First cravings
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF, CA
Posts: 9
I just thought I'd update everyone. Things are going WAY WAY WAY better. Alcohol has a reasonable place in my life, which clearly was not the case when I made this thread. I don't keep beer in the house any more and don't drink at restaurants. Once you say "no thanks" enough, it becomes a lot easier, and the people you hang out with will (usually) get used to it. I tend to avoid going out with my crazy college friends, but when I do I stay reasonable (usually one light beer, two max). This is on the lines of once a month, which I feel comfortable with for now. We'll see how this changes in the future. It's actually more fun to be a party where you can actually talk to people and be coherent. You also start to notice that not everyone is getting totally hammered. No hangovers is a huge plus. I can honestly say "no thanks" to a drink, which is DEFINITELY a first. I can also read at night again! 3-4 beers makes reading a work of literature tough, to say the least. It's nice to have that back.
It's indicative of the "new me" that I can't even remember when this started happening. I feel back to normal.
A couple tips that worked for me...
- No alcohol in the house. Seems pretty obvious.
- Make your own food. It's really easy just to add a glass of wine or a beer when you're at a restaurant. What's not available to you can't hurt you.
- Start dating someone who doesn't drink. It's tough to avoid drinking when you're meeting people and going out. This was good for me, at least.
- Start eating right, exercising, losing weight. This is a corollary to making your own food. I have lost about 20 pounds and look a lot better. It's easier not to drink when you realize how many empty calories you're consuming, and how much it will affect your waistline.
- If you're going to go out, get up really early that morning. I've just fallen asleep at midnight instead of keeping the party going until 4 or 5 a.m. It's good to have some good excuses ready, but nothing is better than passing out (to sleep!) to convince your friends that your nights end earlier than they used to.
- I started to drink coffee. This may or may not work for you, but for me it was a replacement both in terms of the jolt you get from drinking it, and for the foodie pleasure. I was really into craft beer and channeled that into coffee. It's actually pretty cheap, especially compared to the $6-7/bottle for a good Belgian. The best roasters typically charge about $15-20/lb, which is comparable to Starbucks etc and lasts a week or two.
Anyway, thanks for the encouraging posts from 2007 and hope you all are doing well. You can do it.
It's indicative of the "new me" that I can't even remember when this started happening. I feel back to normal.
A couple tips that worked for me...
- No alcohol in the house. Seems pretty obvious.
- Make your own food. It's really easy just to add a glass of wine or a beer when you're at a restaurant. What's not available to you can't hurt you.
- Start dating someone who doesn't drink. It's tough to avoid drinking when you're meeting people and going out. This was good for me, at least.
- Start eating right, exercising, losing weight. This is a corollary to making your own food. I have lost about 20 pounds and look a lot better. It's easier not to drink when you realize how many empty calories you're consuming, and how much it will affect your waistline.
- If you're going to go out, get up really early that morning. I've just fallen asleep at midnight instead of keeping the party going until 4 or 5 a.m. It's good to have some good excuses ready, but nothing is better than passing out (to sleep!) to convince your friends that your nights end earlier than they used to.
- I started to drink coffee. This may or may not work for you, but for me it was a replacement both in terms of the jolt you get from drinking it, and for the foodie pleasure. I was really into craft beer and channeled that into coffee. It's actually pretty cheap, especially compared to the $6-7/bottle for a good Belgian. The best roasters typically charge about $15-20/lb, which is comparable to Starbucks etc and lasts a week or two.
Anyway, thanks for the encouraging posts from 2007 and hope you all are doing well. You can do it.
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