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    #1

    Hello- Day 1

    I have been lurking since yesterday. You guys are very supportive of each other, and I think that is wonderful. Here is my story, and I will try to keep it short.

    I have never tried to stop drinking. Yesterday I woke up with a terrible hangover, and pieces of the previous night were missing. I drank at home with friends. I made an amazing dinner and we played vinyl records all night long. I probably drank 8 + beers. I got sick and threw up. I felt like crap all day and decided to stop drinking.

    I love craft beer. I was a server for many years and drank after work with coworkers every night. Then I became a bar manager for many years and drank every night after work with coworkers. I am no longer in the industry, but I still drink every night. My husband and I brew our own beer and have a kegerator in our kitchen. We have taken vacations just to go to beer festivals and brewery tours. It is our "thing". We love it.

    However, I am ready to try to stop drinking for a month to see if this is a true addiction or just a habit. I drink beer every day. It is affecting my wallet, my waistline, and I think it might be out of control. I mentioned to my husband that I wanted to only drink on weekends to save money and he liked the idea, but when it came down to it, we both wanted to go down to the craft beer market the next day and pick up a couple of sixers.

    I had one sip of his beer yesterday to see if hair of the dog would help my hangover (it did not), but today is going to be alcohol free.

    Thanks for reading this! :new:
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    #2
    Hello- Day 1

    Hi Doxiemom- welcome

    I think it is a great idea to shoot for 30 days for a start. Only you can detemine whether it a casusal habit or a real problem. There are lots of people with great advise who can help either way. I have only been AF for 8 days, but I drank heavily for a long time and tried to quit many a time. My one thought to you would be somewhere in the process is you need to really decide what you want to do because quitting is hard work and it doesn't likely occur by accident. It probably won't occur unless your husband seriously wants to as well. Either way, starting with the 1st day is the only way to start. Good luck.
    “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness”- Desmond Tutu


    STL

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      #3
      Hello- Day 1

      Hey Doxie

      Good for you! Sounds like a plan. I lived in the "beer world" for quite some time.
      I wish you well

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        #4
        Hello- Day 1

        Hi Doxiemom, we have several things in common! I am a "Doxiedad" to a smooth red mini and a black and tan longhair. I also knew the craft beer scene well. I also brewed as a hobby, and living in New England, many a trip incorporated brewery tours, tastings and filling of growlers. And, even though I am coming up on two months sober, I won't lie and say I don't miss it. A lot. But as much as I love craft beer, I love the clarity of mind, the productivity, the weight loss and the little extra money in my wallet even more.

        I think you are on to something with attempting 30 days. But don't think of it as a "trial," or else it's going to feel like one. I used to regularly abstain for 30, even 60 days, but all I could think about was how good it would be to get to the end so I could start drinking again. Alcohol was still consuming my thoughts even when I wasn't drinking. True moderate drinkers aren't consumed with drinking thoughts in this way. So if you find yourself thinking about how good it's going to be when you can start drinking again, you probably do have a problem.

        Best of luck, welcome and keep us posted.
        In the middle of my life's journey, I found myself in a dark wood, as I had lost the straight path. It is a difficult thing to speak about, how wild, harsh and impenetrable that wood is. Just thinking about it recreates the fear. It is scarcely less bitter than death, but in order to tell of the good that I found there, I must tell of the other things I saw there. --Dante, paraphrased

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          #5
          Hello- Day 1

          Welcome Doxie Mom. What do I have in common with you?

          I love dogs, too... I have rescued several basenjis and I currently have 4 dogs at home.
          Like you, my husband is my drinking buddy. We both had to quit, and if you right click on the radio button next to my name, you can read my posts-- I've been pretty transparent about my AF journey.

          If you need support, we are here. :l Patty
          "God didn't give you the Strength to get back on your feet
          so that you can run back to the same thing that knocked you down."           :hug:

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            #6
            Hello- Day 1

            Hi DoxieMom,

            I saw your post and wanted to give you some support. I am a real dog lover and former beer drinker myself. I can really relate to a lot in your post.

            Like you, I was really, really, really into good beer. I tried as many as I could and visited breweries, etc. I also got quite good at brewing, which I did enjoy as a hobby.

            Looking back on the whole thing, I know that I had a nagging thought in the back of my mind the whole time; I knew that alcohol was a problem in my life. I soldiered on drinking with the thought that the constant slight (or severe) hangover and functioning well under my potential were just part of the life of a beer lover.

            Because I had this very tangible part of my life, I had loads of fear when I thought about giving that up. It had become part of how I identified myself. I was sad and afraid to give that up! Looking back now, it seems like such a shallow and sad way to identify myself.

            Sober life is such an amazing blessing. There is such a freedom and relief that comes every day. I thought it would be about deprivation, boy was that wrong. I know that I am supposed to be this way, and I like who I see in the mirror now.

            You are right, there is loads of support here. This is a good, safe place to talk about it. :welcome:
            "When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them." Analects of Confucius
            AF 11/12/11

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