Advice for quitting drinking for a month

[Jer]

I've never gotten into alcohol due to concerns of massive drug and alcohol dependency issues on my biological father's side. But, I have a massive addiction to Coke Zero.

What helped when I tried to go a month without it was trying something healthy to replace it with, and in moderation as a "specialty". In my case it was Snapple Strawberry Kiwi once or twice a day. Unfortunately, I found I needed a substitute to start the process, which made the eventual complete removal much easier.

FYI, I didn't last a month and drink about 12 a day, so probably not the best person to listen to.

 

[Cfinnerty16]

Nowadays I really only drink socially with the occasional weekend night tie off (rarely drink on a work night unless it’s a special occasion).

Are you a coffee drinker? If I was forced to choose I’d give up alcohol before giving up coffee, and it wouldn’t be a particularly difficult decision. Could be an option that’s far better for you than booze.

Love coffee, but thats not something I could have at night. I do like the CBD seltzer idea that @CloniesForLife & @FriendlySpartan suggested.
My first night without a drink was last night, anxious but fell asleep reasonably ok given the circumstances.

 

[Drew0311]

If u have problems falling asleep go get some gummies. It’s healthier and it helps me get to bed every night. I take them about 30 minutes before bed time. It works better than alcohol and it’s healthier

 

[Cyched]

Love coffee, but thats not something I could have at night. I do like the CBD seltzer idea that @CloniesForLife & @FriendlySpartan suggested.
My first night without a drink was last night, anxious but fell asleep reasonably ok given the circumstances.

I don’t drink decaf, since that’s half assed coffee for ninnies, but you could keep some on hand if you want that taste without the caffeine and sleep disruption.

I do keep some green tea on hand if I want the hot drink fix at night

 

[Jer]

If you're one of the people that have become addicted to the taste, drinking from the bottle, etc - you may find that doing one of the non alcohol beers for a week could help the transition.

 

[Cfinnerty16]

If you're one of the people that have become addicted to the taste, drinking from the bottle, etc - you may find that doing one of the non alcohol beers for a week could help the transition.

thats a great idea. because that's a big part of the reason, I love the taste of beer. I think confluence came out with something called Hop Water too that tastes like a beer

 

[JM4CY]

The sleep comments are no joke. You get way better sleep and that affects everything else positively.

 

[ClonerJams]

If you're not opposed to getting high, the climbing kites from Lua are great.

 

[madguy30]

Try sleeping on your left side it helps your body with digestion. I was having a lot of indigestion issues but started drinking a ton of water every day and being conscious of when I eat too late at night. Also sugar will destroy your gut, so cut back on that and greasy food.

As far as the addiction part, replace it with something healthy like exercise. Don't just find a new vice that you likely will continue when you start drinking again.

It can take some time and I don't believe it's the same chemically dependent type of addiction but getting into a habit of good healthy nutrition, exercise etc. can get to a point where you feel like it's missing if you go without for a few days.

 

[ruxCYtable]

I think you might want to wait until football season is over.

 

[MugNight]

Instead of reaching for a beer/seltzer/cocktail after work, I usually do one of the following:
- Seltzer water with a lime wedge (if you put it in a class Topo Chico bottle it’s like a corona)
- Liquid Death (they make a lime one I really like)
- N/A beer (Guinness has one that’s close enough for me, and Athletic brewing has every style of beer covered)
- mentally, pouring the drink into a chilled pint glass gives me similar satisfaction of that after-work beer without the buzz or grogginess the next day

For sleep, you might consider trying CBD or Delta 8 gummies. Be wary as the gummies might pop on a pee test.

 

[houjix]

Kind of did the same thing a few months ago and it's stuck. I just don't have any in the house, no liquor cabinet, beers in the fridge, etc.

If it was helping you go to sleep that will take awhile to adjust to but eventually I had an easier time going to sleep and slept much better without the nightcap. Also got rid of some late night acid reflux I was having.

This is basically what I do when I want to not drink. If it isn't in my house, there's nothing to drink. I don't frequent bars, so there's limited opportunities to consume alcohol.

 

[dmclone]

I don't see a reason why you should go cold turkey. How about going a month with only one drink a night instead of two. Then the next month go down from every night to 4 nights a week. Then a couple of night a week. And then just on social occasions. If you think you have an addiction, that's a different story.
Not sure why everyone is saying to replace one bad habit with another. I do agree with others that say not to keep it in the house. I have a dedicated beer fridge so.....

 

[CascadeClone]

So I have some intermittent issues with my GI, mostly around bedtime. Like, if I eat the wrong things to close to bedtime and then lay down, it can cause some pain & upset. Booze before bed (especially something carbonated, like beer) can DEFINTIELY cause some irritation and upset. For me its the TIMING which is the problem, my mom has GERD and I seem to have sort of mini-mild GERD. When you get to a certain age these things start to happen...

My suggestion would be instead of a couple drinks before bed, have like a protein bar, maybe a greek yogurt, or similar. Nothing huge, but something you know is easy to digest for you, yet also filling due to protein. That should settle your stomach and put it to work, which usually helps you sleep.

And if you want to take booze away as a variable, agree with above, just get it out of the house. Much easier to avoid it, if its much harder to get it...

 

[deadeyededric]

I’m a big kombucha fan, but as a heads up to the OP most kombucha has some caffeine in it so depending on your personal sensitivity you might not want to switch to that right before bed. The CBD seltzers are perfect mock tails for many

Kratom will make you sleep too.

 

[baller21]

I’ve cut back but haven’t quit. Good luck man.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Is anyone aware of a super low alcohol beer? Like I know that means different things to different people but if there was a “1/2” ABV Coors Light that would be perfect for me. So like 2.0% would be amazing. My go-to is Lagunitas DayTime IPA. The flavor to ABV ratio is the best I’ve found so far.

 

[Cfinnerty16]

Is anyone aware of a super low alcohol beer? Like I know that means different things to different people but if there was a “1/2” ABV Coors Light that would be perfect for me. So like 2.0% would be amazing. My go-to is Lagunitas DayTime IPA. The flavor to ABV ratio is the best I’ve found so far.

I'd also like to know about this for after my month is done. It's hard finding a lot of good tasting lower ABV beers, as all breweries seem to be pushing higher & higher ABV beers out

 

[deadeyededric]

Is anyone aware of a super low alcohol beer? Like I know that means different things to different people but if there was a “1/2” ABV Coors Light that would be perfect for me. So like 2.0% would be amazing. My go-to is Lagunitas DayTime IPA. The flavor to ABV ratio is the best I’ve found so far.

I've never understood why anyone drinks if they aren't going to get ****** up, but that's just the alcoholic in me. I could never just have a few. I'm not wired like that. That's why I don't need to drink.

 

[Al_4_State]

I’ve never been interested in quitting drinking altogether, but I take sabbaticals pretty regularly. Longest was a month off about 6-7 years ago when I was going too hard.

Frankly, unless you’re physically addicted (which it sounds like you aren’t even close to) it isn’t that hard. Keep busy with the things you like to do for sure. I’m extremely busy with work about 3-4 months a year and drink very little during these times.

When I want to cut out alcohol, I really like NA beers. Athletic makes the best, but the Budweiser and Heineken 0’s are really solid. I’ve also used THC in these situations to at least kinda mimic the inebriation (but I don’t find THC as enjoyable).

My guess is your alcohol intake isn’t causing your digestive issues, but beer specifically might.