Quoted from barakandl:

At my worst I was drinking about a 1.75 liter bottle of vodka a week. Once into my 30s alcohol started giving me terrible hangovers much worse than I was younger so I decided it was time to quit. Tapered down use over a couple weeks then stopped. I never had classic withdrawal but it sucked for a few months. It was kind of surprising how annoying PAWS type symptoms are. Just felt really agitated, depressed, and/or anxious at times. That slowly went away and now feel normal. Come the end of this month it will be two years of no alcohol for me. I am really glad I quit and will never touch the stuff again. Toxic.

Quoted from dirkdiggler:

For me, it was more seeing if I could go a day without a beer or whiskey and coke. Im a 6 drink minimum a day guy. Thursday night/Friday morning I woke up with a racing heart and it scared me a little. When 4pm yesterday came around and the wife asked if we were going for happy hour I said we can go but I'll just have a coke. We stayed home and watched tv all night instead.
It will be hard to watch football today without a beer in hand. At least i have plenty of pot to keep me happy.

Quoted from dsmoke1986:

Omg, that is horrible. I’m worried that might happen to friends of ours.

Quoted from V_piscopo:

But like some I have the problem of "once you pop you just can't stop" lol.

Quoted from gambit3113:

I rarely drink anymore. To be honest, it affects my sleep so much now that I am assured a totally shitty day after drinking much at all anymore. And hangovers are a son of a bitch now. I read an interesting theory that the human body has only so much ability to normally process ethanol throughout its lifetime, and once you hit the limits you have a tougher and tougher time getting through the purge. That seems to jibe with my experiences, especially post 40. Because I went hard from my teens and well into my 30s.

Quoted from VolunteerPin:

That said, it will certainly be hard not to throw a few back tonight watching the election crap. I fear I will need the medication.

Quoted from Irishbastard:

Stress is a Fu$ker and if you have GI issues, it will tear you in two. Then add on a career that is inherently high stress, and a significant other diagnosed with a bad condition. Stress becomes the boss of you, even when you think you have it under control. I'm currently enjoying my DBL IPA's after a sh#tty day at work ...may play a little ST pro in a bit..

Quoted from 27dnast:

My favorite stress reliever is working out like gangbusters. I do enjoy nature... but there’s something special about the trance like buzz you fall into when you push yourself physically

Quoted from Irishbastard:

Sorry to hear man. A guy I work with passed away from drinking recently, he was in his early 30's

My sister lost her husband due to alcohol abuse. He was only 25 when his liver shut down.

Quoted from TheLaw:

Then you have people that take Tylenol for a hangover which is like so fucking bad; yikes.
I try to keep it under a case a week. I just had to lose some Corvis weight so went a month or 2 without drinking, felt good.
I also always try to go alcohol free every February sans Super Bowl.

Quoted from TheLaw:

Yeah. 18-24 depending on the number of days drinking.

Quoted from TheLaw:

I'm sure alcohol makes you retain water and all, but it also makes me get drunk and eat horrible shit at 2am. That's more my issue

Quoted from Gorgar666:I did have physical health withdrawal problems afterwards. Realized I had severe Vitamin D&B deficiency. That shit is real….

Quoted from EJS: One positive side effect from me quitting is better sleep quality too.

Quoted from Gorgar666:

At age 50 I was losing Short term memory. Dr. Said I may have been Severe vitamin D deficiency for years… supplements help me out big time ,memory is completely turned me around believe it or not… Doctor also said. That my drinking may have masked the problem.

Quoted from Gorgar666:

What was the most major effect that you experienced? And showed recovery once you started on the supplements? Mine was short term memory.

Quoted from tbonedrums:

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.

Quoted from ShinyBall:

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.

Quoted from YZRider926:

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.

Quoted from swampfire:

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

Quoted from mrm_4:

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!

Quoted from tullster:

Quitting or cutting back usually requires a lifestyle change. It seems hard at first, but it's easy once the initial steps are taken and a renewed sense of control takes over. In addition to the health benefits, it's a relief to not worry about suffering through another hazy day or being ordered to perform stupid human tricks to keep from being arrested for OWI. AA can be an option if it gets bad, but doesn't work for everyone. You've got to really deep down want this.
For me, I had to find something else to do. I'd still stop by the bar for a soda, and it helped to always have an excuse in mind for when it was time to leave. Once you declare you're done drinking like you used to, there's a little pushback, but it's relatively brief and your family and real friends get over it. I indulged in my hobbies to occupy my time, and my family are not big drinkers so I'm pretty lucky there.
Sure, it was a little lonely at first, but it helped me to find myself and get things straightened out. It did take a while, but life took a turn for the better and I haven't regretted a thing. I've got an awesome family, great friends and am enjoying life to its fullest.
Personally, I don't bother with the NA beers, but there's tons of beverages out there that fill the gap between water and sugar/caffeine laced sodas.

Quoted from PismoArcade:

I was also worried about last night. Watched the election results for hours and would normally drink to excess while arguing with the TV over the results.
Settled for a hot cup of tea instead.

Quoted from swampfire:

I’ve been eating Tate’s cookies a sleeve at a time. But haven’t had a beer in 14 days. I’ll kick the sugar eventually.

Quoted from barakandl:

I will say I almost stopped at UDF for a pint of ice cream but I drove right by and just got chipotle. I am going to treat myself to a single pudding cup instead

Quoted from swampfire:

I’ll wrap up 3 weeks alcohol-free tonight, at Free Play Florida. My wife and I did Epcot and Animal Kingdom earlier this week. I had tonic water and lime while she had 2 glasses of wine. I had a Heineken 0.0 while she had a Guinness. I brought down a few six packs of Athlete “Run Wild”, and those are great for killing any craft beer cravings. This will be my first non-drinking vacation in over 20 years. So far I’m not missing the buzz at all.

Quoted from swampfire:

I stocked the beer fridge for December. Pretty disappointed in the Brooklyn Brewery stuff so far; it has a metallic taste, and no hoppy flavor like the Run Wild. The Heineken 0 is a little better. I think next time I’ll just stick with Athlete Brewing. So hard to find a place with more than a few 6-packs, though.
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Quoted from Luke_Nukem:

April will be 3 years for me. I lost 40 lbs the first month… 155lbs down total. I don’t even go one day thinking about the stuff. Everything is better.. The way I live my wife.. what I eat… the caliber of woman I’ve been with.. the type of job I’ve had… Everything has been better since I quit. Fuk alcohol!
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Quoted from swampfire:

How’s everyone doing, dealing with the holidays? I’ve got one family get together coming up, but it’s mostly non-drinkers. I’m enjoying the time off, working on games. I just finished my first alcohol-free playfield swap, and I think it came out great:
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Quoted from swampfire:

60 days sober today. I joined a gym (Crunch) and I’ve started running 3 miles 3 times a week. Normally, I’d just do nothing when it’s too cold to ride my bike, so this is a nice option for $15 a month. I’m not going to worry about weight loss until all the Christmas cookies are gone.

Quoted from swampfire:

For me it was always a stimulant, oddly enough. I’d be sitting in the basement alone, listening to great music. Next thing I know, it’s 3am and my wife is coming down to check on me. I look around and there are 6-8 empties. “How did this happen?”

Quoted from swampfire:

I’m still rocking the Athletic Brewing beers. I’ve tried almost all them now, and Athletic and Grüvi are the only ones I really like.
I’ve been hitting the gym regularly since New Year, and I’m only down 5 pounds. Seems to be a lot harder to lose weight now than when I was younger.

Quoted from grantopia:

I've also drastically cut back drinking for a variety of reasons, maybe a drink a week, if that, but I think you're just getting older like me ha. One thing my wife always tells me (she's a Clinical Dietitian) is that especially the older you get, people often treat "weight" the same as "health". I started getting serious about alcohol related changes about 6 or 8 months ago. I'm still about the same weight (5' 11", 195lbs), but I FEEL much better. I sleep better, I have less anxiety, I have more energy, and I'm more present and alert. I also skip less workouts because of feeling like shit on a weekday after too many beers the night before and obviously don't consume nearly the amount of empty calories I was when I was drinking heavy. Do I have a 6 pack now that I've gone mostly-sober-ish...no, but am I healthier and do I feel better? You bet your ass...not to mention the adverse effects of alcohol that aren't visible. Keep it up!

Quoted from vikeking27:I had what I’d categorize as a drinking problem in my 20s, mellowed on that in my 30s and then stone cold quit any and all drinking for nearly 3 years - lost all my ‘friends’ - simply stopped inviting me to things since I was bringing sparkling water to the party. I didn’t really notice any difference, didn’t really lose any weight or feel any different. I guess the main thing was being able to get up and at it in the morning a little quicker. Since then I’ve pretty much landed on drinking somewhere from a glass to a bottle of wine on Friday nights and that’s about it. Problem now is in my 40s - I tend to just fall asleep before I can even finish a bottle - I’ve always tried to eat healthy (haven’t had fast food as a meal in nearly 20 years), and work out regularly - 6 days a week for as long as I can remember. Anyway, I guess my addition to the topic is that I quit, it was fine, and now I drink occasionally, and it’s still fine.

Quoted from RVH:

I’ve been not drinking for 13 days now. Usually was a bottle of Cabernet and about four IPAs a night.
Was diagnosed with fatty liver disease a few months ago, but just couldn’t seem to give it up still.

Quoted from swampfire:

Hello my fellow sobernauts, I hope you’re doing well.
I really wanted to drink today. I’m trying to have a relaxing week off, and my wife decided she wants to tackle the attic. I asked if she could wait until next week, since I’m on Spring Break and trying to relax. She said “you may be off, but I’m not” - which is ridiculous, she’s retired and she can make her schedule whatever she wants it to be. I told her she was on her own, and she was okay with that, but not really.
I strongly considered going to have some 7% IPAs and play Godfather and Foo Fighters. Instead, I spent the day moving my games in and out of storage to get ready for a Classics tournament in May. I might still go to the bar tomorrow, but I’ll have Athletic brews since I’m not pissed off any more. I’m on day 160 and I’ll be damned if I’ll drink just because I’m annoyed.

Quoted from MooButt:

I don’t miss the drinking, but I still think about having a chew every day. Have dreams about it.

Quoted from DCfoodfreak:

Its all about insulin response. The hard part about quitting sugar is realizing that we are being pumped full of it in everything. Honestly its hard because its an effort to avoid. Its shocking how much is in almost every thing.

Quoted from Pinster5000:

Same thing would happen to me and my body was basically telling me to stop drinking. I didn’t realize how much it effected my sleep too, I become quite the restless insomniac when I drink then just exhausted as can be next day. Haven’t completely quit, but only have a few drinks a week maybe and my body has thanked me.

Quoted from grantopia:

Sounds like a pretty large victory to me!

Quoted from swampfire:

When I first quit drinking, I got enthusiastic about exercise and weight loss and dropped 15 pounds. I’m kind of annoyed that the weight is coming back - I’m still exercising, but I’m eating way too much. I’ll start dieting again when vacation is over (tomorrow).

Quoted from swampfire:

I quit a year ago today, and looking back I’ve been crazy productive:
- hosted 3 IFPA tournaments, and cooked for 24 each time
- ran about 10 miles a week (after decades away from it)
- added a ceiling to my patio
- populated a Viking playfield from scratch
- did a Rolling Stones playfield swap
- helped my neighbor with a complicated woodworking project
That’s just off the top of my head. I’ve also been more present for my wife and my mom, who lives in an assisted living facility near us. I’m a lot more patient with my son, who moved back in with us to save money. It’s all been good.
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Quoted from junkyard:

I never realized how much of society is revolved around drinking. Truely mind blowing.

Quoted from Daditude:

I read the other day that cancer has been the #1 deterrent for people to cut back or stop drinking over the last few years.
It seems that the more we learn about cancer, the more people are willing to make changes to avoid it...and that's a good thing.