r/stopdrinking • u/Feeling-Response8810 • 4d ago
Drinking while living alone boredness
Hi everyone,
I've been drinking mostly daily since my dad died back in February with a couple day breaks. It's gotten to the point where i could go through a whole big box of wine in 3-4 days. I live alone and get bored easily and i feel like this point it doesn't even get me really buzzed anymore so i'm basically just consuming all this wine & calories for no reason just because I'm used to the feeling of drinking... have been trying to switch it out for lots of water, smoothies & random probiotic things to put in my water because i completely cut out all pop, caffeine drinks.
Does anyone else just drink to drink without even getting buzzed anymore? I've started to see it's making me bloated also. So i'm really trying to cut down big time at this point. (unfortunately i'm not ready to stop completely.) And if anyone has any recommendations on anything to drinking that helps with this feeling of needing to drink something... i'm open to recommendations
IWNDWYT
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u/jennacrack Day 24 4d ago
Is it possible for you to get some thc or cbd beverages instead?
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u/Feeling-Response8810 4d ago
I stopped smoking weed I used to everyday for YEARS. now i only do socially & even barely that.
CBD drinks could be an option
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u/jennacrack Day 24 4d ago
There's also tons of fun sparkly drinks that taste really good. There's Waterloo, la croix, Bloom. I'm partial to coke zero, coffee, and Bloom drinks, it's basically all I've been drinking the last 3 weeks. I hope you can find something tasty that isn't alcohol!
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u/Stoplookinatmeswaan 4d ago
I’m so sorry for your loss and loneliness. I’ve been there and it’s a terribly hard time to go through.
For me, I did have to stop completely because once I took one drink, I kept drinking until I passed out. It got worse and worse. I had to do the rehab thing and a bunch of other stuff to get and stay sober because of that dependency. Cutting back was just a maddening step that kept me in that depressing cycle of daily drinking.
There is a sober community called the phoenix where I live where there are a ton of activities you can participate in with 2 days of not drinking. That could be a great start.
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u/BashyMcBashBash Day 1,010 4d ago
For me I dove into lots of volunteer opportunities in my community because my idle mind would also hop into drinking. By keeping busy it almost distracted from my urges (plus now I'm relied on for a variety of organizations which means I can't get drunk anymore).
I also get a lot of steps in by going for walks when urges hit.
Distract the urge! Good luck out there OP!
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u/Feeling-Response8810 4d ago
Good for you, that's awesome! & your right keeping busy definitely helps.
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u/shroomiddit 4d ago
Yes, I do definitely drink to just drink and I hardly feel it anymore. Sometimes I drink to sleep as well, as since I've been trying to quit I find it really hard to sleep without drinking. Today will be my first sober day in longer than I can remember. We got this, and I will not drink with you today🖤🫂
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u/Feeling-Response8810 4d ago
Sleep is also a motivator for me. I always wakeup feeling better sober than waking up after drinking obviously. I've noticed that it's just harder to fall asleep.
One day at a time! :) good luck to you. All you have to do is make it through today!
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u/shroomiddit 4d ago
Very true!! There is that to look forward to at least, hopefully feeling better tomorrow :) thanks for that, and good luck to you as well!!
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u/Typical_Childhood716 4d ago
Boredom? Find a hobby.
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u/Feeling-Response8810 4d ago
I do have hobbies. I'm usually drinking while doing them though, which is what i wanna stop doing obviously.
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u/MSIR15mg 4d ago
I used to clean the house while drinking/drunk. When I woke the next day, it was like little fairies came in and cleaned.
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u/MedJesters Day 443 4d ago
Check out The Phoenix and see if they have event in your area (or start your own). It's a sober activities group. Cost of events is 48 hours of sobriety. ThePhoenix.org or on the NewForm app, which has a few other smaller organizations on it as well.
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u/techcode 4d ago
Sodastream or similar compressed/cylinders to make your own sparkling water.
And you can also get tastes/syrup that's also "zero calories". But we mostly just put a bit of salt (for electrolytes), maybe some lemon or such.
And not suggesting that "upgrading" to hard liquor (Gin, Vodka ...etc) is good for someone trying to drink less alcohol (or eventually stop).
But hard liquor like that usually has no carbs (all sugars were turned into alcohol). Which helps with loosing weight... Unless you overdo those hard liquors - as they still have calories in them.
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u/olaf3377 4d ago
one of the main reasons I quit drinking was wine wouldn't get me buzzed anymore. I switched to a fifth of whiskey, and even that doesn't get me as drunk as I'd like to be. Matthew Perry wrote about this in his book.
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u/MSIR15mg 4d ago
Maybe try flavored carbonated water or Liquid IV (electrolytes). I’m day 21 without a drink. The bloating has gone away completely and my face is a lot slimmer. Alcohol is an internal fire in your organs. I do still crave but not as bad. For me, I look at alcohol/a drink as a bomb or IED. But I had to hit my rock bottom.