I'm giving up beer and wine for a year or maybe forever

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Mar 16, 2008

jlsRN~I have a few thoughts on this, please PM me if you'd like to talk.

TazziRN, RN · Mar 16, 2008

JLS, the escalation you describe is definitely an alcoholic pattern. Just my opinion.

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Mar 16, 2008

I gave up wine and beer for Lent, I'm not an alcoholic but it is extremely habit forming for me, and could very well lead to alcoholism. I'm feeling so much better, that I've decided to give it up until at least next Easter, in 2009. I'll reevaluate at that time.
I drink beer and wine to relax and get a little bit of a buzz. I'll give it up for awhile, then start up again with one beer or glass of wine, then two. When I get to three I always get tired of it. I don't drink every day, but there is always an escalating pattern.
I didn't grow up around much drinking, but I was adopted and I found my birth mother's family, and alcoholism runs in the family with a gradual onset. My birth mother was an alcoholic. I never drank much until age 30, but once I started there always was this escalating pattern, which is the same pattern that runs in my genetic family.
One thing about drinking a couple of beers a day is that it is fattening. I'm trying to maintain my weight even though I am going through menopause and am 50 now. I really want to stay healthy for the sake of my family, and also for myself.
So, I'm giving up all beer and wine (I don't drink hard liquor) until Easter of 2009 and wanted to share that here, thanks for reading.

I just wanted to wish you all sorts of good luck and best wishes. Sending cyberhugs!

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2008

JLS, the escalation you describe is definitely an alcoholic pattern. Just my opinion.

That's why I just want to give it up. My goal is one year, at which time I'll probably renew it for another year. I feel better not drinking beer and wine and don't want to keep repeating this pattern, it's getting old.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2008

If I may make a suggestion, giving up alcohol for long periods of time is hard. Giving up up just for today is easier.

:)

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2008

A day at a time, jls. A year is overwhelming.

:)

elkpark · Mar 16, 2008

I just wanted to wish you all sorts of good luck and best wishes. Sending cyberhugs!

Ditto!

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2008

I don't think a year is overwhelming. It's an entirely achievable goal.

TazziRN, RN · Mar 17, 2008

I don't think a year is overwhelming. It's an entirely achievable goal.

No, JLS.....what Sue meant is that the AA/NA motto is "ONE day at a time." If we reach for a goal longer than that, the chances of relapse are high. If we just focus on the next 24 hours, we have a better chance.

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2008

No, JLS.....what Sue meant is that the AA/NA motto is "ONE day at a time." If we reach for a goal longer than that, the chances of relapse are high. If we just focus on the next 24 hours, we have a better chance.

For me it's really not much of a goal to make it through one day of not having a beer. I didn't drink every day anyways. I like my year goal better, it works better for me. I definately don't agree with a one size fits all approach.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2008

Good luck to you!!!

A one size fits all approach to quitting alcohol certainly is a recipe for disaster for some of us.

When I was first quitting, I couldn't imagine not drinking, so focusing on the present worked best for me. Sometimes I would say "I'll put off going to the liquor store for one hour". Then the hours turned into years. The same with smoking, I knew I would never quit because I tried to quit 100 times before, so it was enough to say "I'm going to put off that ciggarette a few more minutes." With ciggarettes I had to break it down to minutes. "I will not not smoke right this second." I still refuse to take that first puff, nearly 21 years later.