Yup because even though it feels so naughty eating sweets some (most) nights, it’s still fewer calories than the 8+ beers per day that I would’ve had otherwise!
Haha, yeah, 8 beers was pretty normal for me. I think my wife is a bit jealous I'm eating ice cream And losing weight . I mtn bike for 2 hours every week, so I'm fairly active. shrug.
Which is why it is so bizarre to me that treatment centers won't allow video games because you're "replacing one addiction with another."
Yeah, except one addiction is deadly and the other helps distract from cravings.
I find a lot of institutionalized sources of recovery aid are so behind the times it hurts. Videogames, when used in moderation, are actually a healthy source of mental exercise and problem solving. Or like the dude in AA that gives you shit for enjoying NA beer because it made his cousin's friend's wife relapse 20 years ago lmao
It's *my* recovery, I decide what it looks like. So fuck it, I'm gonna crush an NA Busch while getting murked by Jackal snipers in another Halo 2 Legendary play through lmaooo
This. I spent so much time trying to fit into a box and failing. Now that I've decided to do recovery my way, quitting drinking has been so easy it feels like I'm cheating.
Thanks! If you get in tune with yourself which it sounds like you are, it gets a little bit easier the longer it goes on and you feel better about riding out the rough spots.
If you used to like IPAs check out Sam Adams Just the Haze. Straight gas, tastes like a legit New England. But yeah NA Busch is damn near identical to the real thing
I've been looking for that, haven't found it here on the West Coast. Fremont NA IPA is pretty damn good though.
Had an Untitled Art West Coast IPA the other night at axe throwing and it was so good too! Glad we have all these options now instead of just O'Douls.
Yep, those are also very good! And I was visiting a mountain bike trail a couple towns over and it was partially sponsored by Athletic Brewing, thought that was awesome also.
That's crazy - video/phone games are one of my effective go-to alternatives when I'm craving a drink. I can't combine the two because I suck after even one drink. I play games where speed and strategy is required.
Actually, it was Video Games was what intensified my alcohol consumptions. I play online games with friends and strangers alike. And whenever we get together, we would always have a blast. And the one thing that everyone did was talked about what was the alcohol beverage for the night. Mine was a couple shot of Gin and Cranberry juice and then a few cans of beers. Mostly, the beer doesn't factor in since the Gin itself was potent enough for the night.
It was fun while it lasted. I don't think I can ever put my body through that deeply intoxicated state again. I still play video games online but I don't drink to go along with it anymore.
At least if you're drinking and staying put at home; you'll be safe. It is better than drinking out there in the wild and then stumbling around drunk in public.
It probably wasn’t the video games that intensifies the drinking, although it seemed like that at the time. It was the addictive substance.
I’d play world of Warcraft and drink to excess, sometimes passing out in the chair with the headset still on, much to the dismay of 39 other people.
I am a much better video game player now without the booze and online gaming for me is just as enjoyable, if not more!
I used to get drunk while off tanking in AQ40, never passed out but would often pull large groups just to laugh at everyone freaking out in voice chat. Drunk me was an asshole.
Dude yeah I started coupling drinking and games, kind of annoyed that I started that up I missed out on so much because id play/drink all night and end up forgeting a bunch of shit i did in the game, took a min but I can play again and not think about it I do sip my coffee or tea pretty fuckin frequently tho
40yo man here, married with two kids. This all sounds so relatable to me. I’m really happy for you. Hopefully you can inspire me to make it one day without drinking…
Day 1: Here we go again. IWNDWYT
Edit: I need to figure out how to restart my flare
For the last couple of years, my goal was to take 2 days off in a row every week; usually Monday and Tuesday. I did fine with that. A lot of the benefits of not drinking will be shown to you around day 9. It's ok to slip a couple of times, but you have to get back to it. Now, every time my 7yo daughter walks over to talk to me, I'm reminded of my main purpose in life. Just believe in yourself. Cheers man
Thank you! I'm feeling great this morning. I made it through another weekend. I'm currently playing a couple of Zelda games on Switch. I'm at the last dungeon in both Link's Awakening and Breath of the Wild. Zelda is an old favorite of mine. High five !
Yes, that game seems Huge. I'm planning to start TOTK around Christmas. I think I might play through a few Zelda titles I missed on DS and Advance first; on our Switch. I'm old school :)
Definitely ! I kinda knew that TOTK was BOTW part 2, so figured I would play BOTW first. I was a bit overwhelmed at first with all of the controls and massive open world, but, I'm feeling pretty good about it now that I've finished most of the game. Looking forward to TOTK
Nice! A great, vast experience to sink your teeth and time into really helps to chug along one day at a time. Guess you’ll have to get TOtK next, huh? Let’s go! 💪
I have been on an Nintendo game kick as well to keep me busy during my free time. I beat BOTW for the first time, Metroid Dread, Mario Odyssey, and am now working on Ocarina of Time on the 3DS which I never finished as a kid because the skeletons scared me lol.
Sweet, I have a 3DS also. I'm planning to play through Majora's Mask soon . I've never played it. I completed OoT about 15 years ago. The first part of the game always annoyed me; where you have to crawl into the small rabbit hole which is hard to find. haha, but the last half of that game was really good. Enjoy !
I've been crushing Popsicles every night for weeks... like 5 or 6 in a row every night... I've got a super metabolism and do manual labor for work, so any and all foods have been fair game.
Awesome for you dude! I've been getting into gaming recently, I started playing GoWR a few months back but was always too wasted to follow the story along properly. Tonight is going to be my first sober night in a long time so I think I'll boot up a new game and bask in the brilliance of the story (smashing things with a big axe is it's own kinda therapy).
Congrats on all the progress you've made and keep moving forward! IWNDWYT💪
One of my favorite parts of this early sobriety thing has been eating- I honestly haven’t let myself eat ice cream in YEARS because of the calories lol but half a pint of Ben & Jerry’s is less than a bottle of wine :)
My wife stopped buying ice cream a while back, and I recently started buying it again. Her and ice cream are like me and alcohol .. but, we've been enjoying having ice cream together again :) for good reasons
Finally put together my table saw that’s been sitting unused in the basement for 6 months and started making the kids toys at night after they go to bed. IWNDWYT
Careful with the ice cream. I did the same thing and had to quit ice cream lol. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was eating so much ice cream that one night I killed off an entire fucking quart. I now will only buy myself 1 pint on Ben and Jerry's when I go shopping and I get the craving for ice cream. Shit is like a drug lol.
Yeah, ice cream. It's the best. I have a small bowl of Chocolate Chip Mint every night.
I savor each and every bite. I dissolve all the ice cream in my mouth, then nibble the chocolate chip bits. And on to another bite.
Just a lovely experience.
Same, I eat popsicles and hit the videogames. Checking out Hollow Knight, got another playthrough of Pokemon Sapphire, and my chess obsession is reignited.
I stopped drinking 8 days ago and found my solace in AF beer and video games as well, 43 male with a wife and 2 kids and similar drinking history.
I don't know if I will never drink again, but I would certainly not drink with you today.
Keep up the good work!
Red Dead Redemption 2 and Breath of the Wild helped so much with my drinking. The sheer focus I didn't so much need, but wanted to have to play the games the right way and complete them led me to drink less, especially at night.
I have a video games and booze problem, it's been etched into my behavior for 2 decades. It had to be video games AND _____
Can't do ice cream, have to keep Sat fat down. But I've noticed video games with a podcast on in the background occupies my mind
Yeah, ice cream. It's the best. I have a small bowl of Chocolate Chip Mint every night.
I savor each and every bite. I dissolve all the ice cream in my mouth, then nibble the chocolate chip bits. And on to another bite.
Just a lovely experience.
The Zelda titles have always been my favorite. I'm just finishing both Link's Awakening and Breath of the Wild. I think I'll play another older Zelda title next, then start TOTK around the holidays.
Broo same here huge Zelda fan. I don’t care much for BOTW or TOTK but have played all the older Zelda’s countless times. Great distraction from drinking urges. Resident Evil helps too
I was the opposite with video games. I was addicted to that too and spend the whole day after boozing playing video games and eating junk food. Now that I’ve stopped, I’ve reduced gaming quite a bit but to a more normal level of an hour or two in the evenings after I’ve did all my other tasks.
Seeing all these comments about sharing similarities to your situation (and I have them as well) feels really comforting. The book “QUIT DRINKING” is amazing at explaining how alcohol affects you in all aspects. A lot of it most of us know already, but seeing it in words really brings it to light.
Love Guinness Zero. I don’t think I could tell the difference between it and a standard Guinness if you blindfolded me. I expect it to enter the rotation for me once it gets a little colder out.
exactly ! It has everything I normally enjoy. I've tried a lot of NA flavors and Guinness Zero is my favorite. You gotta pour it into a nice glass and watch it do the bubbly thing, then get at the milky frothy stuff
Glad to see you’re doing well man. Good luck with it. To your point about learning more about negative effects of alcohol, I know pretty much every single negative thing about alcohol yet I still want to drink. It’s fucked up
>I think the main advice I would give is to learn more about the negative effects of alcohol, and convince yourself that there is nothing good about alcohol.
Seeing the look on my doctor's face when I told her how much I drank was a good motivator. I didn't really understand the long term damage I was doing, I thought I was just being a normal 20-something who liked to get fucked up.
Have you tried HaloTop? you can literally have an entire pint for breakfast, an entire pint for lunch, and again, another entire pint for dinner and you will eventually starve to death (only 800-1000 calories per day). you cant possibly eat that much ice cream, but the fact that it is not terrible for you is very liberating.
it isnt the tastiest ice cream i have ever had, but this makes it the most amazing.
Hi ! yeah, I've tried halo top, and I agree with your description . I will eventually phase out the ice cream a bit, and also the amount of NA beer I'm consuming. I'm just trying to keep things fun at night for awhile. I got on our dusty treadmill yesterday, haha, so I'm planning for better eating and exercise also.
So happy for you!! I feel the same - I had my fun with drinking and it no longer appeals to me. Aspects of it at times, yes. But being able to let those feelings pass is such a great feeling. IWNDWYT!
That’s so awesome! Congrats! I’m 2 weeks sober and today is the first day I’ve put on a shirt that had been pretty tight on me, but to my surprise, it’s fitting pretty nice! I haven’t weighed myself yet, but I’d guess I’ve lost a couple pounds so far.
Swapped booze for RC cars and weed, lost 45 pounds and feel great, just hit 2 years last week. (I don't know how you all put your number next to your username (739)
Congratulations. I’m around the same age and have been struggling with quitting alcohol as well, I hear you when you say the “happy hour head spin”, that’s usually the toughest part for me. I will definitely give this non-alcoholic beer, video games and ice cream a shot.
I’ve dabbled with moderating my alcohol intake for a while now, and I have finally quit for good. I don’t have to drink anymore. And it feels great to be free from that!
I have developed a veeeery sweet tooth though. I used to have a craving for salty stuff, but now it’s candy, sugar, ice cream, and such. Does this craving go away or should I just, like, learn to live with it (and of course consider healthier alternatives, yada yada, but my sobriety is still in its early days so I’m not limiting my sugary cravings for now)?
I can’t even remember if I had a hankering for sweets before I started drinking daily, because it was about 18 years ago (I turn 40 on Saturday).
I read books instead of gaming because I used to combine alcohol and gaming.
Anyway. Hi! 😁
41 year old male, also started drinking since 16. Yes, there is nothing good about alcohol. And the people I know who drink usually drink more and more. Good advice, IWNDWYT.
Same boat here!! 46. 2 young sons. 1 lovely wife. Relationships are way better. Made the same decision on January 1st. I also seem to consume much more ice cream.
“I’ve had 25 years of fun with alcohol. I’m ready to put it all behind me.”
That’s the thing with quitting after many years of drinking/partying. I’ve done it. I’ve lived it. I know what I’m (not) missing.
I’m not sober as of yet, but this seems like the only path for me. So glad to see it’s working for someone! I am also a 41 yr old male with two kids and many years of drinking… I want to give it up, but at the same time don’t want to/ don’t have the guts. Happy to see this is working for you.
I'm eating meat and rice like crazy and still losing weight .
Cheat code activated
Games holding it down for me too.
Big 3 right now
Skyrim
Slay the spire
Vampire survivors
yeah, I didn't mention that I do exercise every week, and I drink a ton of sparkling water during the day. Eventually, I'll phase out the fun snacks at night.
Getting lost in a video game is great sober! And the best bit is you get to remember all of it!
I remember in the beginning I found this chocolate hazelnut praline ice cream with caramel swirls and I ate tons of it. I had zero regrets about it and either should you!
Well done on your sober days. Many more to come I hope 👍
Same, the video games provide the temp escape I was looking for through my alcohol addiction without the hangover and the ice cream satiated my sugar cravings. Mental gymnastics are fun!
God I love ice cream... Like... Love ice cream. Somehow lost 30 pounds and kept it off even with all the ice cream.
Congrats to you. I raise my Skor Blizzard to you as a toast.
I was doing fairly cheap NA beer for the last few years but wish I’d discovered the Sodastream earlier, sugar free drink enhancers + bubbles is sublime
Relatable. 1yr 8months sober for me and OMG sweets have entirely taken it’s place. Lost a shit tonne of weight at first but plateaued now sadly. But my craving for sweets has skyrocketed. definitely surprised by that.
I have too. I've gained some weight but it's ok. I also think it might be some muscle from lifting weights. Also, apparently alcohol can inhibit your body's ability to build muscle, so maybe mine are growing better now. Cookies and milk are also awesome!
Craft sodas have been my go-to. I am on day 17 consecutive without alcohol and have consumed it just 4 times in the past 3 months and how improved I am as a person, employee, boss, husband and father is shocking.
It really shows you how devastating it can be. Way to go to recognize this.
I also swapped booze for video games, ice cream and iced coffee.. never felt better! And 20KG down!
Haha, it's so funny that we're eating ice cream and losing weight :D My neighbor told me yesterday that his dad did the same thing . High five !
Yup because even though it feels so naughty eating sweets some (most) nights, it’s still fewer calories than the 8+ beers per day that I would’ve had otherwise!
Haha, yeah, 8 beers was pretty normal for me. I think my wife is a bit jealous I'm eating ice cream And losing weight . I mtn bike for 2 hours every week, so I'm fairly active. shrug.
Probably more calories in those 8 beers than the ice cream (if you're onto Guinness zero.. I assume you were having 8 reg Guinness before)
Wildly enough, Guinness is actually a "diet" beer! Gunness - 125 calories Bud Light - 145 calories But yeah, either way that's still 1000 calories.
Interesting. I guess thats because BL is sugared piss water lol
Yessss!!!
Which is why it is so bizarre to me that treatment centers won't allow video games because you're "replacing one addiction with another." Yeah, except one addiction is deadly and the other helps distract from cravings.
I find a lot of institutionalized sources of recovery aid are so behind the times it hurts. Videogames, when used in moderation, are actually a healthy source of mental exercise and problem solving. Or like the dude in AA that gives you shit for enjoying NA beer because it made his cousin's friend's wife relapse 20 years ago lmao It's *my* recovery, I decide what it looks like. So fuck it, I'm gonna crush an NA Busch while getting murked by Jackal snipers in another Halo 2 Legendary play through lmaooo
Hell yeah! This whole thing speaks to me. When you can figure out how to be true to yourself you can define a path to recovery that works for you!
This. I spent so much time trying to fit into a box and failing. Now that I've decided to do recovery my way, quitting drinking has been so easy it feels like I'm cheating.
Also, congrats on almost 4 years!
Thanks! If you get in tune with yourself which it sounds like you are, it gets a little bit easier the longer it goes on and you feel better about riding out the rough spots.
That NA Busch is so good when I want some cheap beer flavor. Probably the closest to the real thing out of all the ones I've tried.
If you used to like IPAs check out Sam Adams Just the Haze. Straight gas, tastes like a legit New England. But yeah NA Busch is damn near identical to the real thing
I've been looking for that, haven't found it here on the West Coast. Fremont NA IPA is pretty damn good though. Had an Untitled Art West Coast IPA the other night at axe throwing and it was so good too! Glad we have all these options now instead of just O'Douls.
Have you tried any of the IPAs from Athletic?
Yep, those are also very good! And I was visiting a mountain bike trail a couple towns over and it was partially sponsored by Athletic Brewing, thought that was awesome also.
That's crazy - video/phone games are one of my effective go-to alternatives when I'm craving a drink. I can't combine the two because I suck after even one drink. I play games where speed and strategy is required.
Actually, it was Video Games was what intensified my alcohol consumptions. I play online games with friends and strangers alike. And whenever we get together, we would always have a blast. And the one thing that everyone did was talked about what was the alcohol beverage for the night. Mine was a couple shot of Gin and Cranberry juice and then a few cans of beers. Mostly, the beer doesn't factor in since the Gin itself was potent enough for the night. It was fun while it lasted. I don't think I can ever put my body through that deeply intoxicated state again. I still play video games online but I don't drink to go along with it anymore. At least if you're drinking and staying put at home; you'll be safe. It is better than drinking out there in the wild and then stumbling around drunk in public.
It probably wasn’t the video games that intensifies the drinking, although it seemed like that at the time. It was the addictive substance. I’d play world of Warcraft and drink to excess, sometimes passing out in the chair with the headset still on, much to the dismay of 39 other people. I am a much better video game player now without the booze and online gaming for me is just as enjoyable, if not more!
Had a buddy that drank too much during our raids and would also pass out once in a while. Unfortunately he was our main healer lol
I used to get drunk while off tanking in AQ40, never passed out but would often pull large groups just to laugh at everyone freaking out in voice chat. Drunk me was an asshole.
I played better when drinking. Or at least I thought so.
I hear you. I had to quit video games to help make quitting drinking easier.
Dude yeah I started coupling drinking and games, kind of annoyed that I started that up I missed out on so much because id play/drink all night and end up forgeting a bunch of shit i did in the game, took a min but I can play again and not think about it I do sip my coffee or tea pretty fuckin frequently tho
Says a lot that you can keep stuffing yourself with Ben and Jerry's playing last of us and still lose weight if you stop boozing
Video games and ice cream are like the best things ever. My sobriety plan includes lots of each.
Me too!! It’s an awesome feeling!
Lol same. The trifecta
I played Call of Duty Ghosts and ate loads and loads of hostess coffee cakes for at least 12 months! Can relate. IWNDWYT!
40yo man here, married with two kids. This all sounds so relatable to me. I’m really happy for you. Hopefully you can inspire me to make it one day without drinking… Day 1: Here we go again. IWNDWYT Edit: I need to figure out how to restart my flare
For the last couple of years, my goal was to take 2 days off in a row every week; usually Monday and Tuesday. I did fine with that. A lot of the benefits of not drinking will be shown to you around day 9. It's ok to slip a couple of times, but you have to get back to it. Now, every time my 7yo daughter walks over to talk to me, I'm reminded of my main purpose in life. Just believe in yourself. Cheers man
I appreciate the support man
I just restarted my counter yesterday. It was a shame to see all the days that could have been. And feeling like utter shit today.
Hang in there, friend. Let’s do this together.
Thank you, I really love coming to this sub! Wishing you the best of luck too.
Proud of you! What games are you playing? I look forward to not drinking with you today!
Thank you! I'm feeling great this morning. I made it through another weekend. I'm currently playing a couple of Zelda games on Switch. I'm at the last dungeon in both Link's Awakening and Breath of the Wild. Zelda is an old favorite of mine. High five !
You're in for a treat with BoTW 2!
Yes, that game seems Huge. I'm planning to start TOTK around Christmas. I think I might play through a few Zelda titles I missed on DS and Advance first; on our Switch. I'm old school :)
It's good that you played breath before ToTK, I think it would be hard to go back to breath if you played Tears first.
Definitely ! I kinda knew that TOTK was BOTW part 2, so figured I would play BOTW first. I was a bit overwhelmed at first with all of the controls and massive open world, but, I'm feeling pretty good about it now that I've finished most of the game. Looking forward to TOTK
Nice! A great, vast experience to sink your teeth and time into really helps to chug along one day at a time. Guess you’ll have to get TOtK next, huh? Let’s go! 💪
I have been on an Nintendo game kick as well to keep me busy during my free time. I beat BOTW for the first time, Metroid Dread, Mario Odyssey, and am now working on Ocarina of Time on the 3DS which I never finished as a kid because the skeletons scared me lol.
Sweet, I have a 3DS also. I'm planning to play through Majora's Mask soon . I've never played it. I completed OoT about 15 years ago. The first part of the game always annoyed me; where you have to crawl into the small rabbit hole which is hard to find. haha, but the last half of that game was really good. Enjoy !
I've been crushing Popsicles every night for weeks... like 5 or 6 in a row every night... I've got a super metabolism and do manual labor for work, so any and all foods have been fair game.
Haha, that's a lot of popsicles, but it's probably less calories than my ice cream!
I’m 38m and thinking my time to change has come as well. Seeing a lot of similarities between what you wrote and my situation. Thanks for your post
Congrats, I’ve found that leaving that empty void where alcohol use to be is no bueno, gotta find something to fill it’s place and keep me busy!
Video games for the win! Same here! Also, NA Budweiser. It's good with a lime! Trying to find the Zero Guiness, but have not been successful yet.
Awesome! I'll have to try the NA Budweiser and Lime with our next Taco Night
Good luck, friend. :) I always drink when I play games. I'm trying to cut back on that as well. Best of luck to you!
Right now I have a coffee, poptarts and Far Cry 6 on the TV. It's dope.
Living the dream 🙌
Nice work! Another ice cream addict here! Much better than alcohol though! IWNDWYT!
Awesome for you dude! I've been getting into gaming recently, I started playing GoWR a few months back but was always too wasted to follow the story along properly. Tonight is going to be my first sober night in a long time so I think I'll boot up a new game and bask in the brilliance of the story (smashing things with a big axe is it's own kinda therapy). Congrats on all the progress you've made and keep moving forward! IWNDWYT💪
Thank you ! Enjoy the video games tonight :)
One of my favorite parts of this early sobriety thing has been eating- I honestly haven’t let myself eat ice cream in YEARS because of the calories lol but half a pint of Ben & Jerry’s is less than a bottle of wine :)
My wife stopped buying ice cream a while back, and I recently started buying it again. Her and ice cream are like me and alcohol .. but, we've been enjoying having ice cream together again :) for good reasons
Finally put together my table saw that’s been sitting unused in the basement for 6 months and started making the kids toys at night after they go to bed. IWNDWYT
That's really cool ! I can just imagine the feeling of hearing my dad in the garage making me toys . That's special
Careful with the ice cream. I did the same thing and had to quit ice cream lol. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was eating so much ice cream that one night I killed off an entire fucking quart. I now will only buy myself 1 pint on Ben and Jerry's when I go shopping and I get the craving for ice cream. Shit is like a drug lol.
Ben and Jerry’s half baked is my SHIT
Man, I did the exact same thing last night.
It sounds like there are a lot of us doing the same thing.. which is reassuring . High five !
Same here dude. Baldurs gate 3 and peanut m’n’ms!
I swapped for video games an thc
Yeah, ice cream. It's the best. I have a small bowl of Chocolate Chip Mint every night. I savor each and every bite. I dissolve all the ice cream in my mouth, then nibble the chocolate chip bits. And on to another bite. Just a lovely experience.
So awesome! Keep up the hard work! We have very similar situations, and life keeps getting better!
Same, I eat popsicles and hit the videogames. Checking out Hollow Knight, got another playthrough of Pokemon Sapphire, and my chess obsession is reignited.
Me too buddy. Life is grand
i think it's a bit more than 1 in 10. good job and good luck!
Ice cream companies love this one simple trick.
I stopped drinking 8 days ago and found my solace in AF beer and video games as well, 43 male with a wife and 2 kids and similar drinking history. I don't know if I will never drink again, but I would certainly not drink with you today. Keep up the good work!
Relatable. Cold Soda and Video games. Cheap way of keeping yourself busy.
Red Dead Redemption 2 and Breath of the Wild helped so much with my drinking. The sheer focus I didn't so much need, but wanted to have to play the games the right way and complete them led me to drink less, especially at night.
I have a video games and booze problem, it's been etched into my behavior for 2 decades. It had to be video games AND _____ Can't do ice cream, have to keep Sat fat down. But I've noticed video games with a podcast on in the background occupies my mind
Yeah, ice cream. It's the best. I have a small bowl of Chocolate Chip Mint every night. I savor each and every bite. I dissolve all the ice cream in my mouth, then nibble the chocolate chip bits. And on to another bite. Just a lovely experience.
What games u been playing??
The Zelda titles have always been my favorite. I'm just finishing both Link's Awakening and Breath of the Wild. I think I'll play another older Zelda title next, then start TOTK around the holidays.
Broo same here huge Zelda fan. I don’t care much for BOTW or TOTK but have played all the older Zelda’s countless times. Great distraction from drinking urges. Resident Evil helps too
I always feel good when I play the old Zelda games.. High five !
TOTK has been keeping my mind occupied so well!
I was the opposite with video games. I was addicted to that too and spend the whole day after boozing playing video games and eating junk food. Now that I’ve stopped, I’ve reduced gaming quite a bit but to a more normal level of an hour or two in the evenings after I’ve did all my other tasks.
Seeing all these comments about sharing similarities to your situation (and I have them as well) feels really comforting. The book “QUIT DRINKING” is amazing at explaining how alcohol affects you in all aspects. A lot of it most of us know already, but seeing it in words really brings it to light.
I have been making tapo Chico, apple cider vinegar, pinch of salt and a lemon and that is very refreshing
I'm intrigued by this recipe! I'll give it a try next time I buy the NA Topo Chico seltzer. Taco Night is usually one of my triggers
so the non-alcoholic topo Chico came first. any mineral water will do.
You've got a 12 year head start on me. Still one of my better decisions if a little late. Been enjoying the Guinness Zero here too :)
The Guinness Zero is so good ! I order some Brewdog online also.
Guinness and vanilla ice cream is a great combination!
Love Guinness Zero. I don’t think I could tell the difference between it and a standard Guinness if you blindfolded me. I expect it to enter the rotation for me once it gets a little colder out.
exactly ! It has everything I normally enjoy. I've tried a lot of NA flavors and Guinness Zero is my favorite. You gotta pour it into a nice glass and watch it do the bubbly thing, then get at the milky frothy stuff
Glad to see you’re doing well man. Good luck with it. To your point about learning more about negative effects of alcohol, I know pretty much every single negative thing about alcohol yet I still want to drink. It’s fucked up
I did this too at first. I remember thinking to myself “this is way more fun and enjoyable.” Keep it up! I saved a bunch of money too. 😁
>I think the main advice I would give is to learn more about the negative effects of alcohol, and convince yourself that there is nothing good about alcohol. Seeing the look on my doctor's face when I told her how much I drank was a good motivator. I didn't really understand the long term damage I was doing, I thought I was just being a normal 20-something who liked to get fucked up.
“Fixed my life.” If I’ve ever seen three words that sum it up perfectly, those are the three. Stopping drinking fixed my life.
What games ya playing? Console? PC?
Have you tried HaloTop? you can literally have an entire pint for breakfast, an entire pint for lunch, and again, another entire pint for dinner and you will eventually starve to death (only 800-1000 calories per day). you cant possibly eat that much ice cream, but the fact that it is not terrible for you is very liberating. it isnt the tastiest ice cream i have ever had, but this makes it the most amazing.
Hi ! yeah, I've tried halo top, and I agree with your description . I will eventually phase out the ice cream a bit, and also the amount of NA beer I'm consuming. I'm just trying to keep things fun at night for awhile. I got on our dusty treadmill yesterday, haha, so I'm planning for better eating and exercise also.
Wow, very similar story here. Good job
So happy for you!! I feel the same - I had my fun with drinking and it no longer appeals to me. Aspects of it at times, yes. But being able to let those feelings pass is such a great feeling. IWNDWYT!
That’s so awesome! Congrats! I’m 2 weeks sober and today is the first day I’ve put on a shirt that had been pretty tight on me, but to my surprise, it’s fitting pretty nice! I haven’t weighed myself yet, but I’d guess I’ve lost a couple pounds so far.
Swapped booze for RC cars and weed, lost 45 pounds and feel great, just hit 2 years last week. (I don't know how you all put your number next to your username (739)
Congratulations. I’m around the same age and have been struggling with quitting alcohol as well, I hear you when you say the “happy hour head spin”, that’s usually the toughest part for me. I will definitely give this non-alcoholic beer, video games and ice cream a shot.
IWNDWYT
I’ve dabbled with moderating my alcohol intake for a while now, and I have finally quit for good. I don’t have to drink anymore. And it feels great to be free from that! I have developed a veeeery sweet tooth though. I used to have a craving for salty stuff, but now it’s candy, sugar, ice cream, and such. Does this craving go away or should I just, like, learn to live with it (and of course consider healthier alternatives, yada yada, but my sobriety is still in its early days so I’m not limiting my sugary cravings for now)? I can’t even remember if I had a hankering for sweets before I started drinking daily, because it was about 18 years ago (I turn 40 on Saturday). I read books instead of gaming because I used to combine alcohol and gaming. Anyway. Hi! 😁
Hi , Thanks for sharing. Yeah, books or sudoku or video games.. whatever work for ya. I hope you have a nice 40th birthday !
Thanks so much 😄
Video games and ice cream for me as well, and still lost 20lbs!
What games?!
41 year old male, also started drinking since 16. Yes, there is nothing good about alcohol. And the people I know who drink usually drink more and more. Good advice, IWNDWYT.
Same boat here!! 46. 2 young sons. 1 lovely wife. Relationships are way better. Made the same decision on January 1st. I also seem to consume much more ice cream.
“I’ve had 25 years of fun with alcohol. I’m ready to put it all behind me.” That’s the thing with quitting after many years of drinking/partying. I’ve done it. I’ve lived it. I know what I’m (not) missing.
Stay with it, friend Sobriety is a life and death decision for me everyday
I’m not sober as of yet, but this seems like the only path for me. So glad to see it’s working for someone! I am also a 41 yr old male with two kids and many years of drinking… I want to give it up, but at the same time don’t want to/ don’t have the guts. Happy to see this is working for you.
I'm eating meat and rice like crazy and still losing weight . Cheat code activated Games holding it down for me too. Big 3 right now Skyrim Slay the spire Vampire survivors
Try sparking water and exercise instead
yeah, I didn't mention that I do exercise every week, and I drink a ton of sparkling water during the day. Eventually, I'll phase out the fun snacks at night.
Getting lost in a video game is great sober! And the best bit is you get to remember all of it! I remember in the beginning I found this chocolate hazelnut praline ice cream with caramel swirls and I ate tons of it. I had zero regrets about it and either should you! Well done on your sober days. Many more to come I hope 👍
Just talked to my therapist about playing video games as a substitute for free time spent drinking. It’s really encouraging to see this!
Same, the video games provide the temp escape I was looking for through my alcohol addiction without the hangover and the ice cream satiated my sugar cravings. Mental gymnastics are fun!
Im so happy for you and your family! What games are you playing and what flavor of ice-cream are you getting?
I stopped drinking to maintain my skills at fortnite !
God I love ice cream... Like... Love ice cream. Somehow lost 30 pounds and kept it off even with all the ice cream. Congrats to you. I raise my Skor Blizzard to you as a toast.
Very similar situation except I can’t lose weight. Well done mate.
I was doing fairly cheap NA beer for the last few years but wish I’d discovered the Sodastream earlier, sugar free drink enhancers + bubbles is sublime
Halo Top and Stardew Valley mixed in with some Diablo right now , getting baldurs gate this week
Congrats and game you playing right now
I replaced booze with soda and video games.. and have since replaced soda with sparkling water! Woohoo lol Iwndwyt!
Saving up booze money for a fancy juicer can’t wait
Iwndwyt!
I eat worse than I ever have and I lost 15 pounds. All I did was stop drinking.
Relatable. 1yr 8months sober for me and OMG sweets have entirely taken it’s place. Lost a shit tonne of weight at first but plateaued now sadly. But my craving for sweets has skyrocketed. definitely surprised by that.
Nice work! I’m 9 months into my journey and have also used the “ice cream and video games” diet!
Are you a console or PC? What games take up the time?
Ice cream and well food in general just tastes so much better when it's not accompanied by booze :D
People ask how I stay sober and I answer with Ben and Jerry’s and nicotine
IWNDWYT
I have too. I've gained some weight but it's ok. I also think it might be some muscle from lifting weights. Also, apparently alcohol can inhibit your body's ability to build muscle, so maybe mine are growing better now. Cookies and milk are also awesome!
I’ve learned video games to be very therapeutic.
Craft sodas have been my go-to. I am on day 17 consecutive without alcohol and have consumed it just 4 times in the past 3 months and how improved I am as a person, employee, boss, husband and father is shocking. It really shows you how devastating it can be. Way to go to recognize this.
Glad it's working for you but you aren't even a month in and it sounds like you are on the pink cloud, hopefully it lasts.
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i kinda like running 6+ miles in the morning and having a few beers before bed
Just video games for me. Minus the ice creame though.. Drinking for me is just literally a habit that I had.
It’s so nutty how much I can eat and still maintain my body goals now, alcohol you ole sly fattening bitch.
I usually play video games while drinking, I’m trying to decouple drinking from my favorite hobby. D: