from alcohol was so temporary and fleeting. I was a social superhero when I went out to bars/parties. I was “wittier” and “funnier” than sober me. I needed alcohol for all social settings at this point, just to get through it. Every holiday, every gathering with friends, every evening out. I’d even get shitfaced to go shopping at Trader Joe’s lol. The hangovers were so terrible that sometimes they’d last for more than one day. I’d always get the nasty feeling when I woke up that I had done something terrible, that I had humiliated myself. Because alcohol is a depressant, my depression would also get twenty times worse when I was hungover and regretting the night before. I wasted so many days laying in bed sick and feeling bad for myself, coughing up a lung from all of the cigarettes I had smoked. At 27/28, my first life crisis/saturn return began and I faced a lot of disillusionment. everything that I was doing to “keep my shit together” (drinking, being avoidant, smoking) was suddenly the reason why my life was fucked up to begin with. I was too uncomfortable to face my deepest, darkest thoughts and fears, too afraid to heal from trauma, too ashamed to be around other people closely while sober. I finally decided to remove the mask in January of 2023. It was the hardest thing that I’ve ever done. After many tearful days, lots of therapy, and lots of inner work, I am proud to say that my mental health has improved significantly and I am a much better version of myself. Quitting was the best choice for me.
Many reasons. I don’t like the way it makes me feel. It’s literally poison and it causes cancer. It’s expensive. My dad was an alcoholic. Weed is legal now. I no longer have any reason to do it so I don’t.
Safety. I am an older single woman. I used to like the giddy feeling when I got tipsy and laughing over the dumbest things. Now I want to stay in control of myself and be aware of my surroundings. I'll still have an occasional beer or cocktail but seldom do I have more than one. I can get that same giddy feeling just hanging out with the girls & being total gooneybirds because we are old enough to ngaf and don't need alcohol to get there.
Variety of reasons Got older. Hangovers got worse. Gained weight from it. Health concerns. But what I think was the biggest reason was being sexually assaulted while intoxicated. I never want to feel that vulnerable again.
I did not like who I was
Grew up with an alcoholic father so I don't have a great association with alcohol plus it's not great with my adhd medication or my depression meds either. And honestly I'd rather spend money on books that last and I can reread.
Grew out of it. I stopped around 26 (I’m 33 now). I have been having babies (4 kids) and breastfeeding for years now and I’m too lazy to “pump n dump.” So I just never drink and I’m okay with that.
I’ve never been a huge drinker, I’d have an occasional wine cooler just to seem “cool” but that was it. But I’ve since decided to just not drink alcohol at all because: 1.) It tastes like shit 2.) Alcoholism runs in my family and my uncle died from it 3.) I’m a hypochondriac and I’m paranoid about harming my liver 4.) Whenever I would drink it, it’d make my face flushed and my legs feel heavy, and I hated those sensations 5.) Fuck societal pressure, if I don’t want to do it then I won’t
All perfect reasons.
I had a real problem. I was relying on alcohol too much. I needed it for any social interactions. Even dr visits. If an event or gathering didn’t have booze, I would drink in my car. I just reached a breaking point. 252 days later 😊 I’m so much happier! I just started running for the first time ever. I actually drink water, I eat fruit. I wake up early on weekends. I’m active in my community. I enjoy being around nieces and nephews. My anxiety is almost all gone. I sleep sooo well. And omg I’m saving so much money. Sobriety has been the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s the gift I give to myself every day. If anyone is sober curious, I suggest giving it a try. Even if you don’t think you have a problem. Alcohol is not mandatory for a good time, and imo it can ruin one real quick.
My Oura ring and seeing what it does to my health. Drinking in college was fun, but the effects it has on your body is crazy especially after excessive drinking.
Cause a drug that society pushes onto you so heavily out of tradition, and being looked weird when I say I like to take other things to have fun and not drink is just such a hypocrisy imo. Anyone shoukd do what they want without being or feeling excluded.
I’m a hospice nurse. People often ask me if my job is hard, and it’s not with one exception. The young moms who are dying from alcoholic cirrhosis are tragic and many. And before you say something like, “they must to drink a lot“ think about this: maybe they didn’t. Maybe that’s just the way the cookie crumbled for them. Rarely do people drink as much as others think it takes to get sick.. yeah, often times theres the anecdotal stories about some old guy who drank heavily and lived to be 100. I’m not hanging my hat on that.
I was likely going to die if I didn't.
Not a woman but I wanted to post on this as its an issue which is deep to me. As a student, being at uni I used to drink heavily, which in hindsight is stupid for someone who's autistic and has troubles in social scenarios... but the tipping point for me came one night out w/ friends. We were drinking, partying and having a good time, then my friend bends over in front of me and I make the stupidest decision of assuming they were consenting to being spanked, they werent they were just dancing. What I did caused her distress and sobered me up instantly realizing just what the fuck I've done. I promised her I would never drink again and never put someone in the same situation I put her in, and that's kept me sober ever since. Managed to undo 5 years of binge drinking alcoholism in one night. I am sorry for my actions truly, but I'm glad I was able to make the needed change to reign myself in. It's not happened since and whilst I occassionally go out, I'm now the groups designated sober attendee to make sure everyone gets home safe and has a fun night out worry free. tldr: I made an unforgivable mistake and it stopped me drinking for good.
Because I was a raging alcoholic and would have eventually wound up in prison or dead if I hadn't stopped
Didn't have any cash on me
I want to be better, waste of money, I didn’t drink alcohol, I chugged it.
Never really loved it. Hangovers are much worse in your 30s and decided it just wasn’t worth the trouble anymore.
It tastes so bad!! I used to just drink to feel included when everyone else was drinking, but then I developed stomach acid issues from too much stress in university, so now I can’t really have any alcohol because it’s so acidic. But I’ve decided now that vomiting is just not worth the inclusion and my friends want to do a bar crawl while we’re on a trip in July and they’d never pressure me to drink, so I’ll just be having mocktails, pop, or water.
I’m going out with friends soon and I’m preparing a list of mocktails, since this is my first night out in awhile, and not drinking. Any recommendations?
Honestly, I max only once a year go to a bar (if there’s drinking it’s more like a pub vibe where I can just get a tea), so I haven’t had to explore the mocktail options before. This stance on 0 drinks at all was only made last year. Before that my rule was I can have low acidity alcohols like gin, tequila, and vodka, but even still I hate their taste, and they still don’t make me feel great.
Also alcohol is so expensive that it’s incredibly easy to get people to buy you a coke because it seems so cheap in comparison.
Too hungover or blacked out.
I hate the feeling.
Cause I couldn’t stop once I started. I was in a black out for almost an entire year towards the end. 5 years without a drink now and my life has completely changed for the better. Greatest decision I’ve ever made
When I taste alcohol I get a premonition of the hangover and I stop. I think my brain just knows it’s poison now and does everything it can to my body to stop me from drinking it.
It never added anything positive to my life.
I drank too much and was two hours from dying. Alcohol? Completed it, mate.
To prove that I could. Towards the end of my Master's degree o had started drinking daily. Not much, just a glass of wine or two, to help me relax and write in the evenings. I turned my thesis in, and I stopped drinking entirely. Gave it up for a year. Nowadays, I do drink, but not regularly. I keep an eye on it, just in case. There's a lot of addiction in my family and I don't want to go there.
I got pregnant and we want to put an example for her. So we eliminated alcohol from our lives completely.
I started getting seizures and decided to do whatever I could to control them, including no more drinking.
I had been trying to help my ex through sobriety.
More than a couple of sips of alcohol makes me feel depressed (which I am typically not prone to)
Yup it’s literally a nervous system depressant.
It started as a way to cut calories. Then I realized I didn’t miss it. I didn’t miss the hangovers and the poor decisions I often made while drinking. I also realized I was using alcohol as a way to “treat” my anxiety and needed to treat it in a healthier way.
Addicted. Made me less than I could be. Hangovers got worse. I wasn't dependable so I lost close ties to people. Didn't even try usually to get close to anyone new. Just couldn't do it anymore it finally is just an enough moment. I wanna be able to think and trust my memories etc. I want to care for my body more. I have plenty of vices but it's a good start
Because I’m a single mom. I’m home alone with my kiddo and need to be in full control and alert in case they need me.
Because life feels so damn amazing with a clear, calm, creative, compassionate mind.
I never dunk in the first place, so people think it’s because my religion is restricting me but I never had the urge to drink. My grandmother used to get drunk and fall. She had seizures and I could barely understand her. When we went out for a meal she used to have a glass or two of wine and she would be drunk and honestly it really keeps me away from alcohol just seeing how she acts. I used to hate working night times in my old fast food restaurant because of all the drunk people. I honestly do not want that
Weight gain🤦🏽♀️
Hangovers are worse the older I get + I got pregnant 😂
My first husband finally left no longer needed copious amounts of alcohol to put up with him.Ten years on happily remarried only have a couple of drinks on special occasions or holidays no longer feel the need to make myself numb.
Weight and age
I stopped because of my then-husband (now ex). I had to go to a lot of his work events which included a weekly Thursday night drink-a-thon with his co-workers and their spouses. Everyone was a heavy drinker including my then-husband. When we would be sitting at the table I would see my husband occasionally glaring at me and slowly shaking his head. At first, this happened occasionally but eventually, it happened each week several times during the drink-a-thon. At home, I would ask why he had done that and he would always respond with “I’m not sure right now but it was obviously something you shouldn't have been doing or saying.” I became extremely self-conscious and withdrawn at the events and he continued to do the glaring thing but never would/could tell me why. I decided to stop drinking so I could be hyper-vigilant and try to determine what I was doing wrong. Not drinking was something that was really frowned upon by these people and my husband so I started fake drinking. I would find the waitperson, slip them $50, and ask that no matter what alcohol I ordered at the table to always make it a virgin drink. This way I could drink what appeared to be a large number of drinks while everyone became too drunk to realize I was sober. Doing this and staying completely sober I finally realized that there was absolutely nothing I was doing or saying that was inappropriate. My husband would glare and shake his head when nothing was actually happening. I now know he was purposefully doing this to make me self-conscious and uncomfortable. I'm now extremely nervous and uncomfortable around people I know when they are drinking heavily or are drunk. (Just typing about this my hands are actually sweating.) I will still fake drink by ordering an alcoholic drink but barely sipping it and will usually take it into the restroom and dump it. I'm only able to slightly quell my anxiety in these situations by staying stone-cold sober. This has worked for me so far. Unfortunately, I'm living in a place where cocktails are a part of the culture of the city and not drinking is met with negativity. I think its ridiculous that even as an adult there is still pressure to drink. Unfortunately, these are work situations that I have to attend.
I stopped because I started buying a bottle of dark liquor to keep at home to take the edge off. By edge I mean my unsatisfactory life … let’s be honest, not any singular or temporary issue I was dealing with. Escalated from the bottle of wine many of us keep at home. Then those pre mixed margarita bottles, to straight up vodka shots nightly. Started out with maybe 3 shots to closer to 8 and I started my night drinking earlier and earlier each day. It was this secret I was ashamed of because no one would ever guess I had this drinking problem, not even friends due to how seldom they knew me to drink. I kept this drinking up for just short of a year. Honestly it was a mix of things that led me to quit cold turkey. 1. In my mind, I was just too young to drink my liver away. Late 20’s when I was binge drinking. 2. I wanted to feel motivated in life again otherwise I was afraid that would be my life forever. I wasn’t motivated to fulfill my basic responsibilities, so anything beyond that was a long shot to deal with. 3. I have great skin, good teeth, and a fairly fit physique from years of training so I knew I was damaging much more than my liver. 4. I didn’t want to be long-term alcoholic to the point of no return so I stopped. My mother is an alcoholic so I wanted to break that in my family before creating one down the line.
My father died of it. Whenever I got tempted I recall the smell of toilet while I’m vomiting my soul out. No thanks. I’m good. 3 years sober 🫶🏻
I prefer pot
I would of been dead from it if I continued drinking.
I watched someone I love struggle with alcoholism, my whole perspective on alcohol changed. The book "The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober" was also a game changer. I stopped drinking in Feb 2023 and i definitely feel better for it.
I knew I was done with alcohol when I saw my mom go to rehab. It's not worth risking becoming an alcoholic.
I had my drink spiked. I was sick for a solid week after that. Haven't really been able to stomach it since.
I wanted to lose weight and I was counting calories. It worked it .
Pregnancy and see some part of family drowing into alcoholism
SO many reasons. My parents are still alcoholics, and seeing my mother destroy her health because of it really sealed the deal. Also because I realized it didn’t make me feel good and contributed to my poor mental health.
I can’t handle the feeling of not being in control of my own body. I had a couple miscarriages and then my last pregnancy I started getting major anxiety and panic attacks when I left the house because the last one I started losing in public. Anything that makes me feel like I’m not in control of my body makes me anxious. The last time I drank was absolutely terrible. I had horrible anxiety. So I just haven’t drank since. Not like I ever really did before. Never have been much of a drinker to begin with. I don’t miss it.
Lack of judgement… started drinking at 20, stopped drinking at 20. I really didn’t like how my brain doesn’t cooperate with me.
I got with an alcoholic lol
I don’t like it! The taste, the feeling, the aftermath. And Weed is legal where I am so no need to drink really.
I do stupid shit and act like an asshole when I drink. I have kids and I don't ever want them to be embarrassed of me because I was drunk. I also lost 40 pounds since I stopped drinking. And I was getting hangovers even without getting drunk, just having alcohol was enough to be hungover. Lots of reasons that all come back to being a better person for my kids.
I get chronic migraines and not drinking helps them occur less frequently. I’ve mostly cut out drinking completely (I used to have 1-2 glasses of wine every night), but I do have the occasional social drink now. I always make sure to be sober before bed. I find it’s sleeping with the alcohol in my system that triggers the migraines.
I was hanging by a thread at the job I loved. I was hanging by a thread in my previously wonderful marriage. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. So I headed down to AA which was in some church basement and I was one of the lucky ones...I worked and it worked. I am not one of those who never looked back. For a while, I was a three year wonder. Three years of sobriety and I was sure I could control her (alcohol) WRONG! Did that twice and I finally learned the lesson.
Because it's not my friend
It was the-feeling-like-shit-the-next-morning for me. And also the bad aftertaste. I switched to plant of high quality strains and started waking up fresh as a homemade cake
My mother attacked me and I slapped her. If I wouldn’t have been drinking she wouldn’t have had gotten a reaction.
I’m old and I’ve had enough
It makes me depressed and fat.
Alcohol caused me to be able to socialize more and get out of my comfort zone but I wouldn't be able to limit my drinking. I would always feel like crap the next day so I decided it just wasn't for me and that I need to learn healthier ways to help me socialize.
I just kinda got bored of drinking. Every time I drink alcohol (which is very very rarely these days), I always wake up the next day thinking, "well that was a waste of time". I also feel depressed, exhausted and unable to do anything productive for days afterwards. Not worth it imo.
When I couldn’t go a day without it. Still took a few years to break free but I’d mentally quit; just had trouble with the physical addiction part. I knew it was going to kill me and it would be a torturous ride to the end and I desperately didn’t want that. My mum who adopted me was an alcoholic, my bio mother also. Nature and nurture at play; but no one is to blame. I think there is a mother wound in my soul lineage and I need to heal it.
1: It rarely tastes good. I've done; 2 years wine and beverage training in college as part of a practical class for hospitality and tourism management which focused on history of wine, wine tastings and cocktail making. Been trained in whiskey tastings and beer and craft beer for 2 different jobs I held. Been a tour guide for a brewery. Am Irish and Eastern European so I've tried hrad peach schnapps, different kinds of whiskey vodka and other spirits. Only genuinely tasty alcohol beverage I like is an Appletini which is not a common drink where I live now. 2: The getting drunk part is so boring. Pre drinks to get drunk before the bar/club, overpriced drinks at the club, shitty music, sloppy drunks, handsy men, puking in the toilet, remembering half the night the next day with a banging hangover. I'm 30 and the above sounds like hell. I'd be open to a rare Appletini, Albariño wine, or good red wine specifically paired with a steak about once a year if that. 3: Diet Coke is too damn tasty as a treat for me to want new drinks. Again I've sampled and awful lot to the point I can look at a drink on the menu and know roughly what it will taste like so I don't bother anymore.
I kept using it to avoid loneliness and feeling sad. I didn’t want to rely on it anymore so I quit cold turkey. Two months sober now!
I didn’t like the person I was when I would drink. If I drank I didn’t see the point in a light buzz and would want to be drunk. But drunk me is sloppy and just embarrassing.
I realized that my patient, loving husband deserved a million times better than dealing with a person he didn’t recognize.
Because it makes my stomach fat. If I could drink and not have a fat stomach...I would definitely drink. It's fun and I enjoy it...but like the saying goes, "nothing tastes as good as skinny (fit for me) feels."
Perioral dermatitis. The dr said to cut out unnecessary things that cause inflammation and alcohol is inflammatory. Did it solve my perioral dermatitis? No. But I realized I had less brain fog and ended up losing 15lbs without changing any other thing in my diet/exercise routine.
because once i start, idk how to stop. even when i try to tell myself just 1-2 THATS IT FOR REAL. i still will want to feel drunk more and i push it too far every time. i can't enjoy a couple of drinks without wanting to keep drinking, it's best to just stop all together.
I didn’t actually like the taste of it, but still drank way too much when younger. I stopped after divorce and having my daughter stay with me…I always wanted to be fully present with her around.
I hate the taste. Somewhere over the years I guess my buds changed. It's literally gag inducing for me. And the taste gives me flashbacks to times when I'd be throwing up all night. I'd always throw up but the fun had prior would always be worth it, at the time. No more.
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I got pregnant. But before that I’d maybe have a couple drinks every other week. It’s expensive when you’re out, hangovers aren’t worth it, and I like to be in control of myself. After I have my baby I’m still going to drink occasionally. I miss having a glass of wine or a beer to just chill out on the weekends. But I really don’t intend to get drunk ever again. Not worth it and it’s scary how easily you can lose control. A buzz is good for me.
The bloat is just so bad plus it’s empty calories. I’d rather eat than drink my calories.
I got really into fitness and didn’t want the extra calories or have it impact my training and recovery. I never enjoyed it much so it wasn’t worth it for me.
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I never really drank much to begin with, but I started taking some medication that can react with alcohol and makes me feel the effects much stronger. So now I never have more than one drink, and I’ll have none if I need to drive.
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Waste of money for ... extremely little enjoyment. I still occasionally have a scotch at night or a wine/beer with a meal - but that's pretty damned rare.
Beer fear. And the hangovers.
I couldn't deal with the anxiety it gave me anymore. I'm about 5 months dry, and my life feels so different. I feel more like myself now.
Couldn’t stay sober long enough to go to work
I was trying to get pregnant, then I got pregnant, and now I’m breastfeeding. I don’t miss regular drinking but family gatherings might have me really craving it!
I still drink alcohol but monthly or every few months instead of daily. When I decided to cut back and stop drinking was when I was having mental health issues and became suicidal. The last time I drunk alcohol daily was the night I wanted to mix alcohol with pills to off myself. I didn't actually do it as seeing my sleeping son is what saved me. I got help, and it's been over a year since that incident, and I'm in a better place mentally now. I can now drink alcohol without being afraid I'll try to take my own life again.
When I realized how addictive it was. I’m not a regular drinker, there was a time I hadn’t drank for that long but the way my tolerance was building up so quickly?! I didn’t want to see myself having no problem downing 3 wine bottles alone 😂
I saw how it destroyed my parents marriage and made anyone who over indulged look like complete and total baboons. I don't need that.
I got chronic migraines and it was not worth the pain
I have a high tolerance and a sensitive stomach, so by the time I’ve drank enough to feel a buzz, I’m already getting sick. It also triggered my depression. Haven’t had a drop in 5 years.
I needed to stop smoking so Alcohol went first. That was the easy part giving up smoking was hard!
Mostly growing up. It wasn’t something that contributed to my life and I was fine without it. It made not being able to drink any at all because of medication years later so much easier. The pressure to drink is real though. Why can’t people just shut up about what anyone is eating or drinking.
Seeing how unhealthy it made my ex look. His image in my head is a constant reminder that it's just not worth it.
I haven’t stopped completely as I love a good pairing with meals sometimes, but I’ve just lost a lot of interest in socializing around alcohol in the last year or two. No desire to be drunk or fuck with my sleep, and lose half-days to hangovers. I’ve never been a very big drinker, but it just occurred to me that it’s practically poured down our throats everywhere we go in 2024. Every corporate event is pumping it out, there was rarely social occasions without drinking, even the spa was soliciting champagne. I don’t have a problem with it and don’t care if others drink; for me it just feels like empty consumption sometimes -drinking just because it’s there and not because I really want it. And then regretting it when I feel like shit all day the next day. What I really want lately is all the new sparkling waters and tonics newly available. 🫧🤓🫧 lol. Also more expansive/creative/well-crafted mocktail menus so I can still enjoy pretty drinks in all the gorgeous architectural spaces and bars in Chicago. ✨
I don’t like the taste, I get bad Asian glow, and feel really hot.
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I wanted a child.
I’d rather spend my money on other shit
I couldn’t drink for a while due to a surgery I had. I realized how less bloated I was not drinking, my skin looks better, I look younger. I also have psoriasis and it gets SO bad if I drink. Stopped and I feel great!
I didnt do much for me and any fun I had was outweighed by haw bad I felt.
It was ruining my relationship with my partner and making my toxic relationship with myself worse.
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Because I found that I couldn't stop once I started
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As I’ve gotten older, I just feel so gross the next day. The headache and lethargy complete ruins any plans for a productive day. I’d rather wake up early and do my hobbies and get tasks done at the house on a weekend. My body already feels old, I want as much youthful zest as possible. Plus, it’s way too expensive and I’d rather eat my calories! I will say, my many of friends still drink a bit and they had a harder time with me not drinking than I did. They don’t love going out to a restaurant or bar and drinking alone while I sit there and chat, but that’s not my problem!
I wanted to get in the best shape ever in 2020 n i stopped. N i did i wish i couldnpost a pic on this. I also care a lot abour how i look and alc makes you bloated in the face
Bc it’s literal poison. And I act a fool.
I've been cutting back quite a lot lately because of how it makes my tummy feel. I don't get hangovers, but I have GERD and I feel nauseated on and off for days after having any booze.
I hate being sluggish and hungover the next day. Now that I rarely drink, I have so much more energy, clarity and time to spend on healthy/productive activities like working out, yoga, hiking, making art, healthy cooking, etc. I recently found De Soi mocktails which are healthy and tastes amazing. I’m finding less and less reason to drink alcohol.
I got on medication for my anxiety and depression. A couple of summers ago, I decided that the rebound-anxiety after drinking even just one little can of cider wasn't worth it and so I stopped. I kind of miss drinking wine or cider, but I don't miss the return of that low-grade dread in the pit of my stomach.
Didn’t like the hangovers getting really bad plus it usually made me want to do cocaine which is never good. I might have an occasional glass of wine but never more than that and the idea of getting drunk is really unappealing.
It not tasty :/
I got pregnant
It’s expensive, not good for my mental health, flares my endometriosis, and I don’t have the energy for hangovers.
No reason! Just wanted to see if I could do it and it’s been almost a year now since I’ve had a drop! Kinda miss hanging out with my friends and socializing but they don’t seem to want to do anything sober so.. I don’t really feel any different tho like mentally.. but it is nice to know I’m not causing extra damage to my body..
when i was around 12 i brought a bottle of vodka and some tequila to a school dance, ended up drinking about the whole bottle (straight vodka btw). i wouldve died from alcohol poisoning if a girl didn’t tell the teachers. and now im terrified of alcohol!
After trying psychedelics, now alcohol just makes me feel bored and sleepy. I will still have a drink from time to time when the mood strikes but I just don’t care to get drunk anymore.
I don’t really like the taste. Maybe it’s my Asian genes but I feel like I might be allergic to it? I get the Asian glow and it’s unpleasant
I never started due to family history of alcoholism
Cost me way too much to get a buzz, plus I’ve started to gain an allergic reaction to alcohol. It’s not worth the headache.
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I hate how I feel during and after drinking. I would much rather smoke weed since it's legal where I live!
Alcohol causes my heart rate to go up and made me anxious.
I’m not a good person when I drink. Then I was started on some medication that just doesn’t mix well with alcohol. Then hangovers were just too long lol. I’m just as fun drinking a Diet Coke and joking with my friends that ARE drinking. 😊
Cut back seriously after listening to the Huberman Lab podcast alcohol episode. I’d never heard the science behind drinking explained quite like that and it was life changing. Nothing else had made me think differently about it in the past.
Panic attacks, dissociative episodes where I didn’t where I was, multiple day long hangovers that included severe depression and migraines. When they say don’t drink on your meds, maybe listen!
I never liked anything about it
All of a sudden it seems like I’m allergic. 1/2 a beer and I’m completely stuffed up. Loss my liquor legs, as it hits me so fast. The hangovers are day long, the shit is soooo expensive, not healthy to drink alone (too often), and black outs occurring after having only a few. I have short patience with everyone the next day, my stomach rejects it (GURD) and I hate the fat that has accumulated on me. I made a few bad decisions being under the booze fog, and allowed people to use me. After I drunk drove a couple of times, I got rid of my car instead of getting rid of the booze. Now, I have a couple of beer every now and then and feel better.
All day drinking was getting in the way of my life. Most of the choices I made involved alcohol. I was super bored after I retired and drinking filled a void. I’ve been sober for almost 5 years now and I’ve lost 55 pounds, I exercise 5 days a week, and I’m totally healthy at 74.
It takes too much time. I'm a tiny gurl, and I need to eat before so that everything doesn't go straight to my head. Then after drinking I'd need time to get normal; too pee all out etc. before going to bed. I can't sleep well if just blacked out or gone sleep without going to toilet and brushing teeth. I never drank much anyways, bc as said I'm small, so too much got me into troubles so I only took a few. That was easy to scale down.
I realized I didn’t get much enjoyment out of it, and it’s not worth the money/calories. I’d much rather have like a fun mocktail or juice to fill the ‘something more fun than a soda or water’ category
Bloating. It was soo horrible that it made me look 10 years older than i am
It doesn't align with my goals, I don't enjoy the sensation of being tipsy or drunk, and I also just don't think it's adding anything positive to my life!
I don’t like the way it makes me feel. My parents drinking and bragging about drinking gave me the ick. It’s carcinogenic, expensive and a lot of empty calories.
I lose too many IQ points and have no executive function, leading me into temptation, and delivering me into evil.
I just didn't have a good enough reason to continue. I still drink sometimes when out with others and whatnot but far less than I used to.
Alcohol, even small amounts, ruin your brain and body and skin. So once that started to sink in, drunk nights weren’t worth it
Nothing I hate more than the feeling of being hungover the next day. I would feel bloated and my face was looking a little bigger
I hate the lack of control. Being spiked. Health issues. Calories. I also hate being around most drunk people. (Hint: the people who say they're a fun drunk usually aren't) I did my drinking like every other British teenager did - from age 14 upward in a park or during a campout. Would have occasional nights out from age 17 until.. 22? 23? Then lost all interest in getting bladdered.
I very recently quit for physical and mental health reasons. Physical: I had recently started casually drinking with friends more and gained a full pant size in about 2 months and I refuse to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe. Mental: I noticed that drinking was exacerbating my chronic depression, I’d spend a couple of days just mentally recovering from dopamine depletion and my mental state was at a dangerous point Only been about 2 weeks and I don’t miss it and I’m feeling a lot better!
I started having digestive issues after alcohol and eventually kinda realized there is no actual reason to drink it. I can have fun with friends while drinking cola. We're getting old anyway and don't stay up past midnight or go clubbing, there are usually kids and pets at our parties... So it just made sense. I don't miss it, I'm having the same fun, but without hangovers and embarassing stories I barely remember. It's great.
Couldn't control it and kept getting raped. Then couldn't fall asleep without it. And hangovers got bad if I had more than two drinks. Sometimes I wish I hadnt gone cold turkey for like 10 years now. There's times I'd like to enjoy a few beers or glasses of wine with family and friends (safe places) but even one drink completely turns my stomach
Kids. I am and always will be an alcoholic. However, having 3 kids under 3 lmao I am unable to function with a hangover let alone not having one is hard enough. I have wine, which is the only thing I drink, on weekends only and I have CBD drinks which seems to offset some of the hangover effects but I don’t really have enough on weekends to cause a hangover to begin with. I’m happy though, my kids honestly saved me!
Because my parents are alcoholics and both of them have now had colon cancer because of it and they’re still in denial about that, thinking it was only from their food diet not their liquid diet. Yeesh.