Well after all the posts, I swung by and picked up these to try.

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A family member is on the donor list, the medical team stated that more and more younger people require liver transplants. When they are first told, they don’t believe it.

Free wave is good stuff!

Yeah, when your liver starts to hurt you know it’s time to quit. I’m sure I’m not the only one on this thread to experience that. My last drink was Thursday night and my liver is still a little sore.

OK...question.
I drank the free wave and Nah and both made my ears warm, almost like I had a drink. Does that happen to anyone else? wondering if it was just the yeast/hops and my body reacting.

The free wave was really good. I'd recommend this, it is like a lite IPA, maybe a session ipa? I'm not a big ipa drinker but enjoyed it.
Nah was not good. It had a very artificial flavor that was not enjoyable at first, then was okay at the after taste.
Raspberry gose was just ok. It had a sour like bite but nothing great nothing horrible.

When I lost my job last year, I went from working 72 hours a week to nothing. I got in a real bad habit of drinking while doing job searches. I ended up drinking a handle of hard liquor per day. Every day I woke up with the shakes until I ended up with A-Fib and went to rehab. It really caught me quick. Idle hands are the devil’s playground.

I have been away from pinside for awhile and just came across this thread. It has been a good read.

I read about a study the other day that relates drinking (especially binge drinking) to a higher risk of stroke and it raised some red flags for me. This, along with this thread comes at a time when I am starting to look seriously at my drinking and my health.

https://www.medindia.net/news/alcohol-risk-factors-for-acute-stroke-identified-209024-1.htm

I fall in to the binge category as I normally abstain for days at a time then drink 4 -10 beers usually on my days off but sometimes during the work week as well. Very seldom do I have 1 or 2, it is usually all or none and the frequency of my binges has gone up recently with life issues delaing me stress and depression.
I don't think I have gone more than 10 days straight in my adult life without a beer.
I guess you could say I don't have a drinking problem, I have more of a - don't know when to stop drinking problem.

I am in my early 50's now and starting to notice some alarming things with my physical health and feel it is time to change some things. Helps to know there are others in the same boat. Good luck to everyone trying to quit.

Just pull it back a little and calm down. If you know you have a problem or might be developing a problem, try and slow it down. My work situation changed and it screwed up my life. I don’t want that to happen to you. You are aware, and that really is the first step. I hope you are doing well, my friend.

I’ve been spending a lot of time on r/stopdrinking this week. This Pinside thread is great, but people post there non-stop. I also still recommend the Reframe app. If you go through the sign-up process you’ll get to the screen that wants $80/year. Ignore the app for a week or so, and you’ll get a half-off email. It’s worth $80/year, but $40 is better.

Just found a saying I love: “Once a pickle, never a cucumber.”

Got some fun in the mail today!
I much rather the Hazy over the Punk but my wife placed the order so I’ll take what I get.

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Went to my liquor store, and all they had was Bud Zero and O’ Doul’s (we used to call it O’Drunks). I need to check out the supermarket.

I was VERY skeptical of the Bud Zero as I'm not a big domestic swill beer guy, but it tastes pretty damn close to the real thing. It's not too expensive and low calorie so I've been keeping a pack around for when I just want a beer for the sake of having a beer. It's not the best thing ever but honestly better than I expected.

It's pretty good, tastes pretty much like a summer Shandy but a bit sweeter than most I've had.

Awesome, I’m gonna try to grab some

Bud zero is awesome though!

Yeah…I have been trying to do balance thing more than quitting. It working out ok. If you feel like you need to cut back. Start drinking later and sip. You will find it’s hard to drink a whole lot. Coozie are must when doing this.

I’ll be a week sober tomorrow, and I’m still having pain in my right side. I guess I need to open my wallet and go see my doctor. Hopefully it’s just my liver healing itself. Meanwhile, I just did the math on my last binge:

8 beers * 12 ounces * 7.3 % = 7 ounces of alcohol

But “it’s only beer”, haha.

Havent read this thread in awhile. I drank Halloween night but am going to try and stop until Thanksgiving. Been fighting gout flareups and they are getting worse each time. Will be switching jobs soon and wont have the luxury of doing remote days anymore. Also want to seriously start losing some weight. Got down to around 200 but been creeping back up the last few months. Would like to get below 190.

Get your labs done EVERY 6 months!!!..it is THE most important thing you can do...more likely if on side, "kidneys", make sure you are hydrated. I love drinking as long as my labs say I'm ok (every 6 mo) Light beer only for me. I stay the way from hard stuff.
I enjoy the hell out of beer...will be hard to give up if labs ever show something amiss. 67ys old and Dr. says liver is better then most young people.
I hope nothing changes. If so, I will change.

Congratulations! Keep it up.

I've slowed my intake down over the past 10 years. I hit it hard for too long, then had some health issues and changed my diet and outlook on health. I still intake about 3-6 a week, but all low ABV amounts. Thank God I never hit the hard stuff - that is what will send you to the grave quickly.

But keep in mind, even outside of the alcohol in beer, the calories and inflammation and carcinogens wrecks the body. My band had a show last night - not one beer. Just water and sprite and I feel great today were normally I would be hauling ass all day.

Yeah - Swamp I would go in and get checked out just to be safe. I get my labs done at least once, sometimes twice per year.

Thanks. I saw my doctor on Friday, and they did blood work. I have an ultrasound tomorrow, and I’m sure they’re going to say “fatty liver”. But that’s reversible.

I love to drink and I'd love to stop. Did I just say I really love to drink? Must be my lack of memory from the sweet, sweet liquor.

Yep, I know I have a problem. My dad died of pancreatic cancer 6 years ago and I'm pretty sure it was from drinking. He wasn't an angry or raging alcoholic, he just liked to drink, he was a happy drinker, just like me.

I'd just like to get off the squirrel wheel. A little advice or any tips please .

QSS

my wife a

found the best way was to substitute booze with a large bottle of flavored mineral water. chugged it like a beer.

first week was tough but slowly it got easier.

the thing is once you stop, you will wonder why you didn't stop sooner.

may take a few attempts - also think you really *want* to stop

I did the flavoured water for a while. I didn't drink for a week or two while I did the flavoured water and I figured I might be past it but then I slowly went down hill to "the previous lows". Don't get me wrong, It's not really that bad (in my mind) but I know it's not healthy. I'm 53 and I know I gotta tone this shit down or else.

QSS

Falling asleep is the hard part shortly after you stop. It was for me anyway. Maybe take some time off work if you can during that point. You might have to have a few sleepless nights. But sleep quality does go up.

This was the key for me. I am quickly approaching the 20 year mark.

Well, it's time to give it another shot and take a break. I (once again) stopped drinking for a few days but then got together with friends at a concert the other night and all bets were off.

Alcohol really affects my sleep. I get dehydrated and wake up to drink water all night long. Walk around in a fog the next day. I think one of my issues is I always get a clean bill of health from my doctor each year. Liver levels are great, along with everything else. My nightly routine is either 3 beers and 3 shots or a large vodka/ strawberry lemonade.

I'm 60 and come from a long line of alcoholics. My doctor tells me that I'm probably one of those people that drinks and will still live a long life. Not sure I want to take that chance. My father lived until he was 81 but was also a 3 pack a day smoker his entire life.

If only drinking wasn't so much fun. Music is better, TV is funnier. I get bored easily and when 5:00 rolls around I automatically hit the fridge. Speaking of which, another downfall is late night eating....booze gives me serious munchies which makes me put on weight.

We'll see how long this latest hiatus goes for. I'm hoping for at least a month or two. I've taken a month off many times in the past and felt great. Fingers crossed.

Look at it this way....

It's something that just has to be done. Just like eating healthy. Any of us at 50+ know that the body takes a big hit between 45-52 or so. Things change and not for the better.

You can either keep poisoning your body and expect an earlier exit from this world, or you can change your lifestyle and get a few more years to see the Grandkids and experience more sunsets. Even IF you do live long while drinking - you will feel like shit with your body full of inflammation, high blood pressure, various cancers (mouth/throat/esophagus/pancreas/liver/colon/rectum), weakening of the immune system, memory problems, dementia, and mental health issues.

For the record, I have not stopped - I still have about 5 beers a week, but I try my damnedest to limit it to that. Was just at Disney last week, and it was a success with 5 beers for the entire trip.

Well said. Life is good and I want to stick around for as long as possible. Thank you.

This meme came up on my Facebook feed recently and kind of struck me.

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Going on 7 days sober. Gout is still kicking my ass. Told myself I would change after the last big one. Think its time to get serious and become a casual social drinker. I’m in my 40’s and actually do want to dial it way back. Hoping this is the kick in the ass I need. Ill start exercising more as well.

Moderation in the last few months has been key for me. I'm "only" 38 but the last year had been drinking way more than I used to. I noticed my anxiety hitting all time highs, trouble sleeping, and the headaches and general bad feelings the day after drinking until into the afternoon. I've started to refocus and try and avoid alcohol unless it's something I'm truly going to enjoy, like a glass or two of wine if the wife and I are out to dinner, or a beer with friends during a league. I've been at about 2 drinks a week (or less) for a few months now and the difference is night and day.

I've got a good friend who is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic I've been discussing the topic with and he said something to the effect of "you feel bad when you drink, and you keep doing it...and when you don't do it, your quality of life is noticeably better, and you don't stop...". Hearing someone phrase it like that out loud was one of the kicks in the ass I needed to make a change.

Look into tart cherry juice if you haven't already. It's been scientifically proven to help.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/treating-gout-with-cherry-juice/

I have the same nightly routine (more like 2-4 beers). Just got my labs back and everything is normal, but that doesn’t explain the pain in my side. Hopefully this morning’s ultrasound will have some answers. All I know is that when I go hard, that pain in my side gets a lot worse.

I’m 10 days sober and feeling pretty good. I even hosted a party Saturday, and drank some Athletic Brewing “Run Wild”. It’s amazing how close it is to Terrapin Hopsecutioner, only downside is that it costs just as much. But I’m less likely to drink more than 2 now because the “MORE” switch doesn’t come on.

It’s still early days, but my sleep, memory and blood pressure are all improving. The pain in my side is mostly gone.

Happy to hear that you're feeling better! Also, congrats on the 10 days.

When I take time off of drinking, I often refer to this. Helps me stay sober. https://www.byrdie.com/what-does-alcohol-do-to-your-body

My 90-yr-old father-in-law drinks 2 liters of scotch a week. He has some of these issues, and he’s been hard to be around for the last 2 decades, even with me being a drinker. He repeats himself all the time. He hasn’t been to our house in 18 years because my wife said he can only come if he leaves the bottle of scotch at home. At this point he may as well drink himself to death, but it’s sad that we’ve been estranged from him for so long.

I don’t want to be remembered for being a drunken miserable bastard when I’m gone.

Thanks, I just listened to Dr. Huberman’s podcast about alcohol too. The medical science behind all this is pretty clear - alcohol sucks.

I've started limiting my intake over the last couple years, including abstaining completely for a couple of months last year. It felt great, obvious as that is to say. The pandemic actually really helped me reevaluate a number of things. I was drinking less, working out more, and knocking things off my to-do list. Back at full steam after the pandemic the old habits have come back at least a little. I'm still pretty happy with my overall intake, but I'd like to reduce it further.

I can’t remember if I mentioned this before but for you beer people…Heineken 0.0 is such a similar replica if you need a helping hand….I recommend.

I almost drank myself to death. We went to work every day, and got trashed every night for 20 years. I've not had a drink for about three years, and still suffer side effects from it. My best bet is sticking to it,I'm sure. I do smoke grass. Well, hello!

It’s funny looking back on little things that made me a daily drinker. When I was a 22-year-old college student, I came upon a group of guys in lawn chairs behind a dentist’s office at 6pm on a Tuesday night. They each had a six-pack. I asked them (naively) “you guys drink on weeknights?” and they all laughed. One guy said “we drink like this every night, it’s our reward for a hard day’s work”. So that somehow became gospel to me: you work, you drink.

That was reinforced by my first job, where we had an open bar after every monthly technical review.

It’s called “California Sober”. I support that. I think weed is better for you overall than alcohol.

I don’t see the point in drinking nonalcoholic Beer… just my opinion…

Not if you inhale it.

When people quit drinking they default to “well I guess my opinions are water and Coca Cola…”
Water is boring and soft drinks are full of sugar and caffeine.

If you like beer and can’t have alcohol because you’re either an addict or have other health restrictions, then keep drinking beer!
But without the cancer causing, life ruining, brain fogging side effects.

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Or just drink water the rest of your life. Or something else like chugging a nice milk after working in the sun all day. Chocolate milk for you touch guys out there!

39g of sugar, holy shit.

It’s been a good temporary substitute for me. I love the taste of a good hoppy beer. Hoping to transition to something cheaper soon.

I'm probably no help, but I never drink. Never have, either. It tastes like hell and is bad for you. I do wish people luck that wish to quit, for sure.

Lucky for me, weed makes me paranoid and I hate the way it makes me feel. So my only alcohol substitute option is CBD.