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Old 03-01-2019, 11:24 AM
 
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I'm detoxing cold turkey now and it's been rough. Anxiety and blood pressure spikes that seemingly come out of nowhere then go away. It seems to be improving and I'm on day 5 so I hope I'm past the worst of it. Thankfully I can WFH. I have not been drinking hard liquor that long so nothing like DTs but I am having occasional shakes. Coconut water and bananas are a life saver for keeping those at bay.

I'm not sure but I may quit entirely for good. My grandfather died of wernicke's-korshakoff syndrome. I probably won't ever get that as I've always been aggressive about B vitamins but why even take the chance. I'm not really an alcoholic because I don't crave it and I don't feel that buzz like I used to before. Mainly it's just been out of habit and to relax me. So in some ways my brain does have a chemical dependency. But mentally I just don't really care to drink anymore.

It will probably hurt my social life but at least I'll still be alive...I may just go back to beer if anything - But I can't drink beer too much because it makes me too bloated and easily gain weight. So it would be self-limiting in that way.
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Old 03-01-2019, 01:24 PM
 
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The older I have gotten the more alcohol affects my sleep and gives me anxiety and racing thoughts in the middle of the night. I have never been a heavy drinker, but I don't drink much anymore because of that. I love my sleep too much! Just two-three drinks messes up my sleep every single time.
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Old 04-20-2019, 10:58 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Serious Conversation View Post
I'm 32 and have been a pretty heavy drinker for a decade. Over the years, I've gained weight. My natural weight in college when I was doing physical labor was around 190. I was a very serious weightlifter in high school and college, and have kept doing it recreationally. My drinking pace has easily been thirty beers a week on average. I also mostly drink craft beer, so more calories. My peak weight was about 255, though I've been floating around 245, give or take five pounds, for the past two months. Blood work for cholesterol, A1C, etc., was taken last fall and all was normal. I'm still very active and walk at least a mile on my lunch hour, weather permitting, gym three times a week, and hike. I'm on a multivitamin, an OTC test booster, and milk thistle.

I haven't had an alcoholic beverage since Saturday night. I feel weird. I wear an Apple Watch to bed and have AutoSleep on. I've gone from maybe 1-2 hours of deep sleep a night while drinking to 4-5. While drinking, I was getting up to pee every hour or two. A heavy night on the bottle led to a choppy sleep like an apnea patient.

Last night, I was in bed from 12-7, no standing, .and the watch records a standing hour in the time it takes me to go to the restroom. That's the first time I truly slept "through the night" without a restroom break in ages. I did cardio and weights yesterday, and still felt fine afterward.

What did you notice when you reduced or stopped alcohol consumption?
I'll let you know. I avg 2-3 light beers every afternoon. It has been something I'd look forward to in hot FL heat. I exercise every day and considered it my reward. Slept pretty well night 1. I'm normal weight. I'm hoping to thin down 5 lbs without beer. We'll see.
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Old 04-21-2019, 01:31 PM
 
Location: state of confusion
1,303 posts, read 845,348 times
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It all depends on the amount one drinks and maybe genetics. I have cut my drinking way back this year. In my younger days (30-late 50's) I regularly drank three glasses of wine a night. Cut this back to one or two a night in my early 60's.....now at age 64, I generally only have one or two glasses on Friday night when I go out and don't drink at home at all. I really have noticed no difference - wish I could say I suddenly have more energy and lost 10 pounds! Maybe it's due to cutting back gradually? However, Serious Conversation, I would say if you are having 5 beers a night, your body will thank you if you cut back...if not now, later on in life.
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Old 04-22-2019, 05:22 AM
 
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I have a healthy fear of alcohol because my Ex died of cirrhosis. I should mention that for awhile when AA was working for him, the health of his gums improved remarkably- his dentist even mentioned it.

I like my nightly scotch but have done some reading and decided to limit it to 2 oz. per night, which is how "one drink" is defined by the medical profession. I'm a lightweight female so that's the recommended max. I'd been drinking 4 oz. Like others, I noticed that I'm sleeping better- fewer trips to the bathroom during the night and fewer episodes of waking up and not being able to get back to sleep.

I like alcohol and never want to get to the point where some doctor tells me that I have to stop or it's gonna kill me- so this is my compromise.
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Old 04-22-2019, 06:13 AM
 
Location: Williamsburg, VA
3,550 posts, read 3,090,208 times
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I've heard the first week is the hardest, but to not think about things like that too much. Just concentrate on getting through one day at a time. Go to AA meetings or any other support group you can find, even if you don't like everything they have to say. If you can't find one, call a help line, or read supportive material and do it at the same time every day (the goal being to make it to the next one). If a craving gets really bad, I've heard you should tell yourself this is just a temporary thing you're doing for one day, for your health. You can do anything for 24 hours. Then the next day you tell yourself the same thing. And the day after that, and the day after that.


Sending you best wishes. Thousands of others have beat this, and I know you will too. Your body will feel so much better when you do. You can do this!
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Old 04-22-2019, 07:45 AM
 
Location: TN/NC
34,875 posts, read 30,967,773 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nmnita View Post
The other factor I have been told is eating habits. Many who over do the alcohol also do not eat healthy. As much as how much you put into your system is how healthy your eating habits are. My dad was a big drinker, but he also ate well balanced meals with lots of veggies. He lived to be 93 and until the last year of his life he was very healthy, very alert and never acted or looked his age. At 92 he had a stoke and was never quit the same.
I do tend to eat pretty well as long as I am not drinking. I prefer fruits/veg to something like fast food. With that said, if I'm drinking, especially at night, I get hungry and I'm not craving broccoli.

Where the weight gain really comes in is when you're drinking IPAs, then get the munchies and want a burger, chicken fries, hot pockets, or other junk food.
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Old 04-25-2019, 10:47 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,270,221 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Serious Conversation View Post
I do tend to eat pretty well as long as I am not drinking. I prefer fruits/veg to something like fast food. With that said, if I'm drinking, especially at night, I get hungry and I'm not craving broccoli.

Where the weight gain really comes in is when you're drinking IPAs, then get the munchies and want a burger, chicken fries, hot pockets, or other junk food.
luckily for me I am not a junk food eater so I do pay close attention to what goes into my mouth.
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