re: Question for the non drinkers

i didn't drink till i was 25 or so, and then it was rarely.

in my 30s i did a bit more and my late 30s i'm usually having a drink 4-5 days a week. i'm glad i waited because i feel like i was a bit more responsible and had less of a tolerance. i did use it to cope for a while this spring during a heavy work load and that was unhealthy.

it's taken a toll on my physicality so i've stepped back a good bit.

I rarely over indulge. If I do it is a special occasion or a perfectly warm sunny day where I get a bunch accomplished early and drink floating in the pool. But I generally stop by dinner and have a nice shower and go to bed super early

For me, long term addiction.

Started drinking in high school like everyone else.

Went to University and got into a terrible routine of drinking almost nightly. My grades never took a hit and I graduated at 21 years of age. This made me feel like the alcohol was ok and it wasn't taking over my life and that I was invincible, ha.

I was wrong. Day by day it takes a little more from you. I was eventually in my early thirties with a nearly gallon a day vodka habit.

In 2019 the wifes parents split, I got her pregnant (we already had a 10 year old) and I was at the end of my rope. So many things all at one time and I was fricked up 24/7 for real. You wouldnt know it all the time but I was.

Christmas 2019 I told my family I needed to check into rehab asap. I went to three rehabs in 2020 then a halfway house for 3 months after those.

Hitting 4 years clean in May.

Some people can drink and some people cannot. Anyone can get addicted if you go overboard.

If you have a good head on your shoulders and know your limits there is nothing wrong with drink. It's people like me that need to stay far away from the liquor. I never did anything stupid, never got in a wreck, no DUI's nothing. That being said the doctors told me 45-46 would be my max at my current pace. My liver enzymes were out of this world.

My advice, stick to beer.

I drank from 14-21 pretty heavily. I used to take my mom's vodka and mix it with kool-aid after school. My mom drank a lot so she didn't realize how much vodka we went through. Most of my cousin's were of age to buy alcohol so I'd go over there on the weekends and just drink. Joined the Air Force after high school hoping to get somewhat sober but got stationed in Germany and could buy at 18. That was a two year blur.

I actually quit cold turkey 8 months after I turned 21. A girl I was dating gave me an ultimatum, quit drinking or she's leaving. I ended up quitting and she still dumped me two weeks later. I'm 44 now and haven't had a drink since.

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I’ve always planned to quit when I’m about 30.

I partied a ton from 21 til now and I want to cut it out completely eventually because it is bad and I think life will just be better without it. Also I like to smoke the pot. I will probably continue to just do this.

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Dont forget routine in hard to crack.

Its not just the alcohol thats going to draw you in.

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I don’t drink because I don’t want to. It just got to be a headache. I will start up again at some point.

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Why consider starting back? What makes you think it’s going to be any better, sounds like it will just cause more headaches.

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HoustonChick86

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I just went through all of this in 2020.

I promise you, you can do it. It is possible. Its not easy so stay busy.

Find a hobby and overwhelm yourself with it for a while.

My son being born and me realizing I have more important things to focus on is a big reason for me to put the bottle down.

I was also gaining so much weight after I started drinking margaritas for a year

So health and family are the biggest driving factors

and I felt like shite after drinking, especially the next morning if I drank heavily. I'll just stick to smoking weed

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Animal

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HoustonChick86

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kajunka6609@yahoo.com

if you need to talk

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wasn’t fair to my small son that I would want to get angry with him when he woke up crying and I was hungover. 

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I had small children in my 20s so I never developed a habit of drinking. I wanted to be present for them. Now that they are grown and we are empty nesters we still maybe have a drink or two only a couple of times a week.