this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2025
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Stop Drinking
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This is a place to motivate each other to control or stop drinking. It is also a place for non drinkers to discuss and share.
We welcome anyone who wishes to join in by asking for advice, sharing our experiences and stories, or just encouraging someone who is trying to quit or cut down.
Please post only when sober; you’re welcome to read in the meanwhile.
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I'll try. I was at the bar last night with friends who were drinking but didn't drink. Today I kept thinking about going to the beach again and wanting to drink and still wanting to go to bars to play pool which ik I'm going to want to drink at again eventually
If friends aren’t willing to avoid the bar for the time being, it may be best to take a break from them. Ask your friends if they can join you at a place that has less of a booze-focused vibe, like a restaurant or cafe.
You need a good reason to hate booze. Quietly, in your own mind, hate it. Blame it for every evil you can think of. Dredge up your rock bottom memories and use it to push you through.
You got this.
You might find it easier to totally avoid the bar and drinking people for the first few months. Right now your brain is still in the mode of "Gotta find my next drink" and it takes a while to get out of that.
Controversial, but I used non-alcoholic versions of my favorite beverage for the first few weeks to trick my brain into thinking it was getting what it craved. Remember that you're fighting a cunning, baffling, powerful demon in your mind and it will find ways to trip you up, so sometimes fighting dirty is the best defense.
You don't have to worry about not drinking for all of summer. You just gotta wake up and commit to one day at a time. I promise that soon you'll find something in life that you love even more than alcohol.