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What I learned from quitting drinking for a month


Tony Santana
This topic has been inactive for at least 365 days, and is now closed. Please feel free to start a new thread on the subject! 

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16 hours ago, Flyfish said:

What are you now? Like 18?

If I shaved people would think I am :P, but I'm actually 29.

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Ah, yes. I recall those days when my pants were a symmetrical 32X32. One of those numbers is still the same. (Hint: Forty years later, I am not 6'6".)

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I'm on the plan as of Wednesday, just to see whatever benefits may be revealed. I'd like to see less bloated feeling, a reduction in my waistline, less indigestion, better sleep. Let's see how it goes. If I achieve all my goals there's always tequila.

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haha I'm actually doing P90X this trip at sea.

What I learned is I should have done a much more moderate program. But I started it, dammit, so I'm going to finish it!

It works, but whether or not it's worth it is another question. It's a LOT of work.

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I recently decided to shift to 2 drinks a week only on Saturday nights, most weeks. I did it for several reasons.

One because I found myself casually having a drink without thinking too much about it  - unlike back in the past when I only had a bottle or two I might have waited for the right occasion.

The 2nd reason is the empty calories - while my weight has been static over the last five years, I've improved my diet, I'm exercising more and yet the weight isn't coming off. So I'm trying to see if removing the 500-1000 calories of booze a week will help drop a few pounds.

Not sure how long I'll stay on this program because I did the math and at my new consumption rate realized I never have to buy another bottle of whisky again, even if I live to be 100. (2 oz per week plus one bonus bottle per year randomly =  about 5 bottles per year x 60 years = 300 bottles (and I have more than that already)). Which brings me to the final reason. Since I've slowed my drinking I've also slowed my purchases and I'm finding I have extra money in my bottle slush fund account. I'm beginning to realize I could be doing other things with that money.

Don't get me wrong, I still love whisky - but I'm pretty darn happy with OWA and it's interesting realizing I can be doing other things with my time and money. That being said I'm passing through Kentucky next week and planning on visiting several distilleries and buying a few more bottles.

 

 

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^^^When in Rome...^^^:rolleyes:

All this talk about consumption of late, made me realize that I too have cut back at least 50% over the past couple of months.  It wasn't a planned thing... I think I've just gotten to the point where I sip and savor a little bit more than I used to. 

Now, if I could just get my purchases in line with my consumption...:o 

Edited by Paddy
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Last week it hit me that the daily 50mL shots of bourbon/rye are getting consumed very quickly and that my body/mind demands more.  Ultimately, I don't believe this is healthy.  I've decided to stay away from all alcohol for a week and see how things are going.  Then I'll modify my drinking habit to better suit my body.  I don't plan on giving up whiskey or beer, but do plan on not being a slave to alcohol's addictive nature.  

Now why can't I stop eating chocolate?   :wacko:

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I hope all these SBers cutting back means I have a better shot at getting some LEs this fall! :D

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It's lenten season. Just give it a week and all of us catholics will be off the wagon again! 

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On 3/23/2016, 11:38:19, b1gcountry said:

It's lenten season. Just give it a week and all of us catholics will be off the wagon again! 

I was raised Methodist.  So, I gave up church this year.;)

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I'm pretty sure in catholic school, they taught us about Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy, and then "all the other Christians".

:)

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All theses posts about quitting drinking for a period of time, reminds me of something. A few years ago, p_elliott and I were visiting the HH gift shop during the KBF. As we were getting ready to leave, a man walked in. He had on a t-shirt that read, "I quit drinking last month. So far I've lost three days." :lol:

Cheers! Joe

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I started this thread.  I'm no longer abstaining, but still down at least 20 pounds.  I have cut back though, only imbibing on the weekends, absent "special occasions", and usually less on the weekends than before.  One added benefit - now bourbon seems to taste even better than it did before.  I don't have it as much, so I savor it more?  Just coincidence?  I'm tending to drink more of the "good stuff"?  Not sure.

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It's good to get away from all alcohol for a week or month, to allow the body and mind to not be dependent on it.

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4 hours ago, Tony Santana said:

 One added benefit - now bourbon seems to taste even better than it did before.  I don't have it as much, so I savor it more?  Just coincidence?  I'm tending to drink more of the "good stuff"?  Not sure.

There is something to this.  I'm back to only drinking on weekends again, and that first Friday pour tastes absolutely remarkable.  I mean, even more remarkable than a normal first Friday pour.

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I keep thinking about cutting back, but I think I need a career change first. It's hard to cut back when you hate your job and it consumes your life.......

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8 hours ago, dcbt said:

There is something to this.  I'm back to only drinking on weekends again, and that first Friday pour tastes absolutely remarkable...

When I'm doing a lot of taste comparisons with fancy stuff (aka, drinking a lot), the average run-o-mill tastes, well, average.  But when I go longer periods abstaining and then sip average stuff, I think this is really good, how come I thought it was average?  Maybe when doing a lot of comparisons we really tune in to nuances, but when abstaining then drinking, have lost some of the discernment but can now better appreciate the present sip for itself?  Am I rambling because I'm too sober?  Time for a drink to clear the head.

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On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 4:32 PM, Harry in WashDC said:

I was raised Methodist.  So, I gave up church this year.;)

Just this year? I am working on a 40 year continuous streak! Ever since I was old enough to tell my mother I wasn't going to church anymore and was able to get away with it... :o

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...about 28yrs church-free myself, but I think I experienced religion at the sampler last year. Looking forward to doing it again in a month!

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I feel like I should increase my bourbon consumption to make up for the rest of you ;)

 

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

I can't figure out how to remove the spoilers.  Those must be a new feature.

Edited by TheNovaMan
I'm not tech-savvy :P
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On 3/21/2016 at 7:52 PM, Paddy said:

^^^When in Rome...^^^:rolleyes:

All this talk about consumption of late, made me realize that I too have cut back at least 50% over the past couple of months.  It wasn't a planned thing... I think I've just gotten to the point where I sip and savor a little bit more than I used to. 

Now, if I could just get my purchases in line with my consumption...:o 

Paddy, my relatively reduced consumption over the past few months is due to my consuming more higher proof offerings (it is wintertime after all).  As the weather warms, I'll lighten

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Good point Harry, I've been sipping a lot of 120+ offerings as well.  Third world problems!:P

Edited by Paddy
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Washington DC?    Third World?    I never thought about it that way; but you may be onto something, Paddy!

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On ‎3‎/‎31‎/‎2016 at 9:27 AM, Richnimrod said:

Washington DC?    Third World?    I never thought about it that way; but you may be onto something, Paddy!

I wish.  THEN, I'd peruse the duty free shop every time I made a foray into Maryland and Virginia to purchase "domestic" products.

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