Zee

I know its been posted before, but I thought I'd resurrect an old topic.

I worked out that I used to spend about £70 per week on alcohol. I have been sober for 10 months and 1 week so I have saved approx £2,900 and counting!

In this economic rubbishness, its always an eye-opener to count up how much we have basically poured down the toilet!

CarolD

I have no clue....I was a bar hopping blackout drinker for many years.

The booze I bought regularly for my place was shared with guests...other drunks...who disappeared when I declared a no drinking zone was in effect....

Yes...I have saved money...more importantly
I save my soul and mental stability....

MetalChick

Not sure- I was drinking the cheap stuff- Natty ice. I can say this, I bought myself a pair of Guess boots on Ebay (they are really nice)that I could not have afforded last month. I am only 4 weeks not drinking though. I know when I stopped smoking I saved a ton of money. Weird that is it harder not to drink then smoke though. I always thought smoking would be the hardest.

Carol, I really love what you said, BTW... Posts like that keep me coming back to this great forum

mfsteve1

I figued about 100 usd per week.

abc

With all the money I spent on booze and cocaine in my life, I could easily buy a house. No question.

Alan111

When I used to go out to clubs and pubs I dread to think what I was spending a week. At my worse though drink wise, I was spending £80 a week easily on vodka. Usually a 750ml bottle in the morning, and then I'd stagger off to buy another 350 ml in the afternoon if I was still concious. Always different shops, though on different days as not to be seen to be an alcoholic (even though the shop staff probably knew full well)

skeletoncrue

I only drank in bars, so it was well over $1,000 per month.

Truly sickening.

kerouwack

On just alcohol, I'd say about $300 per month. But add cigarettes, gambling, and junk food and that probably doubles. However, the savings is offset by cycling and running gear and buying healthy food. I know the net is still significant, though because I'm suddenly not broke all the time!

Keva

On a non-bar weekend; 7 days, approx 120/wk. If I went to a bar, add 200 just for that night, just for myself. Not to mention the cigarettes that I would have to smoke with it...I cannot believe how much money per month I have thrown down the drain for years!

chiquen81

I worked it out that I spent a few hundred a month. It fluctuated but for the most part I would say $300 per month. I was buying very expensive alcohol. I went into debt because of it. Now I have so much extra money to pay this off step by step and save.

Peter G

My preferred drink was Grey Goose or Makers Mark, depending on my mood. At my most terrifying phase I was drinking a bottle or more every day, and that went on for a very, very, very long time. Both of these brands are bloody expensive here in Singapore, as in 100.00+ per bottle at a proper outlet, and 220.00+ per bottle from room service, at the hotels I lived in.

So I'll just put it this way: from calculating the expense of my habit long ago (when I first got sober); in my first year of sobriety I could have bought a Badlands Custom Harley V Rod. Second year? A Nissan 370z. On my coming sobriety date next year I will have theoretically saved enough to put a down payment on a pricey condo in an exclusive area of Singapore.

Did I mention how expensive it is for booze in Singapore? )

Having said that, it's funny (and a little creepy) how that money never magically appeared before my eyes sober, as it always seemed to do when I was drunk. In fact, to this day I still have no idea how I afforded my alcoholic life for so long. It boggles the mind.

That said, aside from the negligent results of my initial calculations I did manage to save enough these past 2 + years to get that VRod though, and have money left over for a set of drums, a keyboard, and 2 guitars. So there's that. I'm certainly not complaining at all.

I will say this; collectively, if we were as addicted to money as much as we were booze for all these years, this would be a "Millionaires Are Cool" forum, not a recovery board.

MysteriousGrl

I am still paying off a credit card that has $4000 worth of 'merchandise' purchases on it that I racked up in one year. Sickening! Not to mention all the fines, medical bills etc...

neferkamichael

Lets see 42 years x 365 days x and lets just say $5.00/day = $76650.00. Probably doubling that would be more accurate. All you youngsters out there please pay attention to the financial side of your lives as well as the spiritual, secular, domestic, and whatever else. Your gonna need that money when you get old.

Zee

I bought myself a new digital radio yesterday... just a tiny one. To go in a room that does not have one (I like white noise) it cost £18... I was scratching my head, debating, pacing the supermarket isle. Decided to get it... then as I left the shop, I walked past a stack of whiskey bottles which were ON OFFER... for £18 a bottle!!!!!! A year ago, I would have snapped it up and thought it was a bargain! It beggers belief!

SoberDan

I did some figures and I spent around 200 000 dollars in 20yrs.

Change4good

Enough that I probably won't be able to retire until I am 95. :-)

I drank expensively. Nice wine and micro beer. I drank a lot. As in every night, days on weekends.

I ran the numbers awhile back, and nearly fainted. So glad that is behind me.

neferkamichael

DITTO Change4good.

flutter

Very little towards the end since I was hiding it from everyone.. the cheapest vodka in the world paid for usually with pocket change. Ick!

Taking5

I was a bar drinker, and I only drank top shelf stuff. I easily spent $500 per week. No BS.

tacks

For me the cost of the actual alcohol was largely irrelevant.

The opportunity cost was huge!!

The time i spent self medicating instead of focusing my attention on real problems.

Loosing the opportunity of being a good friend, brother, boyfriend, etc because i chose NOT to take good care of myself. because i chose to be inadequate.

Time spent being comfortably numb at home instead of visiting family.

The weekends being hung over/ sick or drunk instead of getting my home office in order. The time NOT spent servicing my clients. NOT doing what i promised, that what i was being paid to do, that which i should have been fully capable of....

The time spent in regret. Regretting how i contributed to a bad situation that should've never happened to begin with.

regards,

tacks