I am giving up beer for 30 days

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Moderation is key. It's also good to tests oneself every now and then. I myself am doing something similar. I usually hit the gym hard in the spring and leave drinking to one day a week as my "cheat day". It's water and green tea all week long until the weekend hits.

Good luck to you!
 
Way to go man, self control and responsibility for your own health is a must. I have started cutting back myself based on a program called no S. It is more a pattern change than anything else.

No S stand for no snacks, no seconds and no sugar except on S days (Sat/Sun), I added another s no swill (alcohol). I modified the s days so that I splurge on Fri/Sat rather than Sat/Sun because I need to be sharp when I show up for work and Fri night after a long week is when I enjoy a beer the most.

I wake up way fresher when I don't drink, enjoy exercise more, mainly running and am mentally much clearer. I have only been doing this for 2 weeks and hope to make this my long term lifestyle. Side benefit, when I do drink it is much slower, say a beer an hour and the effects are immediate, my alcohol tolerance has been lowered.

I like this approach as it is moderation without any real effort like counting calories or worrying about what I eat, how much I drink, as long as I stay within the parameters of the no S days, I can splurge on the 2 days I have off and enjoy good health and beer at the same time.

Good luck to you and anyone else taking this challenge!
 
naturebrew said:
Way to go man, self control and responsibility for your own health is a must. I have started cutting back myself based on a program called no S. It is more a pattern change than anything else.

No S stand for no snacks, no seconds and no sugar except on S days (Sat/Sun), I added another s no swill (alcohol). I modified the s days so that I splurge on Fri/Sat rather than Sat/Sun because I need to be sharp when I show up for work and Fri night after a long week is when I enjoy a beer the most.

I wake up way fresher when I don't drink, enjoy exercise more, mainly running and am mentally much clearer. I have only been doing this for 2 weeks and hope to make this my long term lifestyle. Side benefit, when I do drink it is much slower, say a beer an hour and the effects are immediate, my alcohol tolerance has been lowered.

I like this approach as it is moderation without any real effort like counting calories or worrying about what I eat, how much I drink, as long as I stay within the parameters of the no S days, I can splurge on the 2 days I have off and enjoy good health and beer at the same time.

Good luck to you and anyone else taking this challenge!
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Love this!
 
I'm sitting here at lunch on day four. It's Friday. I have beer on my mind. Typically I would be lining up which homebrews I'd enjoy during the evening as I brewed another batch. Not tonight.

I have enjoyed waking up feeling more refreshed. Tonight will be a test, but I will pass. Up early tomorrow for a big hike.

Happy Friday everyone! :ban:
 
ArizonaGoalie said:
I'm sitting here at lunch on day four. It's Friday. I have beer on my mind. Typically I would be lining up which homebrews I'd enjoy during the evening as I brewed another batch. Not tonight.

I have enjoyed waking up feeling more refreshed. Tonight will be a test, but I will pass. Up early tomorrow for a big hike.

Happy Friday everyone! :ban:
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Good Luck!

I try not to drink on work nights and it is amazing how differently you feel when waking up in the mornings after not drinking the night before. I can now tell when I've had one or two beers after a hard day at work. A few years ago I was going through 5-6 a night, I wonder if that was why I was always tired in the mornings.
 
Good on ya. I've done that myself several times when my weight got out of hand. It's amazing how many calories are in a few beers and how quickly they add up :mad:

I took that alcohol test and scored a 2, which means I'm at a higher risk according to that site. My problem is that I like the taste of beer, but don't like the effects of alcohol. I like to have a few beers but I don't like getting buzzed. I have 5 beers on tap right now and none of them are over 4.5%. I would rather have several 3.x% beers than one RIS, but that's just me.
 
Rockn_M said:
Good Luck!

I try not to drink on work nights and it is amazing how differently you feel when waking up in the mornings after not drinking the night before. I can now tell when I've had one or two beers after a hard day at work. A few years ago I was going through 5-6 a night, I wonder if that was why I was always tired in the mornings.
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This!!! 5-6 on weeknights and 7-8 on weekends became too much. I recently dropped the weeknight drinking and I feel so much better at work. It also makes the weekend that much sweeter. I find I'm losing weight without changing anything else. I also find that I'm better able to keep a pipeline going.
 
Day 4 no beer. Today was a little harder, but mostly just because I am struggling to stay within my calorie limit too.

I'm VERY nervous about tomorrow night. A wedding is just a terrible time to be off the booze. Plus it's all my fiancee's HS friends, so I won't be having a great time anyway. I only see them a few times a year, and I don't have as much in common with them. Anyway, I don't want to do a cheat day so early in this, but tomorrow is about as good a reason as any... ugh.
 
Totally identify with this thread. Went to a gathering yesterday and an old friend who hadn't seen me for 10 years ago commented that I'm 'living well'. Keen on some lower strength/sugar recipes and didn't want to take over your thread so started a new one. Good luck with the weight loss dude!
 
SatanPrinceOfDarkness said:
Day 4 no beer. Today was a little harder, but mostly just because I am struggling to stay within my calorie limit too.

I'm VERY nervous about tomorrow night. A wedding is just a terrible time to be off the booze. Plus it's all my fiancee's HS friends, so I won't be having a great time anyway. I only see them a few times a year, and I don't have as much in common with them. Anyway, I don't want to do a cheat day so early in this, but tomorrow is about as good a reason as any... ugh.
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Good luck with that. Weekends are going to be a struggle. As for the wedding, it can be entertaining to be the sober guy when everyone else is loaded.

Day four went well even though I was off Friday. I kept myself busy with chores.

-5.2 pounds, still have a ways to go but I like the trend.
 
ArizonaGoalie said:
DAY FOUR - NO BEER:

Friday night. Thank God for playoff hockey to distract me. First real test passed. Big test tomorrow. Thanks for the support everyone!

26 days left....
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Best of luck to ya, i started on the 25th and saturday night has been my biggest worry thus far. As you said first real test for me. Good luck and hope you get through another day.

For me i need to cut back also but secondly and maybe more importantly it is the only way i think i can quit smoking for good. Sorry but beer and cigarettes go together way to well.

see ya tomorrow and keep your heads up guys think how nice that first beer will be at the end of the month.
 
It's just past noon here the Pacific Time Zone. This is about the time I'd crack my first brew on a Saturday or the wife and I would be hitting a local brewery. Not today......

Brewing an amber today and sipping a zero calorie cream soda out of the bottle. Got in a 4+ mile hike this morning, so lots of room for calories in the way of food, not beer.

Game 7 tonight - Blackhawks vs. Ducks.

Happy Saturday!
 
ArizonaGoalie said:
It's just past noon here the Pacific Time Zone. This is about the time I'd crack my first brew on a Saturday or the wife and I would be hitting a local brewery. Not today......

Brewing an amber today and sipping a zero calorie cream soda out of the bottle. Got in a 4+ mile hike this morning, so lots of room for calories in the way of food, not beer.

Game 7 tonight - Blackhawks vs. Ducks.

Happy Saturday!
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Well done AG.

Ok, I'm going to have to ramp up my game, a hike is just what I need. It's Summer, I'm five miles from the beach, and I have a fridge full of Jamaican ginger beer calling out to me.

Gotta stay strong :)
 
DAY FIVE - NO BEER:

Toughest day yet. Brewed and so desperately wanted a pint or two while I waited for the mash and watched the boil. Amber turned up with an 1.050 OG, dead on.

Feel like I'm turning a corner. Now a week reprieve until another tough Fri/Sat.

25 days left.....
 
Hang tough guys,

AG, if things go as planned I'll be brewing this week.

One unintended consequence of this is a clean, orderly house. Whenever I feel like having a beer or a snack, i get up and do some chore.

Heck, another 25 days of this and I'll be crocheting doilies and breeding Yaks.

Down 5.4 from day zero, had a big lunch yesterday.
 
Day 5 (Saturday) - NOPE.

The wedding did us in. We discussed back and forth all day and finally decided when we arrived that we might as well drink all the free booze. Since it's mostly about calories for me, the clincher was that I wasn't planning to restrict my food intake either. Back on the wagon today. Hopefully our resolve didn't dissolve completely.:eek:
 
SatanPrinceOfDarkness said:
Day 5 (Saturday) - NOPE.

The wedding did us in. We discussed back and forth all day and finally decided when we arrived that we might as well drink all the free booze. Since it's mostly about calories for me, the clincher was that I wasn't planning to restrict my food intake either. Back on the wagon today. Hopefully our resolve didn't dissolve completely.:eek:
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I am SO glad I don't have an event like this to contend with. I cannot blame you one bit. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and being at a wedding with all the free booze you want is one of life's gifts, right?
 
menotu said:
Best of luck to ya, i started on the 25th and saturday night has been my biggest worry thus far. As you said first real test for me. Good luck and hope you get through another day.

For me i need to cut back also but secondly and maybe more importantly it is the only way i think i can quit smoking for good. Sorry but beer and cigarettes go together way to well.

see ya tomorrow and keep your heads up guys think how nice that first beer will be at the end of the month.
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I hear you on the smoking and beer combo, I quit at age 28, that's 26 years ago, yep I'm an old guy now. I didn't go near a beer while I was quitting, changed my habit of sitting down with a smoke after dinner to building model airplanes after dinner, that was my hardest smoke to give up so I needed a plan for how I would fill that void and it was playoffs then as well!
 
Keep going guys, you got this, anyone feeling healthier after 5 days no beer? For me, I just seem to have more energy and want to do more healthy stuff, like the hikes and running etc.
 
Keep up the clean living! Actually after in the end its not so bad. You make that first beer a special occasion instead of "well I walked in the door from work so I get a beer" I went cold the Lent of 13', found the hardest part was not the drinking but the habit of getting a home brew. Always having a glass near by was thirst quenching. I replaced the brew with water and that help a lot. At the same time my GF tried to quit Soda-pop. Her drug of choice is mt. Dew. After a week her withdrawals made her um.. difficult. She gave in. I lasted the entire 40 days.
 
naturebrew said:
Keep going guys, you got this, anyone feeling healthier after 5 days no beer? For me, I just seem to have more energy and want to do more healthy stuff, like the hikes and running etc.
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Without a doubt, I'm feeling better. Not just more energy, but I'm much more motivated to get stuff done.

I'm sleeping better, eating better, losing weight, and I find that it's just kind of a feedback loop where feeling better encourages behavior that results in me feeling even better mentally and physically.

But that doesn't mean that I'm not looking forward to that first beer. I'm even working on the menu to accompany it, the current front runner is Thai grilled chicken with some kind of mango-habanero salsa.

Go hot or go home.
 
Good luck OP. For the last decade or do I have given up all alcohol for 10 days at least once a year, usually the first ten days of the year. It is always tougher than I think it is going to be but I feel better for having done it. That first beer is awesome though.
 
naturebrew said:
I hear you on the smoking and beer combo, I quit at age 28, that's 26 years ago, yep I'm an old guy now. I didn't go near a beer while I was quitting, changed my habit of sitting down with a smoke after dinner to building model airplanes after dinner, that was my hardest smoke to give up so I needed a plan for how I would fill that void and it was playoffs then as well!
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When I quit smoking, about 8 years ago, I had to give up beer and coffee. Well, I was actually deployed to Afghanistan, so beer wasn't a problem, since we're not allowed to drink, but coffee was a tough one. Even the smell of coffee made me crave cigarettes. I ended up carrying around toothpaste and a toothbrush in my cargo pocket wherever I went. When I got a bad urge, I'd brush my teeth, and then my craving would subside with a freshly cleaned mouth. I never had cleaner teeth in my life!

I went back to drinking beer a year later when I came home, no problems. Coffee, on the other hand, took me a good three years to be able to drink without cravings. Now I have a coffee every morning without even a thought of smoking... But it took awhile.
 
DAY SIX - NO BEER:

Feeling good. Had a late hockey game so no drinking during the day was no problem. Definitely experiencing more energy and stamina. A little TMI: better sex drive as well. Thankfully I have a willing partner.

Planned out my next four brews this summer and helped my wife clean the floorboards. Recorded four podcasts too. Getting sh*t done instead of drinking.

Thanks to everyone for your support and especially to those joining me on this quest.

24 days left.....
 
You have my support man, 100%.

I give up all alcohol every March... keeps me honest.

I also have to give up carbs in general and I don't smoke. The craves would kill me otherwise.
Weirdest oart is that all the people who would normally tell me I drink too much start saying, "well you can have just one, right?"

No. I can not just have one. I'm in or I'm out.

And one month a year I'm out 100%, a week or two here and there I'm out... I don't normally drink Mon - Thur... the rest of the year I try to not freak out... you know what I mean.
 
My local casino has Full Sail Amber Ale on tap, and it is hard to say no to free beer when burning off a few pennies. If I stay home I generally only have one bottle of beer a day, but after any projects have been done first. I have a new recipe Brown Porter bottled that still needs to bottle carbonate for a couple more weeks. I will see how well I like the results and post them if they are contest worthy.Right now I am drinking one of my favorite ales from Mirror Pond.
 
Magnus314 said:
You have my support man, 100%.

I give up all alcohol every March... keeps me honest.

I also have to give up carbs in general and I don't smoke. The craves would kill me otherwise.
Weirdest oart is that all the people who would normally tell me I drink too much start saying, "well you can have just one, right?"

No. I can not just have one. I'm in or I'm out.

And one month a year I'm out 100%, a week or two here and there I'm out... I don't normally drink Mon - Thur... the rest of the year I try to not freak out... you know what I mean.
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This is the biggest issue for me thus far magnus, people just dont grasp it. Been great having others doing this to see there progress and the support given by other members. Gives that little extra to keep it going and stay strong.

Congrats on making it through the weekend guys, keep up the fine work.
 
Cut up a couple of trees yesterday. Fought with the saw most of the time and hauled the brush to the city dump area too.

Waited til the work was done to have a beer and it was so much better. Petosky Brewing Classic American Lager.
 
Rhumbline said:
Without a doubt, I'm feeling better. Not just more energy, but I'm much more motivated to get stuff done.

I'm sleeping better, eating better, losing weight, and I find that it's just kind of a feedback loop where feeling better encourages behavior that results in me feeling even better mentally and physically.

But that doesn't mean that I'm not looking forward to that first beer. I'm even working on the menu to accompany it, the current front runner is Thai grilled chicken with some kind of mango-habanero salsa.

Go hot or go home.
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Awesome way to go!
 
Giving up beer for 30 days inspired me to change the way I drink beer. I drink a full glass of ice water then a beer followed by another glass of ice water.

It works for me.
 
DAY 7 - NO BEER:

Day started out great. Doctor's appointment.....I'm down 10lbs and my blood pressure went from 140/92 a week a go and today it was 118/68. Fantastico!

Bad news tho - doc says no coffee for the next 30 days too. Man o' man.

Anyway, easy day for no beer. Not even tempted.

23 days left....
 
ArizonaGoalie said:
That may not seem like that big of deal, but it is for me. I have at least one glass of my home brewed beer every day. I mean every, single, day.

Due to some health issues, stress, and generally wanting to get in a little better shape, I am giving up beer for 30 days - May 26-June 26.

I am going to keep a daily journal right hear on HBT.

Today is May 22 - I've enjoyed some Left Hand nitro brews on tap at a local taphouse (in San Diego), then came home and drank a few Lagunitas Pale Ales and now onto Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ales. Feeling quite good....

Cheers!
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I just did this for the last 30 days. I "cheated" Friday and had a jello shot just before a 27 hour foot race started. I drank 4-6 beers of homebrew a night and just about ran myself out of beer before stopping.

Stick with it. It doesn't become much of a deal to not have beer TO YOU. I've noticed it's a bigger deal to everyone ELSE that I'm not drinking beer but after the first or second time they saw me and I told them I'm not drinking they didn't say anything and stopped offering "beer" (Coors) and I started noticing how much some people drink, how much it changes them, and how annoying they can become.
 

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