Going Dry - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

kermitology · 09-12-2008, 09:58 AM

Has anyone here gone without alcohol (other than alcoholics) for any length of time?

I'm just about 5 weeks in now and I told myself I could have a drink for the season opener.. so 27 more days.

It was really freaking hard for the first few weeks, but now I don't really think about it too much.

Tyler · 09-12-2008, 09:59 AM

I'm almost at 3 months. Bit stressful at the start, but now I don't even think about it unless I'm in a social situation where we are out or at a restaurant.

The social stigma with not drinking is kind of annoying (explaining to everyone that you dont want to drink), but it gets easier.

Congrats on 5 weeks!

Bring_Back_Shantz · 09-12-2008, 10:00 AM

Meh, I've definitely gone like 6 weeks before, and that was without even trying, I just didn't have any booze, and I realized when I had that first beer, "Hey, I think this may be the first beer I've had in about 6 weeks."

Hell I'm trying to lose some weight right now so I probalby haven't even had a beer in about 3 weeks and I don't really plan on having more than one or two in the next month or so.

habernac · 09-12-2008, 10:01 AM

I went almost a full year when I quit smoking. I knew I had to as drinking was such a trigger for me wanting to smoke. It wasn't as hard as the quitting smoking thing.

nik- · 09-12-2008, 10:01 AM

I do it for Lent every year. It's rough, but it definitely gets easier as time goes by.

Bobblehead · 09-12-2008, 10:03 AM

A few times, but I'm only really a social drinker. Beer in my fridge will last quite a while.

I really should kick the pop, I do drink a lot of it, and even when I stop for a while I still get a craving for the carbonated taste that juices can't satisfy.

malcolmk14 · 09-12-2008, 10:03 AM

I drink socially (wine with dinner, a beer or two at a hockey game), so I don't really notice when I go weeks without drinking.

I usually go 3-4 months between heavy drinking though.

Nufy · 09-12-2008, 10:04 AM

A colleague of mine does it every year at New Years.

Alcohol free for as long as he can go. 3,4,5 months some time.

No set schedule or time frame.

But when he crashes.....watch out.

We'll be out for lunch and if he orders a beer, you know your not going back that afternoon.....and possibly the next day.

kermitology · 09-12-2008, 10:07 AM

I really like beer, and after I came back from Germany I REALLY liked beer.

I started to feel like I was drinking too much, so I cut it out. The Weiss beer in my fridge makes me want to cry sometimes.. It's so good, once it touches your lips.

BlAcKNoVa · 09-12-2008, 10:09 AM

I don't drink much at all. Once every year or so...I think I have passed a year now. Last time I did drink (and I didn't drink much that night) was my cousins wedding first week of last september.

CaptainCrunch · 09-12-2008, 10:09 AM

I quit drinking about 3 or 4 years ago fully, I occassionally, once or twice a year will have a social beer, but thats it.

Smoking has been a harder demon to slay, I'm using a PDA program to break the habit, and I'm down to 3 smokes a day from a pack a day last week.

I feel the need to get drunk and murder a puppy right now.

4X4 · 09-12-2008, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by habernac

I went almost a full year when I quit smoking. I knew I had to as drinking was such a trigger for me wanting to smoke. It wasn't as hard as the quitting smoking thing.

Yep. Every time I quit smoking I have to quit drinking too. It sucks because I eat alot of pasta and I have to drink wine when I eat pasta. So quitting smoking is a domino effect for me. No cigs equals no alcohol which equals no pasta which equals more fast food and just crappy food in general.

Bobblehead · 09-12-2008, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I feel the need to get drunk and murder a puppy right now.

Or you could get a puppy and murder a drunk.

Robbob · 09-12-2008, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

I drink socially (wine with dinner, a beer or two at a hockey game), so I don't really notice when I go weeks without drinking.

I usually go 3-4 months between heavy drinking though.

I'm the same way I probably only drink to get drunk once a year, if that. So I really don't notice if its been a while. If I didn't have my passport a bottlescrew bills I could probably count the times I had a drink on my fingers and toes over the last year. Now that the passport is done I don't have the urge to go drinking at all.

octothorp · 09-12-2008, 10:19 AM

I drank way too much beer over softball season, and now that it's over, I think I'm going to cut myself off beer for a while, stick to hard alcohol; my try to go until Grey Cup. Going out and getting drunk isn't a problem, I rarely do that. It's more my concern about the fattening effects of beer.

Sample00 · 09-12-2008, 10:21 AM

Well for me its coming up to 5 years...
but I had a good excuse, (medical condition)
Its pretty easy to give up something when you have no choice but to.

habernac · 09-12-2008, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sample00

Well for me its coming up to 5 years...
but I had a good excuse, (medical condition)
Its pretty easy to give up something when you have no choice but to.

indeed. I asked my grandfather advice about quitting smoking when I was having troubles as he had to quit when he had a heart attack. He laughed. "It was easy. The doctor said I had two choices: quit or die."

The big help for me was seeing my friend's Dad who had terminal lung cancer. Seeing a ghost-like hairless figure who's going through chemo is a motivating factor, let me tell you.

Rhettzky · 09-12-2008, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by octothorp

I drank way too much beer over softball season, and now that it's over, I think I'm going to cut myself off beer for a while, stick to hard alcohol; my try to go until Grey Cup. Going out and getting drunk isn't a problem, I rarely do that. It's more my concern about the fattening effects of beer.

Homer no function beer well without.

Bobblehead · 09-12-2008, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by habernac

indeed. I asked my grandfather advice about quitting smoking when I was having troubles as he had to quit when he had a heart attack. He laughed. "It was easy. The doctor said I had two choices: quit or die."

The big help for me was seeing my friend's Dad who had terminal lung cancer. Seeing a ghost like hairless figure who's going through chemo is a motivating factor, let me tell you.

One of my uncles had lung cancer. He could walk for 5 minutes then would need to rest for 10 minutes. A shell of his former self (he was a dairy farmer).

FanIn80 · 09-12-2008, 10:37 AM

One thing that really pisses me off is the social stigma that was mentioned earlier. It's been over 10 years for me, and I still have to explain to people why I don't want a beer, or why I'm only having a soda and lime.

Seriously, I just don't want a drink. It's that simple. Stop asking me why, and stop looking at me like I have the plague.

/rant