I am giving up beer for 30 days

[Pyg]

That test is great. It weights everything the same. So if you say "yes I can handle more then when I started drinking" Its the same as "I stay drunk for several days at a time" or Yes I have the shakes when I don't drink"

"Do you usually have a reason for the occasions when you drink heavily?"
If I answer NO, does this mean I drink heavily for no reason?
Or if I say yes at least I am drinking heavily for a reason but it still counts against me.
also
"Has a family member or close friend express concern or complained about your drinking?"
I answered NO, but SWMBO remined me that my Mother, who is a teetotaler complains about my drinking, even if I have 1 drink!
so I had to go back and change my answer, now I am at a 5.

 

[Psylocide]

Quick update: I'm about 11 hours in on giving up beer for 15 hours. It's been brutal, but I spent a good 7 hours of that time sleeping, so that helped quite a bit.

Wish me luck.

 

[Homercidal]

Test is BS. There are 26 questions. I scored a low 3 including "I can drink more now than when I first started. (duh...)" and 2 other BS questions and they said I should talk to a professional about my problem.

So scoring 3 out of 26 is bad. Mmmmmmmkay.

Actually, I thought about taking a week off. I will probably just try to get more exercise.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

I am in. Haven't gone without for we'll over a year. Scored a 5 on the test. Day one was good, but if I didn't tell my wife I would not have done. I need some accountability.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Good move - I did the same, she's on board as well. Makes a big difference.

 

[Hello]

Good luck to you man.

I scored a 5 on the test. It seems incredibly easy to score high though. Either way, I guess I'm hosed. I would have taken the test sooner but I didn't want to put down my beer.

 

[Rivenin]

good luck man! I did a week recently and felt fantastic...even if i have just A beer in the evening i feel a bit sluggish in the mornings... i love brewing and i love my beer, but i'ts made me fat and lazy.... haha

 

[brewcat]

Have you tried switching brands or drinks, or following different plans to control your drinking?

Funny. I'm switching to straight homebrew. It won't drink itself. I scored a 5...

If you answer just two questions yes then you better arrange a personal meeting with somebody that probably has more problems than you.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

DAY TWO - NO BEER:

Today was difficult. Wanted a homebrew badly. Still, I persevered. Drank a tall glass of almond milk instead. Poor substitute, but it got me through.

28 days left!!!

 

[choirjon]

Still in. Bottled an APA tonight and had about a one ounce quality control sip.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Rhumbline]

Day 2, still in.

Easier than yesterday, it's the snacks I miss more than the beer.

Down 2.2 pounds total. The equivalent of throwing a deck chair off the Titanic, but it's progress.

 

[SatanPrinceOfDarkness]

Day two wasn't too bad. I've left my beer in the fridge and whiskey sitting by my desk. I want the motivation to diet faster so I can drink sooner. Or rather, I want drinking to be the motivation to diet faster. I did have to sample two meads and a session IPA, but that was less than an ounce all around. A sweet, sweet, ounce...

I'm down 7lbs from the weekend, but that's not too unusual. This weekend will be the hard part. Going to a wedding.

 

[beersk]

good luck man! I did a week recently and felt fantastic...even if i have just A beer in the evening i feel a bit sluggish in the mornings... i love brewing and i love my beer, but i'ts made me fat and lazy.... haha

A beer a day (or even 2 or 3) isn't going to make you fat and lazy. Acting fat and lazy is going to make you fat and lazy.

 

[Homercidal]

A beer a day (or even 2 or 3) isn't going to make you fat and lazy. Acting fat and lazy is going to make you fat and lazy.

Unfortunately, I've found that even drinking one beer after work makes me feel more relaxed and tired and I find I lose a lot of ambition to get things done.

I am much more productive after work if I hold off on having a beer until after I get some things done.

 

[Rivenin]

A beer a day (or even 2 or 3) isn't going to make you fat and lazy. Acting fat and lazy is going to make you fat and lazy.

not saying that ONE beer is making me fat and lazy. I'm saying brewing beer and drinking has me fat and lazy, has absolutely nothing to do with the first part of that statement. Thanks for making statements about how i am NOT acting

 

[smithabusa]

I had my last beers on 5/9/15 for my 14th wedding anniversary. Only alcohol I have has since was over the weekend I had some diet coke and jack on the holiday. Been running on the treadmill 2-3 miles 4-5 times a week, doing the atkins low carb. Down about 20 lbs ish.

On my last beer night I did have some good ones though

Rochester Mills Milkshake Stout x 2
Kevin Baconator smoked doppelbock at a place in South Lyon, I forget the name of the new brewery there.
A high octane belgian strong ale at blocks brewing company in Howell.

And a few homebrews at home that night.

I miss pizza just about as much as I do the beer. I am a bachelor tonight and would normally love to go to Jets pizza in Chelsea for a few slices and they have 41 craft beers on tap.

Sad thing is I have these in the kegerator:
Breakstout Stout
Maple Pecan Porter
Nutbrown

And I have these ready to keg:
Blonde coffee ale
Russian Imperial Stout

My wife normally is my drinking buddy but she has cut way way back as well. She is probably have 2-3 per week instead of per night.

 

[Rhumbline]

Day three is down, seems to be getting easier. I hope I didn't just sabotage myself but I ordered two Saison kits. The good news is that they won't be ready to drink for a few months.

-3.4 pounds from day zero.

 

[beersk]

not saying that ONE beer is making me fat and lazy. I'm saying brewing beer and drinking has me fat and lazy, has absolutely nothing to do with the first part of that statement. Thanks for making statements about how i am NOT acting

Well, that's why there's a time and place for having beer. I usually try not to have any until after I've gotten everything I wanted to get done for the day/evening; basically when I've decided it's time to relax.
I also love having a couple after a long bike ride. Damn that feels good. Yesterday I went on a 20 miles ride and came home and had a pint of helles. It was 80F and it was refreshing. Then I went and mowed the lawn and had another pint of helles after. That was nice.

It's hard to not be fat and lazy if you don't exercise. I know I would be if I didn't ride a bike all the time (as much as I like to drink and eat). But I do it because I know it's good for me.

 

[Pyg]

Unfortunately, I've found that even drinking one beer after work makes me feel more relaxed and tired and I find I lose a lot of ambition to get things done.

I am much more productive after work if I hold off on having a beer until after I get some things done.

I am the opposite. I come home from work pop a homebrew cream ale. Make dinner for the kids.
We eat, I finish my beer and go outside and get work done.
I tend to be productive no matter how many beers I have had. Which can get weird when I am out cutting branches or moving compost on the weekend with 1/2 a load on!

 

[Homercidal]

I am the opposite. I come home from work pop a homebrew cream ale. Make dinner for the kids.
We eat, I finish my beer and go outside and get work done.
I tend to be productive no matter how many beers I have had. Which can get weird when I am out cutting branches or moving compost on the weekend with 1/2 a load on!

I wish I could do that. I have a few trees that need cutting up and I know I'll be drinking tea or water or I'll get halfway done and say, F it. Time to go in and sit down and relax!

Actually, I do find it nice to drink a beer while cooking. But then I cook and don't' get anything else done that night.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

DAY THREE - NO BEER:

I usually play hockey on Thursdays, but when I don't have a game scheduled we go to Karl Strauss for cask night. Well, no hockey last night, muscle memory had me scheduling a stop at Karl for a pint or two of cask and some wings. No dice. Survived another day without beer (and alcohol just to be clear). Settled for a Chipotle burrito.

27 days left. Already fantasizing about what will be my first beer....

 

[BrooklynTom]

Keep up the good work, you will get by fine.

 

[DangerZone]

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!

 

[steveoatley]

More Power to ya !

I might have to try this one myself.
Too loose a few pounds, and prove to myself that I don't NEED Beer
Beer Needs me !


Good Luck !

S

 

[naturebrew]

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!

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

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!

Love this!

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

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!

 

[Rockn_M]

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!

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.

 

[Setesh]

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

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.

 

[CadiBrewer]

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.

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.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

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....