Why did you decide to quit drinking?
 

I used to drink a pint of 100 proof vodka every night. I finally got up the guts to quit. I've now made it a little over two months sober! I'm so ridiculously glad that I finally broke the cycle and am starting to really live life again. I thought I'd start a thread...what made you finally decide to give it up?

Here's mine:
I went to the liquor store that I used to go to every day (I had been using a different liquor store). The cashier looked at me with disappointment and sighed, saying, "I thought maybe you'd given it up." I left swimming in shame and disgust with myself.
I spent half of Thanksgiving driving around to every liquor store I could think of, desperately trying to find one that was open.
I got sick of living a life of shame, guilt, and embarrasment.
I got sick of getting sick...sick of being terrified that I was giving myself liver disease or would give myself a heart attack
I got sick of hiding away from my family, friends, responsibilities, life...got sick of hiding MYSELF away with a bottle
I realized what I was doing to myself wasn't really living...it was a waste of the life and gifts I've been given.

So, why did you decide to quit?

I quit drinking because if I continued, it would have ruined everything in my life. Great job on two months! Keep it up and thanks for posting!

1. Because I was hurtful and abusive to my husband and children.
2. Because I would black out and not remember large portions of time.
3. Because I had to start drinking before I got out of bed in the morning in order to avoid the shakes, etc.
4. Because I was wasting my life away ... not achieving goals I'd set for myself, hiding in the house all day and avoiding people.
5. Because my children were embarrassed by my behavior when they had friends over.
6. Because I got tired of waking up in the morning feeling horrible and wondering how I was going to get through the day.
7. Because it stopped being "fun".
8. Because of the guilt, the shame, the disgust and hopelessness of it all.
9. Because I realized that at the rate I was going, I wasn't going to live much longer.

and finally ...

10. Because I finally reached a point where I wanted NOT to drink more than I wanted TO drink.

Congrats on your two months! :)

I never really decided to quit drinking. I wound up in the hospital because I wanted to kill myself and didn't have the guts. The only remedy they offered me was to stop drinking and embark on a program of recovery. No meds, no psychiatrists, no other plan. Came down to either listen to them or die. And as much as I thought I wanted I to die, I didn't. My decision was made by default. And I was too scared, and too blessed, to ever test the waters again.

That's really the key to it all, isn't it? :c011:

Good topic,

I think for me it really came down to deciding whether I wanted to live or die, and I chose to live.

Because drinking made my life suck so much that I couldn't drink it better and I was too chickensh!t to put a bullet in my head.

I quit for my health. I was drinking too much wine, most evenings, getting fatter and fatter, tired all the time. Had a physical, had high blood sugar, elevated liver enzymes, high cholesterol and triglycerides. Was diagnosed with diabetes, and I had ultrasound and scans, and found to have an enlarged spleen, and liver. Liver biopsy, fibrosis. I was actually misdiagnosed with cirrhosis. But after seeing a hepatologist, I was assured it is not, and even has potential to improve, if I live right, eat right, etc...

Drinking made me binge eat. So I had a double whammy of the alcohol, and food, and metabolic syndrome all contributing to fatty liver disease.

So, the day I got the call about the high blood sugar, I never took another drink, for several months. By the time I actually got to the liver specialist, my liver enzymes were normal, as was my blood sugar, and I had lost over 30 pounds(I think that is about when I had my first posts here). So, I was doing great, by his standards. He even said I could toast in the new year, when I said to him, "I can't drink at all of course." Apparently, where I am at, an occasional drink is safe, but "no habitual use." His words.

So, I had one, and then another time a couple, and after some months, I relapsed into some habitual use.

So, now I am starting again, more because I have decided to, not out of terror, like before. I went through a few months of tests, and some were cancer and tumor screenings, etc... funny how we can forget all that when life gets good again.

So, I hope I can be more successful this time. But really, I have to admit, if I were otherwise healthy, I might still drink and play the games I always did. Reigning it in every now and then, when I gained too much weight, etc...

I have been known to say diabetes saved my life. By eating to control my blood sugar, and stopping/reducing my drinking, I lost 60 pounds and the liver and diabetes tests are all normal as of December 2011. Even with the relapse I had.

So, I hope I can keep to it this time. I am very tempted by the "just one" now and then notion... sigh...

After the withdrawals I've experienced the past 3 days I don't think I would want to risk a relapse the way I felt. I stopped drinking because my health was decling as was my life, being only 20yrs old in the er because of a enlarged liver and withdrawal symptoms was a wake up call. I've experienced the party life to the max. Now I want to experience what good life has to offer. I wish you luck!

Congratulations on 2 Months, that is awesome! Thank you for posting! I quit because i could not rationalize it away anymore, i realized i needed to stop entirely, i can't just drink socially or in any limited way. I have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol: once i start, i cannot stop. Basically, i realized my life is better without drinking and i have to abstain completely, end of story. 18 days in and i feel pretty good. Hopefully I can keep it up!!!

Finally got that doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results, is insanity. Sick and tired of being sick and tired, living like a prisoner. Too many horrible anxiety attacks and depressions from withdrawals. And I'd fairly well narrowed myself down to only three options - jail, institutionalization, or an early death.

I finally gave it up because it just wasn't working anymore.

My kids deserve me sober.
The money was unjustifiable.
My life was becoming unmanageable.
The hangovers were getting worse.
I finally decided that sobriety was something that I wanted.
I like big scary adventures.

Because I'm sick of quitting for a week or two at a time to convince myself that I can handle it and go right back to drinking for six months.

Because I love video games, horror movies, comic books and cooking and I'm sick of always being too drunk to be able to enjoy them.

Because I have a beautiful girl that I want to be good to and give the life she deserves; not constantly telling her I want to take her out or cook her dinner and then getting too drunk to do it.

Because I have a wonderful sister who is much younger than me, and her children deserve to have an uncle.

Because I have a wonderful mother and father whom don't deserve to have to bury their only son.

Because I love myself, and I'm a good person whom a lot of people care about. They don't deserve this.

because i was sick to death of waking up sick as hell and hating myself and wishing i were dead.:(

To save myself. :)

I was heading down the path that Rochele described. Had elevated liver enzymes this past summer. I am 12 days without any alcohol. I have just been reading sobriety blogs (and happy to find this forum) and getting thru the cravings which really seem more psychological than physical, which surprises me because I was putting away a good amount of vodka nearly every night.

I should post this is question somewhere my biggest symptom seems to be lethargy? Is this common? I'm fine in the morning but by 8:30 pm I am completely wiped out!

1. Because i realized that being drunk does not = being happy
2. Because i was drinking for reasons other than for fun
3. because i has hurting myself, my work career, and my loved ones
4. because i blacked out for solid hours on end

this list can go on forever but ill get to the most important one (at least for me)

5. because im better than alcohol in so many ways

I'm 11 days in and ive talked to many people at AA about this including my sponsor. He said give it a month of so and your energy will come back, he said our body is going through changes and trying to repair itself and that takes a lot of energy.

*im not a doctor but that made sense to me*

The main reason was for my health. After I had my gallbaldder removed, I figured some of my digestive problems would stop. They didn't, and in fact got worse. I am pleased to say that, after a month and a half of not drinking, they are now fine. :)

The other reason was the sheer stupidity of continuing to do something that I strongly suspected was responsible for the digestive problems both before and after the gallbladder surgery, as well as the futility of worrying about whether or not my suspicions were correct. lol