Help quitting the beer

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Wed Sep 05, 2018 5:09 pm

Boys, I must sheepishly admit that lack of willpower, force of habit and recent life experiences have made me more dependent on numbing myself with beer than is good for me and it has to stop.
I've gotten to where I crack the first one open about 4 p.m, drink 8 or 9, and go to bed early, just about every day. These are 12-ounce "light" beers, but beers nonetheless. I gave AA a shot a few years back, and it helped some. May "find a meeting" again if I can't make any forward progress on this. Just want y'all to know that good thoughts sent my way would be deeply and humbly appreciated.
Your friend, Bill

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Wed Sep 05, 2018 5:14 pm

Will pray for ya Bill, God is able.

Mossyoak1957 · Post by **Mossyoak1957** » Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:05 pm

you are on your way to recovery you already past step one admitting to the problem,hang in there man YOU CAN BEAT THIS!

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:06 pm

A lot of people don't realize what AA meetings can be like. I've gone to serve all over the years with a friend for moral support (...the thought of going to sit around with a bunch of drunks, especially ones whose lives hadn't gone well as a result, intimidated him...

) and got to admit I don't think I heard anything in college classrooms that remotely approached the intelligent discussion of life experiences and philosophy at some of those AA meetings. There are always the ones there with a court order requiring attendance, or ones who couldn't locate a NA meeting so came to AA instead, but you will get the support you need there. Good folks.

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:18 pm

.

I know it's tough, at our age - but ya GOTTA do meetings, and also find a mentor, Bill.

My (our) prayers are with you, Bill - Via' con Dios.

.

gundownunder · Post by **gundownunder** » Wed Sep 05, 2018 7:04 pm

Bill, this may not be what you are looking for, in which case, please ignore it.

I have been drinking for 45 years, and am now almost 60. I drink every day, but I can say no if there is something I need to do which requires abstinence. I start at about 5pm and drink about 4 - 8 drinks before going to bed at about 10 - 11 pm. I drink because the demons from my childhood still haunt me. Most of the people I grew up with are either dead, in jail, or destroyed by drugs and alcohol. Apart from the drinking I'm a decent, hard working, law abiding citizen, so I have chosen to accept that a few drinks hold back the demons. I don't do lite beer, it tastes like pig swill. If I'm going to drink beer it is full strength and full flavor. My doc says leave the beer and red wine alone as both have too many carbs and add to my blood sugar and waist line. She recommends spirits, either straight up, or with non sugary mixers, such as tequila with lime juice and soda water. I like spiced rum, or cinnamon whisky straight up. I still get into the beers on the weekend.

If acceptance is not an option, here are a couple of ideas to get you started.

You say you start drinking at 4pm. Instead, start reloading ammo at 4pm, ( I assume you don't drink while you reload ) then crack your first beer with dinner at 6.30.

Have you considered that drinking may not be your problem, but a symptom that shows you have a problem. Find out what is wrong in your life, and fix that. The drinking will probably take care of itself.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Wed Sep 05, 2018 7:40 pm

Bill,
Take the wisdom of a professional drunk.....me.

I lived on the stuff from about 16 to 40......was always smart enough not to drive and get a dui and I had one of the best, if not the best attendances at work. It never affected any of my family relationships, financial matters or work so I figured I was good-to-go. Then....at 40 I developed vertigo, where my inner ear fills up with fluid and ya can't stand up and barf..barf..barf....short story...an ENT told me I had to give up drinking or cut it down to two a day where I was drinking 2 cases of 16 oz. Genny Cream Ale a week. I cant drink 2 a day so I stopped....done...nothing. My vertigo stopped and I was healthy again.

Funny thing happened after I quit. I lost 30 pounds, got my wit back, and had more money to buy Winchesters and Colts.

Fast forward to 2014 when I turned 60. My huge ego told me I was older and more mature and could handle alcohol again. Kids were out of the house, only had two years to retire and was financially set for life, enough Winchesters and Colts to choke a whale... so......I talked it over with the wife and I got the green light, went out and bought a case of beer and a bottle of Wild Turkey 101. It was fine for about TWO WEEKS and after that I was right back were I left off in 1994. Still no marriage, job, or financial issues. Everything was nice and green except.....
......
Drum roll please..........I was 60 years old and the body don't work like it used to....tired all the time, depression, loss of interest in my hobbies.....etc.......

I retired in 2016 and it got worse as it was a new chapter in life and I went from having NO time at all to all the time in the world so......I upped the drinking a bit.....still about 95% beer.....hard bourbon turns me into a wannabe Navy Seal. After getting up in the morning I could not wait until noon...my start time......drank until about midnight, went to bed at about 2....up bright and early about 10-12 the next day.

That's right, if you can do second grade math...started drinking about an hour after I got up.

My depression worsened......never could figure that out as I had nothing to be depressed about. My non drinking wife...Italians don't drink and if they do, it's just a little wine told me, "You stupid retart, it's the alcohol making you depressed....you think it's making you feel better but it's sapping the life out of you."

Mmmmmmm.....light comes on......I start thinking......during a visit at the doctor last year for a checkup I ran it by him. He tells me, "no more than one a day." My doctors other speciality is opiod addiction so I figured he knew what he was talking about. I went home and stopped cold turkey. Nothing...zilch....a drunk cannot handle even one beer a day.....The first week is horrible, the second week is blah and after a month, you feel brand new.

You don't need no AA or rehab...that pelosi is for weak minded people and money hungry rehabilitists. Just stop and deal with it...punch a few walls and maybe take some nerve meds. Stay busy and take rides even if you don't want to. THE TERRIBLE FEELING GOES AWAY BY ITSELF...why do you think rehab is two weeks to a month...that's all they do is keep you busy while your brain is readapting while sapping the insurance for 40 big ones.

After about two weeks I had zero desire to drink as I was feeling sooooo much better and knew right then and there it was the devils juice that was driving me into an early hole.

These things don't bother me a bit to talk about publicly. None of us are without sin or weakness and if I can help one soul, it makes me feel better. This drinking stuff is NOTHING compared to what I saw others go through with heroin, speed and other hard drugs. Beer is much easier to quit than hard alcohol.....you really think you need the stuff to be happy/calm but it's really slowly killing you. I've been there.-----6. You CAN do it.

lthardman · Post by **lthardman** » Wed Sep 05, 2018 7:45 pm

Good luck, Bill. Been there, done that. 34 years ago. And because of that I am alive today and life is pretty good. I had great excuses to drink, darn good ones, and an even better one to quit. I met some great people at the meetings, and their support was invaluable.

Old No7 · Post by **Old No7** » Wed Sep 05, 2018 7:51 pm

gundownunder wrote: ↑Wed Sep 05, 2018 7:04 pm Have you considered that drinking may not be your problem, but a symptom that shows you have a problem. Find out what is wrong in your life, and fix that. The drinking will probably take care of itself.

I saw this posting earlier, but didn't know what to say then...

Good advice up above, and I really do like the comment above too -- lots of wisdom in that!

One thing I've done to cut down on my "consumption" (as yes, per my avatar, I do like "drinking" Jack quite a bit) is that I've set guidelines... Can't start until a certain time, as was noted earlier, and I will set a limit of the # too. Or I may set a plan to reload 2 or 3 boxes of shotguns shells first, and then have 1 or 2 -- and sometimes I'll want to load even more and that keeps me from indulging any at all that evening.

My wife helps me too -- as I help her -- but we're both in trouble if we have "bad days" on the same day...........

I also thought of the CO$T of the "8 or 9 beers per night, every night" and thought you should aim to BUY YOURSELF A GIFT -- one that your really want, but it can only be funded by beers you didn't drink.
* If you don't drink 3, then you add 3 times their price into your pot or kitty (you can keep track on paper).
* If you don't drink 5, then you get 5 times that amount.
* Keep track of your progress towards YOUR GOAL -- which is why it has to be something you want!
....(Gee, like a new levergun? And over time, you will earn that prize with the beer money saved.)

10 of us may recommend 9 different ideas, but you are to be commended for having the courage to speak up and ask for help, so choose the idea(s) that work best for you and go for it.

Good luck my friend.

Old No7

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:00 pm

Old #7....I must always agree with you but not in this case where funding is saved by the lesser amount of beers or words to that effect......the idea is to get the thought of alcohol out of your head. Get it out of the house along with anyone else who consumes to excess or at all...if it's your house. We've all had life changing aggravations that make it simple to legitimize our consumption of spirits. You don't play games to quit drinking.

All of us are born without any bad habits...we developed these as we go through life for a myriad of reasons. We inherit genes from our ancestors who, like us, looked for an easier way to get through life. The Irish drank and the Italians ate and EVERY black guy I have ever known is deathly afraid of snakes which is an inherited gene from thousands of years in Africa where most snakes kill. How I got the "addiction" gene is a mystery. I'm the only drunk in the family, on both sides. If you have the "easily addiction gene" it's easy to get addicted to anything that makes life pleasurable. I've been seriously addicted to fine antique American made guns my whole life...is that bad? Yea, that's why I drove 3 vehicles my whole adult life......A man has to prioritize.

Drinking is easy to get addicted to as it's cheap, readily available, and accepted in society. Who wants to say, "yea guys, I got this great heroin, just one cc and your high." Low life in my mind.

I've always admired people who can have one or two drinks at a party, etc. and not think about it until the next party. My kids and wife are like that...no desire to alter normal thinking. Not me...I want to get buzzed.....and more...and stay that way. That's why I can't even have one drink and anyone else who has these issues should not drink either.....or buy Winchesters.

You either drink...or you don't....that simple.

----6

piller · Post by **piller** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 12:16 am

Prayers sent. I drink occasionally, but haven't touched alcohol for 4 or 5 months. I need my gall bladder out and have an appointment in a couple of weeks to get a checkup and a referral to a surgeon. The last time I had a drink, it hurt. I guess that pain was enough to make me just ignore the alcohol. I am not sure why it hurt so much, but it was enough to make me think of hitting my thumb with a hammer to just take my mind off of the belly pain. I have 2 brothers who drink to excess.

Nath · Post by **Nath** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 1:35 am

Plenty of encouragement in the holy scriptures friend.

Isaiah41:10,13 says;
Do not be afraid, for I am with you.Do not be anxious, for I am your God.I will fortify you, yes, I will help you,I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.
13, For I, Jehovah your God, am grasping your right hand,The One saying to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I will help you.

Philippians 4: 6&7 says;
Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.

N.

geobru · Post by **geobru** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 2:36 am

Bill,
As Sixgun said, we are subject to our genes. My dad was an alcoholic and only drank beer, so he thought he was ok. When my mom got lung cancer and was in a care facility, he tried to drown his troubles with beer. That worked until he got sloppy drunk one night and made a spectacle of himself in front of the grandkids and my sister confronted him about it the next day and told him that she wouldn't expose her kids to that again. He then quit drinking cold turkey and brought mom out of the care facility and took care of her until she passed on. That made me proud to be his son.

My brother was an alcoholic too. He went on a bender one weekend and he and a buddy were driving drunk and collided with a rock wall. After they cut him out of the pickup truck and pinned his femur about 2" below the ball socket in his pelvis, they told him they got as much blood out as they could and they would know within 36 hours if they could save his leg. Fortunately, he didn't lose the leg, but he was unable to return to work at 100% for two years. He got involved with AA and has been dry for over 30 years now. He has helped a lot of other people get off the sauce over the years and straightened his own life out.

I was an undiagnosed alcoholic when I stopped drinking cold turkey in 1977. I thought it would be hard, but I promised the Lord that I wouldn't drink again, and I haven't touched a drop. It was never a problem. The real problems would have come had I kept on drinking.

If you have the alcohol gene, this is one thing that you have to do 100%. There is no cutting back without cutting it off completely. Cutting back only leads back to the road to nowhere. Whether you use AA as a vehicle, or if you have the strength to quit cold turkey, you can do this. Use whatever vehicle you need to use to get off the merry go round that takes everything you have and takes you nowhere.

I will be praying for you. Good luck!

Tanqueray · Post by **Tanqueray** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 3:40 am

Funny you mention it being familial.

I too have been through addiction, and used a Christian counsellor. Took me three attempts over twelve years to get clean (and I’m only 27!)

The counsellor spoke of the Old Testament concept of generational sin, I.e carrying on to the third and fourth generations. I’m not totally convinced of it, but the thought of my children being addicts because I couldn’t break the cycle was great motivation.

I was never able to get clean as long as there wasn’t much to lose, and people were nice and understanding. When I started to become ostracised by family, and my wife nearly left me, then I finally came to my senses.

veeman · Post by **veeman** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 9:17 am

Been sober, not a drop, since Oct. 1987. 2 DUI's 1 Divorce. My experience is you have to want to quit. I did. Went to AA, hated it. How sitting in a room with the same people telling the same stories over and over and over and over keeps them from drinking, I'll never get. But if it works for them, great. Made me want to drink more. I just decided one day that that was enough. The end. Not a drop since. The first year was trying, but I did it, I had the will power. My current wife of 24 years doesn't drink, helpful. I don't ever think about drinking now or get the urge to, thankfully. And I never want to go back to it, just to see if I can hack it, I know I couldn't. So I just don't. Good Luck to you, hope you find what works for you.

mikld · Post by **mikld** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 10:49 am

I'm 31 years sober by the Grace of God and the principles Of AA. From the above posts I see that many have a gross misconception of what AA is. "A bunch of drunks sitting around telling stories" is one of the most common, but in a good AA meeting, folks share what it was like, what happened, and what it's like now, a small but essential part of the program. The "hard part" is working with an experienced member (a sponsor) and discovering personality traits/failings that keep us drinking, and learning a new way to live, a way to cope with life. AA is the single most successful program for life changing (so much so that it has become the method for many addictions, from drugs to sex to overeating and rage). "Genetic predisposition" (aka "a cop out") may be a small factor (I come from a long line of drunks, both sides of my family), but I drank because I'm a drunk and that's all I needed to know. I drank for/during everything from high school, through a couple careers, I was never fired for being drunk, had an excellent attendance record and I never had a DUI. I am in a way breaking my own anonymity but I'm just a screen name here and I'm not advertising AA.

I'll include you in my prayers Bill and if you're thinking your drinking is a problem, it already is. AA works...
Mike I.

marlinman93 · Post by **marlinman93** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 11:56 am

Can't give any advice Bill, as I was raised by my German father who gave us beer with every dinner from the time we could walk. I still drink an occasional beer, but a six pack can last for a few months around here. I enjoy it, but just like water or milk to me.
But I will be praying for you to be able to get through this, and come out well!

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 11:58 am

Bill,

I have no advice that's meaningful, but if you're struggling with something, I'll add my prayers to the others here that you overcome your obstacles.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 12:48 pm

Bill, I'm sure you will kick the habit of reaching for a beer but do keep a couple of beers handy so you know you can have one if you so wish, nothing worse than knowing you can't have something just because you don't have it.
When I quit smoking in my 30s I still carried cigarettes and a lighter for that reason, found it easy but I guess I don't have an addictive nature, I still enjoy beer and bourbon but not in the quantity I consumed in my younger years.
Good luck Bill.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 1:36 pm

Best of luck. Prayers for your success.
I am more like gamekeeper, and don't have an addictive personality........well except guns.
Maybe half the week I have a beer with supper. On the weekend evenings, I watch TV or movies in the gun room after the wife turns in. I will have 2 or 3 beers over the course of 4 hours or so. Went to an open bar wedding a couple weeks ago and had one beer.
I like bourbon too, but usually only in winter. I like one after a day of hunting.
My cousin got to drinking pretty bad years ago. Quit cold turkey about thirty years ago.
I always said I like beer too much to get like that. Cold beer taste good on a hot day after a bike ride.

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 4:58 pm

Thanks fellas. This place feels like family, you know. If anyone needs my good thoughts and prayers, please ask, as I owe.

Alphawolf45 · Post by **Alphawolf45** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 5:27 pm

I am what I call a high functioning alcoholic...I am 62 1/2 .I can drink a half gallon of 80 proof and get up feeling fine the next morning...Now I have cancer and chemo treatments for the next 2 years..I have now from some necesity cut back to a pint of an evening..Booze is one of my favorite topics...I think of beer as baby drinkies-- I wont touch that pathetic stuff.
I will say though that I am addicted to alcohol and the next day after consumption I shake uncontrollably from alcohol withdrawel symptoms..You should have seen me today trying to plasma torch sever a piece of 1/2 inch steel while shaking uncontrollably..Yeah, drinking is some glamorous stuff..Better to never even start.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 6:00 pm

My dad used to bust on me all the time about my drinking. Just about every pic from my 20's-40 would show me with a 16 ouncer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. I do find it strange I've lived this long....my doc even told me last month I'm the youngest looking and healthy 64 y.o.he has ever examined.

Another major reason to quit drinking as one begins to enter the so called "BS golden years" is that alcohol and meds do not mix....some even rising to the point of being poison. Mixing beer and blood pressure meds is a no-no. You ought to see what beer and blood thinners do to ya. That's another story.

Then you have your liver, heart and other organs to think about. I'm not afraid of dying but I'm not dying stupid.

Could you imagine that in a time of weakness, after slamming down 5 or 6 beers, thinking your "just a little buzzed" and OK to drive two miles down the road to get a gallon of milk when something you never expected to happen causes you to hit head on into a family with children...or anyone really, even another drunk....and waking up in the hospital to the bad news. In addition to losing your azz financially and any rights, well, these things sometimes make people line the sights up on their temple.

There's just too many cons vs. pros to drink to excess.

I've lived it so I can talk from experience.----6

piller · Post by **piller** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 9:20 pm

Alcohol and Tylenol, also known as Acetaminophen, APAP, Paracetamol, and a few other names, do not mix in the liver. They both are partially broken down by a chemical produced in the liver called Alcohol Dehydrogenase. Alcohol also inhibits the function of the 2c19 enzyme. That one also breaks down tylenol by cutting off a part called an acetyl group. This causes your liver to build up a potentially toxic level of acetylated phenol. Phenol is toxic, and long term exposure can cause failure of the mRNA and tRNA, which causes a failure in DNA repair and manufacture. To put it in terms that we all understand perfectly well, IT CAUSES CANCER AND CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER. Do not ever take acetaminophen when there is any alcohol in your system. I am not trying to scare anyone. It is just good advice. I consider myself to be weak when it comes to sugar. I cannot stop until the candy is all gone. It is dangerous to my health. I have a choice. Either stop buying it and do not eat even 1 bite or go blind and lose feeling in my feet. You would think that is an easy choice. Not for me. I must stay on guard 24/7 against eating candy. I assume alcoholism can be that way for some.

Walker · Post by **Walker** » Thu Sep 06, 2018 11:27 pm

Bill, can you alternate beer and a non alcoholic beverage? My issues thankfully were more habitual and social; was able to back off by alternating iced tea and alcohol to keep my head and give the body a break... eventually breaking the habit.

Keeping you in my thoughts,

Terry

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 7:59 am

Guys, more deeply appreciated advice, and shared experience.
In my case -- and each case is different -- I am either drinking beer or I am not. As an ex-smoker, I don't dare have one cigarette or an occasional cigar. Same with beer. So there is no cutting back, just cutting off.
Been a couple of days now without, and the only effect is that I have a lot more trouble falling asleep -- but when I do, I tend to sleep most of the night, which was not the case before. They say it takes about 72 hours for the body to fully metabolize alcohol, so I still have some in my system to flush out -- and plenty of watermelon is helping. The longer term challenge is un-learning the nightly drinking habit. I have some non-alcohol (0.5%) beers in the fridge, but I have enjoyed having a cold bottle of cane-sugar root beer with dinner.
Piller, thanks for your warning about Tylenol. I have been an aspirin guy all my life and have only taken that stuff with prescription pain meds after surgery -- and gotten off it as fast as I could. I won't have it in my home.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:49 am

Glad you're doing ok Bill. Stick with it. My cousin did the N/A beer thing and it has worked well for him for many years.
Think of the money you'll have for ammo!

marlinman93 · Post by **marlinman93** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 11:32 am

Bill, you probably need to find things to fill the missing "habit", so you aren't missing it as much. Getting involved in other things that can fill evening time instead, will help pass that time, vs. just quitting beer and not replacing it with something good to do.
And getting out, and being more active during the day will make you sleep better at night, and help your general health too.
Most people I know who had an addiction of some sort tell me they needed to fil the addictive tendency with something good they could become addicted to. It's not likely an addictive personality changes. But it is better to direct the addiction towards positive things.

piller · Post by **piller** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 12:31 pm

The warning is not against Tylenol, but it is against taking it with any alcohol in your system. I just want to make sure I am perfectly clear on that.

I have been genetic tested due to some odd reactions to certain medicines. I am completely missing a couple of the genes for producing the chemicals which break down certain medicines. I can see some valid reasons for having genetic testing available for that kind of thing. What scares me is knowing how insurance companies think. They would pay off enough legislators to get the laws changed so that they could refuse, or charge much higher prices, for people with genetic predispositions for certain conditions. Sometimes it is better to not know.

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 3:07 pm

piller wrote: ↑Thu Sep 06, 2018 9:20 pm Alcohol and Tylenol, also known as Acetaminophen, APAP, Paracetamol, and a few other names, do not mix in the liver. They both are partially broken down by a chemical produced in the liver called Alcohol Dehydrogenase. Alcohol also inhibits the function of the 2c19 enzyme. That one also breaks down tylenol by cutting off a part called an acetyl group. This causes your liver to build up a potentially toxic level of acetylated phenol. Phenol is toxic, and long term exposure can cause failure of the mRNA and tRNA, which causes a failure in DNA repair and manufacture. To put it in terms that we all understand perfectly well, IT CAUSES CANCER AND CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER. Do not ever take acetaminophen when there is any alcohol in your system. I am not trying to scare anyone. It is just good advice. I consider myself to be weak when it comes to sugar. I cannot stop until the candy is all gone. It is dangerous to my health. I have a choice. Either stop buying it and do not eat even 1 bite or go blind and lose feeling in my feet. You would think that is an easy choice. Not for me. I must stay on guard 24/7 against eating candy. I assume alcoholism can be that way for some.

+1 Spot on the money Pillar.

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 3:08 pm

piller wrote: ↑Fri Sep 07, 2018 12:31 pm The warning is not against Tylenol, but it is against taking it with any alcohol in your system. I just want to make sure I am perfectly clear on that.

I have been genetic tested due to some odd reactions to certain medicines. I am completely missing a couple of the genes for producing the chemicals which break down certain medicines. I can see some valid reasons for having genetic testing available for that kind of thing. What scares me is knowing how insurance companies think. They would pay off enough legislators to get the laws changed so that they could refuse, or charge much higher prices, for people with genetic predispositions for certain conditions. Sometimes it is better to not know.

+1 Spot on again Pillar.

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Sat Sep 08, 2018 7:45 am

Piller, regulating the use/misuse of personal DNA test results will be one of the great frontiers of human rights in the years ahead.

mickbr · Post by **mickbr** » Sat Sep 08, 2018 10:41 am

sending you what strength I have in prayers friend. Its bad luck some folks just have a switch in their head, that simple enjoyments can become a problem. We all have switch in our head regards some thing or another. One thing I saw made a big difference in the army was physical exercise, developing a program of some sort to look forward to. Not saying its a cure all but I just seemed to notice guys breaking a sweat regularly showed up more as success stories from big injuries, depression, PTSD and getting off liquor as well, which is or was a big problem in the day. I think the benefits of exercise are not talked about enough, probably because pharmaceutical companies can't make money out of it.

alnitak · Post by **alnitak** » Mon Sep 10, 2018 11:19 am

I don't have much to add to what others have said. But one tip...when I did give up beer a few times (say for Lent), I found that one of the toughest things was the "habit" of reaching for the glass/bottle. Typically, I'd be sitting there watching a ball game and just reach over every few minutes to have a drink. I found that if I keep a large mug of water there instead of beer, I could still follow the habit of reaching over and drinking, but now was drinking water. it seemed easier to break the habit of drinking beer if I still maintained the "habit" of process.

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 7:35 am

Friends, your prayers and good thoughts have helped. Today will mark a week with nothing stronger than a root beer with dinner.

Tycer · Post by **Tycer** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 7:53 am

So I’ll go a different route. Find a homeopath and let them tailor a whole life mix for you. You don’t need to physically visit the person they can do it over the phone. The mix will change over time and then not needed.

.45colt · Post by **.45colt** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:35 pm

It's ALL about being Happy Bill . things in life are never the same very long. Do what Works for You. Stay Strong.

AkRay · Post by **AkRay** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 6:22 pm

piller wrote: ↑Thu Sep 06, 2018 9:20 pm Alcohol and Tylenol, also known as Acetaminophen, APAP, Paracetamol, and a few other names, do not mix in the liver. They both are partially broken down by a chemical produced in the liver called Alcohol Dehydrogenase. Alcohol also inhibits the function of the 2c19 enzyme. That one also breaks down tylenol by cutting off a part called an acetyl group. This causes your liver to build up a potentially toxic level of acetylated phenol. Phenol is toxic, and long term exposure can cause failure of the mRNA and tRNA, which causes a failure in DNA repair and manufacture. To put it in terms that we all understand perfectly well, IT CAUSES CANCER AND CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER. Do not ever take acetaminophen when there is any alcohol in your system. I am not trying to scare anyone. It is just good advice. I consider myself to be weak when it comes to sugar. I cannot stop until the candy is all gone. It is dangerous to my health. I have a choice. Either stop buying it and do not eat even 1 bite or go blind and lose feeling in my feet. You would think that is an easy choice. Not for me. I must stay on guard 24/7 against eating candy. I assume alcoholism can be that way for some.

You're absolutely right and I'm the same way. I'd be fat as a pig from sugary/carb laden foods if I could still eat whatever I want. I'd like to keep my vision and toes and do without the diabetic nerve pain though. Diabetes sucks.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:38 pm

That's great Bill! The first week is the hardest and by the end of next week, your gonna feel brand new. After a month, you will kick yourself in the azz for drinking. You won't even want it. It's like if you have not smoked in a while.....you know...the smell of smoke sickens you....same thing.----6

Les Staley · Post by **Les Staley** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 11:54 pm

Bill, I'm pulling for you. My wife and I have never had a problem with alcohol personally, but both have family that have. I have enjoyed a beer or two most of my adult life, but our son almost lost his marriage over to many, too often. He quit a little over four years ago, and I, out of support and solidarity with his effort, quit the same day. Neither of us has touched a drop in that time. He called me a little over three weeks ago on our "anniversary". His effort was admirable, as is yours! Keep up the good fight. Prayers will help, your own and ours. Godspeed!

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Wed Sep 12, 2018 12:05 am

I used to drink lots of beer everyday. I think I just got tired of feeling like s**t the next day so I really backed off of it. I can take it or leave it, but every couple weeks I like to walk a couple blocks down to the local pub and have four or five lite beers...No harm, no foul.
Everybody is different, and has different reactions to booze.
For me, it was eating more than drinking. I finally started this year trying to lose fifty pounds. 25 to go. God and willpower.

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Thu Sep 13, 2018 9:42 am

Thanks again guys. You know, each of us is different. I'd love to be able to have a couple of beers with friends over lunch or dinner, but that "ain't in the cards." Compared to the problems that millions, if not billions of our fellow humans struggle with each and every day, saying no thanks to alcohol hardly rates. And I am getting to enjoy sparkling water. What a simple, cheap and harmless pleasure.
Funny, in the short time I haven't been drinking, I have read "Lush Life," a biography of Duke Ellington's great composing and arranging partner; "Lee, the Last Years," the five years after the Civil War that Robert E. Lee had left to him, and that he used to help heal the nation -- particularly the South -- and build Washington and Lee College into one of America's most innovative institutions; "Diary of a Country Priest," which give me valuable insights into suffering, grace and the Catholic understanding of Mary, which has long perplexed this old Protestant; and "The Swamp Fox, How Francis Marion saved the American Revolution." This latter was an eye opener. South Carolina's upper country was tortured with hatred and atrocities between patriots and Tories, many of who switched back and forth several times during the Revolution, nor did I realize the war dragged on for more than a year after Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown.
Next up, a bio of Clarence King, the great explorer and topographical engineer.

piller · Post by **piller** » Thu Sep 13, 2018 2:00 pm

Congratulations on your progress. You are still in my prayers. None of us is perfect, and we have all done things which we later regret. Just remember, don't beat yourself up over things which are in the past. I am sure that you have a bunch of us who are cheering you on. If you ever need someone to listen, PM me and I will give you my phone number.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Thu Sep 13, 2018 2:08 pm

Good news Bill, keep the faith.