quitting

Ooh if we're suggesting other hobbies, I'll suggest the best of all, Halloween! There's nothing I enjoy more transacting the daylights out of both children and adults. Plus I get to play dress up.

 

In the vein of "related" hobbies..... Something I have taken up over the last 1-2 years that I have really grown to enjoy is fermenting vegetables. My wife and I make sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented pickles, fermented beets, I grow and ferment a wide variety of peppers and then turn them into hot sauces. Lots of satisfaction from a successful crock pot full of great sauerkraut or a gallon of awesome hot sauce to share with friends. Best wishes.

 

Lots of people have to quit things before they are consumed by them.

The problem is that stumbling, getting back up, and dusting yourself off is a reality we'd all be better off knowing. Describing this, I think a famous man once said, "As a dog returns to his vomit..." Meaning just that, we are slaves to our vices unless you ask for freedom.

You have my best.

 

There are a lot of good suggestions so far. Mine were going to be things like gardening and canning/pickling. The gardening takes up plenty of time, and the canning/pickling can make use of some brewing skills and equipment.

Then there's stuff like hunting or fishing, which will completely eat up a hobby budget and plenty of time. Both of those hobbies can lead down other roads like cooking, smoking, shooting, reloading, etc. You can get really deep into any of these hobbies and spend as much money/time as you need to. I like these kinds of hobbies because I get something out of them (other than just a fun way to pass time), food that I've grown or caught or processed myself. It's pretty satisfying.

Be careful though, a simple fishing hobby can turn into "I need a boat, and this fancy fish finding computer, and a new truck to pull the boat....." Hunting can get pretty out-of-hand too. Pretty much anything can be taken to the extremes.

Good luck with your lifestyle change.

 

I don't know what equipment you have, but you can always cold brew coffee and put it on nitro. It is a pretty good NA drink.

 

why not sausage making or doing ham's....they have a section on this forum...

 

No words of wisdom just good luck brother and God bless

 

I started baking breads. It was something I can do more frequently as the kids can help eat what I make. It is different than brewing but I think equally as much fun.
I wish you luck moving forward.

 

It takes a strong person to admit (especially on a public forum)that you have a problem such as yours. You are a very strong person for doing that and I wish you the best of luck.

 

Not sure if this helps or not, but I just got an email from Northern Brewers and they just announced that they are selling Non Alcohol beer kits. Maybe you could still brew beer just to enjoy the flavor of beer.

 

My hobby suggestion would be something that requires some precision and design. Something like woodworking or sewing where you have measurements, cutting, building and finishing. Things like that keep my mind busy to where I don't think about drinking. If I'm cooking or grilling I end up drinking beer.

 

Also, if you have kegs, making soda is cool. Everyone can enjoy it and it's similar to brewing. It might be a little too close for you though if you are trying to get completely away from brewing. Craft soda is a thing though.

 

Get into weight training of some other very physical activity, Cycling, running, Rowing, Kite Boarding,white water kayaking etc....it will be 180 degrees away from drinking at a competitive level and or even hanging around the drinking life style. Watching your body transform can be exhilarating and its own euphoric. And its definitely good for you.

Good luck mate...and its really not that hard once you set your mined to it..I went about 3 years in my early 30's with out drinking due to thinking I had pre-diabetic symptoms, all the while hanging out with drinking friends. In my case the Symptoms wet away so eased back into enjoying beer again. Point is all you need in life is a trigger to make you change directions..seem like you just got yours pulled, so run with it.:rockin:
Wishing you all the best!

 

April Fool's.

 

I wish I could, and that is an awesome suggestion. I do know how to remove the alcohol. But for me, that's not good enough and not an option. I need to remove myself from it all entirely. Thank you so much though.

 

AA is a dangerous cult in my opinion. There are many newer support groups that are better if you google.

 

Thank you so much. I am heavily involved in kickboxing, and once I'm sorted out I will involve myself that much more. I wish I liked running, maybe I'll give that another stab. Thank you so much for your supportive words, it really means a lot.

 

Thanks and I respect your opinion. I've got an appointment with a personal counselor first. I looked into AA and while I respect what they do, the religious aspect might turn me off to the point of it not being successful.

 

Hmmm, maybe it is April Fools.....but go to this link and look at the very top of the page:
http://www.northernbrewer.com

 

Click on it. 20% off their recipe kits.

 

You may not want to give up HBT forever. you can always log on and check this thread and feel all the support you have behind you. Most, if not all, have no idea what you look like, or where exactly you live. And we don't care. We truly want what is best for you. Now you have figured out what is best for you, and i'm proud of you! You should be proud of yourself. Best of luck to you in the future. But make sure you write down your username and login, you may need to read some supportive messages sometime.

 

It must be so wonderful to eat at your house, with all of those great hobbies. I'm super-impressed, truly.

 

That's why you all are so awesome. I think most of us have enough in common that we can understand in ways that others could not. The pure joy in that smell when you make the first hop addition. The pleasure of drinking something so delicious that you created. You all understand how hard this is. I really will miss the brewing more than the drinking. And I will really miss this support. Thank you for your kind words.

 

Incidentally, I'm putting together a list of the useful gear bits in my brewery that I'll be getting rid of. I don't have a very fancy rig but there's a few useful bits in there. It will be dirt cheap or free, but the caveat is that I will not be able to ship it, so you'll have to come get it. If you live in the Charlotte NC area or know someone who does, keep an eye out for my post with pix in the coming days. I'd rather it go to folks on here where I know it will get well used before I try Craigslist or the dump.

 

Just wanted to say best of luck to you. Good for you to recognize it was becoming out of control. A lot of people never do that.

Keep yourself busy, very busy. Go fishing, paint the house, cut the grass twice. When you want a drink, do something with your family. They're why your putting the alcohol down. Make it so you don't have time to think about it.

Again, best of luck.

 

Thank you so much. Every bit of support helps and means a lot to me

 

Find another hobby. Ironically,i took up home brewing so i could stop gambling.

 

I have struggled with alcohol in the past and actually just last night I got pretty darn trashed. It wasn't really my intention to get that drunk but sometimes I just keep drinking even when I know I'm going to feel like absolute death the next day. Alcohol is very powerful. It can cause you to do and say things that are completely out of character. Beer and wine hasn't caused me very many problems. For me its liquor that really causes severe issues. I'm not sure if you are still reading these posts but you aren't alone in your thoughts. For the most part I know when to quit but sometimes I just have a bad day and I take things too far. What I have learned is that I can't drink when I'm emotionally unstable. Giving it up can be the best solution though because then you wont have to worry about ever being in that situation again. Best of luck to you.

 

Exactly what I was going to say. I gave up drinking/brewing until I lost some weight. Smoking meats was a great replacement. Growing hydroponic vegetables is another one you might enjoy.

 

Thank you so much for sharing, I really appreciate it. I have been stressed so much in the past about planning when I would drink, how I would manage it, and dealing with each time I failed miserably.. which wasn't every time. But the times that I did fail, it was brutal. I actually feel relieved quitting entirely, as I don't feel like I have that stress.

 

You seem to be a strong person.....much stronger than alcohol that was causing you personal issues. Stay convicted to your choice.

It takes a whole lot of courage to admit there are issues in your life needing attention. You took that important step and asked your extended HBT family for support. If I was still in the military and preparing to go into battle, I'd want a person like you with courage and strength on my team.

 

Best of luck to you dsniegocki. That is a tough thing to recognize, and even tougher to take action once you do recognize that you need to step away.


I will through out my other time fillers as suggestions.

Reefkeeping. It has a little bit of chemistry, a little bit of biology, a little engineering, a little design, and a sprinkle of black magic to get it all working. And if you get really into it, you won't have the time or money to think about drinking.
http://www.reefcentral.com/

Other than that, cooking/ BBQ/ smoking meat. My wife and I will pick out stuff that we see on TV or something that we have at a restaurant, and go on a culinary mission to recreate the dish.

 

This is exactly how it goes for me. I basically quit going to bars all together....I usually have a drink at a bar maybe 1-2 times a year. I cant have someone else pouring me drinks because once I get to a certain point I don't have the ability to say no. I think our mental state has a lot to do with how much we drink.. At least for me it does anyway. I enjoy brewing too much to give it up but avoiding the industry all together may be what you have to do for yourself and your family.

 

Best of luck to @dsniegocki. I hope you get to where you want to be, and are able to come back and share with us. I don't doubt that you can. This hobby is so awesome, but it can be tough keeping the drinking in check. Props to you for recogizing you need to stop. You are already well on your way back.

 

... ^^^ if you thought brewing was expensive, reefs are a giant money pit. Also, it's similar in that you will continue to want to get a bigger system, especially if you hang around that forum.

 

I would add a pinch of sorbate to the bottles. This will act as a preservative. If the bottles are clean and have been sanitized, there should be no problem with infection.

 

Making the decision to do what's right for you is probably the most important step. Congrats and good luck.

As to an outlet, I strongly recommend baking. Homemade bread is an excellent way to get your grain-and-yeast fix.

 

One thing to also consider is getting involved with a men's group at a good local church. Interaction with others, especially who may share commonalities, could help.