icingsugar

Hi there,
I tried giving up alcohol last summer and did successfully for 3 weeks before going back to it. I am a 2-3 times a week binge drinker. Usually Fridays, Saturdays and maybe a day during the week and have been since I was 19.

I'm doing it again, this time for good - for health reasons. I am 28 this year and want to enter my 30s without having a hangover 2-3 days a week, being so unproductive with my workday and, the biggest new reason, having 2 days of majorly excessive gas, flatulence, burping etc which I have been getting recently after drinking.

I know I can do it during the week, but the evenings at weekends are the big problem. I live with my sister who, while we get on, is quite distant and does not like to do activities together. Since we are in lockdown in the UK (and I am very paranoid about getting Covid since I don't think my body could cope) I cannot really go anywhere, and either way the town in which I live does not have any places that are open in the evenings other than pubs. I know rationally there is plenty I could do other than drink. I enjoy reading, but this is a major thing I do while drinking!!! Same with listening to music. I link reading and music to alcohol since that's pretty much the only time these days I do those things. I am just struggling, while it is cold and dark outside and nothing to really do, to think of how I can 'unwind' and relax without alcohol and still get a good feeling at the end of the week.

Has anyone else experienced this and formed new, positive habits that don't involve drinking? I am hoping to start doing a little bit of exercise each day too, but since I am very unhealthy, I know I will only start off with 15-20 mins which wouldn't take up an entire evening. The other option is just going to bed really early, which I may end up doing to avoid having to think about alcohol, but this doesn't seem like a good long-term solution.

Dee74

Have you seen this list?
It may help generate some ideas.

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...ething-do.html (Looking For Something To Do?)

for me it wasn’t so much for finding things to do as getting used to doing things without drinking. Friday and Saturday nights were almost hardwired in me as nights to get absolutely obliterated...

it started way back with FOMO (fear of missing out) where I would take myself out to pubs and clubs every weekend but by the end of my drinking career I just wanted to be left alone at home by myself drinking.

Fortunately I found within a few weeks those associations weakened. I picked up old hobbies and started new ones, did things around the house, and as my ‘sober muscles’ got bigger I went out in small ways - movies, pizza, games nights - with people who did not drink at all, or did not drink like I did.

there is no one size fits all answer, but for me- who drank as an accompaniment to almost everything, I just started to do things without drinking.

you will always find support here

D