I took a break from wine for about six weeks while traveling in Thailand. Felt great for a while — but when I got back, I found myself slipping into beer instead.

I don’t think I’m a heavy drinker, but I do feel like it’s time to either stop or seriously cut down. My sense is that if I go a full week completely sober, it’ll reset things — I did that with cigarettes four years ago and never went back.

Curious how other men handled it — what actually worked for you long term?


36 comments

  2. Wish I could tell you.

    Stints of success and failure. Wish I’d never let the genie out of the bottle tbh. Seen several friends collapse due to this and only hope I’m not next.

  4. A friend recorded a video while we were absolutely shit faced. I am tall, a bit skinny, and my age is just starting to show. I never liked the way I looked, especially the staggering. I made a vow to stop. It’s been a year and three months now, and I have no desire to drink even a sip, though I still go out partying at least twice a month. My weekends now feel longer, and I have better energy throughout the week,  so that’s a huge plus

  5. Got diagnosed with melanoma and figured it was probably a smart move to be as healthy as possible. Cut out sodas and sugar too. Lost 25 lbs from just those changes.

    Cancer free now, feel great and in the best shape of my life. Not going back to hangovers and sugar crashes.

  6. Hardcore working out like choose martial arts, be obssessed and train 3 to 4 times a week. When you realise how weak you are against others in a fight and need to increase your cardio and strength, you’ll naturally cut or quit to focus on becoming stronger

  9. I had an unhealthy relationship with it, and it eventually took an outsized role in my diet and my marriage. And post-pandemic, I lost my sense of healthy drinking habits, and was just okay pounding back a shot or a beer at any time. Like 9:30am shots after the gym.

    I wound up needing some help to stop and had Naltrexone prescribed for 30 days. Two years without a drink in January.

    Lost a ton of weight. Bloat is gone. Probably look the best I have in 25 years tbh.

  10. Two things

    1. Meeting my son (ie when he was born) and knowing I needed to be the man he deserved to have as a father.

    2. Tracking my sleep metrics, and seeing in black and white data, that even one drink damaged my QOL the next day.

    I haven’t had a drink in almost 2 years, and in no way do I regret making the decision to stop entirely.

    Bonus: I saw a clip with Theo Von of all people, who said ‘being sober isn’t a commitment to sobriety forever, because that can’t and won’t stick. Sobriety is making a commitment that when you feel the urge to have a drink, you promise to ask yourself ‘can I go just one more day without doing it?’. 

    I can’t promise I’ll never be so weak to never have another drink. I CAN promise that I’ll ask myself every day I need to, ‘can you go just one more day without doing it’.

    I was never a problem drinker, I used to have one or two glasses of wine maybe 3 nights a week. But even dropping that has been hard.

  11. Waking up not remembering driving home for like the 10th time throughout my 20’s. Finally admitted I was from an entire family of alcoholics, and that I had a problem. Tried moderation for a very short time, then kicked it entirely. 

    About 4’ish years sober at 33. 

    I got out extremely lucky at a young age. Plenty of my family destroyed their lives with alcohol as they aged. 

  14. A smartwatch with sleep metrics helped cutting back a lot (never was a heavy drinker tho). Seeing how booze impact your sleep quality and thereby health made me drink even less

  15. Don’t know if that counts, as I never was a heavy drinker, but health problems eliminated alcohol completely from my life. Don’t wait until that point.

  16. I think I realised that I really like having control over all my faculties. I now only drink a pint or 2 of Guinness, never exceed.

  17. The realization that any enjoyment you get drinking all night is **borrowed** and gets paid back the next day.

  18. I’d say try to remember what you don’t like about it even before you start drinking. It’s really just a few moments of pseudo fun followed by damn near 24 hours of feeling shitty.

  21. I stopped for a few months while I was “donating” (aka selling) my plasma cause I needed the money, then I took on a 2nd job in a warehouse for six months and was working 70 hours a week total so minimal time for drinking plus I needed to be at 100% to handle the physical work. Now that things have somewhat stabilized and I have the time to drink I just don’t want it anymore. It ruins my sleep, kills my diet/exercise and at best I’ll just pass out on the couch after a few IPAs. Juice just ain’t worth the squeeze anymore.

  22. I love wine. I love the way it makes me feel, it’s a social drink. I’m more fun drinking and it makes social situations with boring people much more fun.

    That said 2-3 drinks and my next day I’m tired. Don’t sleep well, make bad food choices etc.

    It has to go at some point but I love how it ends my week on a Friday with a nice happy hour wine/spirits.

  23. It’s a day 2 thing for me. Almost like my body actually really does hate it. It’s reserved for specific weekends we’re out now. At home usually I don’t.

  24. I had a kid, and I for sure wasn’t going to be one of those parents who drinks then drives home with the kids in the back.

    Best thing I did. I now probably drink a dozen times a year, and mostly its at home.

  25. I don’t really know how I did it, but it was partly after a bout of drinking and stomach pain so bad that I feared for my health.

    If I ever started drinking again, I’d do The Sinclair Method with Naltrexone, look into it. Find the Atlantic article about it from years ago. There’s also a new book about it by Katie Herzog

  26. It was no longer compatible with my goals. The truth is it never was, I just realized how much it was limiting me in literally every area after an extended sober phase and never looked back.

    Anytime I feel like drinking, which is almost never now, I just think of the brutal hangover and how I’d surely skip all my obligations to nurse it.

    Done for good.

  28. Brother is an alcoholic. I’m not, but quitting with him was the least I could do to ease his journey.

  29. I was kind of a studying and working alcoholic. It was the only way to feel “free”. Then, my body and mind kind of collapsed and little by little I started my inner journey instead of fullfilling outer expectations. During years I found out that I did not need nor want alcohol anymore to imagine to feel.

  30. Two things, I realized I didn’t like how I felt drunk that loss of control and sensation. And yes the hangovers got worse as I got older. But what finally drove it home, was the death of my ex girlfriend. She had long struggled with alcohol and it finally claimed her life at 32. We had been broken for 3 years but it was still a shocking blow and while I did not stop drinking for her, it helped me put an end to it.

  31. Realized that it solves many life problems. Feel healthier. Better sleep. Don’t lose days because of hangovers. Don’t stay up late eating crap food. Less anxiety. Less drama, people say and do stupid stuff while intoxicated. If those don’t sound like a good reason then at least the financial aspect alone can maybe motivate you.

    I was a social drinker, meaning every weekend it meant going to a social event and spend money on expensive drinks, food, Ubers, etc… but even when I would drink at home usually it would mean order uber eats since A. I didn’t want to cook B. Couldn’t drive. I honestly don’t miss it much other than drinking wine. Also I have learned to keep myself busy after a tough day where normally alcohol would be my numbing juice to forget. I’ll have sips here and there but have not been drunk in over 16 months!

    If you think that you need to quit or slow down I challenge people to do it for two weeks at least. I am willing to bet you will see improvement in majority of your life! For me my challenge was one month, which led to 6 months. Then said let’s aim for a year, and here we are now.

  32. It fucking hurts to drink now. The brain fog, lethargy and nausea is just a chore to deal with at this point.

    I’ve cut out liquor and I’m chopping away at beer. Soon it will just be wine and I’ve always found it easy to not drink wine so that will be the last to go.

  33. Calorie counting. Trying to lose some weight and get in a better shape. I now reconsider pouring a whisky cause that’s just gonna be 200-300 wasted calories. And when that makes up 10% of your daily caloric intake. You think twice about actually wasting it on alcohol.

    This then allows me to drink when we have dinner parties or for special occasions cause I will likely not worry about calories for that day given other celebrations.

  35. The realisation that addiction runs in the family, and that I have an addictive personality. If I started drinking, Id become an alcoholic and be dead before 35.

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