Is Giving Up Alcohol the Key to Achieving My Goals?

[Jamin2112]

Anyone here stayed sober for a matter of years? I think it'll be in my best interest to do so. Right now I need to go on a bullet-point rant to get a few things off my chest.

• I'm doing this for purely selfish reasons. I'm not like George W. Bush who experienced a moral conversion that coincided with his decision to quit drinking. I'm merely exchanging one means of gratification -- the attention and good spirits that come from social drinking -- for another -- success in my hobbies and future career. The extreme to which I take social drinking has made these two forms of gratification incompatible, so I must choose one or the other.
• I don't regret having given myself a reputation for drinking. Until very recently (1-2 months ago) no non-religious people looked down on me for drinking heavily, because I was able to still maintain good grades and health while blacking out regularly. During college I've successfully built a reputation as an extroverted, fun person -- a reputation I never had in high school. I know I'm capable of being a fun guy, and I can now get back to worrying about the things that should be most important to a guy with only a few semesters of college left and a dismal economy awaiting him in the U.S.
• I'm not sure whether I now regret the excessive drinking that I always regretted the day after. Hangovers suck. I hate losing things. I hate waking up with scars (and broken bones). I hate waking up drunk and having to go class. I hate becoming embarrasingly effusive to girls I like. However, it's possible that those negative aspects of blacking out are outweighed by the positives -- cool stories to tell later in life, the times my carelessness improved my game with women, etc. Time will tell.

 

[Pythagorean]

I don't drink that much. I have a couple beers here and there, gut I usually don't get drunk. Though, I had my SO drive us home new years because I was pretty off.

Anyway, I just am lucky enough to not be tempted by it. When I was in high school, my stomach would always start feeling heavy and bloated before I even finished my first beer (and I hated the taste/smell/feeling of hard alcohol, made me sick) so I just don't think I have the biology that makes drinking pleasant. I lucked out.

 

[Insanity]

I don't drink any distilled alcohol, though it might be used in cooking. Beyond a few or several beers sometimes, I don't drink to get drunk. I tend to drink at home, rather then out. There's only once or twice when I was younger when my memory was affected

 

[fluidistic]

My last beer and alcohol drop comes from January of 2011. I don't miss it, though I sometimes enjoy being drunk with friends after we pass some final exam or so. But last year we went too lazy for the festivities.

 

[sweetpotato]

It's great that you've decided that drinking is incompatible with your larger life/academic/career goals. My only advice is to have a plan about how you will refrain from drinking. I've heard it said: "the lack of a plan not to drink is the same as a plan to drink" and I have found this to be true for myself. IMO this applies not just to alcohol but to any harmful behavior or habit.

 

[rootX]

Set reasonable goals, how about going out only on weekend not on weekdays?

Find friends who are rational and intelligent to stop you from getting into bad situations.

 

[Jamin2112]

Set reasonable goals, how about going out only on weekend not on weekdays?

You're right: I might have to become a weekend warrior.

 

[StevieTNZ]

Good on you for making the first step. It is hard (for some?), but possible. I have a friend who has been drinking constantly, and sometimes she says 'I'm stopping' but the next day she goes back into her usual routine.

 

[StevieTNZ]

Also, could perhaps a counsellor be of use to maybe help you formulate a plan? Or your doctor? Sadly it may not be one day deciding to stop and that being it. There could always be relapses.

 

[George Jones]

stayed sober for a matter of years?

Richard Feynman.

 

[Jamin2112]

Richard Feynman.

He guy seems interesting.

According to Genius, the James Gleick–authored biography, Feynman tried LSD during his professorship at Caltech.[17] Somewhat embarrassed by his actions, Feynman largely sidestepped the issue when dictating his anecdotes; he mentions it in passing in the "O Americano, Outra Vez" section, while the "Altered States" chapter in Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! describes only marijuana and ketamine experiences at John Lilly's famed sensory deprivation tanks, as a way of studying consciousness.[15] Feynman gave up alcohol when he began to show early signs of alcoholism, as he did not want to do anything that could damage his brain—the same reason given in "O Americano, Outra Vez" for his reluctance to experiment with LSD.[15]


In Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!, he gives advice on the best way to pick up a girl in a hostess bar. At Caltech, he used a nude/topless bar as an office away from his usual office, making sketches or writing physics equations on paper placemats. When the county officials tried to close the place, all visitors except Feynman refused to testify in favor of the bar, fearing that their families or patrons would learn about their visits. Only Feynman accepted, and in court, he affirmed that the bar was a public need, stating that craftsmen, technicians, engineers, common workers "and a physics professor" frequented the establishment. While the bar lost the court case, it was allowed to remain open as a similar case was pending appeal.[15]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman

 

[Moonbear]

I'll just make one suggestion as you embark on improving your health. Don't "try" to quit, just quit. I know, it sounds almost the same, but by saying you'll try, you're leaving open the option to fail right from the start. You really need to set your mind to succeeding from the start.

 

[Jamin2112]

I'll just make one suggestion as you embark on improving your health. Don't "try" to quit, just quit. I know, it sounds almost the same, but by saying you'll try, you're leaving open the option to fail right from the start. You really need to set your mind to succeeding from the start.

How about I just become a weekend binge drinker who's super productive during the week? That seems a more realistic goal.

 

[Bobbywhy]

Jamin2112, as an ex-drinker I hear you loud and clear! As others here have already said, you must either decide to stop and really do stop drinking all alcohol, or not. There is no half-stopping. Booze is bad for you, for your family, and for all the friends around you. It destroys the senses and changes your personality.

I sometimes think about during all those years I drank how many times I acted like a complete jerk, especially with women. Worse yet, how many times I drove my car while drunk? Luckily I never hurt or killed anyone. If you are hung-over at work or in class you are NOT able to perform at you best.

Imagine the advantages you will gain starting the first day of sobriety: clear thinking, no memory lapses, no asking friends "Did we have a good time last night?" No DUI tickets from police, no auto insurance cost skyrocketing due to the DUI. More importantly, is that your self esteem will increase. I guarantee you will be happier and even proud of yourself, going on through your life without the fog of alcohol in your vision.

Do it! Resolve to stop forever! Seek a help group or program if you think that will help. You will be so glad you did stop. Trust in me all that I have said here is exactly true.

Bobbywhy

 

[turbo]

As Yoda said "Do or do not...there is no try."

A very close friend of mine is a professional guitarist. His job takes him to bars and taverns, and his abilities suffered when he drank (easy to do in bars and taverns when the bar-maids comp you to drinks!). He is easily the best rock guitarist in the state, when he is sober. He has been sober for ~25 years. He and I used to put down some impressive amounts of booze when we were in our 20s. I could mature and back off. He felt the need to quit entirely, because even a beer could trigger a binge. We are all different. Good luck!

 

[gravenewworld]

If you are a full blown alcoholic just make sure you "quit" under the guidance of a physician, quitting cold turkey from alcohol can kill you if you are a heavy drinker.

 

[Shootist]

When it comes to addiction: There is no try. There is only do, or do not.