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No Drinking Thread (1 Year Challenge)

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JR5 said:
Alcohol addiction seems to be at least in part genetic. Native Americans are a great example of this, as they had no built-up genetic tolerance, they were extremely prone to alcoholism. I also associate the Irish and Russians with being prone to alcoholism. Not so much the Italian or French, where drinking is more cultural as part of meals.
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For 100 years it was a felony to sell alcohol to Native Americans (Indians). It was only fully repealed in 1985.

www.ictinc.ca

A Look at First Nations Prohibition of Alcohol

Under the Indian Act, First Nations prohibition of alcohol lasted from 1884 - 1985. This article provides background on the prohibition and the outcome.
www.ictinc.ca www.ictinc.ca
 
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I’m not teetotal at all, but msybe drink 1-2 drinks per month. Usually a glass of wine socially.

I picked up a can of spiced cider the other day and drank it this evening with dinner. Got the gnarliest headache after about 30 minutes. I guess it could be from something else but this was just annoying . I mean maybe I was just coming down with the common cold or something
 
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Joost said:
Sometimes I wonder if people who happens to be weak minded tend to get addicted to anything. Be it food or alcohol.
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Can't speak for anyone else, but I sure as hell am not weak-minded. In fact, my drinking problem started because of the opposite. My brain is just too powerful. It. NEVER. Stops.

Just looping and cycling in a never-ending vortex of thoughts and observations and queries and anxieties. Even sleep is no respite. On the rare occasions I sleep more than 90 minutes at a time, I'm plagued by constant unpleasant vivid dreams. I'm writing this at 5:46AM. I haven't slept almost two days.

The only way to get a moment's relief from my constant racing thoughts was to kill my brain with alcohol. If I drank enough and I drank fast enough, the demons in my head would just shut the **** up for a few hours. Bliss. Nirvana. Suspended animation. The feeling of not existing and existing at the same time.

I'm coming up on nine years since my last drop. I haven't given in, cause I'm pretty sure my next drink will be my last, meaning it'll start a chain reaction that can only end with me being dead.

My father died this summer and I had to experience the full brunt of the grief and loss and mourning completely sober. If I can get through that, I guess I can get through anything.

But the world is getting worse and worse each day. I can't promise I won't drink again. I look at it now as my exit ramp. When I've finally had enough...when I can't go on and face another day......I'll hit the bottle.
 
Joost said:
Sometimes I wonder if people who happens to be weak minded tend to get addicted to anything. Be it food or alcohol.

I drink vodka few times per year. Wine few times per month, specially with food (a glass). Beer maybe a few times during summer with friends.

People say I look 15 years younger. I think it’s because I drink alcohol rarely. Also don’t smoke.
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I don't think "weak minded" would be the correct term, maybe "less conscious". I have recently been going further down the path to enlightenment. I have had some amazing opportunities to talk with people further down the path than myself, and I have had some amazing conversations and life reflecting experiences.

From what I can gather, consciousness is one of the most heavily studied subjects in the scientific community. It is our ultimate power, it is our connection to God, it is what separates humans from animals. That we can stop at any moment, reflect, become conscious of the present moment, and put our fears and struggles aside, is the most powerful thing a human can do. And some humans, for whatever reason, seem to be less able to do so. Others are much more able to do so. We can all practice and get better at it, if we choose to do so.

I never understood alcohol. I drank some in college, so I could loosen up, or not be so shy around others, especially women. In that way, it is a crutch, but it was a crutch I could use to learn how to socialize properly. Once I had it down, I weened myself off of it as soon as I could, and just went with the flow. Alcohol tastes nasty, it slows down your reactions and brain activity, it will make you feel sick the next day and wear down yoru immune system. Meditation and consciousness will bring you all the same benefits of alcohol without any of the negative side effects. As you get better at these two practices, it will bring you the same benefits in much larger droves. Alcohol will also damage the frontal cortex of the brain, causing you to become less able to be conscious, causing you to spiral further.

I pray for all of you fighting this battle. Know this much, it is a battle worth fighting, because life is so much more beautiful without a crutch to make you realize it.
 
Alcohol has destroyed the lives of some of my close family members. I myself can find it difficult to stop drinking once I start, I guess it runs in the blood.

I thank God that I don't feel drawn to drink however. It is not a temptation that I struggle with. I do not understand how people can pop open a beer after work day after day. I once drank Sake at a restaurant and the room started to spin. Lately, the only alcohol I drink is the wine at church.
 
GodfatherPartTwo said:
Alcohol has destroyed the lives of some of my close family members. I myself can find it difficult to stop drinking once I start, I guess it runs in the blood.

I thank God that I don't feel drawn to drink however. It is not a temptation that I struggle with. I do not understand how people can pop open a beer after work day after day. I once drank Sake at a restaurant and the room started to spin. Lately, the only alcohol I drink is the wine at church.
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I don't understand the daily stuff either. Maybe it's the larger discipline I have with food and drink in general, where I'm attune to my body so I don't fall into routine debasement. But I do like to drink when I do, and I can drink a lot. I think that's the issue, because as you get older, man do you pay for it for the next day or two (if you really do drink).
 
Growing up, I had zero interest in alcohol, nor did my parents drink. I knew next to nothing about wines, other than that most were red. Then I was thrust into the corporate world, chasing wealth and "success". All of a sudden, I was at expensive dinners and events, becoming an expert in the useless field of alcoholic drinks. Many years ago, in my younger years, I would brag about drinking a single shot of Cognac that cost over $1,000. Needless to say, my tolerance for alcohol built up to the point where I had no issues with drinking and still functioning normally. I thank the Lord that during those senseless years, I never developed a physical addiction to it.

It has been a couple of years since I've eliminated alcohol from my life - with the exception of a small glass of wine on Christian feast days where the family gathers.
 
I did not drink alcohol in 2023.

Of all my vices, this is the one where I can most clearly see the negative effects. For me it wasn't the physical so much as the psychological. The craving/obsession with alcohol became honestly the focal point of my life - the only thing I would think about to the exclusion of all else. And of course when in a constant foggy hungover state I was never able to make long term plans or be practical. I still struggle with the latter sober but at least I'm at the starting blocks for such things rather than completely unable.
 
Tippy said:
I did not drink alcohol in 2023.

Of all my vices, this is the one where I can most clearly see the negative effects. For me it wasn't the physical so much as the psychological. The craving/obsession with alcohol became honestly the focal point of my life - the only thing I would think about to the exclusion of all else. And of course when in a constant foggy hungover state I was never able to make long term plans or be practical. I still struggle with the latter sober but at least I'm at the starting blocks for such things rather than completely unable.
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Glory to Jesus Christ brother! That's wonderful.
 
Just a tip:

For anyone that struggles with drinking, I feel it's best to keep it to yourself. Most will not encourage you to quit. You'll get comments like "You can just have one beer it won't hurt" or many just make a mockery of your situation. Troubled drunks are just funny and amusing to people. People don't take it seriously. Or you may end up coming across to them as someone on their high horse.

People will go into defensive mode because they want their own bad habits justified and you are convicting them by your actions. I feel it's best to not announce that you quit or to get into any sort of debate about why it's bad. Even people very close to me in my life have done nothing but continue to plant bad demonic seeds to entice me to go on drinking.

It's like being a vegan, and while I don't condone veganism, when someone makes it known that they are vegan, the topic at the dinner table all becomes focused on them, and why they should keep eating meat like everyone else. Labeling ourselves and making the idea that we are a vegan, alcoholic or a teetotaller our pet cause opens us up to demonic attacks from others. This self-righteous savior complex sort of behavior will backfire.

It's better to swallow our pride and stay humble. Keep it on the low if you want to be victorious. God will reward you for your efforts. We don't need to convince others and it's not our responsibility to assist those in an unwarranted manner especially if they are unwilling. It's better to not tempt the devil by engaging in these conversations.

I hope this helps anyone who is struggling with alcohol abuse.
 
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I echo everything you said above. We live, in the West, in a society where people will give you a harder time for NOT drinking than drinking. A harder time for not doing a drug, basically - such is the extent it's normalised to drink to excess. Some people get incredibly, incredibly defensive at the mere mention that you've stopped and it's usually a sign that they've got a problem. Telling friends I'd stopped was really difficult and something I was dreading, and even now I'm somewhat uncomfortable in certain circles to tell people for the first time that I don't drink. Especially since I live in a country where there hasn't been a wave of 'trendy sobriety'.
 
martins said:
My last taste of alcohol was 9 years ago today.

I'm only 365 days away from a full decade of not drinking.
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Incredible effort.

I'm sure many here would benefit hearing your experience and your journey if you're willing to share.

Drinking Beer or Wine is such a normal thing here it's hard to give up socially. Such a normal easy thing to do. I do know I sleep so much better without it, not to mention the extra calories it adds with every meal.
 
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martins said:
My last taste of alcohol was 9 years ago today.

I'm only 365 days away from a full decade of not drinking.
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You look drunk in your avatar....
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:D
 
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