Please remind me why I shouldn't drink
Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 12
I could use some motivation myself. Have the whole day off and a bag of green and some cold bottles of beer in the fridge. Trying to abstain though.
My main reason for quitting is it's starting to make me a little "curvy".
My main reason for quitting is it's starting to make me a little "curvy".
Forum Leader
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
I can think of a lot of reasons, but they might hold more weight for you if you personalize them Doogie. Make a list of the GOOD things that alcohol does for you, and then the BAD. And see how the lists compare.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Posts: 51
Calcified- yes I also have cut down because of weight gain and lost about 15 pounds, but now I'm not losing any more and I'm having a bad morning, I have the day off...basically exact same situation
Canine Welfare Advocate
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 10,962
Remind yourself:
"...sweating, having insomnia, my body aches, heart burn, anxiety, depression, self loathing etc...I black out each and every time I drink even if I am alone. I want so badly to be happy and healthy..."
From your first post.
"...sweating, having insomnia, my body aches, heart burn, anxiety, depression, self loathing etc...I black out each and every time I drink even if I am alone. I want so badly to be happy and healthy..."
From your first post.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 31
I had many reasons why I quit.
It's bad for your health. My liver hurt for 6 months after my last drink. It will kill you eventually. Also I felt sick all day every day.
My mind was always in turmoil. Always craving the next drink. Always anxious or depressed. Now I'm stable.
I always passed out on the floor and had alcohol poisoning a few times.
I was a horrible person when drinking. Always angry and out of control.
Alcohol withdrawal is absolutely horrible.
My family didn't trust me any more. Every word that came out of my mouth was a lie.
All in all I was a different person and completely not myself. I didn't know what myself was any more. I was terrified to get sober, but now I'm very happy I did.
Oh, and about weed. It's still a drug, and any sort of narcotic type drug is very bad for you. I used to smoke way too much weed too. About an eighth a day. Drinking and smoking weed went hand in hand. If I did one, I'd want to do the other.
Full sobriety from drugs is the best way. I still smoke cigarettes though and take an SSRI and antipsychotic, both of which are non narcotic. Tobacco and my prescribed meds don't get me high so I do consider myself sober.
It's bad for your health. My liver hurt for 6 months after my last drink. It will kill you eventually. Also I felt sick all day every day.
My mind was always in turmoil. Always craving the next drink. Always anxious or depressed. Now I'm stable.
I always passed out on the floor and had alcohol poisoning a few times.
I was a horrible person when drinking. Always angry and out of control.
Alcohol withdrawal is absolutely horrible.
My family didn't trust me any more. Every word that came out of my mouth was a lie.
All in all I was a different person and completely not myself. I didn't know what myself was any more. I was terrified to get sober, but now I'm very happy I did.
Oh, and about weed. It's still a drug, and any sort of narcotic type drug is very bad for you. I used to smoke way too much weed too. About an eighth a day. Drinking and smoking weed went hand in hand. If I did one, I'd want to do the other.
Full sobriety from drugs is the best way. I still smoke cigarettes though and take an SSRI and antipsychotic, both of which are non narcotic. Tobacco and my prescribed meds don't get me high so I do consider myself sober.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Gulf Coast, Florida USA
Posts: 5,731
Why I choose not to drink today.
No more feeling ashamed and embarassed all the time .
No more worrying about who I fell down in front of .
No more sweating profusely all the time .
No more going entire days without eating and dry heaving at the sight of food .
Being able to keep my word. (And even wanting to.) .
Being able to remember where I was last night .
Seeing my personality come back to life, laughing again. Feeling like "me" again .
Having the freedom to think about things other than alcohol .
No more anxiety .
No more being obsessed about whether 'I can and can't drink , wondering if I will have enough .Do I have enough in the house? etc.' or 'How can I get through this night without a drink?' .
Waking up in the morning and looking forward to the day instead of trying to remember if I did anything stupid the night before .
No more waking up with that panicked feeling thinking "who did I talk to on the phone last night? .
Being able to brush my teeth in the morning without vomiting .
No more hangovers .
No more calling in sick and making excuses .
No more throwing up on the side of the road .
No more pregnancy scares .
No more laziness and apathy .
No more "where did that bruise/injury come from?"
No more fear of getting pulled over for a DUI .
No more wondering why my wallet is empty .
No more spending money that I don't have .
No more heartburn .
I am so grateful today that I don't have to live that way today .
No more feeling ashamed and embarassed all the time .
No more worrying about who I fell down in front of .
No more sweating profusely all the time .
No more going entire days without eating and dry heaving at the sight of food .
Being able to keep my word. (And even wanting to.) .
Being able to remember where I was last night .
Seeing my personality come back to life, laughing again. Feeling like "me" again .
Having the freedom to think about things other than alcohol .
No more anxiety .
No more being obsessed about whether 'I can and can't drink , wondering if I will have enough .Do I have enough in the house? etc.' or 'How can I get through this night without a drink?' .
Waking up in the morning and looking forward to the day instead of trying to remember if I did anything stupid the night before .
No more waking up with that panicked feeling thinking "who did I talk to on the phone last night? .
Being able to brush my teeth in the morning without vomiting .
No more hangovers .
No more calling in sick and making excuses .
No more throwing up on the side of the road .
No more pregnancy scares .
No more laziness and apathy .
No more "where did that bruise/injury come from?"
No more fear of getting pulled over for a DUI .
No more wondering why my wallet is empty .
No more spending money that I don't have .
No more heartburn .
I am so grateful today that I don't have to live that way today .
Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Bklyn. NY
Posts: 1,859
Because you're here, and you wouldn't be here if drinking wasn't screwing with your life.
I was one of the incredibly fortunate ones who entered recovery, and thus far (almost 29 years) never went back. I tried to stop a thousand times before but never lasted a full day except for once when I was really sick for 4. One of the many things that helped me a lot was that I knew I didn't want alcohol in my life, and I felt that if I picked up even one drink, I would have to redo any of the sober time I already achieved. I would have to get through all the urges I succesfully got through, all over again. I would have to eventually face the present challenge of really wanting to drink... again!!!, and my understanding was that it would be even harder the next time. I wanted to get it over with. Every time I resisted a drink it got easier, never harder. Had I picked up a drink, I knew it would have been and endless cycle...
On my own willpower I don't think the above would have been possible. I needed AA, and a huge box of tools I aquired there to do it. Calling people helped at the times I was closest to picking up. Going to meeting, getting a sponsor, reading AA literature, getting involved with other recovering people, staying away from people, places, and things that would remind me of drinking... those were a few of the many things that helped. Ultimately, the 12 steps saved what little life I had, and gave me a brand new one, but there are other methods people use.
Before and during my drinking I had nothing. I was a HS dropout with a messenger job, and at age 23 had lost even that. Couldn't hold down any kind of responsibility, drank every single day, and was loaded with fears and phobias that I was certain were with me for life.
A sober life has gotten me a college education, a job as a HS teacher, the ability to live out my dream touring different parts of the world as musician in a headlining band. It's helped me to quit smoking and get into the best shape of my life at 52 years old. It's helped me to learn to have relationships (and I've had lots of horrible ones sober), and I'm now married to a wonderful woman who I've been with for 17 years. It's given me the ability to travel and vacation, when even at a year sober phobias still paralyzed me and kept me from going no further than 1/2 hr from my home. Not drinking and using the tools I picked up at AA has given me gifts I could write about for days. The most important of those gifts though is that I now have absolutely no desire to drink, I know what it means to have a peaceful quiet mind (not sayin it's always there
), and I know what genuine happiness is.
I'd have never known any of the above had I kept giving into the stupid urge of picking up a drink. I'd suggest getting as many tools as you can to stay away, and using them. Doing this stuff on our own and without doing anything to change, most (if not all) of us fail.
I was one of the incredibly fortunate ones who entered recovery, and thus far (almost 29 years) never went back. I tried to stop a thousand times before but never lasted a full day except for once when I was really sick for 4. One of the many things that helped me a lot was that I knew I didn't want alcohol in my life, and I felt that if I picked up even one drink, I would have to redo any of the sober time I already achieved. I would have to get through all the urges I succesfully got through, all over again. I would have to eventually face the present challenge of really wanting to drink... again!!!, and my understanding was that it would be even harder the next time. I wanted to get it over with. Every time I resisted a drink it got easier, never harder. Had I picked up a drink, I knew it would have been and endless cycle...
On my own willpower I don't think the above would have been possible. I needed AA, and a huge box of tools I aquired there to do it. Calling people helped at the times I was closest to picking up. Going to meeting, getting a sponsor, reading AA literature, getting involved with other recovering people, staying away from people, places, and things that would remind me of drinking... those were a few of the many things that helped. Ultimately, the 12 steps saved what little life I had, and gave me a brand new one, but there are other methods people use.
Before and during my drinking I had nothing. I was a HS dropout with a messenger job, and at age 23 had lost even that. Couldn't hold down any kind of responsibility, drank every single day, and was loaded with fears and phobias that I was certain were with me for life.
A sober life has gotten me a college education, a job as a HS teacher, the ability to live out my dream touring different parts of the world as musician in a headlining band. It's helped me to quit smoking and get into the best shape of my life at 52 years old. It's helped me to learn to have relationships (and I've had lots of horrible ones sober), and I'm now married to a wonderful woman who I've been with for 17 years. It's given me the ability to travel and vacation, when even at a year sober phobias still paralyzed me and kept me from going no further than 1/2 hr from my home. Not drinking and using the tools I picked up at AA has given me gifts I could write about for days. The most important of those gifts though is that I now have absolutely no desire to drink, I know what it means to have a peaceful quiet mind (not sayin it's always there
), and I know what genuine happiness is.I'd have never known any of the above had I kept giving into the stupid urge of picking up a drink. I'd suggest getting as many tools as you can to stay away, and using them. Doing this stuff on our own and without doing anything to change, most (if not all) of us fail.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,445
Th best motivation for me was looking at old posts - both mine and others.
I think we all know drinkings not for us...but we try again and Again to convince ourselves it is...and everytime we try we get burned a little more.
well, I finally got burned enough.
I hope you guys have too
D
I think we all know drinkings not for us...but we try again and Again to convince ourselves it is...and everytime we try we get burned a little more.
well, I finally got burned enough.
I hope you guys have too
D
Living and Loving Life at Last
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: gods own country
Posts: 12,169
You wouldn't be here posting if you really wanted to drink, you would have switched us off ( to escape the guilt for a while, til you sober up) and reached in the fridge!
Don't screw up your sobriety for a few mangy beers, you are worth so much more than that. Find a distraction.
Don't screw up your sobriety for a few mangy beers, you are worth so much more than that. Find a distraction.
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