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After the dry January (which I didn't take part in) I was discussing quitting drinking with a bloke over a beer who had been dry all January up until last Sunday.
He was saying apart from saving a few quid he hadn't really noticed any benefit.
I came up with weight loss as a benefit.
Assuming you are not really caning the booze, what other benefits are there to quitting?
Not wasting an entire Sunday feeling sorry for yourself?
You reduce your risk of various cancers, but unless you're a heavy drinker the reduction in absolute risk is tiny.
My main benefit is sleep being vastly improved.
I'm a massive lightweight when it comes to the next day, couple of pints is enough for a hangover.
Friend was dry for six month While marmotte training. Reckoned it made no difference, she spent as much finding nonalchoholic interesting drinks.
Everything in moderation.
You'll;
- have more money to spend on shiny bike bits
- get up the hill quicker
- get out for a sunrise ride
- be able to eat more pie/chocolate/chips with less guilt
or something like that..
Not drunk anything in January so far. Don't feel any different. Saved a few quid though.
I've seriously cut down, never one for a pissup, but a couple of pints and a whiskey or two per week, but now down to one beer a week, one whiskey.
Only benefit so far is that pint tastes sooooooooo goooooooood 😆
I came up with weight loss as a benefit.
Easily achieved by getting slaughtered on Gin & slimline tonic and one eye on myfitness pal.
suspect better sleep pattern, more alert (not not hungover way, just a bit more zing); am seriously considering it for a period as while not caning it, is consumed quite regularly 🙂
[i]Not wasting an entire Sunday feeling sorry for yourself? [/i] - No real hangovers after 10 pints of 4 bottles of wine
[i]have more money to spend on shiny bike bits[/i] - Lucky enough to be able to buy booze and bits
[i]get up the hill quicker[/i] - possibly but I have never been good uphill
[i]get out for a sunrise ride[/i] - always preferred to wait until it warms a bit
[i]be able to eat more pie/chocolate/chips with less guilt[/i] - I eat without guilt
I guess there is little real benefit just need to moderate down from 8-10 pints a night then 🙁
[url= http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/a-bottle-of-wine-a-day-is-not-bad-for-you-and-abstaining-is-worse-than-drinking-scientist-claims-9271010.html ]A bottle of wine a day is not bad for you and abstaining is worse than drinking, scientist claims[/url]
[url= http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/people-who-drink-alcohol-outlive-those-who-abstain-study-shows-8995879.html ]People who drink alcohol outlive those who abstain, study shows[/url]
🙂
Not wasting an entire Sunday feeling sorry for yourself?
You do know that some people can have a couple of drinks and not get hammered and spend the next day with a hangover?
I guess there is little real benefit just need to moderate down from 8-10 pints a night then
If your horse isn't as high, the view isn't so great.
I didn't give up booze for january but was very careful about consumption (Gone from drinking a beer or 2/3 most nights to none during the week and only a couple on friday/saturday).
I feel a lot better for it. Went out on Saturday night with friends, got absolutely hammered and felt like shit all day sunday and still pretty crap on monday. Don't think I'll bother again.
People who drink alcohol outlive those who abstain, study shows
I've always maintained that not drinking doesn't make you live longer - it just feels like it.
I dont drink
No hangover would be one but i doubt you will magically become healthy from this act alone
As its a poison its hard to argue it is not bad for you but how bad i really dont know.
OH reckons her skin is better as a result of no alcohol but suspect most of us fellas would not notice on ourselves
I stopped drinking for a month or so in the summer, and yeah, saved money both on drinking, and on stuff you buy from ebay after drinking. Definitely makes it easier to be a "morning person" and get up and train. Mentally I felt I was stronger when it came to pushing myself in training. Definitely lost weight, again a double benefit of drinking less calories, then also eating less calories because I havent drunkenly ordered a pizza. After 3 or so weeks I was definitely mentally sharper than usual, and all the problems and puzzles of the work day seemed easier than before.........But it is so boring, it's not sustainable, now I just attempt to hit moderation
on stuff you buy from ebay after drinking
ahh yes, the old ebay alcohol interface. bringer of many surprises in the post. good point.
Stops punching of and wrestling with wildlife
Removes goggles
Saves much money
ahh yes, the old ebay alcohol interface. bringer of many surprises in the post.
A friend of mine ordered a biltong oven after a night out.
After 3 or so weeks I was definitely mentally sharper than usual, and all the problems and puzzles of the work day seemed easier than before
How much were you drinking previously?
this! I wouldn't even contemplate not drinking as a good wine/beer is a great pleasure but I've pretty much given up getting drunk.Not wasting an entire Sunday feeling sorry for yourself?
Forgot about eBay - That does count as a benefit. I once woke up with a TVR to collect the next morning but I blame that on the wife watching Dancing on Ice so I had to go on the internet while drinking
Easily achieved by getting slaughtered on Gin & slimline tonic and one eye on myfitness pal.
Gin hasn't got that much less calories that than other spirits.
Beer is full of calories though.
I'm not a strict non-drinker, sometimes I like to have a beer (last year I had about 8 I suppose...) - the ultimate advantage is that the beer tastes soooo bloody good after few months of no intake!
No hangover after 10 pints?! Hat's off to you sir, I haven't been able to drink that much and come out unscathed for about 10 years.
Edit: Just re-read your statement in cokies post. Is that 10 pints of wine? I'm even more impressed!
@peterfile - Probably too much say a bottle of wine to 1.5 bottles of wine in an evening - once in the week and again on Fridays/Saturdays.
What surprised me was that it wasnt a case of, abstain, get it out of your system, feel better in 48 to 72 hours, there was a marked constant improvement for a period of about 3 weeks
Not wasting an entire Sunday feeling sorry for yourself? - No real hangovers after 10 pints of 4 bottles of wine
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No hangover after 10 pints?!
It's not the hangover that's the pain, it's trying remember whose garden you left your car in.
Probably too much say a bottle of wine to 1.5 bottles of wine in an evening - once in the week and again on Fridays/Saturdays.
The biggest improvement could have been to the quality of your sleep, which was giving you the added clarity the next day?
I used to have a bottle of beer or glass of wine every night after dinner, which obviously isn't a lot, but noticed a marked improvement in my sleep when I stopped for a while. For some, I don't think it takes much to disrupt sleep and I reckon at a bottle a night your sleep was being impacted to some extent.
No hangover after 10 pints?!
Cheers! 😀
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Ive done the dry January for the last 3 years. Always lost weight, this time 5 pounds. That said I did drink to excess in the months leading up to christmas. Usually a bottle of red every night. More at weekend.
Aside from the weightloss, sleep has been so deep and restful. You know that feeling of waking up after a proper full deep sleep. Its been ace.
That said I have missed a fine red and some proper real ale.
Welllll...... in my case my bloodwork looked a lot better:
My Bilburin levels plummeted to the lower end of the scale and my eyes no longer looked yellowish, plus my skin looked healthier and I lost weight.
My Gamma GT levels halved (I now know I don't have bone disease), in fact everything looked a lot better after 3 months on the waggon (except my albumin/globlin ratio which has increased to almost worrying levels).
Oh, I was richer too.
“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”
It's been about 5 1/2 years since I knew that feeling. Forget Movember and Dryathlon, I need a No Kids April. Or something.You know that feeling of waking up after a proper full deep sleep.
For me, the main benefit of not drinking is just the much, much easier ability to train and maintain fitness. Leaving aside the extra calories of booze (even in moderation), the dehudration, lack of sleep and general feeling of shit the next day means that I am far happy not drinking that I was when I drank.
Alcohol is a very damaging addiction that, for some reason, people find more socially acceptable than smoking. I hate smoking for the damage that it did to my fitness for years, but I detest alcohol for the damage that it has done to my relationship. My wife's drinking was the main (and probably only) reason that I very nearly got divorced last year. I'd like to see it taxed to shit.
Alcohol is a very damaging addiction
only if you're addicted. Not everyone is.
I'd like to see it taxed to shit.
Why? because you and/or your partner don't know how to drink in moderation? Why should i have to pay for your inability to control yourselves?
i'm doing the dry january and out of interest i'm going to continue into march so i can see about the 63 days to break a habit thing. but thats irrelevent to the op, for that i can say that the difference, for me, in not drinking now for 26 days is quite apparent. i have a lot more energy, my overall mood is better, i'm definitely less anxious and in my running/swimming i have noticed that i am getting back in the flow way more rapidly than this time last year when i still drank. i also deal with stuff rather than go to tesco for some booze. for me, its a good thing that i've needed to do for a good few years now and i do feel liberated not having to go buy booze every day. and goodness its lovely to be able to definitely know you are not going to be hungover next day. each to their own really.
Long term health benefits of not drinking will be good but if you wish to be sensible then why not enjoy small pleasures in life.
Alcohol is a very damaging addiction that, for some reason, people find more socially acceptable than smoking.
Well for one people drinking doesn't cause none drinkers to develop many diseases and illnesses, where as smoking does.
I am doing a dry January! Longest time off the beer for 20 something years.
I normally drink to much, most days - a hangover from years of running pubs.
Do I feel 'better'? No. I feel no different. And I'm not sleeping as well. I have lost 3kg (need to lose 30 though!).
Worst part, WCA and family / friends round and they all got pissed! I drove them home... 😯
After rides, I really fancy a pint - drinking Bavaria alcohol free stops the craving.
Can't wait till next weekend - after then I will cut down on my pre-January drinking.
WCA, cut down, not out 😉
BigButSlimmerBloke - MemberWhy? because you and/or your partner don't know how to drink in moderation? Why should i have to pay for your inability to control yourselves?
Steady now.
[i]WCA, cut down, not out [/i]
That's kind of my plan. I am hoping to achieve this without much change in diet other than reduced beer and wine and hopefully getting out on the bike a bit
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"I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me"
Winston Churchill
..... and he lived to be quite old
I haven't read all the responses.
I did Sober in October and didn't touch a drop.
The biggest thing you'll notice is how much more money you have in your wallet at the end of the month.
Obviously that depends on how much you drink but it's surprising.
No hangovers/feeling shit/written-off Sundays.
I found it quite easy apart from once or twice when I really fancied a beer - I found it much easier not to go to pubs than drinking soft drinks in a pub - hope that makes sense!
I didn't notice any weight change TBH but then I didn't weigh myself - I found I ate more though, oddly.
I felt quite proud actually, especially given the reason why I did it.
I didn't feel more energetic/sharper/less tired either.
Maybe I'm just odd 😉
Steady now
He's got a point though.
An alcoholic is someone who drinks more than his doctor 😀
IMO of course.
There's drinking and there's bindge drinking.
Bindge drinking is expensive, anti-social, very bad for your health and writes off whole days for hangovers. O gave that up 10 years ago.
Drinking or 'moderate' drinking is none of those things - but it's not without it's drawbacks - there's that whole driving thing - going to a party, restaurant, funeral, wedding, seemingly the whole of bloody December - and most people will want a drink or two - then it's taxis, picking up the car the next day and of course a few can become a skinfull pretty easily. I've pretty much given thats up now - mostly because it's pretty inconvenient.
I thought I'd give up drinking for February , it's shorter than January .
Neal, I know that. Having someone so glibly talk about a problem that is so damaging and difficult to stop does piss me off quite a lot though.
For your reference, I don't have a problem. I don't drink. My wife, on the other hand, used booze as a crutch after we lost our second child and, as a result of this, very nearly destroyed our marriage and her health. So please, if I am a little bit touchy about the subject of alcoholism and the damage that cheap booze does, forgive me.
Willard I can see why, alcoholism is a horrible illness see some terrible cases at work.
Better sleep and more on top of all the small stuff. I wouldn't want to completely give up but staying off it most of the time is great
For your reference, I don't have a problem. I don't drink. My wife, on the other hand, used booze as a crutch after we lost our second child and, as a result of this, very nearly destroyed our marriage and her health. So please, if I am a little bit touchy about the subject of alcoholism and the damage that cheap booze does, forgive me.
Is that why you so glibly suggested that the rest of the world should pay more even if the rest of the world can drink sensibly? Pretty selfish attitude that, isn't it?
I stopped drinking some 10 years ago after my first son was born ,my best mates mum and daa had a pub locally and the 90s seem to be a bit of a blur ,at the time all weekend benders wouldnt have phased me but now ,lager just seems to want to kill me , anything after 2 pints and I know the next day , poor sleep and gut rot the following morning ,id rather have a proper cup of tea.
Better sleep , more money knowing if a lady looks fine instead of the beer goggles clouding eyesight ,and the biggest plus is not having you head down the bowl from 11am the next day
I quit drinking after my children were born..
in hindsight, as a single dad I can say that it was a foolhardy endeavour, brought about by a sheeplike adherence to popular culture..
Stressful days respond very favourably to a glass or two of your favourite tipple in the evening.. your kids will thank you for it
Abstinence is wholly unnatural to sentient mammals
tbh drank about 4 bottles of Belgian beer over Christmas and about 3 the last month 🙂
Have one regularly on a Friday lunchtime a nice German wit beer which tastes absolutely great..
I think not drinking all the time lets you truely appreciate a good drink.
I find the same with food cutting crap out of my diet and having a treat on weekends just mAkes you appreciate it more
Is that why you so glibly suggested that the rest of the world should pay more even if the rest of the world can drink sensibly? Pretty selfish attitude that, isn't it?
Try a shot of empathy as a chaser when you're next having a round.
I've pretty much given up buying alcohol, I only drink now when it's on expenses 🙂
Well having given up for January (again) I can only assume I wasn't drinking enough beforehand as I feel no different.
Abstinence is wholly unnatural to sentient mammals
Hell yah 🙂
Pretty much stopped due to health issues last march then have gradually gone back on. Noticed no difference with weight (I'm still a fat biffa) but definitely improves sleep patterns, although I dropped coffee at the same time (from six cups a day!) so that may have been an effect too.
Stopped drinking after New Year, not for dry Jan, which I'd never actually really heard of until this January, I was a bit put out by everyone seemingly jumping in my bandwagon, or off it actually.
Sleep seems better, I feel sharper, more focused, I'm a bit lighter but that could just be Christmas indulgence going, I feel smug when I see someone with a hangover, I feel irritated by drunk people, I see people in pubs, drinking, and think they're mugs, I'm enjoying a nice cup of tea more, I may have turned into what I despised. I've not done anything really stupid for a bit.
I'm not missing alcohol.
I'm not sure what to do with my cupboard full of splendid malts...
i drink on a saturday every week. pale or blonde beer. around the 4% mark. 6 to 10 pints. which as a weekly quota is not too much.
why stop something that you enjoy?
i could quite happily never go for a big lash up night out again, but its the odd pint of good ale in a country pub after walking the dog, or the satisfying cold lager after a summer bike ride, or the nice red wine with a meal, or the bloody mary at the airport before a stupid-am flight... why deprive yourself of these moments? just enjoy in moderation...
i was at a funeral on friday, boozing for maybe 9 or 10hrs. saturday was a write off and i was no company to my kids who i hadnt seen all week. then we had to go to a leaving do saturday night so it didnt take much before i was rolling again. sunday was much the same as saturday and i didnt ride my bike all weekend. admittedly this was a one-off weekend but fk that.
I intended to do dry January but I didn't think it was worth not having fun on night out. I also never really drink unless its a night out, dont see the point in wasting calories having a beer in the evening after work or something. Tbh my best and fastest road rides seem to be on a hangover (fresh air feels good and all those carbs from the night before maybe?) so I dont think it affects me too much. Would like to stop my habit of having a fag or two after work though as I know that's bad for me.
Not wasting an entire Sunday feeling sorry for yourself?
This is me when I MIX my drinks. Idiot.
There are no benefits to not drinking. There are benefits to enjoying booze and taking more out of booze than what booze would take out of you.
So you don't drink? What then. God? Tamazepam? Living good means moderation but also enjoyment. Stopping something isn't that.
I can't remember the last time I managed to drink more than 6pints.
I'm that much of a lightweight I felt pretty 'unstable' after 1 pint of Peroni this Sunday arvo... I had to have a little snooze.
No real reason I don't drink much, I simply don't drink at home, especially in winter, possibly summer after a ride, a cold beer... but I can buy a case of beer and it lasts months.
Going alcohol free for someone like myself I suspect would make very little difference. I rarely get drunk (it's been decades) and probably average maybe something like the equivalent of a bottle of wine and a couple of beers a week (to be honest I'd be surprised if it was even that high).
If you're drinking a lot and getting drunk regularly, then I'm sure it'll make a difference financially and physically.
I'm that much of a lightweight I felt pretty 'unstable' after 1 pint of Peroni this Sunday arvo... I had to have a little snooze.
My other half can't drink more than two (small) glasses of wine without feeling squiffy whereas I work with girls who can put away 1 bottle of wine with ease.
I was once out-drunk by binners female mate. She could drink 😯
Well I managed my first night without a drink since last time I was in hospital and I can report the findings:
No better night sleep
Still snored
Still woke up with a dry mouth
Don't feel any fresher / worse
Lost 2.2lbs in weight
I don't feel any health benefits tbh- I'm almost dry now, have been for a few years. But then I wasn't a heavy drinker before I stopped.
The economic benefits are twofold- obviously, you spend less on drink. And when you do drink, you need half as much to make you fall over. I had [i]one[/i] pint after a ride on sunday and I was zonked.
Havent drunk for 25 years
Only benefits is not acting like an arse when drunk, I was a hopeless light weight and would suffer for days. A couple of extra quid in my pocket. A couple of my mates look really rough these days but they are heavy drinkers.
Down sides is being like a fish out of water in pubs, find them very alien and being the nominated driver which does get a bit old.
What about the benefits of drinking (in moderation)? I quite like 2 or 3 pints in my local every now and again. It doesn't cost me a great deal, gets me out and chatting to people and improves my mood. It also supports the local community.
Benefits of drinking :
I become very witty and funny
I can dance like a pro
Girls get prettier
I sleep like a baby
TBF some of the effects* of drinking can spill out to none drinkers/rest of society aswellWell for one people drinking doesn't cause none drinkers to develop many diseases and illnesses, where as smoking does
Tax v addiction, heavily taxing alcohol isn't going to stop alcoholics drinking, but it is a luxury so a taxable commodity IMO, but as DD says a little empathy wouldn't go amiss either.
*punch ups, A&E strain, punch ups in A&E, etc
but back to the OP, I don't drink much normally but do get squiffy about once a month or so and blotto a few times a year.
I do have dry weeks/fortnights and see some marginal gains, clearer head, weight loss, save money. Kids and a computer game addiction are the main strain on my sleep but booze doesn't help either.
Had a bad accident November 2013 and I was on heavy painkillers for a few months. Drinking was cut to zero, decided to keep it to a bottle of wine over the weekend from having a glass or two a night or a couple of beers.
Result, much clearer head, deep sleep, improved mood, weight loss and early morning rides. I really enjoy a nice glass of wine on a Friday or a couple of pints in the local on a Sunday afternoon now. Wish I had sorted it years ago.
Tbh if you only drink on Fri & Sat (or Sunday) then all is good.
I hate riding with a hangover. Thicker blood and exercise = bad news.
First post having lurked for months. Very entertaining forum. We moved out of town 12 years ago and I got into the habit of a few beers every night while either working on the house/garden or even while just fannying about. Over the last couple of years it's been four or five cans of Fosters every night. Twelve months ago i quit my twenty a day smoking habit; six months ago quit my 6 cups of coffee a day habit, four months ago I stopped buying bike/fishing mags and I'm coming to the end of my first "dry January". This is the longest I've gone without a beer for years. To be fair, I don't feel much different; possibly a bit brighter in the morning, I still weigh 11 stone, still eat the same. The fags must have made a differenced to my riding, though I didn't really notice and skipping the Fosters hasn't either. The only thing I've noticed is my interest in music has perked up again.
yunki - MemberAbstinence is wholly unnatural to sentient mammals
I once read a theory that humans changed from hunter-gatherers to farmers simply because of the ability to produce regular amounts of decent tasting alcohol. Nothing to do with a nice veggie casserole or daily loaf of bread, but they wanted a good pint of ale.