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2020 resolution: No drinking alcohol for a year.

allen0879

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I haven't consumed any alcohol for the last month and it has been amazing. Over the last month, I've felt like I have super powers! (I've never been really good with moderation, so I may be getting more positive benefits compared to others)

I feel so good, that I'm going to commit to going all of next year sober to see what happens. While almost everyone else is starting the first day of the new year tired and hungover, I'm getting up at the crack of dawn to get after my goals!

Some of the positives from living sober over the last month:

- All of the TIME I get back! I didn't realize how much time I wasted drinking, thinking about drinking, or attending stupid social events. I now spend the extra time working on my business, fitness, reading, being a better husband/dad, etc

- I've been jumping out of bed every morning at 4:30 AM excited to start the day. I hit the gym first thing in the morning and this sets the tone for my day.

- I feel alert, energetic, and just all around happier. My thinking is clearer and I'm doing better work.

- Saving money!

- Dropped a lot of loser friends(also hear a lot of shit, because these people don't like it when you try to better yourself)

- I don't say or do dumb shit that I later regret. I'm fully in control.

- No hangovers. Instead, I wake up early, sip on coffee, and think about how grateful I am to not be hungover and ready to get after my goals!

- People keep telling me I look great( I think my skin has cleared up or something)

- I used to get depressed a lot, now those feelings are gone.

- I sleep like a baby and feel well rested when I wake up.

- Less anxiety, especially now that I'm exercising more. I'm actually starting to feel CALM, no matter what's going on.

- I'm a better person. I once heard somebody ask a successful man I admire, "Why don't you drink alcohol?" and he responded, "It doesn't make me better." I think he's on to something!

If you're interested, give it a shot! I have no regrets.
 
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NickNack

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Awesome!

I can attest to all of the above. I've been just a week dry today - my wife and I did an IVF cycle last week to try for our second kid, so I'm foregoing the evening glass (or two) of wine in solidarity. The very least I can do given what she's gone through!

I feel GREAT! I wasn't drinking excessively, but it's amazing how much improvement you can see from even dropping from moderate consumption to zero.

I find I tend to do badly with resolutions - something about the scale of the thing pushes back against me and I tend to fail - so I'm going to go with one day at a time. But "It doesn't make me better" nicely sums it up.
 

allen0879

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Awesome!

I can attest to all of the above. I've been just a week dry today - my wife and I did an IVF cycle last week to try for our second kid, so I'm foregoing the evening glass (or two) of wine in solidarity. The very least I can do given what she's gone through!

I feel GREAT! I wasn't drinking excessively, but it's amazing how much improvement you can see from even dropping from moderate consumption to zero.

I find I tend to do badly with resolutions - something about the scale of the thing pushes back against me and I tend to fail - so I'm going to go with one day at a time. But "It doesn't make me better" nicely sums it up.
Nice! And that's just after one week! Try a month!
 

NickNack

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Nice! And that's just after one week! Try a month!

Absolutely - I suspect the returns will compound!

Another benefit you didn't mention is it makes it much easier to lose/maintain weight. I'm trying to drop a few kgs right now, and ditching those extra evening calories is very helpful. Also now I'm feeling fresh and alert throughout the day I'm less likely to reach for fatty/carby "comfort" stuff to get me through.
 
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Strm

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That's awesome! It will be great for you.

Day after tomorrow (on 25th) it will be 500days straight for me without a drop of alcohol (sure, there's some in those alcohol free beers etc). Been thinking about making a thread but postponing this all the time :) Coming from a guy from Estonia - here drinking is considered our national sport. I was a heavy partyguy all the time, crazy.
I just made this decision summer 2018 and it has been amazing. I love your post, the points that you make are pretty much the same for me too. I still go to partys with my old friends, but I can be sober without a problem and still have fun. One of the best decisions of my life, and I'm sure you will feel this too! You got this! :fistbump:
 
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Poplanu

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I also recently realized that the pros of alcohol don't really justify the cons. You covered the benefits perfectly in your post. I'm not good at moderation, so it's like a spiral for me, more often than not:

Drinking → smoking → staying up late → eating crap food → hangover → zero productivity → feeling antisocial → low energy → more crap food (gotta treat yourself when you're feeling bad, right?) → feeling bad because of the bad food...

It takes a whole full day for me to recover now.

I had a couple of non-alcoholic months in 2015-2016 when I was trying to lose weight as fast as possible. It was kind of cool - walking into a club, ordering a cheap soda, and just chilling with my mates while everyone around me (including my mates) was getting wasted and spending heaps of money on drinks.

But you gotta have determination to do that. You need to have a strong WHY to keep being sober while everyone around you is doing the exact opposite.

I'm not trying to lose weight anymore, but my productivity has been in the gutter recently. So I found my WHY again, after all these years. Also, the stakes are way higher now than they were in 2015-2016, so I'm positive that this time it'll stick.

I'm planning to have an alcohol-free January, just to learn to socialize with people again without having to drink. And to be more productive.

I'll probably continue the streak... or at least cut my alcohol consumption down significantly (e.g. only on significant events and no more than once a month, something like that).

Same with smoking.

I'm gonna make myself one of these Seinfeld checklist calendar bad boys and put a cross for each alcohol-free day. By hand, with a pen. So that it's tangible and real.

Stay strong guys.
 
Last edited:

Longinus

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Been sober for 6 weeks now. Started because I wanted to be in shape for a tournament and thought to keep going until Christmas at least.

Pros:
- No hangovers, no emotional hangovers.
- No shitty sleep.
- No stupid stuff done or said.
- Less money spent.

Cons:
- Going out is really no fun at all. At 12 I start yawning and want to go home. I get annoyed by the stupidity caused by drunk people.
- When dating and only the girl is drinking, there's usually some vibe lacking.
- When you're the only sober dude in a group of people drinking, you're like a total outcast.

So in case you don't like to go out, I would recommend. I feel like I can stop drinking without any problems, but it's just not the right time in my life. I don't drink excessively anyway.
 

Paul David

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Sitting here with a really bad hangover.

Think it's time to knock it in the head for a while now. For a couple of days after drinking I'm tired and lethargic, I eat crap, don't get up early or exercise. Zero work productivity either.

I've got a spreadsheet which since May13th I've monitored certain things in life which either take me to where I need to go or don't, I put a yes or no in the columns each day. For alcohol I've drank 36% of the days in the last month. The target initially was less than 20%.

On the bandwagon I jump.
 
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Vigilante

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I haven't consumed any alcohol for the last month and it has been amazing. Over the last month, I've felt like I have super powers! (I've never been really good with moderation, so I may be getting more positive benefits compared to others)

I feel so good, that I'm going to commit to going all of next year sober to see what happens. While almost everyone else is starting the first day of the new year tired and hungover, I'm getting up at the crack of dawn to get after my goals!

Some of the positives from living sober over the last month:

- All of the TIME I get back! I didn't realize how much time I wasted drinking, thinking about drinking, or attending stupid social events. I now spend the extra time working on my business, fitness, reading, being a better husband/dad, etc

- I've been jumping out of bed every morning at 4:30 AM excited to start the day. I hit the gym first thing in the morning and this sets the tone for my day.

- I feel alert, energetic, and just all around happier. My thinking is clearer and I'm doing better work.

- Saving money!

- Dropped a lot of loser friends(also hear a lot of shit, because these people don't like it when you try to better yourself)

- I don't say or do dumb shit that I later regret. I'm fully in control.

- No hangovers. Instead, I wake up early, sip on coffee, and think about how grateful I am to not be hungover and ready to get after my goals!

- People keep telling me I look great( I think my skin has cleared up or something)

- I used to get depressed a lot, now those feelings are gone.

- I sleep like a baby and feel well rested when I wake up.

- Less anxiety, especially now that I'm exercising more. I'm actually starting to feel CALM, no matter what's going on.

- I'm a better person. I once heard somebody ask a successful man I admire, "Why don't you drink alcohol?" and he responded, "It doesn't make me better." I think he's on to something!

If you're interested, give it a shot! I have no regrets.

OP was last seen in February
 

gryfny

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Cons:
- Going out is really no fun at all. At 12 I start yawning and want to go home. I get annoyed by the stupidity caused by drunk people.
- When dating and only the girl is drinking, there's usually some vibe lacking.
- When you're the only sober dude in a group of people drinking, you're like a total outcast.

For me this has been a plus. It weeds out the alcoholics, which a lot of people are actually.

At the end of last year I decided I wanted to start this. But I waited until after Christmas and new years, because those days will be the hardest for me. It has been quite easy so far, partly due to the lockdown of course. I will continue until the end of the year and then decide if I want to continue or not.
 

sparechange

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Good for you! If you want to feel even better, dump the coffee as well & hydrate more for energy.

Brown says while most people only have mild negative effects from caffeine, both short- and long-term health risks are possible.

Short-Term Effects of Caffeine

  • Raised blood pressure
  • Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
  • Frequent urination
Long-Term Caffeine Health Risks

  • Heart palpitations or other heart problems
  • Mental health changes
 
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simplymoto

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I haven't consumed any alcohol for the last month and it has been amazing. Over the last month, I've felt like I have super powers! (I've never been really good with moderation, so I may be getting more positive benefits compared to others)

If you're interested, give it a shot! I have no regrets.

Congrats! you have started well.

What was your red pill?
 
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G

Guest1413tpa

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Hats off to you! I went through a period of binge drinking when Corona started all the way to last month. Debating making it permanent!
 

WillHurtDontCare

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- No hangovers, no emotional hangovers.

This was the big reason that I significant cut back on drinking when I was 24. I just started waking up unhappy after having good nights. My normal mood is much better now that I've cut back on drinking (though it wasn't much of an effort).

I still get sloshed on occasion, but I do not miss drinking every weekend.
 
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Bearcorp

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Dry July starting tomorrow for me, been too many beers during COVID so time to have a break and get my fitness back!
 

Paul David

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Dry July starting tomorrow for me, been too many beers during COVID so time to have a break and get my fitness back!

How is dry July going? Have you managed to stick with it?
 
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Bearcorp

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How is dry July going? Have you managed to stick with it?

Yep it’s been good! Been exercising and eating well too, after a pretty shabby lockdown period, feeling great for it.

How have you been going with cutting back?
 
Last edited:

Bearcorp

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For those interested I lost 4kgs during Dry July so I'm going another month, so far 5 weeks of no alcohol, I doubt I've gone this long since I was 16!

The thought of even having one has gone now, was at a few parties on Saturday, great weather, perfect beer drinking environment, and I not only didn't feel like one I didn't even think of having one, was happy with water, was happy to wake up early Sunday and hit the gym, what have I started :rofl:
 

Strm

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For those interested I lost 4kgs during Dry July so I'm going another month, so far 5 weeks of no alcohol, I doubt I've gone this long since I was 16!

The thought of even having one has gone now, was at a few parties on Saturday, great weather, perfect beer drinking environment, and I not only didn't feel like one I didn't even think of having one, was happy with water, was happy to wake up early Sunday and hit the gym, what have I started

That sounds great! The best part are the weekends without hangovers so you can work out in the morning etc. Next wednesday I will celebrate 2 years without alcohol! Who would've thought!
 
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Strm

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Coming from a guy from Estonia - here drinking is considered our national sport.

I have a couple of sketches to share regarding this matter, with english subtitles. It's a big issue that we swim, drive and do all other stuff while drunk. The guys, who did these are very popular here with their comedy! It's a bit grim but so is our whole nation.:rofl:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBfU6hkWV6c


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opcAfG7NE64&list=PLRDDwZ-WWeK6udsy_LWCa_cwhOUfqAtEo&index=22
 

Bearcorp

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Next wednesday I will celebrate 2 years without alcohol! Who would've thought!

Fantastic effort! Do you plan on drinking again at some point?
 

Strm

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Fantastic effort! Do you plan on drinking again at some point?

Yeah, it has been pretty easy to be honest, which was a surprise for me.

But I'm not sure. I am in the best shape of my life, it's going pretty well business-wise and I'm 100% sure that these things are connected with the fact that I'm not drinking anymore.
Maybe a year or so ago I said that if I am able to quit my job, then I will celebrate with alcohol, but I haven't worked since March, not sure yet if I can quit my job for life, but I don't feel like drinking anymore. :D

One day I'd love to have a house in Spain or somewhere south, I think it's mandatory to drink beer by the pool though..
 
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Sethamus

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My best friend did the same thing years ago for over 1 1/2 yrs and it worked out really well for him, especially for the environment he was in at the time. I think the only reason he started backup is because he finally wanted to have a beer and had moved away from the old work environment. Mostly he didn't want to get drunk off 2 beers and act a fool on his first date with a girl who is now his wife lol.
 

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