Hope For After Work Drinkers
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 19
Hope For After Work Drinkers
Just randomly felt the need to post this tonight as I am at work...maybe someone can relate or get something from it...
Most all of us here are alcoholics...but we all have/had different habits. I wanted to offer some hope to what I may call the "after work" drinkers. What I mean by that are folks who, like me, used alcohol as something to "look forward" to in order to get through the workday. This feeling also began to spill over into non-work days. I would go through my day, either at work or on a day off using alcohol as my reward/thing to look forward to. Whenever I had a day or two that I wouldn't drink (because I only bought booze once or twice a week) going to work would be utter depression. Only because my reward was taken away. Same thing if it happened that I was dry on a day off...I would feel like man, this day is so boring...nothing to look forward to.
Anyhow...I knew I should quit for a while...maybe a period of like 3 serious months of recognizing enough is probably enough...but this cycle of thinking that I described above was paralyzing. How could I go to work that depressed every day? Work is hard enough as it is...how could I go without that glorious bottle of wine to look forward to? How could I truly even enjoy the time away form work without the reward of wine?
Well...I just want to let all of you guys who may be stuck in that same thought to know...it only took about a week sober to quickly loose that. So fear not! Also, those "dry days" that I described above feel like crap. Don't use that as an example for how sobriety feels like!!!! Those days sucked because you are just sort of "arbitrarily" dry...so self inflicted punishment. The day I said no, I'm not dry, I am SOBER...that huge mental shift...made it even easier!
If you use alcohol as a reward...it can be a tough cycle to break through to actually TRY sobriety. I think we are fortunate because as a group, I think it is easier to attain sobriety breaking a reward habit versus a drowning pain type habit. So please, take heart...just break that reward cycle and it will come easy! Trust me! I thought I could NEVER do it. Now I actually ENJOY going to work because I am not hungover or tired and because I can mentally engage a lot more and it makes it fun. Sounds cliché but it is true.
Most all of us here are alcoholics...but we all have/had different habits. I wanted to offer some hope to what I may call the "after work" drinkers. What I mean by that are folks who, like me, used alcohol as something to "look forward" to in order to get through the workday. This feeling also began to spill over into non-work days. I would go through my day, either at work or on a day off using alcohol as my reward/thing to look forward to. Whenever I had a day or two that I wouldn't drink (because I only bought booze once or twice a week) going to work would be utter depression. Only because my reward was taken away. Same thing if it happened that I was dry on a day off...I would feel like man, this day is so boring...nothing to look forward to.
Anyhow...I knew I should quit for a while...maybe a period of like 3 serious months of recognizing enough is probably enough...but this cycle of thinking that I described above was paralyzing. How could I go to work that depressed every day? Work is hard enough as it is...how could I go without that glorious bottle of wine to look forward to? How could I truly even enjoy the time away form work without the reward of wine?
Well...I just want to let all of you guys who may be stuck in that same thought to know...it only took about a week sober to quickly loose that. So fear not! Also, those "dry days" that I described above feel like crap. Don't use that as an example for how sobriety feels like!!!! Those days sucked because you are just sort of "arbitrarily" dry...so self inflicted punishment. The day I said no, I'm not dry, I am SOBER...that huge mental shift...made it even easier!
If you use alcohol as a reward...it can be a tough cycle to break through to actually TRY sobriety. I think we are fortunate because as a group, I think it is easier to attain sobriety breaking a reward habit versus a drowning pain type habit. So please, take heart...just break that reward cycle and it will come easy! Trust me! I thought I could NEVER do it. Now I actually ENJOY going to work because I am not hungover or tired and because I can mentally engage a lot more and it makes it fun. Sounds cliché but it is true.
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Gatineau, QC, CA
Posts: 5,100
For a long time I worked hard and played hard after work.
But the thing is, Alcohol creeps up progressively. At the end of my career, I still worked hard, but barely could function as my body was failing. Weekends became all day drinking.
Good news is that sobriety eliminates all this non-sense, and I can out perform younger folks at work with my eyes closed.
Sobriety, Rocks!!
So rock on
But the thing is, Alcohol creeps up progressively. At the end of my career, I still worked hard, but barely could function as my body was failing. Weekends became all day drinking.
Good news is that sobriety eliminates all this non-sense, and I can out perform younger folks at work with my eyes closed.
Sobriety, Rocks!!
So rock on
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 19
Right now almost to the 4 month mark.
I also found that it is was better for me to quit "everything" that was negative in my life. I was addicted to nicotine as well. I used to use this type of tobacco called snus...basically the Swedish equivalent to Skoal type chewing tobacco pouches. Additionally, I had a few lousy personal habits/traits that made me sort of a lousy person to be around and be married to.
The upshot of all of that is that when you make a dramatic life change it seems to be easier to stick to. I know it sounds backwards...but oftentimes in my life trying to quit any of the 3 or 4 "addictions" I had, whether they be substances like alcohol or tobacco or personal traits/bad habits...I would fail individually.
I think or would imagine, without being a psychologist or anything(!) that you may set yourself up for failure if you hang onto any addictive traits you may have.
So...maybe some would disagree here, but if any of you guys are also hooked on nicotine (which is a wonderful partner to alcohol) I really encourage you to quit that as well. Make a life change. It is easier to stick to a life change, in my opinion, than a drinking change.
I also found that it is was better for me to quit "everything" that was negative in my life. I was addicted to nicotine as well. I used to use this type of tobacco called snus...basically the Swedish equivalent to Skoal type chewing tobacco pouches. Additionally, I had a few lousy personal habits/traits that made me sort of a lousy person to be around and be married to.
The upshot of all of that is that when you make a dramatic life change it seems to be easier to stick to. I know it sounds backwards...but oftentimes in my life trying to quit any of the 3 or 4 "addictions" I had, whether they be substances like alcohol or tobacco or personal traits/bad habits...I would fail individually.
I think or would imagine, without being a psychologist or anything(!) that you may set yourself up for failure if you hang onto any addictive traits you may have.
So...maybe some would disagree here, but if any of you guys are also hooked on nicotine (which is a wonderful partner to alcohol) I really encourage you to quit that as well. Make a life change. It is easier to stick to a life change, in my opinion, than a drinking change.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Gatineau, QC, CA
Posts: 5,100
Originally Posted by gdev99 
Right now almost to the 4 month mark.
I also found that it is was better for me to quit "everything" that was negative in my life. I was addicted to nicotine as well. I used to use this type of tobacco called snus...basically the Swedish equivalent to Skoal type chewing tobacco pouches. Additionally, I had a few lousy personal habits/traits that made me sort of a lousy person to be around and be married to.
The upshot of all of that is that when you make a dramatic life change it seems to be easier to stick to. I know it sounds backwards...but oftentimes in my life trying to quit any of the 3 or 4 "addictions" I had, whether they be substances like alcohol or tobacco or personal traits/bad habits...I would fail individually.
I think or would imagine, without being a psychologist or anything(!) that you may set yourself up for failure if you hang onto any addictive traits you may have.
So...maybe some would disagree here, but if any of you guys are also hooked on nicotine (which is a wonderful partner to alcohol) I really encourage you to quit that as well. Make a life change. It is easier to stick to a life change, in my opinion, than a drinking change.
I also found that it is was better for me to quit "everything" that was negative in my life. I was addicted to nicotine as well. I used to use this type of tobacco called snus...basically the Swedish equivalent to Skoal type chewing tobacco pouches. Additionally, I had a few lousy personal habits/traits that made me sort of a lousy person to be around and be married to.
The upshot of all of that is that when you make a dramatic life change it seems to be easier to stick to. I know it sounds backwards...but oftentimes in my life trying to quit any of the 3 or 4 "addictions" I had, whether they be substances like alcohol or tobacco or personal traits/bad habits...I would fail individually.
I think or would imagine, without being a psychologist or anything(!) that you may set yourself up for failure if you hang onto any addictive traits you may have.
So...maybe some would disagree here, but if any of you guys are also hooked on nicotine (which is a wonderful partner to alcohol) I really encourage you to quit that as well. Make a life change. It is easier to stick to a life change, in my opinion, than a drinking change.
Brilliant
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