The Stop Drinking (or using other substances) thread - Hello, my name is "kiwi farmer", and I am an alcoholic.

[mindlessobserver]

Figure in the same vein as the weight loss support thread, there should be a thread for Kiwi's on trying to quit drinking. Tips, support, encouragement, and public shaming. This thread should have it all. Myself, I've been trying to quit the bottled devil water for the last 2 years. Of course, the Pandemic, and then the Riots provided some bullshit excuses to convince me to pick it up again. That and the doctor I had been seeing about it stopped doing in person appointments. Provided yet another excuse. I figured I could control it, and for a couple months this was true, but in the last few months I began really slipping back into my old habits, and going through way too much liquor in a week. My weight loss goals plateaued and I started waking up tired every morning again. That I started drunk posting on the farms again, which you should NEVER do .

I think what really did it for me though was after too much whiskey a week ago I accidentally sold my entire Ether portfolio and then zoned out for a few minutes. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to rebuy it back, but by then it had gone up a bit more and after transaction fees I was out almost 600 dollars. I was absolutely seething the morning after and swore not to drink again. One thing I remembered from a group session I attended a few years ago was that the best way to break a drinking habit is to associate it with a bad memory. This one seems to be working really well. Every time I think about having any Alcohol I just have to think about that and the desire quickly starts to fade. I can also rationalize it further by thinking of all the money I will save by not drinking to make up the loss for that stupidity.

This seems to be working far better for me at the moment then the doctors appointments. I had gone through two different drugs already. Naltrexone and Ancampersate and while both sort of worked they never really did anything for the psychological habit to drink. For example, when I go to a restaurant, I always feel weird to not order a beer or something. Or when I am at home, it seems strange to not have it, since I've pretty much tied it to all my social and personal recreational activities. Which in retrospect now is a big fucking problem.

Anyway, 1 week with absolutely no Alcohol. The first couple days were pretty rough. Withdrawal hit around day 2 and lasted through to day 4. Relatively minor thank god. Just cotton mouth, intense munchy cravings and a headache. I woke up this morning feeling rested for the first time in months though, and I can tell my mood is much better too. Its often overlooked that Alcohol also makes you feel mildly depressed, and I'd honestly forgotten that.

Any other Kiwis trying to stop consuming stuff they should not be consuming?

 

[Seminal Ointments Lain]

No.

 

[Meat Target]

I'm gonna try tracking how many drinks I have a week, and reducing them accordingly.

 

[KateHikes14]

Get two hobbies, one semi-social (irl) like casual sports, another fulfilling for tangible results, woodworking is a classic, or maybe gardening, you have a gulf left by alcohol you shouldn't ignore, or else you'll just refill it again.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

lol I don't have this problem. Growing up, I chose to live an alcoholic/drug free life and I'm happier for it.

Incidentally, women in the dating scene freak out whenever i tell them I don't drink alcohol. They either get defensive, try to make themselves look better by claiming they don't get drunk, or both.

 

[mindlessobserver]

lol I don't have this problem. Growing up, I chose to live an alcoholic/drug free life and I'm happier for it.

Incidentally, women in the dating scene freak out whenever i tell them I don't drink alcohol. They either get defensive, try to make themselves look better by claiming they don't get drunk, or both.

My experience is people always drink more then they say they do.

 

[KateHikes14]

My experience is people always drink more then they say they do.

Your perspective is skewed because of the people you hang out with, alcohol follows the pareto principle. Most people don't really drink and rarely get drunk, if ever. But for a myriad of conscious and unconscious choices the people you surround yourself with are of the top 20% mentioned. So part of the reason to have a social hobby is to meet the people who never miss a Saturday sunrise due to being hung over, because they sure aren't at the bars because they don't particularly care about alcohol, it's just not fun to them.

 

[Bongocat]

I haven't touched a glass of alcohol in 10 years and I've never done drugs.

But I have a horrible addiction to social media (not mainstream) and a propensity for getting distracted in general.

 

[UncleFezziesPantsPuppet]

Figure in the same vein as the weight loss support thread, there should be a thread for Kiwi's on trying to quit drinking. Tips, support, encouragement, and public shaming. This thread should have it all. Myself, I've been trying to quit the bottled devil water for the last 2 years. Of course, the Pandemic, and then the Riots provided some bullshit excuses to convince me to pick it up again. That and the doctor I had been seeing about it stopped doing in person appointments. Provided yet another excuse. I figured I could control it, and for a couple months this was true, but in the last few months I began really slipping back into my old habits, and going through way too much liquor in a week. My weight loss goals plateaued and I started waking up tired every morning again. That I started drunk posting on the farms again, which you should NEVER do .

I think what really did it for me though was after too much whiskey a week ago I accidentally sold my entire Ether portfolio and then zoned out for a few minutes. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to rebuy it back, but by then it had gone up a bit more and after transaction fees I was out almost 600 dollars. I was absolutely seething the morning after and swore not to drink again. One thing I remembered from a group session I attended a few years ago was that the best way to break a drinking habit is to associate it with a bad memory. This one seems to be working really well. Every time I think about having any Alcohol I just have to think about that and the desire quickly starts to fade. I can also rationalize it further by thinking of all the money I will save by not drinking to make up the loss for that stupidity.

This seems to be working far better for me at the moment then the doctors appointments. I had gone through two different drugs already. Naltrexone and Ancampersate and while both sort of worked they never really did anything for the psychological habit to drink. For example, when I go to a restaurant, I always feel weird to not order a beer or something. Or when I am at home, it seems strange to not have it, since I've pretty much tied it to all my social and personal recreational activities. Which in retrospect now is a big fucking problem.

Anyway, 1 week with absolutely no Alcohol. The first couple days were pretty rough. Withdrawal hit around day 2 and lasted through to day 4. Relatively minor thank god. Just cotton mouth, intense munchy cravings and a headache. I woke up this morning feeling rested for the first time in months though, and I can tell my mood is much better too. Its often overlooked that Alcohol also makes you feel mildly depressed, and I'd honestly forgotten that.

Any other Kiwis trying to stop consuming stuff they should not be consuming?

Hey, I wish you nothing but the best.
There's also a documentary I had seen that really helps me keep off booze myself. It's about a fan of a now defunct radio show, Opie and Anthony. Her name is Lady Di, and she is an alcoholic, which had cost her jobs, her kid, and her home. At one point she was homeless, begging for change and having sex with other hobos for booze. She got back on her feet, and at one point did an internship for the radio show, which she was paid, and mugged for when she went to a chicken fast food joint in the bad part of town. In the end, the drink took her brain, and she had gotten dementia, and is currently in a nursing home.

Spoiler: Video

 

[Valhalla]

I quit drinking 3 years ago. At a relatively young age, so if you’re in your 20’s doing this I know it’s hard but very worth it. The lifestyle change was weird, and socializing is the most anxiety producing part but you get past that. You find new coping mechanisms, and you realize when everyone else is drunk they really are not even thinking about you. I am so much happier now than I ever was when I drank. Ordering out something other than an alcoholic drink and having that feel weird is all in your mind. I went through all the anxiety of that too. Thing is most people will probably appreciate you trying to stop and better yourself. You become more likable, and more enjoyable to be around. You remember things and don’t tell the same sloppy stories. It’s a huge life change though. You have to be ready and be strong with your will. If I didn’t have such a black or white thinking style I think it would be a lot harder for me to not drink. I workout a lot too, every morning and that discipline helps me in so many ways. I know you can do it, and your life and confidence will sky rocket.

 

[Justtocheck]

For the record, I don't need to drunkpost to post literal shit in the site. I don't need alcohol to be an awful, obnoxious user. Just for the record.

Hot take incoming. There's nothing wrong with being an alcoholic. Living longer and healthily is also overrated. OP sounds like he just wants to get drunk all the time, which is fine. People tell him his life should not be so bad he needs to drink, but they are just saying empty platitudes because speaking doesn't cost money and don't know OP's history.

OP, if you want to get drunk I'm fully supporting you unironically but for fuck's sake don't celebrate after ONLY 1 week sober, my god. People'd just rather you get drunk than become an overly self-conscious, self-involved obsessive sober. That's why this kind of threads suck. It's full of people who want to get drunk but don't have the balls to admit it.

 

[Megaroad 2012]

Sort of a struggle for me. I went crazy dealing with some power tripping grandpa in a wig at my last job and started daily drinking a 12 pack since October. Two weeks back I told the better half I was quitting, buuuuut... I already failed to quit immediately, with me sneaking out and geting two tall boys while the husband is at work. Silver lining at least is I'm not doing it every day now and it's a couple of cans as oppsoed to twelve bottles.

I find whole distracting yourself from beer thing doesn't work because I usually drank heavily during my distractions; movies, video games, just sitting around listening to music. The only thing that kind of does the trick is focusing on working on my stupid comics, but if I'm not doing that this overwhelming boredom starts to drive me up the wall by the end of the day.

Having said that, I recently found CBD seltzer drinks you can get from grocery stores of all places not that bad as a replacement. After an hour of chugging a few, my body has a nice relaxed feel and my urge to drink is down a lot more than it was before.

Weed is my biggest issue because I use it to function normal. Didn't start until my late 20's and I found it to be a positive change as it makes me feel like a real human being and can socialize and more importantly actually talk and communicate instead of mumble.

I don't get the latherigic life style like normal stoners and tend to be productive and get better work results, so dunno if it's some undiagnosed autism or some shit it's messing with since my friends usually just get tired or zone way the fuck out the rare time we smoke together. I don't think anyones realized I'm usually stoned around them either lol.

My only wish to quit it is becaue it's pricey as fuck for meh over the counter flower or prerolls and I smoked my last joint last night with the intentions of quitting so we'll see. When I was in Japan for one of my work trips, I wound up having some kind of breakdown in the hotel room I think from withdraws so I expect this to be a brutal few weeks.

Hoping those CBD drinks help here as well.

 

[L50LasPak]

For the record, I don't need to drunkpost to post literal shit in the site. I don't need alcohol to be an awful, obnoxious user. Just for the record.

You're tellin me brother.

Hot take incoming. There's nothing wrong with being an alcoholic. Living longer and healthily is also overrated. OP sounds like he just wants to get drunk all the time, which is fine. People tell him his life should not be so bad he needs to drink, but they are just saying empty platitudes because speaking doesn't cost money and don't know OP's history.

I felt this way, once upon a time. It turned out the health problems from drinking myself to death every night ended up manifesting sooner rather than later. If you really hate yourself and really like getting fucked up, you'll hit that trainwreck stage in record time.

OP, if you want to get drunk I'm fully supporting you unironically but for fuck's sake don't celebrate after ONLY 1 week sober, my god. People'd just rather you get drunk than become an overly self-conscious, self-involved obsessive sober. That's why this kind of threads suck. It's full of people who want to get drunk but don't have the balls to admit it.

This, however, I totally agree with. I think the way we treat people who get sober is unproductive. To the point where when I'm speaking with friends or family and mention to them that I'm still not drinking anymore, they're always quick to congratulate me or tell me to be proud of that fact. I always refuse, because in my opinion I shouldn't be congratulated for something other people can do just fine.

I've watched many a drinker trade in their alcohol addiction for an asspat addiction, only for them to hit the bottle the instant the latter loses its luster. I've even watched one or two do this multiple times, right up until their deaths. If you're going to stay sober, your sobriety can't be mostly supported by other people. Its just not practical, because once those people go home, or you turn off the computer for the night, or you find yourself trying to focus on work, all common situations, your desire to drink will return and there won't be anyone around to tell you "Don't do it bro!". You have to stay sober for yourself first, or perhaps stay sober for the people who depend on you. You can't stay sober for the people you depend on though, I never actually seen it happen and I'm convinced it doesn't.

How do you quit that though.

Turn it the fuck off. There is absolutely no purpose that social media fulfills in your life. None. Nobody keeps up with family or friends on there anymore. If they say they do, they are liars. Literally anything you engage in other than social media is better for you. Even if you just go back to playing videogames all day long you will legit feel fucking better than spending even one hour a week on Twitter or Facebook.

Infact I reccomend vidya for getting off social media, since it affects almost all of the same nerve bundles that social media does. You get the same sorts of highs and engagement, but you aren't filling your head with retarded opinions and drastically lowering your opinion of the human race every time you log on. Its sad that we live in a society where being addicted to videogames isn't even the worst thing you can waste your life on anymore, but seriously, for your own good, choose that fucking addiction over social media.

 

[Justtocheck]

The absolute lack of DRINK! stickers ITT unless it's from me, makes me hopeful for the alcoholics in this thread. You are on the right track and doing great.

To the point where when I'm speaking with friends or family and mention to them that I'm still not drinking anymore, they're always quick to congratulate me or tell me to be proud of that fact. I always refuse, because in my opinion I shouldn't be congratulated for something other people can do just fine.

It's an addiction man, don't be so hard on yourself. Not to give asspats, but if you have an addictive personality and your body makes you feel better with booze, then it's hard. That other people have a different personality doesn't make sobriety any easier for you imo

 

[Xenomorph]

Moderation! Drink, Smoke, Pop, whatever just in moderation. Dont do dumb shit you know youre not supposed to do like drive etc.. and you are golden

 

[Seminal Ointments Lain]

durr i have a drinking problem and weed addiction

I'm literally going to the store right now to buy several 40oz steele reserves and four lokos and gallons of water, SOLELY because you made this thread. I've been sober for 6 years, jackass, congrats on forcing me to relapse. You truly are a @mindlessobserver

 

[Justtocheck]

durr i have a drinking problem and weed addiction

I'm literally going to the store right now to buy several 40oz steele reserves and four lokos and gallons of water, SOLELY because you made this thread. I've been sober for 6 years, jackass, congrats on forcing me to relapse. You truly are a @mindlessobserver

Hey, how's that schizo break working out for you. Careful about the microchips in the watersource the CIA will use to track you.

 

[Megaroad 2012]

Where can you get four lokos still? Haven't seen one in ten years.

 

[Seminal Ointments Lain]

Hey, how's that schizo break working out for you. Careful about the microchips in the watersource the CIA will use to track you.

Pretty good all in all.

Where can you get four lokos still? Haven't seen one in ten years.

The corner store you lazy dip.

 

[Megaroad 2012]

Pretty good all in all.

The corner store you lazy dip.

bullshit, was just there and found only miller high life, bud platinum and the crappy local IPA's.