Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

[aihflvt]

Today will be the end of a very stressful workweek for me. In the past, I "blew off steam" by drinking to excess. Since that's now out of the question, I would like to ask all of you unwind after a stressful time.

I have already replaced alcohol with herbal teas as part of my nightly ritual - one small step toward eliminating alcohol's relevancy to my life.

[Siren136]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

Hi AI - I have found that there are so many things I used to enjoy that I stopped doing because I was drinking too much. I am re-discovering how peaceful it is to create something wonderful in the kitchen, or how relaxing it is to take my dogs for a walk in the woods. Anything that allows me to be alone with myself in a quiet place where I can reconnect with my feelings is becoming very special to me.

As far as stress goes, I am a work-out fiend to reduce stress. In years past it was not uncommon for me to go for a run in the middle of the day, just to work out a problem. I usually come up with the solution that way. As work got busier, I didn't have the time to work-out, so I turned to alcohol to reduce stress. You know how that goes!

Sometimes I call up a good friend and we have lunch or just have a goofy chat on the phone. Laughter really is the best medicine! Do you have someone in your life who never fails to make you laugh? If yes, call them up and make plans for a nice AF dinner and/or movie.

[Nelz]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

I started drinking seltzer water. It didnt relieve any stress, but it did replace the "habit" of drinking, and I think that helped out a LOT. Now I am in the habit of drinking the water instead of AL, and not drinking can sure relieve some stress

I began the night with the water, and then had the tea before bed, I think you have a great start.

[odat1234]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

I take a shower or a log bath, they kind where you can take your time and there is no where to go and no place to be and no one is calling your name. You could also bowl or play a sport of some kind. Retail therapy is a favorite of many here, or even a nice long bath. You can start a new hobby or do a word search or read. Hope any of these help.

[Alcoholic]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

As I get older, I realize I can no longer refuse to exercise. I will at least exercise 5 minutes minimum a day.

[Struggles 106]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

Irrelevant

I think that is a great way to put it. IRRELEVANT. So many people without drinking problems simply don't think about it-it truly is irrelevant to how they live their lives.

I have found that as time goes by thinking about it decreases. Thoughts of what to do for the day just don't include going down to the pub to pretend it is about watching a football game. They don't include getting beer and stopping by a friend's house who will drink with me. They don't include inviting my alcoholic sister out for lunch, as if it's just for comaraderie when it's about drinking. Seems that everything revolved around drinking, and now it does not.
I suppose it has to revolve around getting some things accomplished, the small normal things that need to be done, as well as fun stuff like playing music, making jewelry and taking walks.
Your post got me thinking, and thank you

[Hippyman]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

aihflvt;1451501 wrote: Today will be the end of a very stressful workweek for me. In the past, I "blew off steam" by drinking to excess. Since that's now out of the question, I would like to ask all of you unwind after a stressful time.

I have already replaced alcohol with herbal teas as part of my nightly ritual - one small step toward eliminating alcohol's relevancy to my life.

I have found that the "Artist" in me is beginning to come back to life. I was an Art major in College but somehow things got in the way and alcohol took over. Now that I'm SOBER I feel a passion for all things ART again. It's so joyful to allow that part that was buried for so long to come back to life. Maybe there was a special hobby you enjoyed and that you could revisit.

[FallenAngel]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

aihflvt;1451501 wrote: Today will be the end of a very stressful workweek for me. In the past, I "blew off steam" by drinking to excess. Since that's now out of the question, I would like to ask all of you unwind after a stressful time.

I have already replaced alcohol with herbal teas as part of my nightly ritual - one small step toward eliminating alcohol's relevancy to my life.

When I first quit drinking, this was probably the most difficult situation for me to overcome. I was used to having a few drinks after a long stressful day just to unwind & relax.
The first thing I did was to change my environment. Instead of staying at work & joining the gang for after hours drinks, I went home. And like you, I started drinking herbal tea. I used to love red wine, so I found an herbal tea that had some taste similarities to red wine, and drank it room temperature in a wine goblet. That was very satisfying for me.
As time went on, I found I dealt with stress so much better, that I didn't have a need to unwind like I used to. I think that slowly our coping skills get better & we start learning what things we can do to make us feel more calm & grounded.

You're on the right track... one small step at a time! :goodjob:

[NoSugar]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

FallenAngel;1451539 wrote: I used to love red wine, so I found an herbal tea that had some taste similarities to red wine, and drank it room temperature in a wine goblet. That was very satisfying for me.
:

Hi, FallenAngel

What kind of tea is that? I also truly like the taste of wine. I read the Allen Carr book and tried to convince myself that wine actually tasted awful but... to me it tasted good! I haven't found any teas that I really like yet. Perhaps this one would work.

Thanks!

[FallenAngel]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

NoSugar;1451577 wrote:
What kind of tea is that? I also truly like the taste of wine. I read the Allen Carr book and tried to convince myself that wine actually tasted awful but... to me it tasted good! I haven't found any teas that I really like yet. Perhaps this one would work.

The one I liked was Celestial Seasonings Madagascar Vanilla Red, a tisane rooibos tea... it has a picture of a lion sipping tea on the box. Also on the box, it reads: "With its magnificent fragrance and lush taste, this naturally caffeine free red tea flavoured with real Madagascar vanilla beans resonates with the wonders of Africa". This did the trick for me when I was trying to quit the wine habit. Something else I discovered at that time... I realized that I might be more of a "liquidholic" than an "alcoholic". I found that as long as I had something handy to drink (like this tea), a lot of my cravings for 'a drink' subsided.
Hope this helps.

[aihflvt]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions. In hindsight, it is remarkable the degree to which alcohol permeated my daily activities. Even something I enjoy as much as cooking is associated with alcohol since it's something I usually did while tipsy. Same with watching movies or television at home.

So today, I was either going to go to the movies (I'm so behind I haven't even seen Lincoln yet) since I don't associate seeing movies in the theater with drinking. But the dog needed to be walked when I got home, so we are now sitting outside enjoying cake, chai and a beautiful evening. And I'm sure the amount of calories I would have consumed in beer would have far exceeded the calories in a piece of cake.

FallenAngel and NoSugar, the concept of "liquidholic" is fascinating. I used to brew beer and consider myself a beer snob. I am unapologetic in saying that I really like the taste of beer. In the past when I've gone AF for extended periods of time, I would drink Clausthaler, a German alcohol-free beer at social gatherings. It was amazing how long I could nurse a bottle when I wasn't chasing a buzz.

Hippyman, I am glad to hear you a substance-free artist. It is a shame that so many creative people I know (professional symphony and opera musicians, writers, artists etc.) have serious addiction issues.

Again, thank you to all of you who took the time to post to this thread. It really helped me get through this afternoon.

[FlyAway]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

Ann Carolina;1451531 wrote: I think that is a great way to put it. IRRELEVANT. So many people without drinking problems simply don't think about it-it truly is irrelevant to how they live their lives.

I have found that as time goes by thinking about it decreases. Thoughts of what to do for the day just don't include going down to the pub to pretend it is about watching a football game. They don't include getting beer and stopping by a friend's house who will drink with me. They don't include inviting my alcoholic sister out for lunch, as if it's just for comaraderie when it's about drinking. Seems that everything revolved around drinking, and now it does not.
I suppose it has to revolve around getting some things accomplished, the small normal things that need to be done, as well as fun stuff like playing music, making jewelry and taking walks.
Your post got me thinking, and thank you

Interesting thoughts Ann. I feel the same in that I really don't think about drinking anymore. It's rare. Part of the struggle is relearning normal. What is your new normal going to be? You need to establish new routines and execute these routines enough times AF for them to become the new normal.

[Struggles 106]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

Relearning normal

I agree. I don't fret much about drinking. I just take it one day at a time.
I still don't have a "new normal" with my music group. Maybe that will come some day.

Otherwise I have integrated not drinking into my daily life. It's nice

[Hippyman]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

aihflvt;1451783 wrote: Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions. In hindsight, it is remarkable the degree to which alcohol permeated my daily activities. Even something I enjoy as much as cooking is associated with alcohol since it's something I usually did while tipsy. Same with watching movies or television at home.

So today, I was either going to go to the movies (I'm so behind I haven't even seen Lincoln yet) since I don't associate seeing movies in the theater with drinking. But the dog needed to be walked when I got home, so we are now sitting outside enjoying cake, chai and a beautiful evening. And I'm sure the amount of calories I would have consumed in beer would have far exceeded the calories in a piece of cake.

FallenAngel and NoSugar, the concept of "liquidholic" is fascinating. I used to brew beer and consider myself a beer snob. I am unapologetic in saying that I really like the taste of beer. In the past when I've gone AF for extended periods of time, I would drink Clausthaler, a German alcohol-free beer at social gatherings. It was amazing how long I could nurse a bottle when I wasn't chasing a buzz.

Hippyman, I am glad to hear you a substance-free artist. It is a shame that so many creative people I know (professional symphony and opera musicians, writers, artists etc.) have serious addiction issues.

Again, thank you to all of you who took the time to post to this thread. It really helped me get through this afternoon.

It does seem that the really gifted people of the world have a huge disproportionate number of addicts, doesn't it? I also somehow think that recovering addicts seem like more caring, compassionate people than the general public?

[aihflvt]

Making alcohol irrelevant in your life

I think it's easier to be compassionate when you know rock bottom yourself, and you know it truly can happen to anyone. Addiction cuts across all boundaries: ethnic, educational, economic, etc.