It’s been 5 years since I’ve had my last beer. I’ve been drinking alcohol since I was 17 years old, I quit when I was 36. Growing up alcohol was always present during birthdays and other parties, it was part of life. I lived in a small town and every weekend most people were going out and would drink beer. I absolutely loved the feeling. During my uni years the alcohol would flow 6 days a week, Sundays were usually rest days. It was the best time of my life. Alcohol was a big part of it, I have done things I regret, but I don’t regret drinking alcohol. It definitely made life more fun and I never felt like an addict; I never worried about my drinking (my mother did though as I would smell like alcohol on Sundays after a heavy night drinking).
Then uni was over and it was time for working 40 hours per week, my alcohol intake went down. I got a family, house, etc. At the start of my 30s I started to worry more about drinking. I started to Google my drinking habits, whether I was drinking too much or not. When comparing myself to others I could always find somebody else who’d drink more so I wasn’t an addict, right? I started to set maximums, but I would usually drink more, and regret it the next day. Hangovers became worse; just 5 to 6 standard drinks on a Saturday would mean 2 days hangover.
I was never drunk at home and my wife & kids didn’t notice the negative side, except the hangovers after a party. So, I thought again, I’m not an addict?
But I noticed things were getting worse, I worried more and more, so at 36 I decided to quit. I quit cold turkey on a holiday. It was weird and emotional, as holidays were usually a time where I didn’t impose any limits on my alcohol intake. It was I lost a good friend.
I had an awesome time, and I’ve never had a drink since.
Someone asked me the other day if I don’t miss alcohol. Yes, I miss the buzz, and the taste of a nice IPA, but I don’t miss the whole package of craving, hangovers, and regrets. So, no, I don’t miss alcohol.
Sorry for the long story, I hope you enjoyed reading it.
More power to you
Thank you, yes, you are right. The guy asking essentially said he was addicted as he didn’t know how to not drink.