I want to quit drinking – Tired of Thinking About Drinking

Should You Quit Drinking?

May 2, 2016July 18, 2018 Belle Leave a comment

It's OK to quit drinking. Nobody needs to drink.

My life would have been easier, and I would have come to the idea of sobriety much more quickly and with less angst, if I had found a stop-drinking questionnaire that said something like this:

Do you drink more than you want to? It’s OK to stop.
Do you think about drinking all the time? I did too until I stopped. I send out daily emails of support (anonymous). You can sign up here.
Do you find it hard to quit? I did too. All the more reason to stop now.
Do you feel better when you don’t drink? Not at first, maybe, but later—after seven to nine days sober, once all the booze and bullshit is gone, once you’re hydrated again. Do you feel better then? Good. It’s OK to stop.
Do you feel better sober than on a day with a hangover? Good. That’s enough of a reason. You can stop.
Does your brain tell you to drink again to celebrate your sobriety? Mine too. It’s OK, you can stay stopped.
Can you plan to drink again in some mysterious future time like 20 years from now if that’s what it takes? Yes, you can NOT drink NOW.
Do you have to be an alcoholic to benefit from quitting drinking? No. Booze is an anaesthetic. It changes who we are. It numbs and dulls and ultimately poisons.
Does anyone HAVE to drink? No.
Do you maybe need some advice and help and support to stop and stay stopped? Yes, I did. Free anonymous support emails here.

Note: If you score 1 out of 10 or higher, it’s OK to quit.

[This is excerpted from my 'how to quit drinking' book, Tired of Thinking About Drinking: Take My 100-Day Sober Challenge, pages 56-57]

Should You Quit Drinking?

June 17, 2015February 18, 2023 Belle 57 Comments

It's OK to quit drinking. Nobody needs to drink.

My life would have been easier, and I would have come to the idea of sobriety much more quickly and with less angst, if I had found a stop-drinking questionnaire that said something like this:

Do you drink more than you want to? It’s OK to stop.
Do you think about drinking all the time? I did too until I stopped. I send out daily emails of support (anonymous).
Do you find it hard to quit? I did too. All the more reason to stop now.
Do you feel better when you don’t drink? Not at first, maybe, but later—after seven to nine days sober, once all the booze and bullshit is gone, once you’re hydrated again. Do you feel better then? Good. It’s OK to stop.
Do you feel better sober than on a day with a hangover? Good. That’s enough of a reason. You can stop.
Does your brain tell you to drink again to celebrate your sobriety? Mine too. It’s OK, you can stay stopped.
Can you plan to drink again in some mysterious future time like 20 years from now if that’s what it takes? Yes, you can NOT drink NOW.
Do you have to be an alcoholic to benefit from quitting drinking? No. Booze is an anaesthetic. It changes who we are. It numbs and dulls and ultimately poisons.
Does anyone HAVE to drink? No.
Do you maybe need some advice and help and support to stop and stay stopped? Yes, I did.

Note: If you score 1 out of 10 or higher, it’s OK to quit. Try it for 100 days. See how you feel.

I’m curious 5

January 11, 2013January 11, 2013 Belle 51 Comments

Looks like I missed doing this in December …

Hi there. I’m well, thanks. I’m pretty darn great in fact. I feel MUCH better than i did for the entire month of December. I’m glad the holidays are done, and i’m glad the days are getting longer (at least in my part of the world!). I’m busy and happy and running and I’m feeling pretty even. No big gasping highs, and no crying lows. Just good-good-good.

Onwards to Curious Part 5

i lurked on a few sober blogs before I quit drinking July 1st. So here’s what i’m curious about.

Post a comment with your number of days sober (or your sober anniversary date if you’re not a day-counter).
If you are an anonymous lurker, and you’re sober, you can just put Sober as your name, and then use a fake email as your email address (12345@12345.com) – tell me how many days sober. You can remain anonymous of course.
If you are a lurker, and you aren’t (yet) sober but you’re looking for inspiration, you can put Hoping as your name (or whatever), and then enter the email address (12345@12345.com). And you can pick a date when you’d like to start your sober journey (i.e. in 5 days, or January 15th, or whatever). You can remain anonymous, too.

I also sometimes forget how far along in the sober journey some of you are … so this will help me remember and help me celebrate with you.

Really, if you’re an anonymous lurker that’s totally fine! Just chime in with where you are : )

PS/ HERE’S MY GUT REFLEX: I have no proof of this and am only going on a gut feeling here, but if you are a lurker and still drinking, then by posting something anonymously, it’s like raising your hand and saying “ok, yes, i could use some support” and i think that makes a big difference in what happens next for you. Well, if you don’t believe me, you can try posting something and see what happens : )