Is 10 days enough to break an alcohol habit?

frazba · January 2012

Oh, and by the way, I gave up completely for two years, and now drink in moderation, once a week I have 3 or 4 beers and a musical appreciation night, something I really look forward to, again, maybe not the right way, but it works for me.

If you've any questions, just ask, I've been there.

mickeyrat · January 2012

Gob,

I feel qualified to comment and share my experience. What you've read about sleep patterns is WRONG!!!! The body is a wonderfully selfrestorative thing. It will take some time but it can happen. It will be different for everyone when they can expect a good nights sleep. In th emeantime, I would suggest going to your doctor and see what he/she can do to help you sleep.
Your experience last year may be an indicator of more serious problems thna lack of good sleep.Just sayin.

he still stands · January 2012

10 days? No. althought it doesn't sound like you have a terrible dependency, you probably do have a dependency.

go ahead and have a few drinks after 10 days to relieve a bit of stress, if needed. then set a bigger goal, like a month with no drinks. I think if you go 30 days without booze you will feel so much better and won't want to drink regularly.

the thing for me to remember is this: I am NOT addicted. I just like it a lot because it is fun, and I have to remember to drink in moderation. I have power over it. It is MY choice.

So, I drink once or twice per month and admittedly, it is to get drunk. But that only takes me about 5 or 6 drinks now not 20, so I'm functional the next day. Over Christmas I went on a 3 day bender and haven't drank since and I think I might keep that up for several months until vacation this summer. Then all bets are off.

my opinion anyway... it is different for everyone.

pandora · January 2012

Gob wrote:

I'm not a big drinker, but I drink daily, perhaps a drink or two over what is considered moderation.

It's a habit I developed years ago, mostly because of fears of insomnia. 3 to 4 drinks a night helps put me to sleep. And while alcohol interrupts your sleeping patterns, I figure crappy sleep is better than no sleep.

I'm taking next week off of work just to use vacation days and relax at home. I figure it will be 10 nights I don't have to worry about being well rested for the next day. 10 days to see if I can kick my nightly ritual I started years ago.

Anyone ever try to kick a "small" alcohol habit?

I tried this last year and didn't make it a day. I think I got bored, threw on a Live PJ DVD and made excuses for myself while watching Ed down a bottle. :?

I figure there will be a lot of restless nights next week..

I just heard 21 days to form a habit so...

maybe similar

depends how much you need those drinks besides just for sleep
there could be other reasons involved you are not as focused on

yes I've had to quit drinking (and smoking) with both my pregnancies
and I did by choice after a couple of lampshade awards

oh boy...

now I try not to drink much during the week and go for moderation on the weekends
sometimes that works

cowboypjfan · January 2012

I recently quit drinking all together. It's not difficult to do unless you have an alcohol problem(disease). You should start getting normal sleep after two weeks. If that doesn't work, smoke a bowl or two 15-30 minutes before bedtime

he still stands · January 2012

crazypjfan wrote:

I recently quit drinking all together. It's not difficult to do unless you have an alcohol problem(disease). You should start getting normal sleep after two weeks. If that doesn't work, smoke a bowl or two 15-30 minutes before bedtime

+1

although I'd say do it about 2 hours before bedtime so you can enjoy it

ZiggyStar · January 2012

conman wrote:

3 or 4 drinks is nothing, you shouldn't have a problem

The Australian Government's healthy alcohol consumption advice for a man is 2 standard drinks per day....and I believe they recommend having 2 alcohol free days a week too.

He is double that....and has been for TEN years. That's not really "nothing". He's doing damage to his body....he may not be able to see it now but he is. People have to stop kidding themselves and thinking that their kidneys or liver or heart or whatever aren't going to be affected by the lifestyle they live. Look at Black Diamond. Heart attacks at 45. He's now been told no alcohol, no smoking and no red meat. I bet he thought his excess consumption was "nothing" at the time too. But it caught up with him. If you abuse shit for the long term, there will be effects. Everyone thinks it won't be them until it happens.

Green Circle · January 2012

I know the majority of 10c members are against organized religion..
however...if you have trouble sleeping...and you had already stated that
its your mind that need the rest...read the first book of Chronicles in the Bible...

Dude if you can stay awake reading that...go back to drinking!

conman · January 2012

ZiggyStar wrote:

conman wrote:

3 or 4 drinks is nothing, you shouldn't have a problem

The Australian Government's healthy alcohol consumption advice for a man is 2 standard drinks per day....and I believe they recommend having 2 alcohol free days a week too.

He is double that....and has been for TEN years. That's not really "nothing". He's doing damage to his body....he may not be able to see it now but he is. People have to stop kidding themselves and thinking that their kidneys or liver or heart or whatever aren't going to be affected by the lifestyle they live. Look at Black Diamond. Heart attacks at 45. He's now been told no alcohol, no smoking and no red meat. I bet he thought his excess consumption was "nothing" at the time too. But it caught up with him. If you abuse shit for the long term, there will be effects. Everyone thinks it won't be them until it happens.

i was just saying that 3 or 4 drinks isn't THAT strong of a dependancy and that he shouldn't have a problem breaking it

ZiggyStar · January 2012

conman wrote:

ZiggyStar wrote:

conman wrote:

3 or 4 drinks is nothing, you shouldn't have a problem

The Australian Government's healthy alcohol consumption advice for a man is 2 standard drinks per day....and I believe they recommend having 2 alcohol free days a week too.

He is double that....and has been for TEN years. That's not really "nothing". He's doing damage to his body....he may not be able to see it now but he is. People have to stop kidding themselves and thinking that their kidneys or liver or heart or whatever aren't going to be affected by the lifestyle they live. Look at Black Diamond. Heart attacks at 45. He's now been told no alcohol, no smoking and no red meat. I bet he thought his excess consumption was "nothing" at the time too. But it caught up with him. If you abuse shit for the long term, there will be effects. Everyone thinks it won't be them until it happens.

i was just saying that 3 or 4 drinks isn't THAT strong of a dependancy and that he shouldn't have a problem breaking it

Oh.....well you're lucky you weren't saying it the other way or I'd have to post a big spiel about how you're wrong!!! :x :x

81 · January 2012

conman wrote:

i was just saying that 3 or 4 drinks isn't THAT strong of a dependancy and that he shouldn't have a problem breaking it

you'd be suprised. i typically have 2-3 beers a night...sometimes a little more. sometimes cheap beer, sometimes good beer. i quit last summer and it was physically annoying. it was like all the nerves in the arms went into over drive.

cowboypjfan · January 2012

conman wrote:

ZiggyStar wrote:

conman wrote:

3 or 4 drinks is nothing, you shouldn't have a problem

The Australian Government's healthy alcohol consumption advice for a man is 2 standard drinks per day....and I believe they recommend having 2 alcohol free days a week too.

He is double that....and has been for TEN years. That's not really "nothing". He's doing damage to his body....he may not be able to see it now but he is. People have to stop kidding themselves and thinking that their kidneys or liver or heart or whatever aren't going to be affected by the lifestyle they live. Look at Black Diamond. Heart attacks at 45. He's now been told no alcohol, no smoking and no red meat. I bet he thought his excess consumption was "nothing" at the time too. But it caught up with him. If you abuse shit for the long term, there will be effects. Everyone thinks it won't be them until it happens.

i was just saying that 3 or 4 drinks isn't THAT strong of a dependancy and that he shouldn't have a problem breaking it

You would be surprised, bud. I have a friend who never drank more than 3 or 4 drinks but had a hell of a time quitting even that. Alcohol dependency is probably the toughest thing to overcome. Even worse than heroine in some cases..

Green Circle · January 2012

conman wrote:

ZiggyStar wrote:

conman wrote:

3 or 4 drinks is nothing, you shouldn't have a problem

The Australian Government's healthy alcohol consumption advice for a man is 2 standard drinks per day....and I believe they recommend having 2 alcohol free days a week too.

He is double that....and has been for TEN years. That's not really "nothing". He's doing damage to his body....he may not be able to see it now but he is. People have to stop kidding themselves and thinking that their kidneys or liver or heart or whatever aren't going to be affected by the lifestyle they live. Look at Black Diamond. Heart attacks at 45. He's now been told no alcohol, no smoking and no red meat. I bet he thought his excess consumption was "nothing" at the time too. But it caught up with him. If you abuse shit for the long term, there will be effects. Everyone thinks it won't be them until it happens.

i was just saying that 3 or 4 drinks isn't THAT strong of a dependancy and that he shouldn't have a problem breaking it

On one hand I agree with you 3 or 4 drinks isn't that much to break, on the other hand...He's been doing it for and extended period of time...10 years is it? ( hee hee hee TEN..get it??

) A habit is a habit. Hell, I can take Nyquil for a week straight to fall asleep quicker and the night after that week I will have a tough time falling asleep if I don't take any. Your body gets used to a routine, good or bad.

Pavlov's dog ring a bell...(HAHAHA..bell..pavlovs dog..get it..I'M ON FIRE TODAY!!!

) its a habit, he's not an alcoholic but he has developed a habit of drinking a few before bed. That can be tough to break.

redrock · January 2012

conman wrote:

i was just saying that 3 or 4 drinks isn't THAT strong of a dependancy and that he shouldn't have a problem breaking it

I would say that 3/4 drinks at night in order to be able to sleep is a very strong dependency. He needs those drinks in order to function (in this instance, the 'functioning' is relaxing/sleeping) and he feels he can't function without the drinks. Addiction/dependency or what?

Alcoholism (yep... that word) comes in all forms and shape - not just the 'I'm was completely out of it and don't remember a thing about last night' type drinking but also social drinkers (those that need their drinks in order to 'fit in', dependency drinkers (perhaps the OP?), etc. They are all addictions.

This said, 'detoxing' the body is a progressive thing. Not knowing what the OP is drinking or how big the drinks are, one may be able to stop cold turkey. The first 3 days may be the most difficult as the body just doesn't know where it's at or where it's going but then things should get easier. The sleep won't for a while as all that really need to 'reboot' once the body and mind are healthy enough.

As others have pointed out, filling time constructively, exercise (more of!), maybe yoga or other relaxing techniques before bedtime. Get into 'proper' and regular bedtime routine, a relaxing environment where you sleep (room aired out, comfortable bed, etc.), even the hot bath (not a myth, does something with the heating then cooling of the body temperature that helps with sleep). At the moment, the alcohol helps you fall asleep but messes up your sleep pattern. Stopping will at first mess up the falling asleep bit but start working on the patterns and eventually (hopefully), both will come back to 'natural' levels (this is assuming you ever had good sleeping patterns as an adult!!!). Also, if worries, etc. race through your head when trying to sleep, get up and go to another room, write them down (clears your head) and then go back to bed.

There are so many ways you can help yourself and, I dare say, if not completely sorted within 10 days, you can make serious progress - enough to keep you going.

One thing to remember as well, your doctor is always a good person to speak to. 'Replacement' drugs are not necessary (even the joint or two as you are just replacing one issue with another). Give it a go, don't stress about it and just run with it....

Good luck.

PureandEasy · January 2012

81 wrote:

i start drinking earlier when i take vacation.

good luck

ditto

But if the OP is serious about stopping, replacing it with any other type of drug is not the answer. You're depending on something to make you sleep. Sleep is something the body requires, getting dependent on something to help that isn't going to fix your problem. As someone else said, it's just replacing it with another.

I've read that getting yourself into a routine, going to bed at the same time every night, waking up the same time every morning, can really help you to adjust your body to the proper sleeping pattern

Jason P · January 2012

10 days without alcohol?? Man, that's just crazy talk. :crazy:

Actually, I should probably try it sometime. :oops:

conman · January 2012

i say the OP just goes to a doctor, he's obviously worried about this or else he wouldn't be asking about it..

Hugh Freaking Dillon · January 2012

dependency is different for everyone.

my example: I drink quite heavily on the weekends. during the week? barely a drop. Just because I don't drink every day doesn't mean I don't have a dependency. I DEPEND on getting blasted once a week to reset.

3 or 4 drinks a night for one person could be a dependency for one person, but it might not be for another. since he DEPENDS on those drinks for (as Mickerat said) some type of functionality, I'd say it's a dependency.

I haven't been a smoker for years. But I have one or two when I drink. So I'd say, in some small way, I'm also dependent on cigarettes, even if it's only one or two a week.

anyway, I'm not here to judge the OP, just to say that if you go to a doctor and tell him about your routine, don't be surprised if he prescribes some type of support group for the booze.

81 · January 2012

conman wrote:

i say the OP just goes to a doctor, he's obviously worried about this or else he wouldn't be asking about it..

conman likeanocean

likeanocean conman

EdsonNascimento · January 2012

DS1119 wrote:

Maybe seeing a doctor may help.

I'm not trying to judge, but this is alcoholism. If you NEED to (which is what you describe) drink every day, it's alcoholism. On top of that, you are WONDERING if you can go 10 days without it. Sorry. It is what it is.

And his advice of seeing a doctor is a good start.

I hope you get better. Good luck.

Is 10 days enough to break an alcohol habit?

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