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Thinking about giving up alcohol 
I have decided that alcohol doesn't make me feel very good about myself. Whenever I go out and drink, or stay in with a drink I feel really sad and depressed about life, even after one. Gin is the worst and even after one glass of wine now, I feel crap.
I used to work in an office where we went out every Friday after work and got wankered, but since I left about four months ago, i just haven't felt like drinking. I'm also really embarassed by things that have happened in the past when I've been pissed.
My mates say that I shouldn't deny myself the odd glass of wine if I ever really wanted chill out and not to make rigid rules for myself, as I'm thinking of becoming teetotal (- anyone who knows me will laugh!!) I do worry a lot about what people think, especially when I'm pissed and whether or not I'm making myself look stupid, but alcohol gives me confidence, like anyone else I spose.
Help! It seems like a big step, but am really fed up 
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Relaxation techniques
Hi,
I like you decided to give up drinking alcohol, and i found that using self hypnosis downloads really helped me because it helped me to relax in the evenings without using alcohol. I bought one from http://www.innerv.net - found that it really helped. good luck!
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Help to stop drinking
I was having at least half a bottle of wine every night to help me unwind after work. Trouble is I needed it to help me unwind at the weekends too! It was just a nice habit in the evenings to have a glass in my hand. My partner didn't mind, but I started to pile on the pounds. It was having an effect on my bank balance too - over £100 a month on wine! So I decided to stop, and used Acolim to help me. It helps to break the habit so you don't need to drink. I still have the odd glass if I want, but I don't need it every day. My bank balance is healthier, and I have lost over half a stone, just by not drinking.
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Help to stop drinking
I think the hardest thing, when you want to give up, is how unsupportive friends are. If you were giving up smoking, everyone would say yeah great, but they get really uncomfortable when it's booze. It's like it says something about them. I've found a very good support system on www.nomoredrink.com.
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Hi,
hi,
i wat to stop drinking too, i'm also havin about half a bottle of wine a night now and i'm sure its just habit, where can you get acolim from? can you buy it from a pharmacy or do you have to go your doctors? i really want to give it a go, as its effecting my bank balance and weight too!! xx
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I hear you..
Don't let people resolve! I am in exactly the same boat as you: my last job I used to entertain clients, go out with colleagues and go out with friends dring the week and weekends, and my alcohol intake was ridiculous. Best thing I ever did was get out: I lost half a stone in my first month away from work and I've now given up alcohol completely. The hardest thing has been people's reactions...it just isn't considered normal not to drink and it seems to make people uncomfortable, for some inexplicable reason.
Stick with it and my best advice is.. slimline tonic with fresh lime: not too sweet, tastes (virtually)like gin and tonic and everyone asumes that's what it is!
Hope all goes well
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Giving up alcohol
I found your blog because I was thinking the exact same thing that I wanted to give up alcohol. I feel a bit like I rely on it when I'm on a night out and if I don't feel like a drink one of my friends buys me one anyway to encourage me to continue. It seems easier for me to boy cott alcohol altogether, at the moment I'm using the excuse that I'm on a diet which stopped me from getting completely wasted on our last trip out. If you feel more depressed after drinking then maybe you should stop for a while until you start to feel better. Tell your friends that you need a break from drinking and your not denying yourself the drink you'rs just taking a healthier approach to drinking. You might even find you don't really miss it after a while. The other thing is you might have been drinking the wrong type of drinks (you said gin was the worst), so if you have problems with gin, just stop the gin/wine.
I hope this has helped
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Trying to give up drink
I am a really nice person, but when I drink wine especially I become a horrible person, I am 46 now and should know better, I will make a complete fool of myself flirting with men. I have a great husband who can drink but never changes, I love a wine in the evening after a hard day with kids and work, but I am going to start today and try Please help if anyone out there is like me as I fear I will loose my family if this gets out of control.
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Trying to give up drink
I understand what you are going through I am 39 and really want to give up drinking as it too makes me act in a way that fills me with total dread when i peice together the events of the night before. I am going to try and give up alcohol as it has ruined every relationship i have ever had.
You just need to make the choice and stick to it if it is what you really want to do good luck
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Give it up
It sounds like you have the same problem I used to have. I made one too many mistakes when I had a few drinks. I would argue so much with my wonderful boyfriend for no reason. I got sacked from my bar job in Devon which nearly destroyed my relationship I have been caught for drink driving which I lost my lisence for 2 years, and nearly lost another job. It's a horrible drug which doesn't suit some people and the sooner you realise this the better you will feel about yourself. Try cutting out alcohol all together. I have been off it now for 3 months and feel great about myself, I do have mood swings occasionally but I think this is just me and it's normal (I can't blame that on alcohol) but we don't need it to make us feel good. It makes things worse. My ex husband was an alcoholic and I couldn't beat him so I joined him, my dad is an alcoholic - it made me realise to take action now before I lose someone I truely love and lose everything I have. I now have my lisence back, and have a great new job working with disabled children. I am turning myself around. I am starting the process of divorce to get rid of all evil in my life. Things are good, so don't let Alcohol destroy you. I am a 27 year old female and it's time to fight against alcohol. GOOD LUCK!!!
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Think positive
Hello, a thought popped into my head while I was reading of your dilemma. Try just looking at the wine and saying to yourself..."just don't do it", make a cup of tea instead, pour your husband a glass of wine, and then forget about it. If you are keen on cold white wine, herbal teas chilled in the fridge are a great substitute. Try mixing different herbal teas together, and while still hot, stirring in quite a bit of raw sugar or honey to dissolve it, making it a sweet cold beverage to have while you are sociallizing. In a wine glass, noone would know the difference. If it is too sweet and not tart enough for you, just sqeeze a little fresh lemon juice in before drinking...you'll be surprised how much it actually tastes like wine! Pouring the hot tea over grated ginger and letting cool at room temp, then strainging it and putiing it in the fridge in a bottle is a good one too.
All the best, hope you stay in control.
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Hi
Sine I have sent this email I have joined weight watchers and only have had a drink on saturday when I went out with 6 friends for meal, i did have too much to drink as everyone else was drinking, my husband said i nearly went overboard, but I did control myself. I have lost 4 pounds with WW in two weeks so that has given me a great incentive to cut out the booze, but I am still finding it really hard. Great to talk to you all it is great to know that there are other people out there with same problem. I am really going to try hard this week.
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Well done! All power to you, you have inspired me...I drink everyday at the moment, and am finding it ludicrous...waste of money and time, trying to teach my brain to have fun without it. I always feel so guilty when I drink anyway, until I have one or two, and then I really don't care....I'm going to make a real effort this week too. All the best.
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Giving up drink
Me too!!
I am 35 today! and since I can remember I have liked wine too much I cant have one or two has to be 5 or 6 or until the bottle has finished - I have never gone more than 2 days without drink, the self loathing and ill feeling after are terrible!! yet I still seem to fail after a few days and say oh sod it - one wont hurt - then the cycle begins again!!
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Me too!!
I'm 35 too and actually find that drink effects me differently now I'm older. I can get really argumentative and actually quite nasty - then I don' remember what happened in the morning. I really need to give it up before it ruins relationships. Starting from today!
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Giving up drink
I am a fellow traveller and after a hectic August with all of my family home and in close quarters and drinking every day, I decided to experiment with my dependency by giving up alcohol for two months. Just two weeks into it and I am feeling clear headed, sleeping like a log, hangover free, less irritable with the kids, more productive at work. My hope is that when the 2 months are up, I can just have a glass or two and stop. If I can't, well, then it has to go. Right now I can see that life without alcohol is definitely more stress free. Good luck to you!
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Trying to stop drinking
It's hard after a few days or even a week, when you feel so good for not having touched alchohol, and you feel like you could do anything! All you want to do is celebrate! It's a mind game...this time, I'm going to try replacing my version of celebrating with something other than drinking a bottle of wine that cost 20 or 30 dollars...it's funny, the less you drink the more quality alchohol you buy, which isn't a bad thing, but you still spend the same amount of money relatively. So ifanyone has any grand ideas of a good replacement for alchohol as a reward, would love to hear some ideas!
Good Luck.
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Rewards
Hiya, try to completely forget about the idea of "a drink" as a reward, alcahol (as we all know) can be addictive, so cutting down or giving up all together is a big achievment, if youre going to reward yourself then buy yourself a new outfit, makeup, maybe put the money you would have spent on a bottle of wine away towards a bigger reward.
Hope this helps. x.
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Boozerus
hi
I can understand everyones situation, it would be nice for people in different areas to have a network were people without having to go to AA can meet with like minded people who want to get out of what is for most a routine, in from work must have a drink or out for the weekend, must binge if you do not in the week. In Ireland on a Website called boards.ie, check out under social what people are doing there to get out of the norm, great idea.
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Go for it!
Alcohol is one nasty substance; not only do its "empty calories" lead to weight gain, it also damages your liver. Let's face it, alcohol is a drug and under its influence, people do stupid things.
Eliminating this toxin from your diet will do wonders for your body and health.
www.scrumptiouslyrealnutrition .co.uk
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