Support NeoGAF

[Kev Kev]

Hey fellas, just got my annual physical/blood test results. A couple years ago I got a bit of a wake up call when my inflammation enzymes were elevated, and some other results were outside of normal. I was probably headed for liver failure in a few years if I kept doing what I was doing. Well, my results this week were perfect. Liver panel was better than I allowed myself to hope for. Between losing weight and exercise (which go hand in hand with not being a high functioning alcoholic) and dropping the alcohol intake by 95% I think my body is responding well and healing some of the damage I did.

So keep it up guys, you’ll only keep feeling better and seeing this put me in the best mood! I’m out with a bunch of family I haven’t seen in months and they’ve all commented on how different I look. Also my wedding ring fell off and I need to find it

so awesome dude, love to hear stuff like this. keep up the good work! never forget how you feel right now, so if you ever find yourself in this situation again down the road, youll know you can get right back. thanks for sharing bud, take care!

 

[DGrayson]

Hey guys just wanted to check in and give an update.

I have severely curtailed my drinking. I had a couple incidents in late March and early April which were a wakeup call for me. At this point enough is enough and I am old enough. Plus I keep telling myself I have drank enough the last 10 years that Ill be fine. I started to just skip more and more days of drinking. Im down to one day a week of drinking heavily (lets say 4+ drinks) and one day moderate (2 drinks). I've been hitting the gym hard which makes a big difference and gives me another reason not to drink every day as to not mess up my progress.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Hey fellas, just got my annual physical/blood test results. A couple years ago I got a bit of a wake up call when my inflammation enzymes were elevated, and some other results were outside of normal. I was probably headed for liver failure in a few years if I kept doing what I was doing. Well, my results this week were perfect. Liver panel was better than I allowed myself to hope for. Between losing weight and exercise (which go hand in hand with not being a high functioning alcoholic) and dropping the alcohol intake by 95% I think my body is responding well and healing some of the damage I did.

So keep it up guys, you’ll only keep feeling better and seeing this put me in the best mood! I’m out with a bunch of family I haven’t seen in months and they’ve all commented on how different I look. Also my wedding ring fell off and I need to find it

Congrats man!

 

[Artoris]

Ten days of no drinking, aiming to keep it up for a month

 

[*Nightwing]

YOU CAN DO IT!!

 

[-Minsc-]

Over ten weeks free of porn and masturbation. Sometimes I wonder if I should post that in this thread but it's what I'm looking to abstain from. The alternative path seems to get darker and darker.

Many stresses. Getting married. Work on the house to do. Figuring out this farming and cow thing. A binge might be fun for a moment but when I realize I've spent three or more hours in that hole which could have been used grow elsewhere I know it's not where I want to be. As I mention before, the escalation (or depending how you view it, descension) leads to ever darker places. It's frightening to see where a person can go when on that quest.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Over ten weeks free of porn and masturbation. Sometimes I wonder if I should post that in this thread but it's what I'm looking to abstain from. The alternative path seems to get darker and darker.

Many stresses. Getting married. Work on the house to do. Figuring out this farming and cow thing. A binge might be fun for a moment but when I realize I've spent three or more hours in that hole which could have been used grow elsewhere I know it's not where I want to be. As I mention before, the escalation (or depending how you view it, descension) leads to ever darker places. It's frightening to see where a person can go when on that quest.

Seems fair game for this thread.

 

[DGrayson]

Only a little over 3 weeks since my last post but I just wanted to check in. Been sticking to my goal of drinking only 2x per week. Its getting easier but when my mind wanders after work I definitely think about buying some beer or drinking wine we have around the house. Alcohol is also starting to taste worse I think. I did get a bit too loose on one of my drinking days (at a concert) and I definitely regretted it the next day, major hangover.

But Im staying on track with my workouts which makes drinking a lot less attractive. Will check in next end of July hopefully.

Keep at it everyone!

 

[Thaedolus]

Only a little over 3 weeks since my last post but I just wanted to check in. Been sticking to my goal of drinking only 2x per week. Its getting easier but when my mind wanders after work I definitely think about buying some beer or drinking wine we have around the house. Alcohol is also starting to taste worse I think. I did get a bit too loose on one of my drinking days (at a concert) and I definitely regretted it the next day, major hangover.

But Im staying on track with my workouts which makes drinking a lot less attractive. Will check in next end of July hopefully.

Keep at it everyone!

Keeping on track with workouts definitely has been a motivating factor for me. I’m jusssst a hair over 200lbs today, lowest weight in over a decade and don’t want to screw that up. I have allowed myself to drink at friends’ houses or camping and stuff and that definitely makes the next day more of a slog, and I don’t want to break my good cycle by slipping back into a daily drinker.

For my height a normal BMI is <195 so I’m almost there, I think if I skip drinking throughout July except for one camping weekend I can easily get there by August.

 

[DGrayson]

Keeping on track with workouts definitely has been a motivating factor for me. I’m jusssst a hair over 200lbs today, lowest weight in over a decade and don’t want to screw that up. I have allowed myself to drink at friends’ houses or camping and stuff and that definitely makes the next day more of a slog, and I don’t want to break my good cycle by slipping back into a daily drinker.

For my height a normal BMI is <195 so I’m almost there, I think if I skip drinking throughout July except for one camping weekend I can easily get there by August.

Amazing! Also good to know someone else taking the same approach as me. Where I live the industry I work in the culture etc its nearly impossible not to drink. Im at about 2x per week but I'd love to get down to 1x per week on average, with some weeks zero and other 2 etc.

 

[haxan7]

Still sober since February 11 here. Did not drink once. I’ve been having almost nightly ice cream to compensate. The belly is getting close to flat again, been ramping up the cardio and walks to help it slim down.

I still miss drinking quite a bit. Once my chronic headaches resolve I think I’ll do it a few times a month.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

So I largely quit drinking in May of 2020 during covid lockdowns. I had my first drink with dinner on a work trip back in Jan/Feb. Just one glass of wine and no issues that night or the next day with a hangover or feeling like shit. About a month or so later and again while on a work trip, I had a mixed drink and some sake. I was hungover the next day, puking, etc. Okay, lesson learned, keep it to 1 low alcohol drink. Earlier this week, at a work dinner I had 1 Kentucky Mule (not strong at all, could not even taste the bourbon). The next day I puked while on my run and felt like shit the rest of the day. I had a difficult time keeping food down without being nauseous.

Back 10 plus years ago, I noticed my ability to handle alcohol was far less than what it had been. This seems to have gotten worse as I've gotten older. Hangovers in 2020 would last 3 days and some slight or mild depression would hit me for a week. It got to the point where I could notice the next day that my body was feeling "off" after having only 1 beer the prior night. It's crazy how much my body has grown to reject alcohol in my system. I have noticed my ability to handle greasy foods has also gone down, so I do think it's not just an alcohol thing.

Anyway, I know now that for work dinners, I should stick to water or a single glass of wine. If I'm not with European colleagues, then I just avoid it entirely.

 

[Artoris]

So I largely quit drinking in May of 2020 during covid lockdowns. I had my first drink with dinner on a work trip back in Jan/Feb. Just one glass of wine and no issues that night or the next day with a hangover or feeling like shit. About a month or so later and again while on a work trip, I had a mixed drink and some sake. I was hungover the next day, puking, etc. Okay, lesson learned, keep it to 1 low alcohol drink. Earlier this week, at a work dinner I had 1 Kentucky Mule (not strong at all, could not even taste the bourbon). The next day I puked while on my run and felt like shit the rest of the day. I had a difficult time keeping food down without being nauseous.

Back 10 plus years ago, I noticed my ability to handle alcohol was far less than what it had been. This seems to have gotten worse as I've gotten older. Hangovers in 2020 would last 3 days and some slight or mild depression would hit me for a week. It got to the point where I could notice the next day that my body was feeling "off" after having only 1 beer the prior night. It's crazy how much my body has grown to reject alcohol in my system. I have noticed my ability to handle greasy foods has also gone down, so I do think it's not just an alcohol thing.

Anyway, I know now that for work dinners, I should stick to water or a single glass of wine. If I'm not with European colleagues, then I just avoid it entirely.

You may want to have your liver checked out as not been able to handle alcohol and grease foods are symptoms of liver disease

 

[Maiden Voyage]

You may want to have your liver checked out as not been able to handle alcohol and grease foods are symptoms of liver disease

I do get blood work pulled every other year and haven't had any red flag indicators. But you are right, I do need to talk it over with my Doctor. I've got a few things on the list this year to discuss with them.

e: looking at the symptoms on the Mayo Clinic website, the only real symptoms I have now are the nausea one. I do get random bouts of nausea, even when not drinking. That was already on the list to discuss with the doc.

 

[M1chl]

I do get blood work pulled every other year and haven't had any red flag indicators. But you are right, I do need to talk it over with my Doctor. I've got a few things on the list this year to discuss with them.

e: looking at the symptoms on the Mayo Clinic website, the only real symptoms I have now are the nausea one. I do get random bouts of nausea, even when not drinking. That was already on the list to discuss with the doc.

Definitely do some extended blood work, if you are puking after one drink, it does not have to be liver but something else metabolism (eg: Kidneys)

 

[Kev Kev]

i did it.

on july 1st 2018 i committed to 4 years of no drinking alcohol, and unless my calendar is wrong, today marks one of the biggest victories of my entire life.

im not even sure what to feel right now, but i just want to keep holding onto that taste of this win. despite all the failures, train wrecks and chaos of the last 11 or so years of my life, i finally have something that i can genuinely look at myself in the mirror and say "i fuckin won".

im not gonna lie and say something corny like the taste of victory is better than any high alcohol ever gave me lol. no thats bullshit. i love drinking and being drunk af and im never not going to. but the absolute 100% gods honest truth is this: the road that addiction takes you down will always lead to failure, and the victory of sobriety is inarguably a better feeling than that.

thank you to everyone here on gaf, and in the sober thread on era where i was 'awesome kev', for supporting me on my sober journey. it means the world to me. i love you guys and i hope everyone reading this knows that it can be done. no matter how many times you try to quit and fail, it can be done, and you can be victorious too. its possible. and im the proof, because i fucking did it.

 

[Jaybe]

i did it.

on july 1st 2018 i committed to 4 years of no drinking alcohol, and unless my calendar is wrong, today marks one of the biggest victories of my entire life.

im not even sure what to feel right now, but i just want to keep holding onto that taste of this win. despite all the failures, train wrecks and chaos of the last 11 or so years of my life, i finally have something that i can genuinely look at myself in the mirror and say "i fuckin won".

im not gonna lie and say something corny like the taste of victory is better than any high alcohol ever gave me lol. no thats bullshit. i love drinking and being drunk af and im never not going to. but the absolute 100% gods honest truth is this: the road that addiction takes you down will always lead to failure, and the victory of sobriety is inarguably a better feeling than that.

thank you to everyone here on gaf, and in the sober thread on era where i was 'awesome kev', for supporting me on my sober journey. it means the world to me. i love you guys and i hope everyone reading this knows that it can be done. no matter how many times you try to quit and fail, it can be done, and you can be victorious too. its possible. and im the proof, because i fucking did it.

Congratulations Kev Kev ! That’s an incredible milestone!

 

[Prison Mike]

i did it.

on july 1st 2018 i committed to 4 years of no drinking alcohol, and unless my calendar is wrong, today marks one of the biggest victories of my entire life.

im not even sure what to feel right now, but i just want to keep holding onto that taste of this win. despite all the failures, train wrecks and chaos of the last 11 or so years of my life, i finally have something that i can genuinely look at myself in the mirror and say "i fuckin won".

im not gonna lie and say something corny like the taste of victory is better than any high alcohol ever gave me lol. no thats bullshit. i love drinking and being drunk af and im never not going to. but the absolute 100% gods honest truth is this: the road that addiction takes you down will always lead to failure, and the victory of sobriety is inarguably a better feeling than that.

thank you to everyone here on gaf, and in the sober thread on era where i was 'awesome kev', for supporting me on my sober journey. it means the world to me. i love you guys and i hope everyone reading this knows that it can be done. no matter how many times you try to quit and fail, it can be done, and you can be victorious too. its possible. and im the proof, because i fucking did it.

Amazing job brother hold your head high

 

[Rival]

I’ve been a poster child for binge drinking for probably the past 20 years. I would drink frequently but lightly during the week then it would be pretty common to go through 12-15 drinks on a typical Saturday starting at lunch and going into the night. Usually high calorie high alcohol content IPA’s. Over the last year I curtailed a lot of the during the week drinking but still found myself losing control on the weekends. Went to a concert about three weeks ago and barely remember it. I haven’t had anything since and really feel like I’m done for good finally. It feels so good waking up on Saturday and Sunday mornings feeling great and enjoying a cup of coffee without the accompanying stomach issues I would always have. . I’ve already even dropped a couple pounds. I’ve also quit smoking cigarettes which always went hand in hand with the drinking and haven’t touched weed in over a month. That’s something I was using to help fall asleep at night and was getting really bad at one point where I was taking 10-12 hits during the evening to start winding down. I never wanted to admit that I had a problem with alcohol but it’s definitely caused me lots of problems over the years and I’m really just done with it all. Any ways, one day at a time. At least I made a break from the friends years ago that we’re doing blow and started smoking crack.

 

[Kev Kev]

I’ve been a poster child for binge drinking for probably the past 20 years. I would drink frequently but lightly during the week then it would be pretty common to go through 12-15 drinks on a typical Saturday starting at lunch and going into the night. Usually high calorie high alcohol content IPA’s. Over the last year I curtailed a lot of the during the week drinking but still found myself losing control on the weekends. Went to a concert about three weeks ago and barely remember it. I haven’t had anything since and really feel like I’m done for good finally. It feels so good waking up on Saturday and Sunday mornings feeling great and enjoying a cup of coffee without the accompanying stomach issues I would always have. . I’ve already even dropped a couple pounds. I’ve also quit smoking cigarettes which always went hand in hand with the drinking and haven’t touched weed in over a month. That’s something I was using to help fall asleep at night and was getting really bad at one point where I was taking 10-12 hits during the evening to start winding down. I never wanted to admit that I had a problem with alcohol but it’s definitely caused me lots of problems over the years and I’m really just done with it all. Any ways, one day at a time. At least I made a break from the friends years ago that we’re doing blow and started smoking crack.

its amazing how much better you feel, easier you sleep and just general health improvements you make when you stop drinkin. i know that feeling of waking up on a saturday and you dont feel like ass and its like this new, fresh feeling that you fall in love with. keep it going man, that feeling just gets better and better. and if you ever fall off the wagon, just remember that feeling, maybe even re-read your post ITT, and that could help motivate you. good luck!

 

[Rival]

its amazing how much better you feel, easier you sleep and just general health improvements you make when you stop drinkin. i know that feeling of waking up on a saturday and you dont feel like ass and its like this new, fresh feeling that you fall in love with. keep it going man, that feeling just gets better and better. and if you ever fall off the wagon, just remember that feeling, maybe even re-read your post ITT, and that could help motivate you. good luck!

Thank you and I read your post above about four years sober. That’s incredible and you should be really proud of yourself. I think back to the last four years and how many times I was just completely shit faced during that time and it’s honestly kind of mortifying. I look forward to the coming weeks and continuing to just feel healthier and happier.

 

[Beer Baelly]

 

[Maiden Voyage]

You may want to have your liver checked out as not been able to handle alcohol and grease foods are symptoms of liver disease

Turns out the nausea is caused by low blood glucose due to intermittent fasting. I had blood drawn during my annual and results confirm I'm healthy overall. My 'bad' cholesterol is high but so is my 'good' cholesterol. The ratio shows I am well within healthy parameters. I'll probably try to tweak my diet a bit more to help drive better results but, at the moment, I am no longer worried.

 

[p_xavier]

Turns out the nausea is caused by low blood glucose due to intermittent fasting. I had blood drawn during my annual and results confirm I'm healthy overall. My 'bad' cholesterol is high but so is my 'good' cholesterol. The ratio shows I am well within healthy parameters. I'll probably try to tweak my diet a bit more to help drive better results but, at the moment, I am no longer worried.

Surprised about the sugar. I never felt so bad after a week at my parent's place with all carbs and sugar. Was so happy to come back home. I have a meal or two a day max and never been so much in shape.

 

[22:22:22]

3 nights aways from 2 weeks of no booze. =)

And (bad) carbs AKA Keto

Edit thanks guys

 

[22:22:22]

It's official, 2 weeks sober now.. Feels good man.gif

Well. "Sober" .. No alchohol (or weed, coke, mdma etc)

And I drank a lot (self medication)

Edit; this isn't my first rodeo but hey, it is what it is, right?

Thanks guys....

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Edit: deleted

 

[22:22:22]

3 weeks boys & girls!

 

[Kev Kev]

3 weeks boys & girls!

Nice!!! Keep it goin!

 

[22:22:22]

Nice!!! Keep it goin!

Thanks! And yes I intend to!

I have a birthday coming up in the beginning of August. I'll turn 40. I'd like to drink some Jack then... Dilemma.

Then again, I'll still be on keto and working out after my bday) so I reckon a one special occasion drink can't hurt.

Anyways still time to mull it over

 

[Kev Kev]

Thanks! And yes I intend to!

I have a birthday coming up in the beginning of August. I'll turn 40. I'd like to drink some Jack then... Dilemma.

Understandable! That’s a big life milestone. The important to remember is that you made it 3 weeks, so even if you have a drink or two, you know for a fact you can get sober and dry out whenever you feel you need to. Good luck

 

[22:22:22]

Understandable! That’s a big life milestone. The important to remember is that you made it 3 weeks, so even if you have a drink or two, you know for a fact you can get sober and dry out whenever you feel you need to. Good luck

Thanks man you got it. And I've stopped drinking (heavily) multiple times.. But that's no guarantee as you all probably know.

 

[Elginer]

Weird to say this but I’ve been 4 days sober no beer at all. I miss it and don’t miss it, it’s a strange feeling. I really really want to not have to drink to relax anymore and I need to get healthy.

 

[ClanOfNone]

10 years sober today, a freakin decade. Keep fighting the good fight boys, if I can do it, so can you!

 

[Jaybe]

How’ve you all been doing? I got a bit off track with the summer, getting back into dating, and work events… nothing too outlandish but more than I’d like to have had. I’m giving it another go though, last drink was labour day.

 

[Yamisan]

I'm on day 41 sober after being in the ER for alcohol WD and needing benzos to stop it. My AST\ALT were 275/250 and I was diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis even though I had no symptoms of it. My liver blood work is perfect already some how, bp is down to 105/70 and my resting heart rate during the day is down from the 90s to 57-65. Still get cravings some nights but just gotta fight em.

 

[Jaybe]

Came across this podcast video and was rather impressed with its detail. Good to see over a million views, the guy seems popular.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Came across this podcast video and was rather impressed with its detail. Good to see over a million views, the guy seems popular.

Huberman is a national treasure.

 

[crazyjah2003]

Hey guys, been on GAF for a looong time; I don't post much... but eh

Currently trying to quit smoking weed... I just cannot afford it... It is costing me 220 us dollars every two weeks between prices and my habits and that's just not feasible on my salary. I'm having A LOT of financial issues so... will miss it tho

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Hey guys, been on GAF for a looong time; I don't post much... but eh

Currently trying to quit smoking weed... I just cannot afford it... It is costing me 220 us dollars every two weeks between prices and my habits and that's just not feasible on my salary. I'm having A LOT of financial issues so... will miss it tho

I’m planning a detox in Jan.

 

[crazyjah2003]

Every time I am trying to quit after relapsing is like learning to walk again. I feel a sudden burst of clarity and try to address some things in my life. Especially on the social front... I'll try not to do too much so I don't wear myself out or creep people out.

I think I am enjoying being sober and pray I never have to need to or want to go back to my habits

 

[DeaconOfTheDank]

Hey guys, been on GAF for a looong time; I don't post much... but eh

Currently trying to quit smoking weed... I just cannot afford it... It is costing me 220 us dollars every two weeks between prices and my habits and that's just not feasible on my salary. I'm having A LOT of financial issues so... will miss it tho

Hey man, I'm trying to do the same by limiting my use to just weekend gaming sessions. Not really for financial reasons - I've been buying D8 edibles for about $40 every two weeks.

Work is demanding some extra brain power lately so I don't have time to go through morning ritual of grogginess after going to bed stoned. Related, I've grown dependent on weed to go to sleep so I'm trying to nip that in the bud. I also feel like I haven't been spending enough quality time with the wife since I've been holed up in my cave playing vidya stoned most nights. I really don't enjoy how antisocial I get.

I'm seeing some things that could be potential problems so I'm trying to get a handle on it now.

 

[22:22:22]

Been drinking regularly the last weeks. Just beers. That and benzos.

Still searching for that balance. Walking life in constant anxiety and flight or fight response doesn't help me one bit. Sedated and mildy groggy neither.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Keep at it you beautiful warriors in this thread. Just keep at it, ups and downs just shake em off. Some of the posts I have read on this page alone are heartfelt and real, it's a welcome change of honesty and openness which is a solid road to where we/you want to get. The results will come and pile up.

I've been on a health kick for a bit more than 2 months now. Basically, zero alcohol with less than 5-10 beers that whole time e.g. one at a family dinner and drive home hours later. I used to have 1-3 glasses of bourbon/coke a night depending on weeknight vs weekend etc. I've just replaced those drinks with water rather than soft drink or alcohol. By Aussie society I would have been a standard drinker, glad to have moved to not wanting it daily as it's too much health and cost wise. I was never at a blackout type addicted state but I was a nightly drinker and it needed addressing as I get older, I'm not 20 anymore.

A little more walking the dog/kids play, less booze, less food (less meals, smaller portions, more healthy food stuffs) and generally just being more active. I've only been light working out as I want to lose more weight, I'm down a bit over 16kgs now, want to lose another 5-10kgs before I hit the heavy weights and get back to running again and some muscle tone. I've been feeling far better than the pandemic years, have a spring in my step and plenty of energy with some spare cash on the side too. I didn't even really set out this time to diet or lifestyle change things up a bit. I just sort of woke up with a different mindset, an organic epiphany without that light bulb instant.

Wifey ain't complaining either, so in the words of Bill Murray -

 

[22:22:22]

For me it's not about the alchohol. Its expensive and you get mad cravings for fat food. And you get fat. And smoke more.

It's a conveniently available way to temporarily negate stress.

I know Kev Kev smokes but that doesn't help me.

Took some courage but I've been going to the gym this week.

I need to quit drinking smoking and going on a strict diet pretty soon.

Sigh.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

For me it's not about the alchohol. Its expensive and you get mad cravings for fat food. And you get fat. And smoke more.

It's a conveniently available way to temporarily negate stress.

I know Kev Kev smokes but that doesn't help me.

Took some courage but I've been going to the gym this week.

I need to quit drinking smoking and going on a strict diet pretty soon.

Sigh.

Some people need cold turkey, some need glacial slow increments and everything in between. Just keep trying and when you have those thoughts replace them with new thoughts you want to focus on. Do it for you.

Don't get down for small slip ups. I find smaller portions and using portions in bowls instead of having the whole packet or a large plate stacked work wonders. Small wins for your will power.

I read a great quote that has stuck with me for decades -

Your willpower is like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Remember your willpower just needs some dusting off.

 

[Danknugz]

been trying to cut back on weed for a good decade but only to keep my tolerance low and so i do t have to smoke like 2 joints and barely feel high. on good months i'll take a day off a week. having really good weed which basically ignores tolerance levels has not helped. nver had a problem with alcohol, i was always a lightweight and anyone could drink me under the table anyway.

 

[22:22:22]

It's official, 2 weeks sober now.. Feels good man.gif

Well. "Sober" .. No alchohol (or weed, coke, mdma etc)

And I drank a lot (self medication)

Edit; this isn't my first rodeo but hey, it is what it is, right?

Thanks guys....

Please don't like. I fucked up. Monday's a new start. It's going to be annoying, boring etc. Nevermind the keto and AGAIN not smoking. Prolly won't post as much the coming weeks which I'm sure a lot of y'all will appreciate.

When you want to espace from yourself. Man.

 

[Kev Kev]

Please don't like. I fucked up. Monday's a new start. It's going to be annoying, boring etc. Nevermind the keto and AGAIN not smoking. Prolly won't post as much the coming weeks which I'm sure a lot of y'all will appreciate.

When you want to espace from yourself. Man.

If you did it once, you can do it again. One step at a time brother. Hope you're doin' alright.

 

[22:22:22]

If you did it once, you can do it again. One step at a time brother. Hope you're doin' alright.

Thanks Kev, I'm alright, somewhat. Hope you're good aswell man.