Did you give up anything else when you quit?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 104
Did you give up anything else when you quit?
I added running, but I've been trying to reduce my sugar consumption for months and months. As addiction can relocate to other areas of our lives (for some of us), I've been trying to be cognizant of other activities in which overconsumption is an issue. I know of other alcoholics who also quit smoking at the same time. Halloween candy is my Achilles' heel right now!
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: North of England
Posts: 1,442
Booze seemed a big enough item to me!
I did however start to eat more healthily, so I 'gave up' eating junk most evenings - potato crisps (chips) and the like, which I tended to chomp on. It didn't feel like I was giving up anything though.
Sadly still eating too much chocolate which I started on as soon as the booze had left my system!
I did however start to eat more healthily, so I 'gave up' eating junk most evenings - potato crisps (chips) and the like, which I tended to chomp on. It didn't feel like I was giving up anything though.
Sadly still eating too much chocolate which I started on as soon as the booze had left my system!
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: C.C. Ma.
Posts: 3,697
My body was in enough stress trying to withdraw from alcohol let alone other "vises." I took an easy does it but do it approach, a few years later I abruptly stopped smoking, a 3 pack a day vice. I'm still trying to keep my mouth shut. BE WELL
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 3,359
smokes - I was not a heavy smoker but I struggled quitting them in the past. I have found relative ease quitting them now but have found the booze to be much harder than I thought (toughest thing I have ever done actually).
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 104
Ornithology, I also find that running sucks the stress out of my daily life. Not to be dramatic, but I'd almost say that it saved my life. My running group meets early in the morning, so it's always a reminder that I can't (or shouldn't) drink the night before. My mind is busy while I run, and I'm so calm afterwards.
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Bklyn. NY
Posts: 1,859
When I first stopped drinking the only things I gave up were the people, places and things I associated with drinking.
As time went on, I quit other things, but it was a slow process for me. Also started excercising reguarly, running and weight training... but I mix my cardio up now. Running, at a certain point was starting to destroy my knees and ankles. Learned a few things regarding that though. First, that proper footwear (even when NOT running) is absolutely essential. Went to a great store in my neighborhood where they spent about an hour finding the perfect sneakers for me. Also found, sort of by accident, that peanuts wreaked havok on my joints. My pain vanished for a while once and I had no idea why. During that time I had stopped eating peanuts (was on a cashew butter kick), happened to read an article about peanuts and joint pain, and thought, "hmmm... ?" I started to eat peanuts again to test it, and the pain came back. Stopped, and it left. I did this 3 or 4 more times, and now I don't go anywhere near peanuts. I have no other food allergies, and this seemed weird to me, but it is what it is. I'm not in pain, and I can run.
As for other things I stopped:
At 5 years my 2 1/2-3 pack of cigarettes a day ended. I believe that was the toughest of any of my habits to stop.
At around 6 or 7 years I quit eating processed sugar completely. I'm not militant about it anymore, but I eat about as much in a month that most people eat in a day.
At around 10 years meat went out the window.
At around 16 years I stopped chasing women. Committed to one, and she became my wonderful wife.
And I'm happier now than I've ever been. Go figure. Maybe because there's nothing much left to give up.
Oh yeah... except internet forums... I should be writing music, not typing here. But I'll get there eventually. Will probaby be vegan one day too, but I'm takin my time.
As time went on, I quit other things, but it was a slow process for me. Also started excercising reguarly, running and weight training... but I mix my cardio up now. Running, at a certain point was starting to destroy my knees and ankles. Learned a few things regarding that though. First, that proper footwear (even when NOT running) is absolutely essential. Went to a great store in my neighborhood where they spent about an hour finding the perfect sneakers for me. Also found, sort of by accident, that peanuts wreaked havok on my joints. My pain vanished for a while once and I had no idea why. During that time I had stopped eating peanuts (was on a cashew butter kick), happened to read an article about peanuts and joint pain, and thought, "hmmm... ?" I started to eat peanuts again to test it, and the pain came back. Stopped, and it left. I did this 3 or 4 more times, and now I don't go anywhere near peanuts. I have no other food allergies, and this seemed weird to me, but it is what it is. I'm not in pain, and I can run.
As for other things I stopped:
At 5 years my 2 1/2-3 pack of cigarettes a day ended. I believe that was the toughest of any of my habits to stop.
At around 6 or 7 years I quit eating processed sugar completely. I'm not militant about it anymore, but I eat about as much in a month that most people eat in a day.
At around 10 years meat went out the window.
At around 16 years I stopped chasing women. Committed to one, and she became my wonderful wife.
And I'm happier now than I've ever been. Go figure. Maybe because there's nothing much left to give up.
Oh yeah... except internet forums... I should be writing music, not typing here. But I'll get there eventually. Will probaby be vegan one day too, but I'm takin my time.
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 11,429
I was craving sugar a lot when I initially stopped drinking, though I normally eat very little--no doubt due to the way alcohol metabolizes. My solution was to buy a bulk bag of organic turkish figs, which were sweet but also had lots of minerals and fiber I had been lacking. I consumed those and gradually tapered off. When they were gone I didn't buy more. I'm just coming off a relapse and bought another five pound bag and have been eating them to avoid processed sugar. I've got a pound left and am eating them less and less as the cravings abate--getting to 30 days now so things are normalizing. This has worked very well--finite amount and pretty healthy.
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,805
I kind of did the opposite. I spent the entire summer changing my eating habits, started exercising regularly, lost weight, stopped drinking Diet Coke (which was a biggie for me), stopped eating red meat, started taking vitamins and other natural supplements. . . . I cut down my drinking to just the weekends over the summer. When I started feeling and looking better from all of the other changes I had made, it made quitting drinking seem possible to me because I had proven to myself I could do other difficult things. It also made quitting drinking make more logical sense to me. (I no longer put poisonous chemical Diet Coke into my body, but alcohol converting to ethanol is okay?!?)
Sober since October
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: In the world in my eyes...Somewhere I've never been before...
Posts: 7,355
I am in the process of giving up processes sugar. By being "in the process" I mean that I don't eat this any more, but still fight cravings and think that "it would be nice to have a chocolate cake".
But I had the same thoughts about wine, and now they are gone. Hope the same will be with sugar.
But I had the same thoughts about wine, and now they are gone. Hope the same will be with sugar.
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Lakeside, Ca
Posts: 10,208
Did you give up anything else when you quit?
no not right away
but
I seen a few get sober and give up a lot of other things also
such as coffee, cigarettes etc etc
usually treatment centers want us to concentrate
on the drink or drug only (that's usually plenty to work on)
many drinkers when they enter treatment learn that
they are border line diabetic
booze can turn to sugar and
mess up ones pancreas with prolonged use
Mountainman
You probably don’t pay much attention to your pancreas. But that small, tadpole-shaped organ behind your stomach and below your ribcage is pretty important.
It produces two essential substances: digestive juices which your intestines use to break down food, and hormones that are involved in digestion, such as insulin, which regulates your blood sugar levels.
Pancreatitis is when your pancreas becomes inflamed and its cells are damaged. Heavy drinking can cause pancreatitis.
but
I seen a few get sober and give up a lot of other things also
such as coffee, cigarettes etc etc
usually treatment centers want us to concentrate
on the drink or drug only (that's usually plenty to work on)
many drinkers when they enter treatment learn that
they are border line diabetic
booze can turn to sugar and
mess up ones pancreas with prolonged use
Mountainman
You probably don’t pay much attention to your pancreas. But that small, tadpole-shaped organ behind your stomach and below your ribcage is pretty important.
It produces two essential substances: digestive juices which your intestines use to break down food, and hormones that are involved in digestion, such as insulin, which regulates your blood sugar levels.
Pancreatitis is when your pancreas becomes inflamed and its cells are damaged. Heavy drinking can cause pancreatitis.
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