One year without alcohol
Clipdat
Posts: 12,948
Today's date, June 24th 2018, marks exactly one year since I last drank any alcohol.
If you had asked me in the past if I ever thought I could go an entire year without drinking, I probably would've said, What? and laughed in your face. Alcohol had been a pretty big part of my life from when I turned 21 (and lets be honest, a few years before 21 as well) in 2005 through the middle of 2017. I know a great deal about every style of beer and each type of spirit, in terms of their production methods and flavor profiles.
However, I've never been someone who could moderate my alcohol consumption. I would drink a lot of craft beer every single weekend (Friday through Sunday), and in 2016 and 2017 it was even more frequent than just weekends. I can't just have "one or two" drinks. If I start drinking, I don't stop until I'm in a stupor. "One drink is too many, and a thousand is never enough", if you will.
I was not in a good place in regards to alcohol. Whenever I wasn't drinking, I was usually thinking about when I could drink next. When I was drinking, I was thinking about that next drink I was going to get, and how many I could have. I can look back now and see that it was controlling my life. I was starting to have health issues. I was literally killing myself. On June 24th 2017, I hit rock bottom. And it wasn't the first time that I had. After a difficult conversation with my wife, I told her that I was going to make a change.
I decided to quit drinking, for an undecided amount of time. I think at first it was supposed to be for 6 months to a year. A few weeks after I quit, my wife decided to join me and stop drinking as well! Although she never had a problem like I did, this was great, we could do it together!
As the months passed, I quickly decided that I didn't just want to quit for a year. I came to the realization that I wanted to go the rest of my life without having another drop of alcohol. This is my goal that I'm now committed to, and I think it's absolutely possible.
If you had asked me in the past if I ever thought I could go an entire year without drinking, I probably would've said, What? and laughed in your face. Alcohol had been a pretty big part of my life from when I turned 21 (and lets be honest, a few years before 21 as well) in 2005 through the middle of 2017. I know a great deal about every style of beer and each type of spirit, in terms of their production methods and flavor profiles.
However, I've never been someone who could moderate my alcohol consumption. I would drink a lot of craft beer every single weekend (Friday through Sunday), and in 2016 and 2017 it was even more frequent than just weekends. I can't just have "one or two" drinks. If I start drinking, I don't stop until I'm in a stupor. "One drink is too many, and a thousand is never enough", if you will.
I was not in a good place in regards to alcohol. Whenever I wasn't drinking, I was usually thinking about when I could drink next. When I was drinking, I was thinking about that next drink I was going to get, and how many I could have. I can look back now and see that it was controlling my life. I was starting to have health issues. I was literally killing myself. On June 24th 2017, I hit rock bottom. And it wasn't the first time that I had. After a difficult conversation with my wife, I told her that I was going to make a change.
I decided to quit drinking, for an undecided amount of time. I think at first it was supposed to be for 6 months to a year. A few weeks after I quit, my wife decided to join me and stop drinking as well! Although she never had a problem like I did, this was great, we could do it together!
As the months passed, I quickly decided that I didn't just want to quit for a year. I came to the realization that I wanted to go the rest of my life without having another drop of alcohol. This is my goal that I'm now committed to, and I think it's absolutely possible.
Comments
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Good job!
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Congrats!
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Congrats man. That’s a tough one. Good for you.2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
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Congrats
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Well done Drew! I know that must take a lot of effort!Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
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Congrats! I've gone 4.5 days without pron. I just felt like sharing.
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Alcohol addiction runs rampant in my family, and one of the reasons I avoid it for the most part. I drink only socially and have never more than two beers when I do drink, which is perhaps 6 times a year or so. I have only been drunk once in my life, and that was on Memorial Day weekend in 1986. After I surrendered my keys to someone else to drive me back to NAS Millington, I vowed never to get drunk again.
Congratulations on one year sober, and may you continue to enjoy the benefits of many, many more.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
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Congrats to you Drew!
That's the biggest societal binding agents to try to avoid. It's all around us where ever we go. It takes A LOT of will power to NOT drink alcohol.
I'm glad the State of Cali. legalized herb. It sure will help people like us who have trouble drinking in moderation.
Now if NC. will just follow Cali., I might enjoy life a little bit more than I already do, when I do.
Congrats again!!
Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
Congrats Drew, and thanks for sharing your story here.VA HT HK AVR20II, Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD, Polk Audio RC80i / Polk Audio CSi3, 60" Panasonic Plasma, Nordost / Signal Cable A2 / Wireworld / Pangea / Magic Power
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Congrats, I hope you continue to abstain and next we get to read that it's been two years for you!Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
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Alcohol is one of the worst drugs out there. I've been "dry" for years. Never big into it and then decided not to even touch it. I have no issues with being with a bunch of people who are drinking. I hope you can get to that place.
Remind yourself of all the audio toys you can get with the money saved. -
Alcohol causes way too much drama too. Of course there are happy drunks as an exception but definitely not the rule. I grew up with an abusive one. Not fun. My mom was smart to get out of the situation and I followed suit when I left for the Army.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
Way to go, Drew. Glad you’ve made that decision and you’re sticking to it. Your life and marriage will be so much better for it, as you have surely experienced.Integrated Amp: Marantz PM-10
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Congrats, Drew. I know the struggle well. Ever get in a tight spot don't hesitate to reach out. One day at a time they say, though, sometimes it's one minute, or second, at a time.
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It only gets better.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Congrats Drew! I'm very happy for you man
Keep on the path of sobriety & stereo goodness Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
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I guess I'm the Black sheep in the family.......
"I'll drink to that!" *takes a sip*
Everything is possible if you put your mind to it. FWIW.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Drew, it's takes COURAGE to succeed and reward yourself as you have done."Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters.
You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice. Jim Butcher
Harry / Marietta GA -
Congrats. 28 years for me. Best thing I ever did.Panny 8000 project
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Congrats on reaching your goal Drew, something like this takes a REAL commitment.
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Congrats to you!! have you noticed yourself craving anything else more than you did while you were drinking? Basically have you replaced the drinking with something else? If not even more congrats to you.
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Congrats. I know this is a big achievement. I succumb to almost 2-3 drinks per year. That's about my max. Thanks for sharing.Music: Oppo103 - Parasound JC2 - Parasound A21- SDA 3.1
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Congratulations and thanks for sharing your experience. I know it has made me think hard about my own use of alcohol, which is a good thing.
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Congrats on the 1 year anniversary of sobriety.
I have 18 years sober, I started drinking @ a young age (15) I had 30 years of honing my drinking skills. Once I was told I had lost a good portion of my liver function, had I decided to quit. So I got drunk and stumbled in thru the front door of a detox center, been sober ever since.
Has it been easy, nope. Good luck in your sobriety, you have a long way to go, one day at a time.The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact. -
Congrats! I drink a beer or two a day for the last 8 years or so. I never get drunk, I just don't like it but still drank everyday. I recently started to remove myself from drinking on the weekdays and only keep it on the weekends (2 to 3 a day on the weekends). It has been a struggle just to do that and not have a cold one after work but two weeks down I am getting better and more used to it.
I'll cheers my cranberry juice (yes JUST cranberry juice) to you good sir, best of luck keeping on in the battle.Just a dude doing dude-ly things
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My grandmother drank a beer a day until she was in her late 80's. My uncles are the same way. They live to their 90's. BUT they only have a beer or maybe 2. Now my Mother and I were different beasts. Party till the sun came back around. My father didn't drink. Not much anyway. he was always busy doing something on his cars or lawn mowers.
I can hang with drinkers without drinking but as the night goes on, the belligerent drinkers surface. I hope I wasn't one of them. I don't think I was but what do I know, I was over the edge on a few occasions.
Everything revolves around alcohol. Look at TV shows. They promote it like breathing and drinking is necessary for life.
Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
Everything revolves around alcohol. Look at TV shows. They promote it like breathing and drinking is necessary for life.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EJT0NMYHeGw afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
Congrats on one year. It’s a life changing sort of BFD! I quit for 12 years because of very bad decisions . And now that I have kids to set an example for I only drink a few a week. Last time they saw me drunk was 2008 Super Bowl when I tried to drink the Bears back to a win. Did not work and I puked in front of them in the bathroom sink . You are welcome to reach out any time you need an ear to listen. Peace. DMIT Magnum MH-750, Monster HTS 5100MKII, Sony 77" Class - A80CJ Series - 4K UHD OLED,PS4, Def Tech 15” sub,LSIM 706c, Sunfire Signature Grand 425 x 4,Parasound hca 120, LSiM 702 x 4, Oppo 103D, SDA SRS 1.2, Pioneer Elite SC63 , Pioneer Elite BDP-05 “Why did you get married if you wanted big speakers?”
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Congrats Drew, keep up the good work. No doubt you saved your liver and your marriage. Congrats to her as well for supporting you so well.
Tony M, The state you live in might legalize it, but don't forget that it is STILL illegal at the federal level.
I can't tell you how many good candidates we have had to rescind our job offers to because they tested positive for THC, and they are shocked! I have to explain to them that any employer that accepts federal funding, HAS to follow federal guidelines.
Besides exchanging one addiction for another doesn't seem like a smart move.Congrats to you Drew!
That's the biggest societal binding agents to try to avoid. It's all around us where ever we go. It takes A LOT of will power to NOT drink alcohol.
I'm glad the State of Cali. legalized herb. It sure will help people like us who have trouble drinking in moderation.
Now if NC. will just follow Cali., I might enjoy life a little bit more than I already do, when I do.
Congrats again!!
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This is more than worth repeating.
Besides exchanging one addiction for another doesn't seem like a smart move.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk
