day 8 alcohol free and feel so much happier

i did alcohol free 2nd August 2018 for 3 years, then started moderation. 2nd August 2023 , I decided to stop drinking, as I had a bottle of wine everyday for 2 months. So on day 8 and feel so much better, sleep, interested, happy and lost 10lbs, I'm a fat git so much more weight to go, a target of 17 stone currently 20 stone.

[SoberDrunk1]

So what was your thought process after 3 years. How did you arrive at a conclusion that you can moderate?

[Hidden in reply to SoberDrunk1]

i enjoyed the occasional red wine and I thought I could limit to a bottle a week. That gradually slipped to a merlot most days

[fauxartist]

I never won the battle of trying to moderate...

[HeavyFoot in reply to fauxartist]

This is all vital stuff to read, as that evil voice keeps telling me I can enjoy a single glass. He’s a liar.

[fauxartist in reply to HeavyFoot]

I hear ya....it reminds me of those old cartoons where the devil is on one shoulder and the angel is on the other and they are both talking at the same time in each ear....it is a personal struggle and is why it's so hard to do it alone....I have been waiting for a long time here at HU for a group to gain footing that deals with this issue of drinking, but is open enough to include those in the process of listening to those two little voices and the journey of getting to sobriety or not....it's not a choice to be pre-disposed to the addiction of alcohol, but it has to be a choice whether to drink or not. And on those tough days it's when we need help...I'm glad this site is here, but also glad many share their sobriety stories so those who are in flux with this issue can see there is hope.

[Hidden in reply to fauxartist]

Me either! I tried to do it but it Never worked for me! Off the wagon Every time lasting a year or much longer -Shay

[fauxartist in reply to Hidden]

It's a journey...but slow and steady wins the race...one day at a time...

[SoberDrunk1]

I heard a guy in AA meeting say he read one of those health magazine which had an article by a cardiologist a glass of wine helps people 😀😀😀😀 and he too tried it. This was after 10 years of sobriety. God knows what he was thinking. This is what the Book called AA terms it as a peculiar mental twist. Only makes sense to the person who takes a drink while others know he cant handle alcohol.

[Hidden in reply to SoberDrunk1]

ive read a glass of red wine improves healthy heart, but I can never stop at one glass, so you learn lessons in life. No alcohol is better for all your body, including heart brain liver obesity etc.....

[SoberDrunk1 in reply to Hidden]

Drinking more after the first drink is easy to recognize but the subtle part is that an alcoholic will go back to the first drink. If not this reason the mind will come up with some other reason or simply not think at all. There is a chapter More about alcoholism, in the book called AA, where they illustrate this subtle phenomenon.

[fauxartist in reply to Hidden]

If you're an alcoholic...one drink is too many, and these articles fail to mention that if you have a predisposition to have an addiction to alcohol...then you don't want to drink at all.

I loved my Merlot, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and my Piper-Heidsieck ..and most of all my Remy Martin XO...... so I thought....it's all B.S..... I just loved the buzz because I'm an alcoholic. I could have just as easily drank some cheap crap just to get drunk, I never needed a reason to drink....I am a drunk and that's what we do. Whether someone is trying to kid themselves about what, when , where, and why they drink...an alcoholic is an alcoholic.

[Jampacked]

Well done for stopping again. Welcome back.

[Hidden]

thank you I'm on day 11 now and definitely feel the benefits, so I'm convinced stopping alcohol is for me

[fauxartist in reply to Hidden]

yesterday is gone, and tomorrow isn't here yet...'One day at a time' is all that matters... good on ya for day 11...

[LilyAnnepuppy Ambassador]

What were you doing to stay stopped for those three years?

[Hidden in reply to LilyAnnepuppy]

I had Adnams non alcoholic ghost ship, and other alcohol free. Read quit lit. Had coffee when going for a meal

[LilyAnnepuppy Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

See if you can do that again. If not, be open to other help.

[fauxartist in reply to Hidden]

Alcohol-free beer or wine generally means up to 0.5% is alcohol, orange juice has .5%, apple juice .6% and even though it may take a lot to get a buzz, for me, non-alcoholic beer or wine is just a stepping stone to going back out. But booze, mouthwash, and cold medicine aren't an alcoholics only concern...wait for it....

I was reading a scientific study on fruit juice which stated:

The study states that fruit juices are prone to fermentation both during and after their production process. The process of alcoholic fermentation occurs when yeasts convert sugars into ethanol and is the basis for creating beer and wine, per ScienceDirect. Though the findings of the study note that ingesting trace amounts of ethanol in fruit juice won't have the same effect as drinking a glass of wine, it is important to note if you are trying to avoid any alcohol consumption.

You could end up with a Welch’s grape juice wine containing 12% alcohol by volume., compared to the average pint of beer is around 4.5% alcohol, up to 14.5%.

[Hidden]

Thank you it's great to talk to people that understand

[catsrock]

That's great - congrats!