I made the decision to stop drinking six months ago today. I have not had any alcohol in that period of time.
I would like to share a few thoughts with those of you who may be considering cutting back or quitting altogether.
I found quitting easier than trying to cut back. I tried cutting back or "managing" what I was drinking for a couple years. It would work for a bit, but then I went back to the same patterns. Once I quit, and got used to the pattern of not drinking at all, then I found it became easier to just not drink at all, vrs trying to manage what I was drinking. Maybe thats not everyones experience, but thats what I found for me.
The biggest benefit of quitting for me has been the reduction in emotional downs. I found myself down in the dumps alot more when I was drinking too much. Alcohol is a depressant after all, so it has its physiological effect. And drinking too much made me have a lower opinion of myself. Since I have quit, those depressive episodes have stopped almost completely. Life still happens, but the downs arent as deep or as long anymore.
I also sleep better. Alcohol had been interupting my sleep patterns greatly. Since I quit, I have gotten nice deep sleeps every night. As a result, the next day I am more alert, and refreshed, and of course, not hungover! As a side note, I had a dream last week I had been drinking and was suffering a massive hangover. Not sure if it was a dream or nightmare:)
My message to anyone who is considering quitting is that based on my experience, there is no downside to quitting. I have not found one negative thing about stopping drinking. Getting through the first few days was tough, but once I did, it got alot easier. In fact, its much easier than I had anticipated.
I hope this note gave someone an idea or two to help them out.
Cheers everyone!
Gus
